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Machinery

New Machines!
Introducing Spotline Hoist

We’re excited to announce that the Spotline hoist will be joining our growing stable of machines. Spotline is specifically designed for vertical lifting, and with a redundant brake and integrated electrical brake testing, this unit can safely handle big loads without counterweight-assist. With full Spikemark integration, and fast and quiet operation, Spotline is the perfect choice for your hoisting needs. It ships with a 5hp gearmotor, capable of lifting 500lbs at 36in/sec, letting you automate your flying pieces without the hassle of rigging a counterweight-assist system. Spotline can be mounted to the grid for direct lifting, or can be used in the traproom for automating elevators. Click here for more details.

Spotline by Creative Conners. Vertical lifting made safe and easy.

New Machines!

Introducing Trickline Linear Actuator

Trickline is a linear actuator made for Stagehand and Spikemark. If you’ve ever struggled with the accuracy, performance, and noise of pneumatic cylinders, Trickline is the machine for you. This guy is accurate, quiet and ready to tackle trapdoors, pop-up props, or sliding steps. Before you wrestle with another air hose or hissing valve, grab some Trickline instead. Trickline boasts 150lbs of line pull at 18in/sec and the integral linear bearing is rated for 150lbs of dynamic load. We can customize the length up to 20 feet, and custom motor options are available if you’re looking for more speed or more line pull. Trickline starts at $7995, but during our Spring Fever Sale, prices start at $5995. Click here for more details.

Trickline by Creative Conners. Linear motion without the hassle.

    New Machines!

Spring Fever Sale

We just kicked off our Spring Fever Sale, so if you’ve been waiting for big savings, the wait is over! We’ve got some great deals: Stagehand AC – $3495 (save $1500) Pushstick deck winch, and Revolver friction drive: $11,995 (save $3000) Spotline Hoist: $14,995 (save $3000) Deck hardware and Spot Blocks: 10% off. There’s more on sale. Click here for details.
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Machinery

Creative Conners linear actuators running Ted Baker props

We Do Window Displays (at least the automation)



Last year we did a custom job for Cigar Box Studios for their window display at the Ted Baker store in Manhattan. We made 4 custom linear actuators that came out great and have been running non-stop for about 8 months.


Shop Test

Yesterday we found this video of the shop test:  



Our actuators handle the items that are traveling up and down. Here’s a video that we posted to YouTube last year showing the actuator being tested before going to New York:  





These actuators are for sale, so let us know if you’re interested in getting a couple for your theatre!
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Machinery, Tips
Creative Conners Motor Calculator

Motor Specifier Tool


Big news today!  Over the last week or so, Gareth has been putting together a sweet calculator for figuring out all of your gearing and capacities when designing machines. We’re calling it ‘Motor Calc’ and it just went live at http://motorcalc.creativeconners.com. Please check it out and let us know what you think. Motor Calc works best in Webkit-enabled browsers like Chrome and Safari.
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Automation, Machinery, Spikemark

Front panel of Stagehand AC Have you ever wished that your machine was faster?

A quicker pull across the stage for a pallet or a faster rotation for a turntable? Of course, you could always re-gear your machine to get more speed out of it. But wouldn’t it be cool if you could just make the motor go faster? Well, you can. Both the Durapulse and Mitsubishi Stagehands can handle overspeeding up to 200%, so if you don’t need all the horsepower that your motor is rated for, this trick can get you that extra speed you’re looking for.

Torque rating based on hertz delivered

In the default settings, 60 hz provides 100% of torque. Overspeeding is simply changing the settings on the Stagehand so that it delivers more than 60 hz which makes the motor turn faster with a corresponding drop in torque. So if you have a 5hp motor and you want to double its speed (and you can get away with 2.5hp), you send it 120 hz. The motor speed doubles, the torque rating gets cut in half at the maximum speed and you’re all a set. If you have a Mitsubishi Stagehand (with the keypad on the front), you need to change parameter 252 of the VFD. That process is explained in section 4.3 of the Stagehand AC Manual 2.1.

What about Durapulse VFDs

If you have a Durapulse Stagehand (keypad on the back), you will need to change parameter 0.04, which is explained in section 4.3 of the Stagehand AC Manual 1.0. In addition to the loss of torque, another downside to keep in mind is that the control signal resolution is also reduced, which makes fine adjustments more difficult. Once your Stagehand is set to produce 120Hz, adjust your maximum speed in Spikemark to allow the motor to run faster in cues. That’s it. Tune in next month for another rollicking good time with Spikemark!
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