ABSTRACT

Scenic automation has earned a reputation of being complicated and cantankerous, a craft best left to the elite of our industry. Not sure of the difference between a VFD, PLC, or PID? If you have dreamed of choreographing scene changes with computerized machinery, but get lost in the technical jargon the Scenic Automation Handbook will guide you along the road to elegant automation.

Adopting a pragmatic approach, this book breaks down any automation system into five points, known as the Pentagon of Power. Breaking down a dauntingly complex system into bite- size pieces makes it easy to understand how components function, connect, and communicate to form a complete system.

Presenting the fundamental behaviors and functions of Machinery, Feedback Sensors, Amplifiers, Controls, and Operator Interfaces, the Scenic Automation Handbook demystifies automation, reinforcing each concept with practical examples that can be used for experimentation. Automation is accessible – come along and learn how!

chapter 1|6 pages

Moving Stuff on Stage

chapter 2|23 pages

Pentagon of Power

Breaking Up Automation into Five Parts

chapter 3|61 pages

Welcome to the Machine(s)

A Survey of Common Theatrical Machines

chapter 4|42 pages

Motivating a Machine

chapter 5|42 pages

Powering Motors and Actuators

chapter 6|40 pages

Sensing and Measuring Motion

chapter 7|49 pages

Simple Control

chapter 8|21 pages

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)

chapter 9|46 pages

Motion Control with a PID Loop

chapter 10|44 pages

Safety

chapter 11|29 pages

Operator Interface

chapter 12|41 pages

Networks

chapter 13|12 pages

Integrating with Other Systems

chapter 14|69 pages

Implementation

chapter 15|7 pages

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