Ron StageMaster Load Cells Provide Safety Confidence at Hong Kong Cultural Center

	Hong Kong Cultural Center

Since opening in 1989, the Hong Kong Cultural Center has served as Hong Kong's premier cultural venue and in order to cater to a variety of performing arts, the Center, located on the waterfront of Victoria Harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui, houses a number of top-class facilities including three major performance halls.

One of those is the 2,019-seat Concert Hall and although the venue was fitted with an adjustable acoustic canopy to ensure quality acoustics, a mock-up extension of the over-stage reflector was installed in August 2013 to improve acoustic performance of the extended stage area. A permanent extension is to be constructed in the future.

Macostar, a stage lighting and machinery system specialist in Hong Kong, was appointed to provide system engineering, detail design and construction of the new over-stage reflector and required a stage safety solution for the canopy's multi-point lifting structure.

Macostar selected Eilon Engineering's Ron StageMaster (RSM) 5000 multi load cell, a stage safety device for load control and overload prevention that can monitor hundreds of hanging points while providing a detailed report for statistical analysis. The RSM 5000 allows for a fast, easy, and neat installation due to a single cable descending from the truss, and its small size allows for minimal head room loss.

"As we have predetermined hanging point locations for rigging an irregular truss structure on this project, the Eilon Ron StageMaster load cells help us to monitor the load balance among the chain hoists at two different positions," comments Francis Fung, VP of business development at Macostar. "It gives the users full confidence to operate the whole system under safe conditions."

Because the Ron StageMaster safety system is laptop-based with real-time monitoring, all loads can be monitored during installation and shows, indeed throughout every stage of the acoustic canopy's life. And for simple integration with the plot, the RSM system software allows for overlay of the load map onto the plot on screen, making it easy to see where motors, weight, etc. are on the plot.

The Concert Hall's 15m wide, crescent moon-shape acoustic canopy comprises a space frame made up of two layers of truss elements attached with reflector panels and lighting. The associated lifting devices of the canopy include eight new 1,000kg steel frames and lifting hoists at the roof walkway, as well as 22m long lifting wires to support and stabilize the canopy. The allowable load of the new canopy (8,000kg) is four times that of the old system. Furthermore, the canopy is adjustable (7.5m - 12m) to ensure quality acoustics, fully covering the extended downstage area of the Hall's stage.

For increased safety, each load cell in the RSM 5000 is independently connected and not daisy chained to ensure that only the related load cell is affected if damaged or disconnected. Furthermore, all Eilon load cells are fatigue rated and able to withstand successive load cycles for long periods of time, an important feature for fixed installations. RSM systems include a host of other advantages including data logging for later load analysis, as well as mobile device compatibility. They can also provide a real time cellular SMS alert in the event of an overload occurrence.

RSM systems can integrate with any controller to activate an emergency stop or alarm in the event of an overload, and a master-slave option gives the ability to monitor several locations from one control room. Made of high-grade aerospace alloy steel with shackle holes that are offset 90-degrees to reduce external movement, RSM 5000 wired load cells can be integrated with Eilon's wireless load cell systems.

Based on proven technologies in use since 1976, RSM systems are used by top companies worldwide such as NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, and more. In the world of entertainment, RSM systems are the preferred choice for load monitoring in the largest venues and theatres like the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Sydney Opera, Olympic Park Munich, Swiss TV, and Esplanade Theatres Singapore, as well as by top rigging companies such as Kish Rigging, Tait, and many others.