Subject:
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Re: Booth monitors and crowd control
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.loc.us.ca.sf
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Date:
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Tue, 8 Aug 2000 01:47:45 GMT
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Viewed:
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746 times
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David K. Z. Harris <ba-lego@cinnamon.com> wrote in message
news:v03130306b5b4e1cb1989@[157.57.212.115]...
> X-10 power control.
> We had a wireless remote control to turn two outlets on or off. These
> controlled the track controllers for both loops (ckt. 1) and the power
> to the rotating doggie atop the Spamcake Diner (ckt. 2).
>
> Oddly, the RF remote was usually in the hands of the operator who
> stood closest to the track power controllers...which left the other
> operator calling out "Stop the outter loop!".
Sorry, Zonker, but I just can't live without a remote control of some sort
in my hands. :-)
>
> I think the remote idea works well, and I'll develop that further.
> I'll also suggest that we try to have more than one remote, so a few
> booth monitors can "throw the switch" when they see trouble. The person
> near the controllers would be the last person to get a kill switch. ;-)
>
> These pocket remotes are also available in 4-ckt versions, and I may
> consider picking up a few of those as well, for larger layouts.
I belive I have 2 8 switch remotes with variable speed control, which would
be pretty nice.
>
> Monitors on the outside
>
> I think that having members on the outside worked well, when we had
> some members outside helping. The main problem is, you don't have an
> area to sit down when you are working outside. Since standing all day
> is a drag, this also speaks to having shifts, or even rotating from
> "inside" (with a chair") to "outside" during your shift.
Chairs are comfy, but we need barstools, as they see you higher up. When in
the chair, I felt like I was almost hiding, which isn't good.
>
> More room on the inside
>
> Well, I'd like to think that we were crowded due to a lack of planning,
> but I have a gut feeling that tells me that even with great planning,
> putting on a show will frequently throw us last-minute changes, and
> I'm not sure how to plan for them.
>
> The round house was to blame. It was an odd-size, versus Mike's tables.
> There was a presumption of where the tracks would pass along the module,
> but it was wrong, and we ended up designing the show layout all over
> again on the back of used pages, less than 12 hours from move-in to
> the show floor. At that point, it didn't matter about earlier versions,
> or how much planning we had done. We guessed at a track design, but then
> the task of putting it together showed us where we had mis-guessed at
> room needed for switched track, etc.
>
> In one area, we only had 30", and that was pretty narrow. We should
> plan for more room in the middle, but since Mike's tables are 45" deep,
> that means the booth needs to be larger (which means more tables...).
>
> We also need to discuss tables versus modules again. Mike's still
> working on his. Who else is planning on trying to build a module or
> more on their own? (Maybe we should plan on those modules being used
> to expand Mike's modules? He can make corners and switches, and the
> others are simply straight tracks following his zoning/placement plans?)
> When would we want to use tables instead?
When I get done with my town, I will consider making a wye module that has
the flat tables on the back of the wye to hold the track. Of course, we
will need a huge layout to justify a wye module inside the operator's area.
We could put it outside, but I think that we would want some form of
protection, as it will be full of rolling stock that is mostly MOCs and
mixed groups of peoples cars. When multiple cars shatter, it is hard to
tell who's things are whose.
>
> Mike was talking about selling his tables before the show at cost.
> I don't know if they are still available. After the teardown, I think
> Mike, Tom McD. and I agree that the tables with fold-up legs are much
> nicer towork with than the PNLTC-style...maybe Mike's going to retrofit
> his tables, and use them for modules?
I will likely just use them for straight track for a wye module or a
switchyard. Of course, this means that other people will have to make some
tables as well. I have 15 of the tables with the folding legs. They are
nice, but REALLY heavy. I am the king of overkill and they are 3/4" plywood
with 2x4s. Remember that they will be holding 60+- pounds of Lego per
module, though, so I wanted something sturdy that also wouldn't flex in
transit.
>
> My main point here is that we probably need to try to get our tables
> together before a show, and make sure we all see how they fit. The
> NMRA show was the first time many of these tables and legs had been
> mated together, and new holds had to be drilled, etc. The show floor
> is a hard place to do integration. Having a test-run before the show
> would have given us some time to rework the track plan, and maybe even
> make another table or two. (We can now try to make some layout designs
> with more room, so when we get asked to display, we can try to get a
> slightly larger booth, having tried a few other designs.)
>
> On-site storage
>
> With most display items arriving in LEGO tubs and model boxes, these
> containers were visible to the visiting public. Many folks thought we
> were selling LEGO. Some kids wanted to open the boxes. I think having
> some kind of drape in front would have been great, to hide the boxes,
> as well as concealing our chairs, and personal belongings.
I agree. I just didn't have time to make a skirt. To show at the NMRA, you
must have a certificate that proves the skirt was treated with a flame
retardant material. I will be re-working the module tables (folding leg
style ones) to have a slot underneath for the skirt and another for a power
strip mounted on the back. There are some other electrical things I would
like to put in, but I am not an electrician, so I would need some help.
(kill all power buttons on each module, for example)
Mike
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Booth monitors and crowd control
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| X-10 power control. We had a wireless remote control to turn two outlets on or off. These controlled the track controllers for both loops (ckt. 1) and the power to the rotating doggie atop the Spamcake Diner (ckt. 2). Oddly, the RF remote was (...) (24 years ago, 8-Aug-00, to lugnet.loc.us.ca.sf)
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