Help:Equipment

Help index

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Introduction

Defining and organising equipment is a rather complex matter, not only do we have a tree of different types of equipment, very generic, to very specific. We also have the types, the serially produced equipment with a type number and manufacturer. And we have the unique physical piece, for example part of a collection. Each of these levels require specific properties to describe their uniqueness.

An example

In the equipment tree, we find 
* lighting equipment 
** Lighting fixtures 
*** conventional lights 
**** lens spotlights 
***** Fresnel spotlights
These are "generic descriptions"

An ADB Europe F101 is a specific type of Fresnel, it is a "type" of which a whole series is made.

And the Europe F101 in the collection of a theatre museum is a "unique piece". It is one out of a series that is produced.

To be able to grab the whole physical reality of our world, we use a verry wide definition of "equipment" which includes for example

• tools for hair dressing
• accessories for make-up
• cables
• parts of equipment
• soft goods
• all kind of tools

In fact, everything that is "physical" and is "used" in the theatre- or eventindustry is described as equipment in Canonbase.

Information on specific types of equipment

Describing different types of equipment requires specific properties for each type. The general properties for equipment are detailed in this page, but for detailed descriptions of equipment, we made different pages, listed here.

• Spotlights (checked)
• Lamp (checked)
• Dimmers (in progress)
• Lighting boards (in progress)
• Reel-to-Reel Recorders (in progress)
• Sets and pained scenery (unique pieces) (in progress)
• Sound equipment (in progress)

General properties for equipment

Header

Label*

• The name of the equipment in it's original language
• We do not translate this, except if the business itself uses different names in different countries.
• Use the most frequent name as label, note alternative names or abreviations in the also known as field.
• put the name of the manufacturer in front of the type number

Description

• You can give a short (max 30 words) description of the equipment
• This will (not always) be translated

Also known as

• This field is used to facilitate searching.
• Add abreviations
• Add alternative spelling
• Add nicknames

Basic information

Field (P19)*

• This is used to define in what field the equipment fals and makes it possible to find all equipment in a specific field of interest.
• Multiple entries are possible, but avoid to use to many fields.

 Field Value list (Q37)

Type of information (P11)*

• The [type of information] is always "equipment"
• Type of equipment(P50)
  • Always take a value as low as possible in the tree.
  • This is a obligatory qualifier

Type of equipment Value list (Q50)

Subclass of (P33)*

• This property is used for all generic levels of equipment above the "type" level. In other words, everything above a specific equipment, connected to a manufacturer, should have a subclass.
• The subclass is always equal to the [type of equipment] value.

Historical name (P20)

• It is not uncommon for equipment to be called different in the past.
• Ideally the historical names are also entered as also known as in the header.
• Add start date (P38) and end date (P39 as qualifiers if apropriate

Importance (P20)

• defines how important this equipment was for the history of technical theatre, it is used to select items for large visualisations.

Importance value list (Q8)

Context (P47)

• Can be used to give more information about the equipment, the importance, etc.
• Text length is limited, if needed add a second value.
• Language is mandatory (fill the language of the text.)
• If the information is retrieved from an existing source, add a qualifier source (P63) or source URL (P64)

Link to internal Wikipage (P23)

• This is a link to a wiki-page that will appear on top of the page, with more detailed information about the equipment.
• Language (P35)
  • Language of the wiki-page.
  • This is a obligatory qualifier

Language value list (Q14)

Serial number (P161)

• Defines the unique piece, use only for unique pieces

Technology

technology used (P352)

• describes the technology used in the equipment
• can have multiple values

technology (type) (Q22858)

• mechanical (gramophoon)
• tube circuits
• discrete electronics (transistors etc.)
• integrated analog electronics
• digital electronics

Collection

Collection number (P190)

• The number or code given by a collection to a unique object

Provenance (P187)

• Description (in text) of the origine, the prior users of an object in a collection

Provenance item (to do)

Condition (P186)

• Description (in text) of the condition of a unique object in a collection.

Safety hazards (P188)

• Description (in text) of the issues that could create a risk for the users of an object in a collection.
• For example electrical risks, sharp edges, asbestos, ...

Treatments (P201)

• Describes (in text) the treatments that a unique object has been subject to. (e.g. cleaning, repairs, ...)

Dates

Dating of equipment

Putting exact dates on equipment is a complex and difficult task. Manufacturers don’t put dates on catalogs or publicity documents often, probably because it would make the equipment old fashioned in the eye of the buyer. Most equipment does not have a production date on the equipment.

Of course we know that it can not have been made before the manufacturer exists, except for some equipment that was the cause of setting up a company. And the equipment can’t be produced after the manufacturer stops his activities, even if some companies are taken over with their production.

To narrow down the time span of production, we have a series of sources:

• Publicity or promotion in magazines, often the equipment is promoted at the launch.
• Presence at trade fairs or world fairs.
• Dated Version numbers on manuals or similar documents.
• For more recent equipment, dates on printed circuits.
• Occurrence in articles about theatres building descriptions.
• Occurrence in bids or bills for sales of equipment.
• Occurrence in plans, plots, lists or other production information.
• The lay-out of labels, but sometimes a company overlaps labels once an appliance is in production).
• Comparison with equipment that is dated and occurs in together in a publication.
• Occurrence in books, but the accuracy is lower because the slow process of writing and publishing.
• Changing telephone number formats on documents.
• Telephone numbers or addresses on the documents.
• Comparison of serial numbers for unique equipment.
• The use of specific parts or technologies, for example lamp types, plugs, …

Construction date (equipment) (P110)

• Date the equipment was constructed (for unique pieces).

First use date (P111)

• First time the unique equipment was used.

Date earliest documented use (P249)

• Earliest time the use is documented, mentioned or dated in a source.
• Mainly used for old equipment, where the first use is not tracable.

Commercialisation date (P112)

• Date the a series of equipment was brought on the market.

Discontinued date (P113)

• Date the production of a series stopped

Significant date (P237)

• A date that is significant for the equipment, and is not captured in the standard set of date properties available.
• Needs a qualifier timeline label (this is shown on the timeline and in lists to make the date visible.)
• Describe the event in a context qualifier

Dates for collection items

Collection date (P189)

• The moment the object has entered a collection

Date inventory (P203)

• The date the object is added to the inventory

Relations

Manufacturer (P49)

• Refers to the manufacturer of the equipment

Designer (P225)

• Refers to the designer of the equipment.

Inventor (P267)

• Refers to the inventor of the equipment.

Was significant equipment for (P90)

• Refers to places, events or productions where this equipment was significant.
• Refer in unique equipment description if available, if you refer in general equipment description, add qualifier giving details. equipment can include fly bar systems, revolves, trap systems, …

Relations for collection items

Part of collection (P67)

• Refers to the collection the item is part of.
• Use only for unique pieces
• Storage (P204)
  • The physical place where the item is stored.

Represented in collection (P158)

• Refers to the collection the item is shown.

Media

Image (P2) or Internal image (P24)

• A picture representing the equipment, for example picture, type plate, a logo.
• An [image] refers to a picture in the wiki repository of images (commons.wikimedia.org) You can link by copying the name of the file from wikipedia or from the repository.
• An [Internal image] refers to a picture in our own repository. Upload the document first and copy the link here. (You have to be sure that the picture is open source.)
• Wikicommons images are preferable
• If you add a qualifier Instance of (P1) with value “featured image" (Q105), the picture will show automatically on top of the page.

Youtube video (P116)

• A video on youtube about this equipment.
• If the video mentions multiple persons, organisations, equipment or subjects, make a separate source for it and use the mentions property to refer to the organisation.
• Copy the string after ?v= in the Youtube url and paste it in the [Youtube video] property.

Internal video or Wikicommons media

• A video on about this equipment.
• If the video mentions multiple persons, organisations, equipment or subjects, make a separate source item for it and use the mentions property to refer to the person.
• An Wikicommons media refers to a picture in the wiki repository of videos (commons.wikimedia.org) You can link by copying the name of the file from wikipedia or from the repository.
• An Internal video refers to a video in our own repository. Upload the video first and copy the link here. (You have to be sure that the picture is open source.)

Commons galery (P181)

• A link to the commons galery
• Copy the last part of the domain name into the property

Sources

Web (P182)

• A web resource that is dedicated to this equipment only

Source URL (P64)

• A web resource that is used a information source for this item.
• If specific information is retrieved from a source, add this property as qualifier

is mentioned in (inverse property label of mentions, P78)

• Describes the source the equipment is mentioned in.
• The input is done on the source side.

References

Wikidata source (P16)

• Refers to an entry in Wikidata (https://www.wikidata.org )
• If the equipment exists in Wikidata, add Q-number from Wikidata
• The information from wikidata will partly be displayed at the bottom of the page.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID (P263)

• Reference to the unique ID of an article in Encyclopædia Britannica Online