Greetings all! This is a placeholder post for now, but on Wednesday, March 26, I'll start live-blogging the A Prop Untethered: The Magic of Wireless Dimming session from USITT! Come back then for more updates, obviously. Meanwhile, here's the session description from the USITT show catalogue:

Theatrical props and costumes can often be enhanced with light or motion, but operating these enhancements can be problematic. Rather than settle for effects that are always on, or depend on performers to operate switches or buttons, radio remote control can be used. RC4 Wireless presents various samples of props that make brilliant use of remotely controlled light and motion, with the assistance of several guest prop masters. Presented by RC4 Wireless.

Jim is introducing the session and the people involved. From right to left on the podium...

Jeremy Fisher - resident lighting designer in Theatre Memphis. Studied at Oklahoma City University

Ryan Joiner - master electrician at Baylor University.

Daniel Urling - Head electrician at Tulsa Performing Arts Center

Peter Anderson - lighting and sound supervisor for theatre at Northwestern University. Been there for 15 years.

Karen Rabe - Props master at Alley Theatre.

Jeremy Fisher and a Floating Practical Light

Jeremy talking about a "floating" practical light. Hung with high-strength fishing wire, then had to wirelessly dim. Spun pink foam on a lathe. Did it really quickly -- one afternoon. Glued foam to keep weight down because glass pretty heavy and he needed place to hide battery and wiring. Used LED-dimmable strips he cut and hot-glued to make an omni-directional source. 2-channel RC4 unit hidden in base. Put a disconnect switch to turn off RC4 so it wouldn't drain the batteries. Hard part was rigging

"Never ask a lighting designer to do any kind of rigging ever."

TD used jug knot that supported by crease in glass, with no weight held by foam.

When he was making the lamp he said "I'll replace the batteries when they get dim." And they never did. In fact, he's still using the same batteries he originally put in the piece as he showed it off today.

Jim added a few technical notes about batteries, reminding people that if you use NiMH batteries, not lead acid, you won't damage battery if you run it too long and drain the batteries. If you want to know what running time is--forget calculators, just turn it on and let it run until it starts to get dim. (Assuming you're using NiMH and won't damage battery by letting it completely drain.)

Use of RC4 dimmer also helps because no external antennas. Foam doesn't block signal - and neither does RC4 case - it's plastic so it doesn't block signal. This means you can fit it into more specialized props and not have to worry about hiding an antenna.

Ryan and Daniel and their Fire Trunk Prop for 39 Steps.

Steamer trunk in play has to be used throughout play, and in particular, one "fire."

They used a 4-channel RC4 dimmer. Bright-White LED strip lights and three computer fans to blow china silk, and a blinker light.

Had to build masking panels to be able to get to batteries to re-charge them. Hinged flaps gave board ops access to batteries. Held in with velcro.

Designer had control of fans, LEDs, and light-up fake fire logs via the four channels on the RC4 dimmer.

LED tape is low-wattage and comes in 12 volts, which makes it super easy to use for appications with back-lighting

"Was there a problem with noise?" There was if run at full. Covered with a speaker running crackling log effect. Yes, there's a whine on certain LED tape/dimmer combinations. (Later at the show RC4 released a new dimmer for LED tape with very smooth dimming and no noise issue.)

With a wireless dimmer and a DC fan, you have control over speed of fan. You have control over how rapidly the silks move, and what the effect can look like.

Jim added that since they did this effect, RC4 had released a Flicker Engine effect unit that helps designers create the flicker effects you want with a lot less programming – especially good if you want to create multiple fires on stage at once. 30 seconds to create a fire flicker effect, not 30 minutes.

Peter Anderson!

Wireless lighting in costumes - loves to use LED tape. Especially since you can get it on Amazon for pretty cheaply. He showed off a few ways he's used RC4 onstage beyond just ighting. For example, in this pic, he used a RC4 unit in a desk that was free-standing in middle of stage.

He set up a 12V LED array for the light on the desk and used the other channel of a RC4 dimmer to run a Tele-Q phone ringer to have a phone ring in desk.

At one point, the dance department called and said “We somehow want the costumes to have the light integrated into them.” He went to look for good LED tape -- because "we all know how performers treat props."

He tried a variety, settled on half-density LED tape. 150 LEDs to a 1-meter reel of LED tape. Since these needed to be attached to costumes, they got IP67-rated. Waterproof. But then the connections had to be waterproof as well. So at any solder joint he covered the joint with heatshrink, then sealed with water-proof boat glue with a 24-hour cure time.

And Peter is actually wearing a shirt. Dancers could move around freely. 8-10 minute long piece, never had a problem with battery life or any of the batteries running out.

Shirts were hand washable, and with silicone glue at joints, the shirts could be washed.

They used LiIon batteries in construction, but Jim wouldn't recommend them.

Lithium Ion batteries have a very high energy density. Jim Smith wouldn’t recommend using one near an actor or performer. If something goes wrong, you might not be able to get it off in time.

But what about LiIon batteries in phones? Those are safe because charger built into iPhone knows about that battery and its environment. The whole thing is designed and carefully tested to make sure the charger battery and load is optimal. In a theatre environment, you have to make a prop really quickly… You can get spec sheets and find a battery online, but have to get charger from different vendor, low on specs, “looks like it can work.” There’s a LOT more to making a LiIon battery safe. “You are setting yourself up for a situation where the risk is vastly higher.” It’s a risk you shouldn’t take.

Use NiMH batteries. Much more stable.

Someone from the audience asked: "Do you guys have trouble with the wireless not working?"

EVERYONE shook their head. They all found RC4 Wireless equipment to be rock solid. Their problems were with batteries being too small, or charging a lead acid battery charged too far, etc. Their barriers are not wireless, barriers are other issue.

Karen Rabe at the Alley

10 years ago they built a new Christmas Carol. The director wanted lots of things that were wireless. Originally wanted to have actors use switches to turn them off and on. Karen convinced them to use RC4, even though everyone was skeptical, because they had a tension wire grid. They thought wireless would run into major interference.

They've never had any problem with interference. It just works. In fact, she couldn't bring any projects to show off because the Alley Theatre was using all of the units in an upcoming show. They integrate them into every show the directors and artistic team love them so much.

For a production of Othello she used RC4 to fire a solenoid that would turn on air pressure that would push blood through plastic sheets so it would pool below Desdemona as she was murdered. Unfortunately, the effect got cut.

Built "Blinky" a 3-eyed fish for Toxic Avenger musical. Sculpted a 3-eyed fish, cast out of silicone, hollow in the middle. Built wooden box with battery pack and put in middle of fish. Fish glowed and pulsed to show how toxic goo worked.

Also for Toxic Avenger she built a one-person tank that "shot" bleach out (to battle the toxic goo). They used RC4 to make the tank treads move. As tank was getting pushed on stage, treads moved. With awesome sound effects to cover up sound of motor.

For Harvey, RC4 unit powered a lamp on a desk in the middle of the set, and fired solenoids that pushed pistons for a gag that had the character of Harvey picking up patient folders from a desk and "looking" at them.

Theatre has embraced RC4 tech to wear AD now just says "Can't you just put an RC4 unit on it?"

Also on Toxic Avenger they ran a turntable of toxic barrels. RC4 triggered power for effects, dimmed lights.

For Mountaintop they had turntable that spun and tracked up and down stage. So couldn't run power to it. They also had fixtures to light the balcony, and hanging "ceiling" fixtures. Two RC4 dimmers ran it all using two truck batteries for power.

At they alley they use rare-earth magnets to hold props together so they can get into them and swap out batteries. The magnets have never interfered with the signal.

Someone in the audience asked: Does anything interfere?

Jim said you shouldn't put it in a full-metal casing and ground it. (Which would create a Faraday cage and nothing from no one would get through.) Some metal devices might shield it. It "has" happened, but in general, if there's some way for signal to get in through top or bottom, some openings, it will work. Size of openings relate to signal you're transmitting. 2.5 GHz band means you can have small opening (around an inch or half-inch) and you'll be OK.

Using non-conductive materials in prop-building is always a good idea. Doesn't block RF signal.

Jim also pushed people to not be shy about going to battery stores and asking for specialized or customized batteries.

"If you work in a battery store, the best day of the year is when a props person comes in. That's the most fun you have all year."

Karen buys LED tape from a local place. Jim says EnvironmentalLights.com is most popular place to buy LED tape online. "nicely refined" product.

DSSS, not FHSS, is method Jim uses in RC4 to send signal. It's the same method WiFi works. So just because it's not frequency hopping, it's still rock solid and reliable...

A question about the portability of the system... As a freelancer, can this work in multiple theatres?

Jim said yes, because secret sauce is that each system has it own unique ID's. No system will ever be on your same circuit because the solution is built right in to RC4.