DMX Lighting

[garethEds]

Good morning all - does anyone have experience with DMX lighting? Our Drama studio has an FLX S25 lighting console. It has recently been upgraded to V8 of the software/firmware but in that process we lost the lighting configurations. Someone didn't take a backup. So we have all the lights, all the channels, but cannot attach the lights to the channels.

 

There are three different types of light:  ADJ ENCORE PROFILE 1000 colour, Spectra Par 12HEX10 and  Fusion Spot MKIII

 

I have them mapped out on papers so I know which model is where - but I'm not sure how to map them to the lighting console. I've read somewhere about dip switches which are on the lights - but again am not sure. 

 

So I'm wondering if anyone here has experience and can help? The company that set them up a few years ago didn't leave any paperwork or instructions.

 

Cheers everyone.

 

Edited January 13 by garethedmondson

[Andrew_C]

The word you need is "patch".  I've never used an FLX so can't help with detail.

 

Link to training at the bottom of THIS PAGE.  Including "adding fixtures" - fixtures means lights, but with more than one parameter.  

Edited January 13 by Andrew_C

[garethEds]

So I'm not mapping - I'm patching lights to a channel? I think, from what I've read I just need the numbers - for example Light 1 could use numbers 1 - 6 if it's a 5 channel light. The next light in the chain will use 7 - 17 (if it's a 10 channel)

[Andrew_C]

The desk is probably smart enough to work that out.  You probably have to say "I need ADJ ENCORE PROFILE 1000 on channel 1,2 & 3 and   Spectra Par 12HEX1 on channels 4 & 5 and it will allocate colour channels to the appropriate wheels etc.

 

I'm rusty... not done any lighting for years, and way behind the curve!

[garethEds]

16 minutes ago, Andrew_C said:

The desk is probably smart enough to work that out.  You probably have to say "I need ADJ ENCORE PROFILE 1000 on channel 1,2 & 3 and   Spectra Par 12HEX1 on channels 4 & 5 and it will allocate colour channels to the appropriate wheels etc.

 

I'm rusty... not done any lighting for years, and way behind the curve!

 

I've read that the board can auto detect - but cannot get it to do so. There are light profiles I can load in but I still need their channel numbers. 

[flipthebit]

Some lights have a little led screen telling you their address, some it's dip switches. If you google their manuals you'll find out how/where. If the lights have all been addressed and were working before then the lights are all set up. It's just a matter of configuring the desk. There's a certain amount of space required for different models of lights, depending on their capabilities, so you'd need to slot them in in a certain way. 

1. Find the manuals for the lights
2. Get their addresses
3. Work out how to set up the desk
4. Put one or two lights in at a time

 

[flipthebit]

https://www.adj.com/products/encore-profile-1000-color#downloads

https://www.prolight.co.uk/ftp-in/LEDJ283_Manual.pdf

https://www.prolight.co.uk/product_manual/EQLED007B_Manual.pdf

 

[garethEds]

1 minute ago, flipthebit said:

Some lights have a little led screen telling you their address, some it's dip switches. If you google their manuals you'll find out how/where. If the lights have all been addressed and were working before then the lights are all set up. It's just a matter of configuring the desk. There's a certain amount of space required for different models of lights, depending on their capabilities, so you'd need to slot them in in a certain way. 

1. Find the manuals for the lights
2. Get their addresses
3. Work out how to set up the desk
4. Put one or two lights in at a time

 

Thanks @flipthebit - gotcha. What you say is what I've been reading. Now I have to get to the lights and we don't have a lighting tower or tower scaffolding. Argh

 

Thanks everyone so far. Surely there is an auto detect on the board.

 

Gareth

[flipthebit]

This is the bit you probably need to do:

 

[Andrew_C]

8 minutes ago, garethedmondson said:

Surely there is an auto detect on the board.

Probably - but the lights may not report their address.

[garethEds]

3 minutes ago, Andrew_C said:

Probably - but the lights may not report their address.

 

Based on the video posted by @flipthebit - I'm looking to see if these are RDM lights. All fingers crossed.

[flipthebit]

If you don't need to adjust the lights can you fix a camera on a pole to reach that far?

Edited January 13 by flipthebit

[dhicks]

14 minutes ago, garethedmondson said:

Now I have to get to the lights and we don't have a lighting tower or tower scaffolding.

 

If you have a map showing you the positions and models of the lights, and you know they've all been set up already, you can probably just cycle through all the DMX channels and see which lights come on when you fade certain channels up. I've done that before at a school which had a bunch of lights on a three-story-high sports hall ceiling - rather than try and climb up to see the lights, we just started at DMX channel 1 and worked our way along, seeing which lighst came on as we went.

[garethEds]

9 hours ago, dhicks said:

 

If you have a map showing you the positions and models of the lights, and you know they've all been set up already, you can probably just cycle through all the DMX channels and see which lights come on when you fade certain channels up. I've done that before at a school which had a bunch of lights on a three-story-high sports hall ceiling - rather than try and climb up to see the lights, we just started at DMX channel 1 and worked our way along, seeing which lighst came on as we went.

 

I'm still struggling with this. We worked out today that our 4 corner lights (Fusion Spot Mac III) have addresses starting at 221 and are 10 channel. So we have 221/231/241 and 251 (I assume). I have entered the 4 into the console and patched them to sliders 1-4 on the deck. I have left the 'Setup' screen - but the light are not working. What am I missing?

 

When we turn the 4 corner lights on they go into some weird mode and spin, change colour etc - constantly. As it's only the desk that has been messed up, I'm assuming the lights have kept their settings.

 

Gareth

[flipthebit]

Some lights have different modes where they can use more or less channels. If you want more features it requires more, if less features is okay then less. That might be a configuration thing (switches) on the fixture. That might dictate their starting address.

 

The lights changing colour and spinning depends on what setting they have set on a particular address. When set up, if you move the appropriate slider or knob it changes the mode, changing what colours are shown, how much is spins, etc.

 

We have a button on our console that resets everything to starting position. That might depend on all the fixtures being setup though. 

[SamanthaD]

12 hours ago, garethedmondson said:

 

I'm still struggling with this. We worked out today that our 4 corner lights (Fusion Spot Mac III) have addresses starting at 221 and are 10 channel. So we have 221/231/241 and 251 (I assume). I have entered the 4 into the console and patched them to sliders 1-4 on the deck. I have left the 'Setup' screen - but the light are not working. What am I missing?

 

When we turn the 4 corner lights on they go into some weird mode and spin, change colour etc - constantly. As it's only the desk that has been messed up, I'm assuming the lights have kept their settings.

 

Gareth

 

This sounds like you're setting all 10 channels to 100%, so the dimmer channel is at 100%, pan and tilt are at 100%, colour wheel is at 100% (usually colour spin)...

 

If you can work it out, select your fixtures and there should be a command / button saying "Locate". This sets everything up so the fixture points straight down (or up) in white. If this works then the fixture is patched correctly and your desk needs configuring to do what you want it to do, which only you know!

Edited January 14 by SamanthaD

[garethEds]

Just now, flipthebit said:

Some lights have different modes where they can use more or less channels. If you want more features it requires more, if less features is okay then less. That might be a configuration thing (switches) on the fixture. That might dictate their starting address.

 

The lights changing colour and spinning depends on what setting they have set on a particular address. When set up, if you move the appropriate slider or knob it changes the mode, changing what colours are shown, how much is spins, etc.

 

We have a button on our console that resets everything to starting position. That might depend on all the fixtures being setup though. 

 

Thanks pal - I really appreciate the time you are taking here to answer my questions. I've read all the docs, read all the light instructions and am annoyed that the company that set them up have not left any config details. Clever really as they now want to come out and charge us stupid money to reset them up.

 

Every document I have read and website I have watched just says to put in the DMX address that is given on the light and it should work. Clearly that isn't the case. With the 4 spots, I have added 4, starting at 221 with an offset of 10 (as all the docs say).

 

But no - it's not that easy apparently. LOL

 

 

[flipthebit]

Did you manage to physically see all the fixtures and their current settings? Are you sure what they are set up as?

[garethEds]

1 minute ago, SamanthaD said:

 

This sounds like you're setting all 10 channels to 100%, so the dimmer channel is at 100%, pan and tilt are at 100%, colour wheel is at 100% (usually colour spin)...

 

If you can work it out, select your fixtures and there should be a command / button saying "Locate". This sets everything up so the fixture points straight down (or up) in white. If this works then the fixture is patched correctly and your desk needs configuring to do what you want it to do, which only you know!

 

Hi @SamanthaD - thanks for replying. No idea where I set all of that. I can patch the fixture and allocate it to a channel/slider. But then nothing happens. The slider does not work. On this light - it's Channel 10 that controls the fader up and down. Back to the docs I think and training videos.

[garethEds]

1 minute ago, flipthebit said:

Did you manage to physically see all the fixtures and their current settings? Are you sure what they are set up as?

 

Not yet - only the 4 corner spots. They are the only ones I can reach at the moment. I am sorting out a taller ladder/scaffolding. I presumed I could just code the corner spots.

[flipthebit]

On the desk we use the starting address of the fixture is important when setting up, and it already knows all about the model of light and its capabilities (which later addresses control the colour, spin, etc). From then on when the fixture is selected the colour wheel controls the colour selected, the spin wheel controls the rate of spin, etc.

 

I would think if you have the first address set correctly, if the panel knows the fixture you're adding correctly, then the controls should control it with the standard controls.

 

[Andrew_C]

Time to recommend The Blue Room again. There may well be someone local to you that would be happy to help a school out.

[SamanthaD]

Just dug out the manual for the Equinox Fusion Spot Mac III link - there are different modes available. Are you sure they're in 10 channel mode? If you're raising the fader and getting colour scrolls and movement then that sounds like "Random shows" in 1 channel mode.

 

I would remove the fixtures, then patch 10 dimmer channels from 221 to 230. Assign each to a fader and raise each fader in turn, or try different combinations of faders (if it is in 10 channel mode you won't see any light unless channels 7 & 10 are at 100% - shutter open and dimmer at 100%). If they're in 1 channel mode the first fader would make fixture 1 go crazy, the second fader make fixture 2 go crazy and so on.

 

Might not totally solve your problems but at least help you get to the bottom of your issues.

[garethEds]

Sigh - thanks everyone. I've sorted it. It was so simple in the end. So simple that it could be missed. For some reason the 3 pin DMX output was defaulting to Universe 2 instead of going into Universe 1. So we were doing everything right - but in the end a simple setting put everything into working order. I love learning new stuff - but that was frustrating.

 

Case closed. Backup of the configuration taken. Lessons learnt.

 

Really appreciate everyone who commented and gave advice on this issue.

[flipthebit]

Well done. Every day is a school day. Make some documentation and keep it somewhere it can be found again. The next person in your boots will appreciate it.