Help! How to use DesireD40 LEDs

Hey all! I am a first-year theatre teacher in a brand-new building, and I'm trying to figure out how to program my Desire D40 LED lights. I'm getting things sort of figured out in the light board, but where do I actually plug them in, and how do I get the light board (ETC Ion) to talk to them? I know that I shouldn't put them on a dimmer, or I need to do something to the dimmer so it doesn't hurt the lights. Also, can I have them daisychained to one power source and still operate all the lights separately? Please explain like I'm five.

Here's what I have programmed so far.

You need to find someone in your area to come over and help you. You have some BEAUTIFUL new equipment that is very powerful but is not exactly easy or intuitive to use for the total novice.

Who sold your school this equipment? You really should contact them and demand that they send a tech out to show you how to use this equipment. That is why ETC has a dealer network out there!

Scenemaster60 said:

Who sold your school this equipment? You really should contact them and demand that they send a tech out to show you how to use this equipment. That is why ETC has a dealer network out there!

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Demanding isn't going to get you anywhere...

If your school is a new build, then there is more than likely a training aspect included in the contract/purchase. However this training might not have happened yet as there would have been no one to train while the school is under construction. Its not rare for a tech to install a system, then come back 6 months later and train teachers and staff.

First step is to find out who sold and installed your system. There are a couple ways to find out:
-your administration team/school district
-A lighting equipment rack, there may be a plate with the companies name on it.
-Look around your booth, there may be some binders that say lighting system manual.

Secondly: Call ETC Tech Support. They can walk you through patching your fixtures, setting them up and get you on the right track. If the contractor did things to the tee, ETC might be able to track down your system by serial numbers.

As for physical infrastructure, your system would be setup one of two ways. Up by your lighting pipes there could be data ports. Either 5 Pin XLR or Network/Ethernet , they usually say Theatre Lighting -or- ETCnet. If it is a network jack, you will need a gateway/node.

tyler.martin said:

Demanding isn't going to get you anywhere...

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Says you.

Demanding from the dealer and factory has gotten me LOTS over the years starting with LEE/Colortran in 1989 when our new ENR racks were failing after 3 months of use.

Play nice at first, but training on how to use sophisticated equipment like the D40 coupled with an ION board is not kid-stuff.

After some of the ETC staff that frequent this board read these posts, I suspect that advice and help will be forthcoming. While they are a giant in the industry, their reputation is built on helping real people with real solutions. You reached out in the right venue for help!

Every time I have purchased something from ETC I haven't had a problem getting them to send someone out to train me on it. Granted my proximity is a factor. Absolutely contact your sales person and have them set up a training for you. If that fails, contact your local colleges and see if they can send someone over. I know college aged me would have gladly made the trip for a free lunch

Hi Amy,

First, please consider the advice of others to contact the local dealer. And while it is unsolicited advice, I always believe in a good working relationship with dealer is key to running a successful department. Most reputable dealers will not sell you a new moving light when you only need a lamp, to use a weird comparison.

Also, consider checking out the ETC training videos offered on their website! You can download all the supporting materials and files. I have used these in the past to either brush up on my skills, or used it to develop a curriculum for master classes.

http://www.etcconnect.com/EosFamilyVideoSeries/

If you need any help setting up the visualization file, don't hesitate to email me.

Hope this helps!

Check out the videos for sure! They can be a huge help.

Also, IF training was not included in the original bid, you can pay to have an ETC rep come out and do the training, there is cost involved, but that might be an option as well. And when you have training, i would bring in as many people as possible so that YOU are not the ONLY person who knows what to do, late night phone calls for the same issues get real old, real quick.

Thank you everyone! This is all really great advice. I did receive the included three-hour training, but that barely covered me figuring out how to use the basic functions of the light board. I'll try contacting my ETC Rep and calling ETC Tech Support. And if all else fails, I'll see if someone from a college can come out and help me. Thanks for your advice!

If all else fails, and you can't get through to anyone on the dealer side, I'd be willing to help you. LED lights, once rigged and patched, are pretty user-friendly. It's true that you will want them on a relay-only, but once you have them circuited and cabled, getting the Ion to play nice with them should not be too hard for you. Do you have basic networking rigged already? (AKA, A gateway, an on-stage port running DMX, etc..)

AmyS said:

Hey all! I am a first-year theatre teacher in a brand-new building, and I'm trying to figure out how to program my Desire D40 LED lights. I'm getting things sort of figured out in the light board, but where do I actually plug them in, and how do I get the light board (ETC Ion) to talk to them? I know that I shouldn't put them on a dimmer, or I need to do something to the dimmer so it doesn't hurt the lights. Also, can I have them daisychained to one power source and still operate all the lights separately? Please explain like I'm five.

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If you were five, I'd tell you to let an adult do the wiring. Also, I agree with others that finding local help will be valuable.

As far as power goes, daisy chaining the fixtures will not affect your ability to control the lights individually. It is OK for the power to come from a circuit that is fed by a dimmer rack, but it should not go through a dimmer module. You may have modules that can be switched between dimmer and non-dim modes at the rack or you may have been supplied with non-dim modules (either relay or constant power).

For control, the lights recieve a signal from the board via DMX cable. As stated above, the DMX signal may get to your lighting position via a DMX port or via a network port which you attach a node to in order to output the DMX. The DMX cable should daisy chain between instruments and should be terminated at the end of the chain. To control the lights individually, they each need to be assigned to non-overlaping addresses. Your screenshot indicates that your fixtures are patched to non-overlapping addresses in universe two on the board. You need to ensure the fixtures are connected to a DMX port that outputs universe two and are set to recieve the address that you want to control them with. They may already have the addresses set up, but it is always good to check.

Hello Amy,
I would like to offer the same advice as some of the other members here and suggest that you call ETC's Technical Support help-line. I have already notified them to this post and they would be happy to help you when you have time. Give them a call at (608) 831-4116 when you are in front of the equipment and they will help get you up and running. They are available from 8am-5pm (CST) M-F for normal business hours and 24/7 for any emergencies.

I hope this helps.

Jim Uphoff
Fixture Product Manager- ETC

robartsd said:

For control, the lights recieve a signal from the board via DMX cable. As stated above, the DMX signal may get to your lighting position via a DMX port or via a network port which you attach a node to in order to output the DMX. The DMX cable should daisy chain between instruments and should be terminated at the end of the chain.

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Just a clarification here. You do not need to terminate any of the Desire family. They are self-terminated. Most other fixtures do require a DMX terminator, so bear it in mind.