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Automation Glossary

D:d

Bending ratio of D (diameter of pulley sheaf or drum) to d (diameter of SWR)

DC

Direct Current

Dead (also marks or trims US)

A designated height for a piece of scenery or bar; a label or marker for a physical position or target. Manual flymen use a Dead on a rope as an indication of the position of a scenic piece i.e. all the way in (in view) or out (out of view) or at a mid point. For manual operation, this mark would traditionally be a cotton tape wound through the strands of the rope but this has been replaced more recently with PVC tape or similar.  Automation operators label Deads with a number and/or colour system such as ‘Dead 1’.

Dead man’s handle (DMH)

A safety device in the form of a button, handle or similar that must be held down in order to move an axis.

Double-purchased

A system where the cables are reeved over pulleys in such a way that there is a mechanical advantage (of two to one) within the system

Drop pulley

A diverter pulley that ‘drops’ or diverts a rope through a theatre grid.

Dyneema® rope

A superstrong polyethylene fiber that offers maximum strength combined with minimum weight.