Getting Started

Congratulations on your purchase of the Spotline Mini hoist from Creative Conners, Inc. The Spotline Mini is a compact hoist designed from the ground up to meet the rigorous demands expected from professional stage machinery. If the Spotline is too big and the Spotline Practical is too small or you need multiple cable lines to keep your scenery from twisting, the Spotline Mini is the perfect machine for you. The Spotline Mini is a Smart Machine, the Stagehand controller is built in. Simply connect the Input power, Ethernet and Showstopper cables and you’ll be ready to Make It Move!

This manual will direct you through:

  1. Unpacking

  2. Installing & Testing

  3. Operation Procedures

  4. Scheduled Maintenance

If you need help along the way, contact us!

A Word About Safety

The Spotline Mini is a fantastic machine designed for hoisting scenery. Do not use the Spotline Mini to lift people.

Do not let the “Mini” mislead you - it is a powerful and versatile hoisting machine which can pose very serious hazards if misused. Proper overhead rigging techniques should always be understood and practiced when installing any machinery including the Spotline Mini.

  • The Spotline Mini is designed and constructed to be a rugged and versatile hoist intended to move scenery in vertical motion applications.

  • Each Spotline Mini has a label indicating the Maximum Load. This is the maximum vertical force that can be continuously generated by the hoist’s motor and speed reducer.

  • The Spotline Mini has multiple moving parts with pinch points. Care and awareness should always be taken when operating the Spotline Mini; both near the machine and near the moving scenery.

What’s included

  1. Spotline Mini

  2. Blue PowerCON 20A Connector

Features

  • Dual Drum Design - allows flexibility to rig as a single point or up to 4 points directly to the drum. No need to add a clew for more than one point

  • 60ft cable capacity for each drum

  • 24in/s max line speed

  • 160lb max load capacity

  • Redundant brakes

  • Position and Speed encoders

  • 4-pole rotary limit switch

  • Dedicated safety circuits

  • Cable keeper with cross grove detection - stops the machine before you have a mess of cable with scenery overhead

  • Onboard control - the Stagehand is built right in!

  • 200-240VAC 14A single phase input power

  • The Spotline Mini conforms to ANSI E1.6-2012 Entertainment Technology - Powered Hoist Systems.

Overview

Stagehand Controller - Onboard

  1. Momentary Limit Override buttons - When pressed, the onboard Stagehand will temporarily override the FWD or REV limits. This feature is intended to be used when manually jogging the Spotline Mini.

  2. Manual Jog Buttons - When pressed, the onboard Stagehand will switch to manual operation, allowing jogging in forward or reverse.

  3. OLED Display - The OLED display shows information about the Stagehand’s status. When idle, it shows the current IP address and the network connection status to the PC running Spikemark.

  4. Multi-function Jog Wheel - The Jog Wheel has two functions:

  5. If either the FWD or REV jog buttons are pressed, the knob functions as a speed dial.

  6. Clicking the wheel (it’s also a button) allows the user to set the IP Address or the Subnet.

  7. Brake Test buttons - When pressed, each brake will be able to independently release. This feature is intended to be used to verify brake functionality.

Stagehand Controller - Onboard

  1. Input Power - This is the 220VAC single phase power input from the distribution panel.

  2. Showstopper Input - The E-Stop (Emergency Stop) receptacle is a 5-pin XLR connector (a.k.a. standard DMX cable). The E-Stop signal (24VDC) is provided by the Showstopper 3 Base. If the signal is present, the machine is free to move, when the signal is interrupted all motion will stop.

  3. Ethernet - The Ethernet receptacle accepts both the rugged Ethercon inlet as well as standard RJ45 connectors. The Spotline Mini uses Ethernet to communicate with the PC running Spikemark software.

  4. Branch Circuit Protection - Allows you to de-energize your machine quickly while working with your Spotline Mini.

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