Entirely custom-made, the control system was designed to move and lift the frame supporting the enormous video scoreboard installed there. The video scoreboard consists of a top frame with 8 faces, another intermediate frame with 4 faces and a circular ring at the base for displaying the messages and logos, all comprising high-resolution LED modular screens.
This video scoreboard weighs approximately 14 tonnes, including frames, interior equipment etc., and is suspended from the centre itself of the pavilion. The frame supporting the pavilion roof needed to be reinforced at around 70 points. Next, suspended from this but completely rigid, a sub-frame was constructed for the installation of the motors. Lifting was performed using 8 STAGEMAKER SM25 motors with two speeds. The motors have a dual-braking system, end stops and load cells.
The lifting capacity of the STAGEMAKER SM25 hoists is combined with maximum safety for handling loads of up to 5 metric tons and for use in the theatre, concert, entertainment or show events. The motors of the hoists are equipped in option with a double brake version guaranteeing a safety margin with a coefficient of safety of 10 at a load of 1 metric ton. A patented device – the only one of its kind on the market – mechanically blocks the hoisting mechanism, preventing any possibility of slip in the event of an overload when stopped.
The first brake (the disc brake) is situated in the usual manner at the motor. To guard against the risk of slip when the hoist is stopped, the Verlinde development teams have specifically designed a second “parking” type brake that blocks the hoisting mechanically, preventing all movement of the load. It guarantees a safety factor of 10 at 1 ton. Its safety level is such that by halving maximum permitted load, SM25 comply with European standard D8+, one of the most stringent standards with respect to safety!
The control system, developed by PROSS Autornática, is based on a cutting-edge technology modular automated system, with touch-screen control. It can weigh and balance the tension loads for each motor point, calculating the theoretical average and the total suspended weight. It can discount the weight of the motors and the rigging elements so that the measurement is as true as possible. It can generate over-weight alarms for a single motor or a weight error, untensioned chain etc., for each motor.
In terms of safety, the system has an integrated Category 3 emergency stop system (SIL3), with an emergency control function on both the operator panel and the control panel and its corresponding safety controller, which is fully linked to the control PLC. Two independent lines run to each motor. One for the three-phase supply and the other for the operation and return of each motor, as well as their individual weight measurements. EES, the product’s national distributor, was at all times on hand, from product tracking through to delivery and in order to respond to the particular requirements of this order. It was the perfect intermediary between manufacturer and client.