FLOODLIGHTING

for Little Leogue

GEN ERA

L@

EtEcTRlc

Boseboll

Little League Standard Recommendations

for f lood lig hting a nd ma inta in ing
baseba ll llg hting systems

Essentiol for Little Leqgue lighting:

Little League baseball is one of
America's favorite pasttimes. Within the past decade communities and

most important element is the flood-

interested groups have formed and

sponsored teams all across the coun-

and installing the best floodlighting

try. Because of the continued and

Little League baseball has receivecl, games

are now being scheduled at night.
Nighttime games give parents and
other grown-Lrps mole time for parwide-spread interest that

ticipation and coaching.

Safety must come first in nighttime baseball . . . as it must with
any other after-dark activity. Baseball diamonds must offer complete
visibility in every area of the playing field. Safety is the most important role of floodlighting. Adequate lighting protects the players
ancl allows them to play at their
best.
SETECTING THE PROPER FTOODTIGHT

Little Leait will be necessary

to know all of the elements that
make up the lighting system. The
Before venturing into

gue floodlighting

light itself.
The average cost of purchasing
equipment available represents
about 25 percent of the total installation costs. Buying inferior products

may reduce this cost to about

10

percent initially but generally costs

more later. The best floodlighting
equipment is designed for superior
perf ormance and dependability.
Porlr products trre less efficient and

will require far more maintenance.

When selecting floodlights, always
your wise choice
buy the best .
now will pay off in the long run.
Many of the features of today's
modern floodlights are: easy installation and maintenance, facilities for
aiming and positioning the floodlight, and the high level of operating
e{ficiency.

AIMING THE TIGHT FOR MAXIMUM

efficiency. Light must be distributed

so that there are no blind spots,

shadows, or glare. Should lights be
set too low on a pole for example,
there will be unwanted, dangerous
glare on some areas of the playing
field. Any variation in the uniform-

;il-#

:li

til"
:;JHff:l,
::?;,",L
There are prescribed heights for
mounting floodlights. These recommendations are included on page 7
of this bulletin.

Modern foodlighting techniques

employ aiming charts (see page 7)
for proper positioning. These charts
show the location for the center of

each projected lamp beam. Many

floodlights, such as General Electric's L-69A Sports Light, are equipped with aiming notches. These
notches allow floodlights to be aimed

TIGHT DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY

The amount of light on the playing ffeld is no guarantee of visual

Floodlights should olwoys be selected

corefully. Alwoys buy the besi!

#'.'.1,-"ii""rtll;",)iiil;T,i.;:-"'l5O
sometimes rrnreliable.

Light distribution on the ploying field

should be uniform ond bright.

economy, qnd efficiency

:sqfety,
o
POWER DISTRIBUTION AND

underground wiring do not require

CONTROL

lightning protection.

Another important element in the

lighting system is power distribution. \\/henever possible wiring of
any type should be run underground

for additional safety. If

over-head

wiring is the only method possible,

extreme care should be given to
keeping wiring completely away
from the field of play. It is also
important to see that wiring never
crosses over the heads of spectators
. . . and that wires are not run too
low. Wiring and distribution are not
areas for "short crrts."
Service coming from power distribution transforrrers, either aerial
or underground, should be brought
into the field area from an isolated
point. All distribution transforrners
should be adequately protected by
fuse cutouts. Branch secondary circuits should be fused to prevent

O li:l

fl. ?,":";i"n'::""" i"'J: iil,'"Y"";

protection is also essential when
ever wood poles or aerial wiring
exists. Steel or aluminum poles and

EFFICIENT POWER UsE

One worthwhile practice in Little

League lighting is to operate the
floodlight lamps at 10 percent over
rated voltage. Although this practice will reduce the life of a lamp,
the light output will be 35 percent
greater. In effect, this practice affords ample illumination with fewer
floodlights, offering substantial savings in first-cost and only slightly
higher operating costs.
When lights are on for only four
or less hours a night, transformers
can be overloaded with little appreciable Ioss of Iite expectancy.
For most sports applications, overloading is completely satisfactory
since the total annual use is rarely
over 300 hours.

MAINTENANCE

NECESSARY

FOR EFFICIENCY
After your floodlighting system has

it must be carefully
maintained. Neglect will only cost
more in lost eficiency and light.
been installed,

Whenever possible, run wiring ond electric

circuits underground for sofety.

Any floodlight is subject to dirt and

dust. By the same token, lamps will
become black with age. When selecting floodlighting equipment the
mainten:rnce that the unit will require is important. Enclosed units
require less maintenance and cleaning than others. Although usually
more expensive, the chances are that
they'll s:lve you money in the long
run.
SCHEDUTED MAINTENANCE

There is no hard and fast rule for

scheduling maintenance. Nlany

times the cleaning and relamping
necessary will depend on the location of the field. Fields located in
industrial areas will naturally require more care than will those in
residential sections. It is a good idea
to start a maintenance schedule.
Included on the schedule should be:
the number and location of all floodlights and poles, previous cleaning
dates, the size and lamp life ratings
of all lamps, and the date of the last
replacing. Once the schedule has
been established it should be fol-

lowed closely.

Coreful mointenonce boosis floodlight

efficiency, increoses floodlight life.

Only Generql

Electric's L-69A Sports

Light Offers You These lmportont Feqtures o

The nerv feiltures trnd flexibility of the Type

L-69A floodlight make it today-s most economical and effit'ient clroice in floodlighting for
baseball fields.

Visual aiming during da1'light hours

easy with the long V-notch channel.

is

enq&*&

Strong, lightweight, die-cast aluminum

housing is easy to handle.
Fleat conduction from lamp to socket reduced, service lengthened by
specially designed socket iissembly,
rrllorving free circulation of air.

Quick accessibilitv for lamp replacement

or cleaning provided by faceted rear reflector which is conveniently and easil,'separated from front reflector. Large,
perishable gaskets eliminated by new
wiiter-shedding trssembly.

As mnch as 35% more light

more even light dis-and
tribution-provided by the
new faceted retrr reflector,
exclusive in the L-69A.

Time arnd efiort in adjusting the light or

in tilting reflector for servicing minimized
by handy built-on clamping-bolt wrench.
No tools to carry or drop. Clamping action securely locks floodlight.

:,"d'

'"'

o1

E:rsv vertical daytime adjustment from

iin eriming chart permitted by large numbers on degree scale. Adjustable repositioning stop included on the scale.

Front and faceted rear reflectors firmly

secured by two sturdl', easily opened
toggle-type latches.

GENERAL@ETECTRTC

Only the L-69A offers you a choice of

water-tight, spun-sealed door glass OR
both
removable, clamp-on door glass
- gasimpact-resistant and sealed without
kets.

Distribution Trqnsformers for

floodlighting lnstqllqtions
General

Electric distribution

transformers are your most economical power source for floodlighting

applications because they are easy
to install, require little attention and
have extra high loadability.

The new Permalex+ insulation in

General Electric pole-type transformers gives 20 per cent added
loadability with the same life as
former transformers. The rating
table below shows how much higher
you can load General Electric transformers for sports lighting applications. General Electric's new, higher
breaker and light settings make
higher loadability usable.

New exterior features of General

Electric transforrners add years of
reliable service life, giving lower
maintenance costs. Melalast* coverinsulating finish prevents outages
caused by birds and squirrels.

Tin-plated low-voltage terminals

retard corrosion and their coneddisk washers maintain a constant
conductor grip. Formex* wire cuts
size and weight, making handling
and installation easier.
CONVENTIONAT AND
SETF.PROTECTED

Both conventional and self-protected transformers are available

to provide the best possible service
for industrial, commercial, and recreational floodlighting installations.
G-E Type HS conventional transformers are the most practical means
of energizing foodlighting where
separate protective equipment is installed.

Type HSBA design eliminates the

need for protective devices, incorporates arrester, breaker, and reset
handle into basic unit for lighting,
secondary over-load, short-circuit
self-protection.

SUGGESTED I.OADING OF DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMERS

FOR SPORTS TIGHTING APPTICATIONS
Load

Transformer
Rating

lO

kva

kva

20

kva

lO

kva

30

kva

15 kva

5O kva

25

kva

70

kva

37.5 kva

95

kva

5O kva

l4O kva

75

kva

180 kva

IOO kva

290 kva

167 kva

*Reg. Trade-mark General Electric Co.

1.

The duration of the load will be

about four hours. During the

remainder of the day, the load

will be disconnected from the
transformer.

The load will be applied under

the generally favorable ambient
air conditions of night atmosphere.
J.

4.

The transformer is expected to

operate on a seasonal schedule
and not day after day throughout the year.
The recommended load is in excess of the loading (153 percent
for four hours) suggested in the
ASA Guide (C57.32) for one percent loss of life. However, because of the inherent ability of
Permalex to withstand heat, G-E
transformers may be loaded in
excess of the ASA guide.

Reromm ended Stq ndq

The layouts on these pages are
Little League Baseball fields. The materials
on pages 6 and 7 are suggested for
recommended for typical

the layouts but are subject to change,

depending on the conditions in your

particular playing area.

rd Floodlighting luyouts

Ceneral Electric Application En-

gineers, through many years of experience have found these standards

to be

consistently accurate and

adaptable for most applications. The
layout and all recommendations are
in accordance with the Illuminating

Engineering Society recommended

practice.

Typical of most baseball fields,

the layouts are based on the use of
60 General Electric L-69A Sports
Floodlights mounted on 8 cedar
poles.

PRIMARY CABLE
SERVICE

ENTRANCE

ANGLE

c,

L-

4z/

GU

YS

DEAD

--L

END
GUYS

J\

.Y

\,/

'*

coRNER PoLE

(No FLooos)

'2\.-.----.\

OR MANUALLY OPERATED
FKC OtL PR|TVARY SWTTCH na]..

JUNCTION BOX

FoR DlSrRlBUrloN

wlTH

ro

.4r-^
.../,//

i t'r.
/
FUSES

...

\.,.,,

B,

//////

\tFLOOOLIGHTS\d.)

.o.

\/ts

A2

At
RECOMMENDED

"- a
e2

///

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

SUGGESTED GUYING OIAGRAM

CORNER

POLE 52

SERVICE

PoLE Sr

;,

i.\

,.o._{to

HoME PLArE

OIMENSIONS

>-"-1!t9i

w r5'- 30'
x !o'- 50'
Y 5'- 15'
Z 9o'- ilo'

LOAD

FLOODLIGHTS

POLES

Mounting Height

KW

Voltoge

At lOVo Over
Roted Voltoge

9.0

10.44

9.0

10.44

40'

t2

I8.0

20.88

40'

12

'r8.0

20.88

9.0

10.44

9.0

1o.44

C3

50'
50'
50'

9.0

10.44

C4

50'

9.0

10.44

60

90.0

104.40

Position

Lower Cross Arm

Generol Electric Type L-69A

Wide Beom*

A1

40'

A2

40'

B1

B2
C1

to

C2

TOTALS

Lamps:1500 Watt General Lighring, Operated ai a l07o Over Rated Voltage.

*One Wooden crossarm mounting adapter required for each floodlight.

At

IN

Roted

Pole Locqtion ond Aiming Chqrt

o

Note: Owing to the irregularities

commonly occurring in wood poles,

the spotting method of aiming

if

is

recommended. The observer stands

on the field at the position indicated

by the arrow on the sketch.

The

adjuster on the pole aims the floodlight at the feet of the observer by

sighting through the device provided on the floodlight.

The lines indicate lateral direction

of the floodlights and the

arrows

indicate the point at which the cen-

ter of the beam should strike the

field. The observer should stand
behind the floodlight being arimed
. facing in the direction of the
beam.

RECOMMENDED FI.OODTIGHT ARRANGEMENT

(tights numbered as viewed from rear of pole facing field)

l2t

--r,

--r-oK

+6ld

tl

FOOT RAI L

40

OOT RAI L

l-!

OOT RAIL

40 FT.

FT.

TO PLAYING
FIELD

TO PLAYING

WOODEN
CROSSARM
FOR

FIELD

PRIMARY

I
I
I
I
I

GROUN D

I
P oLES

Ar&

A2

GROUND

PO

LES

BI

B2

sc, c2caac4

GENERAL@ETECTRIC
7

For Jvrlher informalion, conlrrct your neorby Generol Electric Areo Lighling Agent

GEN ERAr

@ ETECTRTC

(lUTD(l(lR LIGHTII{G DTPARTMENT, HENDERSOI{VILLE, N.

8-62 (5M) 9400

C.