WinchXL

In the event industry, winches are important components of lighting equipment for stage shows, kinetic light installations and the like. They are mainly used for artfully synchronised spatial animations of LED lights, for example. WinchXL was born out of the desire for an easy-to-use motion system that is so simple to set up and so versatile that it can be used to lift or lower into position any equipment that requires power and data. And indeed, WinchXL gives previously static objects such as LED displays, TV screens, moving lights or lasers a new mobility in an innovative way. To do this, the winch uses a dual lifting line system that can lift loads of up to 50 kg, while delivering 800-watt power and gigabit data transmission via each lifting cable, without the need for additional cabling. Moreover, the dual cables ensure that the equipment stays straight. WinchXL is fully ArtNet compatible and can be operated directly from any lighting desk connected to the network. An on-board web server integrated into the winch enables a user-friendly setup and adjustment of all parameters and safety settings. In addition, a separate configuration tool allows the winch to be adjusted remotely, even if it is already installed in the truss. This gives the user the ability to dynamically move individual fixtures without any additional tools. By adding a gyroscopic stabiliser, panning and tilting motions of a moving head can be completely stabilised. The jury was fascinated: “WinchXL convinces with many innovative features that only become visible in the corresponding application and are otherwise hidden behind the reduced, polygonal design of the product. Thanks to built-in gyro stabilisation, the dynamic movements of the payload – displays, for example – can be superimposed not only upwards and downwards, but also simultaneously by panning and tilting in real time. Since this high-tech winch can be operated from lighting control desks, the correct moving image sections can thus be shown as the displays move individually through the performance space.”