How do I run my desk from my laptop?

[Arez]

I've heard people talking about it, and I was wondering how you do this, it is an ETC Express board, the series skips my mind at the moment, but what do I need to be able to do this?

Thanks

[Inaki2]

no, you ca use the offline editor to prepare shows, but the ETC Express does not offer connectivity to a computer. You can use ETCNet for certain things through your omputer (kinda like Emphasis), but thats about it.

[Inaki2]

Which, BTW, if you have the desk there why would you want to run it off a PC anyways?

[SketchyCroftPpl]

I'm not sure about any types of software but wouldn't you also need something like a DMX Dongle in this case? Or have new boards become advanced enough that you can just plug into them?

~Nick

[Arez]

I wanted to run it from my computer so that I wouldn't have to move the desk out of the booth for tech week, don't ask why but we do.

Nick, I was thinking that I probably needed some kind of dongle, because we have an older board, but I don't know about the new ones.

[SketchyCroftPpl]

I don't know much about dongles cept that they are very expensive. Unless you have a rather large budget, which you may, I think it might just be more worth it to move the desk.

[JahJahwarrior]

a dongle would allow you to run the show sans the board, using only your computer.


I don' tknow anything about those boards, but it sounds like you could get an offline editor that would allow you to program the show on your computer, then save it to a disk, then load it on the board.

[jfbach]

now... what can you do with ETCnet? and do you just run an ethernet cable into there and bam... it works? or do you have to do some programming to make it work properly. Also, I thought ETCNet didn't do that, only ETCNet2 did?

[Radman]

Express has Net2, so that is all that applies right now. With ETCNet2, there is an RJ-45 connector on the back of the Express. You can NOT just run a standard ether cable to your comp. I know that because I tried. However, this is just a basic rule of networking. You would have to use a crossover patch cable or run it to a router or hub then to the comp. Then from the hub you could also run it to the dimmers, if ETC, and even to a wireless access point. Then you can hook up nodes too, wired or if you have the wireless stuff, wireless using WiFi like 802.11 a/b/g whatever you use. Oh and remote video displayst can be plugged in too. The thing I don't know is what you can do on the comp. I doubt EXP-Offline sends Net2 signals, but there is the ETCNet2 configuration editor. I haven't had a chance to play around with that yet, but next time I haul my cable bag and a router to the theatre, I hope to figure it out.

And for the record, I believe there is up to Net4, but again it is useless on Express.

I'm waiting for ACN to get big.

[koncept]

strand has the ability to use palms as does etc to control the board. i think there are programs you can use on a laptop and folow the networking rules and have that work.