Creative Conners’ Spotline Practical is a compact new hoist with a powered lifting line and integrated motion controller. Spotline Practical easily lifts small scenic elements and practical lighting while maintaining safety standards and ease of use. Controlled by Conners’ Spikemark software, the Practical is programmable and cue-able with the entire family of Creative Conners’ hoists and machines. Spotline Practical features 35 feet of travel, a maximum speed of 48 inches per second, and is capable of lifting 15 pounds. Utilizing a 110 V powered lifting line, Practical can power up to 1200W suspended lighting instruments.
More details from Creative Conners (www.creativeconners.com):
Designed for simple setup, the Spotline Practical can be installed in approximately 15 minutes. Driven by a powerful servo motor, Spotline Practical weighs only 70 lbs. with dimensions of 14.75” wide x 21“ high x 20.8” deep. It requires only three cable connections: 110V input power, control signals via Ethernet, and emergency stop monitoring via a Showstopper 3 Base emergency stop. Once a scenic element is attached, Spotline Practical uses a flat cable to minimize rotation of the load.
Spotline Practical features slack line detection, dual brakes, and primary and ultimate limits. Critically, the Spotline Practical uses a closed loop communication protocol between the controller, encoder, and hoist. “The challenge with protocols like DMX for automated scenery is the lack of feedback data – positioning, velocity, and fault information is nonexistent. By knowing where and how the hoist is moving, Spotline Practical can adjust its motion or stop if unexpected action is detected,” says Michael Wade, Director of Technical Services at Creative Conners.
Spotline Practical is immediately available for purchase for $7500 and will be available for rent in the summer of 2017. Manufactured at the Creative Conners Rhode Island headquarters, it joins the Spotline hoist, Smart Chain Hoists, and Flyman packaged hoist as a means to fly scenery in live entertainment. For further details, customers can visit www.creativeconners.com, or call 401-289-2942 to speak to an automation expert.
