# What is it? #247 (60A Sixfer)



## derekleffew (Jan 10, 2010)

What is it and how was it intended to be used? Is this use still valid today? What size should the six cables from the male 60A 2P&G connectors to the box be?


----------



## MNicolai (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks like a distro box that takes each of the six 60A circuits and splits them up 6 ways on a lower amperage connector. It would be like a six-fer instead of a two-fer. If each 60A feed is on a dimmer, you'd be able to dim up to six lights at once (up to 10A each if evenly distributed).

This looks like something that would have been used more in film. At least by today's standards, not many theatres have 60A 2P&G circuits, but a lot of film studios do.

If the cable is legal it might still be useful to someone. It steps the 60A 2P&G's down to 20A 2P&G's and isn't entirely useless. In a film studio if they wanted to have a set of six <10A fixtures all on the same dimmer that would be easy to setup. It would be most useful to use a 6-circuit multi-cable break-in and then run the multi to the lighting position then use a breakout and connect to the fixtures.


----------



## tjrobb (Jan 10, 2010)

+1 to MN (aprevious poster).

Another use is high-amperage dimmers (typically pre-dimmer per circuit) that would take the multiple 20A's and use them for cyc lighting - one color per 60A.

Per NEC (IIRC, don't have my book with me) they need to be 6 or 4 gauge, SOOW or SJOOW depending on the length.

Valid? Maybe, they have a place to be used but I would want to make sure they were still holding together.


----------



## venuetech (Jan 10, 2010)

I dont think it was "Valid" when it was built. 
#4 ga 

this unit does not appear to have fuses, or circuit breakers for the distributed branch lines.

is there anything on the other side that would clue us in?


----------



## MNicolai (Jan 10, 2010)

venuetech said:


> I dont think it was "Valid" when it was built.
> #4 ga
> 
> this unit does not appear to have fuses, or circuit breakers for the distributed branch lines.



That thought had crossed my mind. It's hard to tell from the photo if there are or are not fuses(it looks like they're _might_ be, but those might screws securing the receptacles to the panel), but if there aren't it would allow you to draw more than 20A through the 20A receptacles.


----------



## epimetheus (Jan 10, 2010)

MNicolai said:


> That thought had crossed my mind. It's hard to tell from the photo if there are or are not fuses(it looks like they're _might_ be, but those might screws securing the receptacles to the panel), but if there aren't it would allow you to draw more than 20A through the 20A receptacles.



Those look like push-to-reset circuit breakers to me.


----------



## gafftapegreenia (Jan 10, 2010)

Some part of me wants to say its for 6-bars


----------



## venuetech (Jan 11, 2010)

Ah I think you are right epimetheus!
I took them to be indicator lamps.

So that would make it a distro box for a 6x6k dimmer pack. or that would be my guess as long as you have the dimmer pack it would be very handy today. 

however the cable does not look up to snuf for the duty.


----------



## ship (Jan 11, 2010)

Patch box for lamp bars or old dimmers? Got something similar hack for Soco using 20A Amp plugs for the patch dateing back to the 80's that was once Veam 16 CIR style or even Pyle National Mod II 37 pin plug in and Veam 16 out. 

Concept being that sometimes you want to tie together lamp bars with different circuits to remote lamp bars and you often cannot easily do this short of a lot of extra cable, especially if perhaps one on a bar is ACL and series.

Definate qualified end user type stuff to be using but assuming the male side is plugged into dimmers or power supplies with breakers on them, I think safe enough given qualified end user usage only.


----------



## STEVETERRY (Jan 12, 2010)

epimetheus said:


> Those look like push-to-reset circuit breakers to me.



Right, but they are unlikely to be UL489 Listed Branch Circuit Protectors. They are supplementary overcurrent protectors that are not allowed in this application.

ST


----------



## Van (Jan 12, 2010)

That's not a breakout box for an old carbon contact motor driven chase system is it ???


----------



## Dionysus (Jan 14, 2010)

tjrobb said:


> Per NEC (IIRC, don't have my book with me) they need to be 6 or 4 gauge, SOOW or SJOOW depending on the length.



The "J" designation should not be used in theatre. If I remember both the CEC and NEC in their respective sections on theatre state that cables designated "J" (Junior) should be avoided in a theatre and such.


----------



## cdub260 (Jan 14, 2010)

For some odd reason, this thread reminds me of a scene from _Red Dwarf_.

YouTube - So what Is It? - Red Dwarf - BBC comedy


----------



## derekleffew (Jan 14, 2010)

Dionysus said:


> The "J" designation should not be used in theatre. If I remember both the CEC and NEC in their respective sections on theatre state that cables designated "J" (Junior) should be avoided in a theatre and such.



We've covered this many times. NEC Article 520 allows the use of Junior Hard Service cable only in a few specific circumstances. See _SJO_ cable in a theater.


----------



## MillburyAuditorium (Jan 19, 2010)

I really don't know what it was intended to be, but with other people saying it doesn't look like it is legal, it might be from long ago. Which it does look like.

Well, From what I can see, It could possibly be for houselights, I wouldn't be surprised if I were to go into the rafter of our place and find something like this. Maybe two of them. But since I do not know much about wiring I do not really know. But each row of houselights here is one a separate dimmer. With five or so lights in a row.


----------



## Anvilx (Jan 19, 2010)

cdub260 said:


> For some odd reason, this thread reminds me of a scene from _Red Dwarf_.
> 
> YouTube - So what Is It? - Red Dwarf - BBC comedy



+1 for red dwarf

I am really surprised you made that reference, it isn't as well known here in the USA as it is in the UK. Then again when it aired in the Uk there were only like 4 channels on tv.


----------



## cdub260 (Jan 19, 2010)

Anvilx said:


> +1 for red dwarf
> 
> I am really surprised you made that reference, it isn't as well known here in the USA as it is in the UK. Then again when it aired in the Uk there were only like 4 channels on tv.



Well, I used to watch it on a PBS station in Southern California. Now I've got the series on DVD.


----------



## philhaney (Jan 20, 2010)

venuetech said:


> this unit does not appear to have fuses, or circuit breakers for the distributed branch lines.




epimetheus said:


> Those look like push-to-reset circuit breakers to me.




STEVETERRY said:


> Right, but they are unlikely to be UL489 Listed Branch Circuit Protectors. They are supplementary overcurrent protectors that are not allowed in this application.



I thought they might be push-to-reset circuit breakers as well, but the more I look at the picture, the more they look like indicator lights. However, that seems silly compared to circuit breakers, and I'm sure that Mr. Terry is correct.


cdub260 said:


> For some odd reason, this thread reminds me of a scene from _Red Dwarf_.
> 
> YouTube - So what Is It? - Red Dwarf - BBC comedy



So... what is it? 

(I want to lie, shipwercked and comatose...)


----------

