Kinesys were happy to provide the expertise and equipment necessary to control this huge undertaking. Eight columns of LED video screen had to travel around a 360° oval track, perfectly synchronized with each other. In order to ensure a high quality picture when all the screens were brought together, millimetre-precise movement was essential. The reverse sides of the screens were lined with lights and so a rotate mechanism had to be included to allow either video or lights to face the audience at any location around the track. Finally the geography of the stage dictated that the columns must be almost touching the floor when downstage, in front of the set, and raised to be visible over the band when upstage.
In all, 30 axes of motion control were supplied. Eight Velocity drives provided the control to move the columns around the track. The integral microprocessors within the drives also allowed the fixed speed rotate mechanisms to be controlled via the existing drive cables, reducing the quantity of cabling required. Finally fourteen Elevation 1+ variable speed chain hoist controllers provided pinpoint accuracy and speed control for the lifting and lowering of the columns. Crucially the ramping facilities within the Elevation 1+ allowed the dynamic load of starting and stopping the columns to be dramatically reduced allowing the maximum possible weight to be suspended from the touring roof.
Vector, Kinesys' own motion control software package, supervised the running of all the axes during the show, providing the essential synchronising and safety features required to ensure that all eight columns could work together safely in such close proximity.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
