L i g h t f o o l information about entertainment lighting

Connectors

"Old-style, Nub-Out Twistlock. Yup, it's that one. That's one of the harder ones to spec, since there's no NEMA code. When you're standing in the high school, the question may be as easy as "nub-in or nub-out", but there are a dizzying array of other options. Figuring out which connector you're holding will involve the number of blades, location of nubs (keys), and amperage - and few other things. Sometimes it's even written on the connector. It is my obsessive goal to make it really clear which connector is which using both drawings and pictures. I've found that even the slide-card and laminated references printed by the connector manufacturers themselves are unclear - maybe I'm being difficult, but that's why I'm the fool, right? Speaking of which, you can click on the images to get larger versions.

Wherever possible, I'll give you the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturer's Association) Codes, intended voltage, amperage, and where you might find it in entertainment lighting. Hopefully now you can say something like "I'm tired of this CS83-65, is there any reason I can't just use L21-30?" instead of "I'd like to get rid of the big angry Flash-Gordon prop, what about the 4-bladed thing-a-ma-wonkers?"

You may notice that there's a strange assortment here, some with only one gender pictured. That's basically because I went to a bin of used connectors (some are really used) and took pictures of everything in the top few layers. Let me know if you want to see something specific, or I'll keep adding in no particular order. The drawings take longer, so they'll come later.

L5-15 15A 125V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
Used for 77V connections in ETC's Dimmer Doubling (multiplexing) systems. Also used to connect sections of "Vegas style" MR16 strips.

Non-NEMA "Nub-Out Twist" 20A 125/250V 3-Pole 3-Wire "Special Application Only"
Apparently, institutional performance spaces qualify as "special purpose applications" because this was the locking connector of choice for schools until about 1981, when the specs for UL listing changed. It's no longer a UL rated connector, so it shouldn't be used in new projects, but it's ok for replacement in older systems. It's generally been replaced by the L5-20, which is commonly known as the "Nub-In Twist".

L5-20 "Nub-In Twist" 20A 125V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
Commonly found in school theatres wired after 1981, it's used in place of 20A 2P&G "Stage Pin" plugs where a 125V locking connector is desired and generally replaces the "Nub-Out twist" connector.

L5-30 30A 125V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
If you're wiring a television studio and want to make sure no one will have compatible equipment, this is your connector.

L6-15 15A 250V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
Used in some Canadian markets for 208V moving lights. I prefer to stick with the L6-20, a nice all-purpose 208V connector at 20A - which you'll need for the followspots and AF1000s. Those wacky Canadians!

L6-20 20A 250V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
Commonly found on moving lights (and some strobes, followspots, etc), this is a pretty standard connector for 20A 208V power distibution.

L6-30 30A 250V 2-Pole 3-Wire Grounding
Found on many larger followspots and other units requiring 30A at 208V.

L14-20 20A 125/250V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
In the now retired Bash / Production Arts "Double-Hubbell" hoist standard, this is the control connector.

L14-30 30A 125/250V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
In ye olde Obie "Double-Hubbell" hoist standard, this is the power connector, which seems a little strange to me.

L15-20 20A 3ph 250V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
In the retired Westsun and LSD "Double-Hubbell" hoist standards, this is the power connector.

L15-30 30A 3ph 250V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
Used as power feed for some hoist distro. Eight 1-Ton hoists running together can pull 30A, so be careful.

L16-20 20A 3ph 480V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
In the now retired Bash / Production Arts "Double-Hubbell" hoist standard, this was the power connector.

L21-20 20A 3ph Y 120/208V 4-Pole 5-Wire Grounding
This is useful for distributed Edison (NEMA 5-20) power systems. The main PD has 5-wire Camlok input, a main breaker, and 3-phase 20A output breakers. Run L21-20 cable out to an adapter box with 3x Edison Duplex (one per phase) and no additional breakers are required, since each branch is already at 20A. Swap the neutral and a hot in this setup and you'll get 208V on an Edison output, so be careful. L21-20 is also used to feed the Gentlye IPS Dimmers

L21-30 30A 3ph Y 120/208V 4-Pole 5-Wire Grounding
Commonly found on Hoist Distro. This has the neutral, so you can have Edison convenience outlets.
>> A fully loaded 8-way hoist distro could pull about 30A, so if you're using the power pass-through on the hoist distro with L21-30 feed, be sure you're running no more than 8 hoists at any one time or you risk burning something up.

CS83-64 & CS83-65 50A/250V 3-Pole 4-Wire Grounding
Commonly used to power Hoist Distro. There's no neutral, so there can't be any Edison convenience outlets. This is a cool looking connector - go ahead admit it - you think so too. Be careful, there are a few other CS connectors that look very similar. I've got some somewhere, I'll take some pics.

Cam-Lok EZ1016 400A Single Pole Feeder
This connector is THE North American feeder connector. The same connector is used commonly on #2, 2/0 and 4/0 cable, so they all intermate and use the same 400A tees and turnarounds - and more importantly all connect to the same dimmers and PD.

PowerLock 400A & 660A Single Pole Feeder
This connector replaces the Cam-Lok as THE European feeder connector (shown in EU colors). PowerLocks have physical keys which allow them to mate only with connectors designated for the same use - Ground will only mate with ground, L1 will only mate with L1, etc. Notice that the males are dead-front, another safety feature.

Anderson Clamp Single-pole temporary attachment.
 

Trico Clamp Single-pole temporary attachment.
Available in 60A, 100A & ~200A. Check to make sure the mouth hasn't been cut down, and code allows their use.