Unistrut Lighting Grid TV studio.

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Vistronic

Member
Location
Quincy IL
Hello I am new here starting a new project,
I am designing a unistrut lighting grid in side a recording studio. Why Unistrut? Because I like working with it. This will be my third light grid. The first one I did'nt know much. The second I knew a more "got my white card" but still not what I would do now. The Third well we shall see.
The room is 50 x 40 x 12 blank dry wall. I plan on installing 1/2 depth size unistuit to ceiling in a non-symmetrical grid pattern per my lighting and set requirements. Industrial open look is fine here. I plan on bolting outlet boxes (4 square 4 x 4 x2) direct to grid spring nuts. All 3/4" Emt connecting with a max of 9 #12 conductors per pipe. Or really 4x 20 amp circuits per pipe. I understand normally a clamp would be with in 3 feet of box but what if my strut is 6 feet apart and I am hitting it like a T seems a shame to install a whole piece of strut thats only purpose is to clamp a pipe 3 feet from box, now if I run the pipe on top of strut parallel as it were it would cover whole strut slot so thats not good. Any ways my lights will be on threaded rod about two to 3 feet with a saftey cable in case it come lose. I am not planing on installing pipes to hang lights on, direct from slot threaded rod to light. Plugged in a max 6 feet away.
The grid will all coverage on a hoffman wiring tray (pending if I have to derate raceway)out side ceiling from there to 24 switchs from 12 breakers on a 60amp 3 phase subpanel in new production control room. All lighting will be LED. So though I have 12 circuits the load on any one will be low.

I am a electrician though not always active per "white card status" as that requires liability insurance per projects. I may have to reactivated for this project, though I am employee of company and they have insurance and this is warehouse remodel. The old inspector just said prove your Libility and we will rectave you years ago, not sure if I can roll in with company insurance or not, its all rather confusing, but Quincy is known or was know for a notoriously hard test I had to take it multiple time NOT wanting to do that again.

So what do you think? Just wanting to talk about it. Really on the clamping with uni-strut and the Hofman max wires.

JW
 
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Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
So what do you think? Just wanting to talk about it. Really on the clamping with uni-strut and the Hofman max wires.

JW

this is a thought.... you can use unistrut with snap on covers as a raceway, and put boxes with chase nipples into it, i'm partial
to having the channel open side up, and if you use a rod coupling instead of the top jam nut, it prevents running threads
from chafing any wires....... they make 1 5/8" strut with 1/2" ko's just for this purpose...

just a thought....
 

grich

Senior Member
Location
MP89.5, Mason City Subdivision
Occupation
Broadcast Engineer
Is there a need to plan for DMX cables to control the lights, or is it just going to be on/off from the snap switches? Strut open at the top might be a good place to lay DMX cables if that space doesn't get used as a raceway for power conductors.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Is there a need to plan for DMX cables to control the lights, or is it just going to be on/off from the snap switches? Strut open at the top might be a good place to lay DMX cables if that space doesn't get used as a raceway for power conductors.

You could use P1001A strut, which is side-by-side and put power on one side and DMX cable on the other.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
...Any ways my lights will be on threaded rod about two to 3 feet with a saftey cable in case it come lose. I am not planing on installing pipes to hang lights on, direct from slot threaded rod to light. ...
JW

While you can pan the lights on the All-thread and pitch them using the yoke, sometimes I found I really needed to lift the light center-line a bit, and rotating the yoke on the pipe using the "C" clamp was always useful for that.
 

Vistronic

Member
Location
Quincy IL
While you can pan the lights on the All-thread and pitch them using the yoke, sometimes I found I really needed to lift the light center-line a bit, and rotating the yoke on the pipe using the "C" clamp was always useful for that.

I an considering hanging a pipe off the strut where required.
 

Vistronic

Member
Location
Quincy IL
this is a thought.... you can use unistrut with snap on covers as a raceway, and put boxes with chase nipples into it, i'm partial
to having the channel open side up, and if you use a rod coupling instead of the top jam nut, it prevents running threads
from chafing any wires....... they make 1 5/8" strut with 1/2" ko's just for this purpose...

just a thought....

Wow never thought you could do that, I learned something new, of course you would have open slots.. one side or not
 

Vistronic

Member
Location
Quincy IL
Is there a need to plan for DMX cables to control the lights, or is it just going to be on/off from the snap switches? Strut open at the top might be a good place to lay DMX cables if that space doesn't get used as a raceway for power conductors.
I will have DMX on some but this gives me option many time I just size the light bulb or led to the size of light output I need and turn it on, so in that case no dimming, but on the flat wall set lights, back lights and key it is nice to dim or at least figure the fore to back ratio of brightness. Seems I can never have enough switched circuits.
 

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
Wow never thought you could do that, I learned something new, of course you would have open slots.. one side or not

no, you use solid strut, and use snap in covers for the open channel.
they make strut with 1/2" KO's in the back, to add boxes easily.
not available everywhere, but using blank strut and drilling holes works too....

put the channel with open side up, use rod couplings inside the strut to
protect the conductors from the threads, and put boxes on the bottom.

if you get past 40% fill, you can get 2 1/2" and 3 1/4" deep strut as well.
most wholesale houses will special order it.
 
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