1 plug socket????

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chrisjac2chrisjac2 Frets: 67
Hi yall,
We are playing a gig at a marque on a cricket pitch on Monday and I have been told there will only be one plug socket available. 
Now I haven't got a scoobie about amps and current draw etc.
I have been told this will be fine. But I'm a little concerned that 2x 100watt stacks, 400watt bass amp, 3 pedal boards and a PA with 5 mic's and lights might be a bit much for one extension lead?

Am I worried unduly on this? Sounds iffy to me but I'm hoping one of you more technical bods will say it's fine as long as you don't plug in a kettle!
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Comments

  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    First of all, what sort of lights are they? 
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  • monkey42monkey42 Frets: 336
    Golden rule is approximately 3000w to a 13 amp supply

    Non LED lighting and PA are usually the biggest demand

    personally, I would still ask for a second outlet
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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    Old incandescent lamps are the main power users, if you are all LED lighting then it's unlikely to be a concern. If you have a mixture, look to not use any incandescent and be darker but still heard. While the Watts of each audio device are a good rule of thumb, in practice once they are up and running, audio tends to use less than the max. If you have a big PA it can Pulse current draw on the bass beats if they are miced up.
    If you have a vocal only PA and LED lights, it is entirely likely you can run the whole thing on a single 13A plug without concern.
    I have run 10kw of sound system (no lights) and it averaged about 8-8.5 Amps once running. If you have a lot of PA power then turn on the amps one at a time and allow 5-10 seconds between for the current in-rush that fills the capacitors on startup.
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    I've had this issue before and tried to work it out but was never certain i'd got the numbers right..
    We run 2 subs, 2 tops, a big ashdown bass stack and my fender HRD, and the rest of the gear which draws a lot less, and from my working we could quite easily draw over 13A if the whole band was doing big stabs at once, like @ESBlonde ;
     said above. 
    We always ask for at least 2 separate sockets and bring long extension leads in case we have to run cable from another room. If the gig is running off a generator then we always ask the client to check with the generator supplier that it will handle it, as i have no clue what specific power to request..
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    We have the old style iColor lights 2 banks of 4, each bank is 2kw which is equivalent (roughly) to a kettle/2 bar electric fire.

    As an asbolute minimum we run the lighting off one socket, and everything off another, but preferably with a couple more sockets (either side of the stage to reduce the mad cable mangle a tad).
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • chrisjac2chrisjac2 Frets: 67
    Thanks all, I'll ask for another cable for lights
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10356

    Current wise your probably be fine but if the extension lead is long there will be a difference between the earth on the extension reel and the earth beneath your feet ... this can cause tiny shocks when you touch the mic and are standing on the ground. A long screwdriver or bit of pipe sunk into the ground and connected to a bit of kit that's earthed like the chassis of a wedge monitor will help if that's the case. 

    If it's a cable reel extension don't leave it wound up when using it ... otherwise it will act as a giant inductor and cook it's self once a large current is drawn
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • gordijigordiji Frets: 782
    Danny1969 said:

     

    If it's a cable reel extension don't leave it wound up when using it ... otherwise it will act as a giant inductor and cook it's self once a large current is drawn
    Correct, i thought my 40ft reel had cheapo plastic sheath that had melted together because of its composition ! you live & learn.
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  • chrisjac2chrisjac2 Frets: 67
    Thanks for the help everyone. Gig went of without a hitch! And ni blown fuses
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