Help with Automated Lighting please!!!

[kadams17]

Hello -

I am an experienced lighting designer with many shows under my belt, but this upcoming week I have a venue that is asking me to use two moving lights in the show.

The venue is a theatre I am very familiar with. The board is an ETC Express 48/96 desk that runs a dmx512 into a controller box, which runs ethernet into ETCNet. Hopefully everyone knows what I mean.

Now the two moving lights are rentals. They are Robe 575E AT Lights that will be hung on the zero electric.

I want to make sure the way they are to be connected is correct. The first lamp will have a DMX512 cable running from it into the light control box, and then it has another cable running into the next instrument, and that instrument has a 120V ending adapter into it.

Now if this is correct, and I assign the proper DMX channels, I should be able to control the lights independently.

Is this all correct? Please correct me where I am wrong.

[soundman]

Originally Posted by kadams17

The venue is a theatre I am very familiar with. The board is an ETC Express 48/96 desk that runs a dmx512 into a controller box, which runs ethernet into ETCNet. Hopefully everyone knows what I mean.

Yup the theatre is using ETCnet for distributing data.

Originally Posted by kadams17

Now the two moving lights are rentals. They are Robe 575E AT Lights that will be hung on the zero electric.

I want to make sure the way they are to be connected is correct. The first lamp will have a DMX512 cable running from it into the light control box, and then it has another cable running into the next instrument, and that instrument has a 120V ending adapter into it.

The data distribution will work correctly, what is the 120V adapter about? Do you mean a DMW terminator?

Originally Posted by kadams17

Now if this is correct, and I assign the proper DMX channels, I should be able to control the lights independently.

Is this all correct? Please correct me where I am wrong.

Yes, be sure that they are on their own universe or that their start address is higher than anything else on the system.

[gafftaper]

Be sure both Robe fixtures are powered by TRUELY NON-Dimmed power source. It's not okay to run them off a dimmer at 100% or a dimmer in a "non-dim mode". You may have some ciruits in your theater that are remotely triggered on off by your light console or some other system. As long as these are just a relay turning them on and off they will be fine. Otherwise find a wall outlet and plug them in.

and that instrument has a 120V ending adapter into it.

I too am confused by what you mean.

[kadams17]

yes, sorry. i meant the 120v dmw terminator.

and they will be powered completely independently using a plug that has no connection to our lighting system. good ol' wall outlets.

but i am not completely sure what you mean by the address being higher.

we have 192 dimmers in our system, and I patch 100 dimmers into 65 channels for stationary lights.

I should be able to keep it all in the same universe as long as I do the remaining patch correctly right?

because i understood it as this:
Each intelligent light uses 24 channels, and 24+24=48 used DMX channels.

If my dimmer patch ends at channel 65...the starting address for light 1 should be 66 and the starting address for light two should be 90.
correct?

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by kadams17

Each intelligent light uses 24 channels, and 24+24=48 used DMX channels.

If my dimmer patch ends at channel 65...the starting address for light 1 should be 66 and the starting address for light two should be 90.
correct?

Sounds good to me. Working with intelligent lights on an Express is not a lot of fun, but you can do it. I suggest you patch the console so that you've got sliders for each of the 48 control channels. Then make a big cheat sheet or mark the board with tape so that you can quickly figure out which slider runs which fixture attribute.

[KeeperoftheKeys]

[offtopic]
There are dimmers out there that have a bypass/relais that bypasses the whole chopper+choke when at 100%, on such a dimmer you could connect non-dims...
[/offtopic]

[kadams17]

yeah that was my plan. I heard that it's tough but I figure since I am only using two instruments it won't be that bad at all, especially since all my static instruments are all used through subs.

and yeah, a cheat sheet is going to be key. my only plan for the movers is a few specials for solos and other than that, they will aim to a point, cue a color and cue a cobo to create a pretty effect.

maybe a few moving cues, but im not going to get too adventerous.

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by KeeperoftheKeys

There are dimmers out there that have a bypass/relais that bypasses the whole chopper+choke when at 100%, on such a dimmer you could connect non-dims...

That is true. However most dimmers out there are not safe to use. Some have "non-dim modes" but they aren't a bypass as you described. They simply run the dimmer at 0 or full which is NOT the same as non-dim.

At my theater (Strand C21's) I have a stack of modules I can pop in the rack to provide both constant non-dim power and remotely switchable on off non-dim power. Options like this are available for many dimmer racks. See your manual or call your manufacturer.

[soundman]

Originally Posted by kadams17

but i am not completely sure what you mean by the address being higher.

we have 192 dimmers in our system, and I patch 100 dimmers into 65 channels for stationary lights.

I should be able to keep it all in the same universe as long as I do the remaining patch correctly right?

because i understood it as this:
Each intelligent light uses 24 channels, and 24+24=48 used DMX channels.

If my dimmer patch ends at channel 65...the starting address for light 1 should be 66 and the starting address for light two should be 90.
correct?

I think you have it but the way you phrase it can mean something else. Your dimmers have a DMX address and a channel number. Most dimmers start at DMX address 1 and use one address per dimmer. By softpatching at the board you are changing what channel you use to control each DMX address but the board still talks to that dimmer via its DMX address.

You need to make sure the DMX address for the moving lights is above the DMX address of you dimmers. Otherwise when you pan the light you will notice some of your dimmers changing their level.
You can softpatch patch the movers to what ever channel you want as long as you have enough room.

Clear as mud?

[icewolf08]

Originally Posted by kadams17

If my dimmer patch ends at channel 65...the starting address for light 1 should be 66 and the starting address for light two should be 90.
correct?

Originally Posted by gafftaper

Sounds good to me. Working with intelligent lights on an Express is not a lot of fun, but you can do it. I suggest you patch the console so that you've got sliders for each of the 48 control channels. Then make a big cheat sheet or mark the board with tape so that you can quickly figure out which slider runs which fixture attribute.

Actually, this is not true. If you have 192 dimmers, you have to set the starting address of your moving lights above 192. Even if you only use 65 channels, you still have all those dimmers patched. So starting address on the first unit would have to be 193 (or higher).