# Never ever lean against a wall with important buttons



## putney (May 15, 2006)

Two nights ago there was a concert by a local symphony in our auditorium. The whole night had been crazy because I came expecting a simple show (we didn't talk to anyone before hand) but ended up running around trying to get everything together. After the show had started and I didn't need to do anything for a while I decided to sit back and relax. During about the second piece my two fellow techies and I heard running footsteps outside the door. In burst the schools orchestra director who was pissed off because the screen was coming down on the conducter! I looked and was amazed that the orchestra was still playing and the conducter was conducting with one hand while holding the screen up with the other. We got the screen back up and afterwards we figured out that when one of my fellow techies was leaning against the wall he bumped the switch for the screen. I was very embarred that this had happened while I was there.


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## soundman1024 (May 15, 2006)

Haha..I've done similar before. At our church we have a wall panel at the sound side to control the house lights with the board off. After the light board goes off the wall panel is all that holds the house up. One time I was leaning and I hit the bright button and all the lights went from their 40-60ish percent level to full on. I quickly changed it back to nothing since the board was still on. Just about 2 weeks ago though I was tlaking with friends afterwards and I was near it and I said I am really close to this and I shouldn't be. About 10 minutes later I went back over there and leaned against the wall and hit the blackout button. It went black in there. Watch out for that wall mounted stuff folks.


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## DarSax (May 15, 2006)

ahahahahahahaa, I must say that was quite hilarious. Well done, you get, well...embarassment?


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## avkid (May 16, 2006)

This why people have made millions of dollars selling safety covers to many different industries.


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## kingfisher1 (May 16, 2006)

Main Curtain= safety cover to protect audience


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## bdesmond (May 16, 2006)

We used to keep all the winch motor stuff (e.g. projector screen) either on keyed switches or with the breakers thrown except when needed where I went to school. Seems like a wise idea given these sorts of mistakes.

A related anecdote, one of my clients which maintains a medium size datacenter inhouse has a master electrical panel with a series of 250A and 400A disconnects for the room PDUs. These now have DLT tape covers pack taped over them so that you have to reach in to throw the disconnect. Several years ago someone was walking in the room with a backpack on and hit one of the breakers. These are of course behind the ATS so no battery/genny kick in, just goodbye PDU. Said client learnt the hard way what gear had redundant power supplies on the same circuit and what gear had no redundant power supply.

Another is the "EPO" or "Emergency Power Off" switch in this type of facility which is usually a pull switch to activate and behind a safety cover to boot. Have a client who has far too many people with badge access to their datacenter. Heard a story of a while ago when someone who didn't belong in the datacenter to begin with thought the switch labeled EPO would cancel a false fire bell or something to that affect. That switch ties in ahead of the all the supply to the room, so everything went bang dead in a few seconds. FM-200 Fire Protection cancel is actually a whole seperate panel and momentary key switches around the room (key in the switch) to cancel or discharge the system or the default position for Automatic. Interesting when one of these water-less systems goes off because the CO2 actually pressurizes the room and you can hear the walls kind of shake as the system dischyarges.


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## saxman0317 (May 20, 2006)

We dont have fancy winches... But during a run of show we had a new one lean aganst the black out butten on the wall.


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## SLC Tech (May 26, 2006)

In our case at a show we were working at. Buttons to control the main FOH tabs were in perfect working order (by the way this was an amature production - we know what they can be like! lol) and it was the final last song where I came down to a blue (kind of picture finish where the tabs EVENTUALLY close where everybody is in a pose) at the end while people were clapping, and what happens? the fuse blows! and no buttons atall worked when pressed so all the cast looked fantastically...stupid and they started to chant who it was that broke the curtains!


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