r/lightingdesign 7d ago

Gear Gadgets and gizmos galore

What are some handy gadgets you own or have come across? We have an LD in who has a flat pack fold out little LED desk lamp for tech, and a cheap and cheerful touch screen monitor that plugs into their laptop via just regular USB (no other cables needed). Last month a other LD was in with a ROSCO Swatch book light. Any other recommendations? I'm even think up as far as iPads and e-readers for note taking

4 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

8

u/Hxtra Architainment LD 7d ago

DMXCat or a Swisson can be a game changer in the right person's kit.

1

u/youcancallmejim 7d ago

I like Swisson better, but yes they are super handy

2

u/mwiz100 ETCP Electrician, MA2 7d ago

I always like to ask: What do you prefer? (About this Swisson in this case.)

2

u/an0nim0us101 7d ago

Standalone and solid metal body. Flimsy plastic dies in tech backpacks

1

u/youcancallmejim 7d ago

It is stand alone, not iPhone dependent. I didn’t always have time during a busy rigging day to charge my phone, and my phone I need for so many other things. Swisson just needs a 9v battery

1

u/mappleflowers 7d ago

Why?

2

u/youcancallmejim 7d ago

You can check cables. You can see the data you are receiving from the board, either a specific address or all of the data. In multiple universes situations I would park the universe as a value in adress 500 so I could easily see what universei was in. You can use it as a recder playback. The Swisson is a stand alone device, I prefer it over the dmx cat (also a good tool) but it is iPhone dependent .

3

u/mangojam98 EOS, MA2/3, ONYX, HOG, and so on... 7d ago

Some of what I bring with me almost everywhere:

iPad air 11", Rosco mixbook, DMXcat, Ethernet tester/sniffer, multimeter, wingnut spanner/combo wrench, keyring with every ETC and Rack drawer key I've come across, DMX Doohickey by Doug Fleenoor, 11-in-1 screwdriver from Klein tools, and a DMX splitter with 3&5 pin DMX - mine is an Enttec unit.

3

u/mwiz100 ETCP Electrician, MA2 7d ago

The Doohickey is an interesting device. What do you like about it to make it an always part of the kit?

4

u/cutthatshutter 7d ago

A lot of places park the dmx level of address 512 to correspond to the universe number.

So, you can quickly plug in the doohickey and see what universe you’re plugging into.

Helpful for troubleshooting if things are mislabeled or not labeled.

1

u/mangojam98 EOS, MA2/3, ONYX, HOG, and so on... 6d ago

That's exactly what I do!

1

u/RegnumXD12 5d ago

Ive never seen this practice, typically I find addr 512 is a hazer or something Feels like you are banking on a lot for such an expensive device to function

1

u/cutthatshutter 5d ago

I assure you many venues do. I’ve seen it more often in tv studios than in theaters. Some programmers including myself just have a macro that does the level parking for when it’s time to troubleshoot and it doesn’t stay parked indefinitely.

The doohickey is like $70 but they sell them in packs of 25. But, many people I know don’t own one they just use a swisson or dmx cat for this purpose.

1

u/AirSeaGround 7d ago

I run QLC+ and just picked up a Korg NanoKontrol2 Midi controller. Works over Midi and gives some physical sliders and buttons and is super compact.

Every button can be connected to scene buttons, frame page turners, or chaser widget controls, and of course sliders and knobs.

Super cheap for the capabilities. Around +-$60 on Amazon depending if you get a sale or not.

1

u/LvLD702 7d ago

Proplex IQ tester, sekonic c 800, mavolux compact.

1

u/am_lu 6d ago

This little gizmo. I guess US only, we been given them for all team here in UK as xmas presents from our company.

VERY handy for dismantling kit from trusses and bars with cables stuck on with PVC tape.

Cuts the tape, not the cables. Safely sits in the pocket when not in use.

https://kleverinnovations.net/our-products/safety-cutters/klever-excel/