Adlib delivers lighting refurbishment and control supply for New Adelphi Theatre

Control Supply

To enhance the theatre’s production capabilities, Adlib supplied two flagship control surfaces through its specialised sales department. A Yamaha DM7 digital mixing console was supplied to provide a high-density, versatile platform for managing the complex audio requirements of modern theatrical productions. The lighting department’s capabilities were expanded with the supply of an ETC Apex 10 console, which provides a premium control surface with significant processing power for advanced lighting designs.

Mechanical Works

Adlib carried out extensive mechanical works within the theatre space to upgrade the stage rigging infrastructure. This involved shifting the position of the existing assets, specifically moving the electrical pilewind winch 6 into the hemp position 12, whilst the existing hemp 12 was re-located further downstage into the position vacated by the pilewind winch. To support the relocated electrical pilewind, Adlib designed and manufactured a new mounting bracket secured directly to the building structure, which required shortening the existing power and control cables and extending the existing containment.

A new electrical control cabinet was installed in place of the previous enclosure to manage and control the pilewind winches. This cabinet allows for full control and monitoring from either the main panel HMI or a plug-in remote panel, with winch selection restricted to a single unit at any one time via either interface. Up and down movement is operated via buttons on the HMI screen, which requires the simultaneous engagement of a deadman switch mounted on the back of the handheld interface when the remote is in use. The system features a variable control speed ranging from 10% to 100% settable via the HMI, utilising a Delta inverter to deliver soft starts and soft stops, while visual feedback for the limit status and load status of all hoists is provided across both user interfaces.

The internal infrastructure of the control cabinet incorporates a door-interlocked isolator for a three-phase, neutral, and earth supply, alongside an approved safety relay connected to the inverter safe stop inputs. Internal processing and power are handled by a Delta PLC CPU model DVP12SE11R, which utilises the COM2 port to provide speed references to a Delta inverter suitable for motors up to 4kW with MCB protection. Dynamic braking is managed via a dedicated brake resistor. Control and load cell amplifier supplies are maintained by separate Delta 24Vdc power supply units with MCB protection, feeding seven selected winch contactors that connect the inverter output to the designated winch. System expansion is delivered through Delta IO expansion modules handling inputs for limits and slack rope contacts, alongside analogue inputs for feedback from each load cell amplifier. The hinged front door of the enclosure mounts an emergency stop twist-release button, a power-on lamp, and a Delta 7-inch HMI screen, with a terminal rail located at the base for site connections.

The system is engineered to provide comprehensive input and output paths for each winch. Outputs comprise a three-phase variable speed drive signal, two independent DC brake outputs selected via contactors, and a power supply to the load cell amplifier unit. Monitored inputs include ultimate up, up, down, and ultimate down limits, a slack rope contact, and load cell feedback via 0-10Vdc or 4-20mA signals. To facilitate flexible operation, wall-mountable plug-in boxes featuring a 10-way Harting socket were installed at the rear of the stage directly below the cabinet and on the technical gallery next to the cabinet. The system is completed by a handheld remote assembly featuring a Delta 7-inch HMI with a built-in emergency stop and deadman switch, supplied with a 10-metre cable and a matching Harting plug.