Mile High Motovator

Wybron's Motovator DMX motion control system is a powerful addition to the in-house equipment at the Denver Center in Colorado. Dan McNeil, the Technical Director for the Denver Center Theatre Company, harnessed the power of Motovator to increase control of a massive turntable. The result? Smoother, more accurate movement. Motovator was introduced at USITT 2001 and Dan had the system in-house within two months after seeing what it could do. He first purchased Motovator because it featured DMX user interface and commented, "The benefit of a common interface meant that we could use the lighting boards we already had in-house. I had to have it. Motovator is the most straightforward approach to maximizing the use of control motors. It's great! I like it a lot - especially the flexibility. Remote control motors are really handy in theater work."

Motovator's Versatility

Since 2001, the system has controlled scenery for productions at four Denver Center theaters in a variety of ways from pivoting windows to controlling tracked scenery. In "The Immigrant", Motovator was used to control scenery floor tracks and to operate a turtle wench installed to rotate a pioneer wagon. In "John Brown's Body", the slip stage center below the horse required 28 cues from 4 - 20 seconds in duration - all controlled with ease by the Motovator system.

So, how does it work?

The Motovator is a DMX512 controlled motion system that provides precise servo movement of AC motors, DC motors and hydraulic actuators used to move scenery, drapes and drops. The system is easily controlled using six channels per motor on a standard DMX512 lighting console. Like a moving light, Motovator uses two DMX channels for coarse and fine position and one for speed and can be programmed to provide exact movement with the same results every show. Motovator's interlocking safety system keeps movement under control, providing a safe atmosphere for both performers and stagehands.

What's available?

Motovator motion control systems for Traveler, Austrian and Venetian curtains, roll drops and stage turntables are available for inclusion in custom designed applications, or as complete packaged solutions.