AC-ET gets rigorous with Kinesys
A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd's specialist Rigging division has supplied a substantial quantity of LibraCELL load cells to Rigorous Technology (RT), a new company specialising in load cell systems and motion control equipment rentals, for tours including Kings of Leon and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the latter via Knight Rigging Services (KRS).
Kinesys – for which AC-ET is the authorised UK and Ireland reseller – is renowned for its robust, well engineered, innovative range of products in the specialist field of motion control. Both RT’s Dave Jolly and Yose Lawson are experienced users of Kinesys' various automation systems, and their compact, versatile LibraCELL.
As load monitoring becomes an increasingly important safeguard for touring and stage rigging systems of all types – not just when automation is involved – it is not always viable for load cell systems to be purchased. Rigorous Technology has filled a gap in the market as suppliers of cost effective safety solutions by offering the LibraCELL package for hire.
The purchase was co-ordinated for AC-ET by Adam Beaumont in the Leeds office, described by Dave Jolly as "brilliant, knowledgeable and very supportive."
Adam comments, "It's great to see a new company investing in this technology, which we have been encouraging people to look at for some time. Systems like this offer a real safety advantage, which cannot be over-emphasised."
Rigorous Technology has had an immediate return on its investment with AC-ET. Their first LibraCELLs went straight out on the current Kings of Leon world tour, where a 10-cell system is being used to monitor eight Kinesys motors that are moving four trusses, controlled by a Kinesys K2 motion control system supplied by Blackburn based Lite Alternative. In this case, the LibraCELL readouts are also incorporated into the K2 system's showfile.
The LibraCELL comes in 3.25 tonne and 4.75 tonne versions, both with a 5:1 safety factor – and is ideal for jobs where space is tight.
Cabling up a system is extremely expedient and utilises readily available 4-pin XLR cable to daisy chain the cells together. Up to 75 units can be run simultaneously from a single LibraPRO 1U rack mountable power supply.
The viewing and control options are also very flexible. The weight can be displayed directly on the shackle display, on the LibraPRO PSU display or on a PC or Laptop running the proprietary LibraVIEW software.
LibraVIEW offers a more detailed visual interface allowing users to see live readouts of weights on the different LibraCELLs, plus logging and archiving facilities in pounds or kilogrammes.
Other useful LibraVIEW features include warning settings for both underload and overload, multiple LibraCELL grouping options and the option to select numerous different views for live load monitoring.
