Project Trucks

Project Trucks was a small challenge we set ourselves after first learning to use the automation system in the Atheniaum Theatre. The system is Made by Stage Technologies and is made up of; the Illusionist control desk running the EChameleon software, the AU:TOUR portable 4-way control rack, and four BigTow winches and point hoists.

Brief

The brief we set ourselves was to use the automation system to move two trucks across the stage, whilst flying objects onto them from above. We thought this would be easy enough that we could achieve it in two days, yet tricky enough to set us a reasonable challenge.

Design

The four motors were already in positions (see Fig.1) and due to time restraints we decided to leave them as they were. By using the swivel pulleys already in place on motors 1 & 2 and using floor mounted tilting pulleys we were able to re-route the lines from the motors to get two lines of travel (see Fig.2&3)

The plan was to have the upstage truck controlled by motor 1, and the downstage truck controlled by motor 2.

One end of the truck would be attached to the line from the motor, the other would be attached to a line running to the opposite wing, round another pulley and attached to a counterweight bar. The plan was that if the bar was left weighted but unbraked, that when the motor let out slack, the counterweight would cause the bar to raise, which in turn would pull the truck. To move in the opposite direction, takethe motor line in, again causing the truck to move.