Taking Shape

Since Stephen is on the road this weekend, I'll try to keep everyone up to date on the videoboard progress.

There was significant progress made on Friday, with the upper matrix boards completed, the RBC Center logo and text, and the upper LED ring completed and hung. We also bid farewell to the old Jumbotron screens as they were loaded onto a flatbed and drove off into the sunset...

Here you can see the upper matrix/scoreboards hung with a slight angle down toward the bowl/floor. The gap between the boards will be covered shortly with a small, black bezel.

This is the RBC Logo and lettering that will adorn the top of the video board structure. The logo and text were laid out on the supports which were then cut into 3 sections and attached to the tops of the matrix/scoreboards.

There are 2 sets, one will face east (penalty box/Basketball scorer's table side) and the other West (hockey bench/b-ball press table side).

A view from section 102 as the board is raised.

Upper ring is being uncrated.

The upper ring is almost complete. As Stephen mentioned before regarding the upper matrix panels, each of the ring sections has to be bolted together and connections made by removing front panels and inserting bolts, and connecting power and control cables.

The last section of the upper ring is moved into place. You can see the connection points where the sections are bolted together. Also visible is the hole the control and power cables pass through. On the top of the panel is a u-shaped bracket that will connect the two panels as well. After the ring is raised there are the same type of brackets that hold the bottom of the sections together.

This is one of the turnbuckles (and safety cable) that connect the upper ring to the scoreboard/matrix frame. On the left is the base of one of the upper panels, and the black area in the middle is actually the floor of the catwalk that goes around the upper section, behind the displays.

More later...

-Chaq