Cables & Power

Everything that carries power or signal around a show, and the consumables that keep it serviceable. This is the deepest department on the site at close to 1,900 lines, built around PCE ceeform, Neutrik and Seetronic connector hardware, Elumen8 cable assemblies, Titanex rubber cable and Penn Elcom hardware. It is the stock production companies reorder all year rather than the kit they photograph.

The sections divide by job. Power Cables, Power Distribution and Connectors cover mains from a 13A plug through 16A and 32A ceeform up to three-phase and 125A distribution. DMX Cables, Combi Cables and Splitters & Adaptors handle lighting data. Audio, Network, Video Cables and RF (50 ohm) carry programme signal, control and aerial feeds. Cable Drums holds bulk cable by the hundred metres for making up your own looms, and Stage Boxes, Testing Equipment, Ramps & Matting, Self-Adhesive Tapes, Cable Ties and Heatshrink & Sleeving cover the rest of the working kit.

A few rules of thumb travel well and save the most grief. H07RN-F rubber cable is the standard for temporary event power because it tolerates being dragged, coiled wet and driven over. Ceeform connectors to BS EN 60309 are keyed by colour and pin layout so a 110V site plug physically cannot enter a 230V socket, which is the point of them. powerCON TRUE1 is the current fixture-mains connector and deliberately does not mate with original powerCON, so check which one your fixtures carry before ordering a loom. DMX belongs on 110 ohm data cable rather than a spare mic lead once a rig grows past a couple of fixtures, because microphone cable has the wrong impedance and produces faults that look like fixture failures.

If you are planning distribution for a stage or a field, the event power guide works up from 13A to Powerlock and explains where each connector belongs, and the Socapex guide covers 19-pin multicore for lighting. For signal, the connector guide covers XLR, jack, speakON and powerCON, including the ones that look interchangeable and are not.

Cable is bought once and looked after for years, so the way it is coiled, tested and stored decides how long it lasts. The cable care guide covers coiling, testing and repairs, including why a coiled drum left fully wound is a genuine fire risk under load.

Cables & Power FAQs

Why buy H07RN-F rubber cable rather than cheaper flex? Rubber-jacketed cable survives being dragged, trodden on and coiled nightly, the failures that kill PVC leads on stage. It is the difference between consumables and stock that lasts years.

What do the ceeform colours mean? Colour codes voltage: yellow 110V site supply, blue 230V single phase, red 400V three phase. Pin count and amperage then size the connector. Our power distribution guide covers the whole system.

Why do my cables keep failing at the ends? Coiling and strain. The cable care guide covers over-under coiling and the habits that make leads last.