Technopolis
Entertainment Technology & Design
To amuse, educate, and instill excellence in the live event production industry.
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In This Issue
Qurious Quotes
Advanced Training at LDI
50th Anniversary of LEDs
Huge Book Sale!
Swami Candela
The Road Down Under
Qurious Quotes
Shimon Schocken 
"I'd like to say a few words about traditional college grading. I am sick of it. We're obsessed with grades because we're obsessed with data. And yet grading takes away all the fun from failing. And a huge part of education is about failing. Courage, according to Churchill, is the ability to go from one defeat to another without losing enthusiasm. And Orwell said mistakes are the portals of discovery. And yet we don't tolerate mistakes, and we worship grades. So we collect your B+s and your A-s, and we aggregate them into a number like 3.4, which is a stamp on your forehead, and sums up who you are. Well, in my opinion, we went too far with this nonsense, and grading became degrading."
(Shimon Schocken is a computer science professor who started Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and taught at NYU, Harvard, and Stanford.
Shimon Schocken
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Upcoming Classes
Modern Electrics for the Advanced Tech at LDI Las Vegas
Entertainment Electricity, Power Distribution, and Controls
Los Angeles 
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Modern Electrics for the Advanced Tech at LDI 2012

Advanced Training at LDI
APT class Technology is rapidly changing the way we distribute and use power. New devices like LEDs and video displays are non-linear loads, which create harmonics and sometimes affect the power factor in adverse ways. This class will explore advanced topics in power distribution including phase relationships, harmonics generation, power factor calculations, and more. Attendees should be familiar with the basics of electricity including Ohm's law, circuits, and three-phase power.

 

Topics to be covered:

  • phase relationships and how they affect circuits
  • harmonics: what they are and how they impact power distribution systems
  • power factor: what it is and how it affects our systems
  • load calculations for single-phase and three-phase systems
  • and more...

 

Target Audience:

  • intermediate and advanced electricians, technicians, engineers, consultants, systems integrators, systems designers

About the instructor:

Richard Cadena is an ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician, and an ETCP Recognized Trainer. He is the author of "Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician," "Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Lights," and other lighting books. His background in electrical engineering combined with his experience in theatrical lighting informs his unique perspective on entertainment technology.

 

For more information, click here.

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October 10, 2012
Open Aperture                                                         
50th Anniversary of LEDs
Nick Holonyak Jr.
Nick Holonyak Jr., inventor of LED

Today is the 50th anniversary of the first demonstration of the LED. It's hard to imagine the live event production industry without LEDs, but it wasn't too long ago when that was the case. In a short 50 years, LED technology has come from panel indicators to everything from color wash, profile spots, video displays, and more. 

 

To read more about it, click here.


SAVE UP TO 75% ON LIVE EVENT PRODUCTION BOOKS
Fall Book Sale
Analysis of Changes NEC 2011

Limited quantities! Order now!

 

The Perfect Stage Crew - $9.95
SWAMI CANDELA'S QUEST FOR ANSWERS   
Vexing Voltage
Swami Candela
Dear Swami,
I have a special adapter that has a NEMA L6-20 (rated 250V) on one end and a NEMA 5-15, also known as an Edison plug (rated 125V) on the other. I use it connect equipment that can run at 120V or 208V (like many LED fixtures) but has an Edison connector on it. Is that so wrong?
 
Dear Vexed,
It's only wrong if you consider dangerous and a code violation wrong. It's dangerous because a parallel blade Edison connector is designed to withstand up to 125V, and applying 208V could cause it to short between the terminals or otherwise malfunction. It's a code violation because it violates Article 110.4, which says, "The voltage rating of electrical equipment shall not be less than the nominal voltage of a circuit to which it is connected." 
The Road Down Under

CX Roadshow
CX Summer Roadshow
APT is hitting the road down under in 2013. Richard Cadena will be joining the CX Road show, offering electrics and control systems classes from Perth to Brisbane next February, 2013. The classes will be offered in the following locations:

CX ROADSHOW 2013 ITINERARY
  • PERTH Thursday 14th February Perth Hyatt
  • ADELAIDE Monday 18th February Adelaide Convention Centre
  • MELBOURNE Wednesday 20th February Melbourne Convention Centre
  • CANBERRA Friday 22nd February National Convention Centre
  • SYDNEY Monday 25th February The Concourse
  • BRISBANE Wednesday 27th February Brisbane Convention Centre
For more information, visit www.APTXL.com or email us.
We would love to hear from you. Please email us and let us know how we're doing.
Sincerely,
 
Richard Cadena
APT