Drop Cords / Generator

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digitalinnovations

Well-known member
On this late night shoot I will be working on (as soon as the weather agrees with us) i have a question on power. I have called around for generators and it doesn't look like anyone carries a low noise generator. I did find a 8500 Wacker brand generator to rent, but they couldn't find the noise specs on it. It runs a 16hp Briggs and Straton engine and I am sure it makes a ton of noise. So my question is, i will have to set that generator so far away and run extension cords to it that I am thinking I should just run cords back to the building which is about 250' from the lot I am shooting on. I wanted to get some additional feedback on this though.

In addition to this, I do not have that many drop cords in my "arsenal", so where fo you all recommend picking those up? Is there online retailers that give better pricing for drop cords or am I better off just to go to Walmart or Home Depot locally?

Thanks!
 
I don't know whhat you're calling drop cords, but determining what cable to pull depends on how much amperage you'll be pulling. Typically for 250' you'd use at least 2/0 cable into a d-box and then break out to lunch boxes.
 
Just put it as far away as possible - possibly rig up a sound shield on one side with some plywood to at least mask the noise. The further away the genset is, the more voltage drop you will experience hence you will need larger cable.

Also, beware of flicker if using HMIs if the generator is not electronically goverened.
 
What size cable are we talking about? I am using a mix of omni lights, rifa, pars and possibly a flo. So in your opinion it better to set the generator a couple hundred feet and run cables from there vs. running cable from the main building about 200-250 ft. away?
 
You need about 50-60 amps at a bare minimum so I'd suggest you price out a quiet generator and then compare that to the cost and convenience of bringing in an electrician to tie into a panel with a 100 amp distribution box on a long cable and some lunch boxes. That may work out to be more cost effective and less hassle for the sound department.
 
This is exactly what The Lumen is designed to resolve.

With a handful of Lumens you could resolve the same situation by tying into available power or using a Honda put-put.
 
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