NEW YORK – It's all in the pacing. You don't want the 12-foot diameter New Years ball to descend too quickly, putting the six ton structure's 2,468 Waterford crystals, lit from within from more than 32,000 LEDs, at risk. But you don't want the timing to be off, either – after all, millions of people are watching to mark the precise stroke of midnight.
"At one minute before midnight, this hoist has got to lower the ball exactly 75 feet in exactly 60 seconds," said Rick Boychuck, a representative for Thern, Inc. who worked with Hudson Scenic Studios, which was in charge of the ball's assembly and operation. "Getting this winch and hoist system to operate with that level of precision was a challenge to be sure."
Unlike the smaller, simpler and lighter New Years balls of yesteryear, which descended down a Times Square flagpole, the revamped structure, first used for the 2009 New Years Eve festivities, weighs nearly six tons. It also required a 139-foot-high support shaft to be installed on the rooftop.
"There's been a generational step up in LED technology from a simple switch to turn off a number of light bulbs, to a full mass of sophisticated electronics," said Boychuck. "With the LEDs, the framing, the Waterford crystal and the control system, this ball is a huge, heavy, heavy thing."
The ball is raised and lowered using a closed-loop cable system, which required the winch to have two cable anchor points. The winch also required a load capacity large enough to move 12,000 pounds and a line speed fast enough for the countdown. Finally, because the winch was located directly below the ball, it had to be installed with an inverted orientation.
Working together with Thern engineers, this year's winch was custom-designed to meet all these specifications, giving Hudson the lowering solution they needed: a Thern special 4HPF Series helical-planetary gear electric winch.
Featuring an operational load capacity of 15,200 pounds, severe duty brake motor with 75 feet per minute maximum line speed, two cable anchors, special dual-line grooved drum and inverted motor orientation, the winch was custom-made for Hudson Scenic's application.
The winch design also included a special manual drum locking system that, when engaged, securely holds the drum when the ball is stationary and the winch is not in use. Locking bolts also fit into slots on the drum flange and winch frame, preventing unauthorized drum rotation.
For more information, please visit www.thern.com
