28 people attended the School, presented by PCM’s tutor-in-chief Tony Dickson. They came from all areas of the professional entertainment industry from across the country. The two-day Motor School covered many topics. A king pin of the PCM course is the complete stripping down and re-assembling of a Lodestar motor, enabling students to learn about the role and significance of the machine’s electrical and mechanical components, and how they inter-relate. Working in pairs, students are required to re-built and test that the machine is working correctly to pass this section of the course.
Other areas covered include basic electrical theory and Lodestar fault-finding. The latter session identifies the most common faults, illustrates how to find them, explains why they occur, suggests preventative measures and focuses on dealing with fault motors in the field. "This element of the course is aimed at instilling good working methods and practices," explains Tony Dickson. Faultfinding theories are then put to practice with the student’s diagnosing 10 genuinely faulty motors.
Pat Farrell explains why it was important to the Stage Lighting Centre to bring PCM’s Motor School to Ireland, "We believe it’s vital for technicians and industry professionals to have hands-on training opportunities like this." Stage Lighting Centre alerted people by word-of-mouth that the course was happening - and filled this first one in just two days. "The feedback has been so positive that we will definitely be doing another one next year and more in the future," adds Farrell.
The next stop for Dickson and the PCM School is Valencia, Spain, in mid-December, followed by Hong Kong in January. "Demand is constantly out-stripping the availability," says Dickson. Since the first Motor School in 1993, PCM has pioneered the concept of free training for owners, users and specifies of Lodestar motors - a product that it has established both the Lodestar and the PCM brands at the forefront to the European professional entertainment industry.
(Lee Baldock)
