9k maxi brute tungsten question!

twerp

twerp

Active member
i have an upcoming shoot in a gymnasium at a high school. i want to rent two 9k maxi brute's from a local rental house to light the band from behind. my question is... would i need a generator to run these lights... or would they be able to be plugged into a normal wall socket?

thanks!
 
twerp said:
i have an upcoming shoot in a gymnasium at a high school. i want to rent two 9k maxi brute's from a local rental house to light the band from behind. my question is... would i need a generator to run these lights... or would they be able to be plugged into a normal wall socket?

thanks!
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I doubt it unless the location has 3 phase which you can tap into. As for the maximium load I remember the formula as WAV (wave; hi there!) - Watts = Amps x Volts

By dividing both sides of the formula by amps you get - Watts / Amps = Volts
... the amps / amps on the right hand side canceling each other out to leave volts.

and by dividing both sides by volts you get - Watts / Volts = Amps
... the volts / volts on the right hand side canceling each other out to leave amps.

Examples:-

q. What is the biggest electric fire that can be run on a 13 amp fused plug in the UK?

a. Mains voltage in the UK is 230v so Watts = 13 x 230 = 2990 watts or just under 3kW

q. A 60 watt car spotlight is showing a drain of 5.5 amps on the ammeter.
What is the voltage?
a. 60 / 5.5 = 10.9 volts

q. A food mixer with a 400 watt motor runs in the US on 120 volt supply.
What fuse to fit?
a. 400 / 120 = 3.33 amps. A 5 amp fuse would be ok.
 
Twerp,

Nothing short of a genny will power (even one) Maxi. At 9k each of these lights are 70amps over your typical breaker rating, assuming you are in the US. Additionally, these units are powered by a 100amp paddle, which means a distro system would have to be in place either way and a drop down box must be powered by either a stage tie in or off a generator.

Best of luck.
 
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hey- thanks a lot guys for the answers! i don't think my budget's going to allow a generator... but the information is much appreciated!

andrew: if i did have the budget to allow a generator... what would you suggest? i am quite new to all of this, but really need to learn! thank you!
 
Well my honest suggestion would be to hire a sufficient BBE and Genny Op and let them handle the power on set, it is a very dangerous and precise area of production and attempting to run power with hundreds of amps off a genny could not only kill you if you don't know exactly what your doing but it could also fry the distro gear as well as possibly the genny.

The size of the lighting package will really dictate the necessary generator as well as what you have available in your area. (Not sure where you are located)

Don't mean to sound harsh, just want to make sure you understand the scale of it. :)
 
no, not harsh at all! i really, really appreciate your knowledge and know-how. thank you for your time!
 
Andrew Brinkhaus said:
At 9k each of these lights are 7amps over your typical breaker rating,
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??? How do you figure that? At 9k it's WAYYYY past 7amps over the typical breaker rating.

A "typical" breaker (not that there is a single typical breaker) in a home is going to range from 10 to 20 amps. A 9-light is going to pull 75amps (give or take) so you're talking about being 50amps or more over your typical breaker.
 
I hope the band is wearing those silver suits foundry workers use. I don't know about you, but a couple of 9ks behind me while performing on stage would put me in the hospital with severe burns. I'd love to hear how this works out; you have to have some distance to work with.
 
Texanite good catch, I apologize for the typo. That was supposed to read *70* amps, not 7.

a 9-Light Maxi Brute consists of 9 1k Par64 globes (unless otherwise stated, it can be globed with smaller PAR lamps) each pulling a paper amperage of 1amp, resulting in very close to 90amps of power, not 75.

Also I would disagree about there not being a "typical" breaker voltage, the majority of homes built in the last 20 years and most new homes built are wired with 20amp edison outlets throughout. I call that typical and I think most others would agree.
 
Andrew Brinkhaus said:
Texanite good catch, I apologize for the typo. That was supposed to read *70* amps, not 7.
Click to expand...

That makes more sense. :)

a 9-Light Maxi Brute consists of 9 1k Par64 globes (unless otherwise stated, it can be globed with smaller PAR lamps) each pulling a paper amperage of 1amp, resulting in very close to 90amps of power, not 75.
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It all depends on how you do the math. Paper amps by dividing by 100, or if you use 120v or 110v for your calculations. And if you have a long cable run, it can be even higher. But 75amps is not incorrect any more than saying a 2k pulls around 17amps is incorrect.

Also I would disagree about there not being a "typical" breaker voltage, the majority of homes built in the last 20 years and most new homes built are wired with 20amp edison outlets throughout. I call that typical and I think most others would agree.
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I still see a lot of 15amp breakers in relatively new houses.

It should also be noted (not directed at you Andrew, but for other readers who might misunderstand) that nobody should assume that a 20amp breaker means that the outlets are rated at 20amps. Even in a house full of 20amp breakers, you'll find that a lot of the individual outlets are not rated to have that entire 20A pulled through them.
 
Texanite said:
It should also be noted (not directed at you Andrew, but for other readers who might misunderstand) that nobody should assume that a 20amp breaker means that the outlets are rated at 20amps. Even in a house full of 20amp breakers, you'll find that a lot of the individual outlets are not rated to have that entire 20A pulled through them.
Click to expand...

(Also not directed at you, Tex)

Right, that is a paper amperage unit. Most outlets I've worked around on location (quite a few) average out around 18 but can most often withstand 21-22amps. This is the reason set electricians like myself carry receptacle testers and voltage sniffers in order to determine a circuits max load capaxity as they are usually tied in with other rooms or appliances within the house.
 
The best advice would be to hire a gaffer to take care of it.

If you are at the level that you don't know that a 9k can't be run off house power, then there is *SO* much more that you also need to know. We can answer specific or very general questions on this list, but the best transfer of knowledge would happen between you and an experienced gaffer.

There is nothing wrong with being at your level of knowledge, just know where you are at and surround yourself with people who can take care of you so you can see your vision come to the screen.
 
yeah j! i did not go to school for film- yet i am starting to get bigger and bigger budgets for videos... but i do not have the knowledge of what lights i need; but know what i want. thank goodness for dvxuser. thanks a lot guys, seriously!
 
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