ETC Emphasis server necessary?

I just took over care and feeding of my church's lighting system. 2 ETC Sensor+ racks, Unison system running wall controls, and an Express 48/96 and Emphasis server that I just ripped out in favor of a Martin M-Touch/M-Play system.

Is the Emphasis server (very old Dell XP machine with a parallel port dongle) necessary for future programming/control of the wall controllers and/or the dimmer racks? I know we're not using it on a regular basis, but is it necessary for anything else? If so, is there a more modern way to do those things?

I'm not new to lighting, but I am new to ETC's architectural controls and dimmer racks.

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure that the Emphasis was simply a part of the console. Now, a pc is used in configuring Paradigm, nee Unison, but probably not the tower that was for emphasis, and certainly doesn't need to be.

BillConnerFASTC said:

I'm pretty sure that the Emphasis was simply a part of the console. Now, a pc is used in configuring Paradigm, nee Unison, but probably not the tower that was for emphasis, and certainly doesn't need to be.

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Thanks for the confirmation. This was my assumption, as when you close the Emphasis app, the server goes to a shutdown screen.

The 48/96 is running in Facepanel mode when connected to Emphasis and it has special software as replacement to the original OS. Emphasis is the primary PC and OS.

Emphasis sucks, but did expand channel capacity.

If you don't need it and simply want to run Express as a basic desk, you'll need to reload the original OS. You can download that from ETC and stick it on a floppy, then re-boot the Express with the OS disk.

The Express/Emphasis system had no functionally with the Unison system, except that Unison could potentially be configured to snapshot looks, or release control of certain addresses when Express is running. You need separate Light Manager software to change anything in Unison, with a 3.5" floppy, etc...

It sounds unlikely in this case, but I will make the observation that the was a point in etc history before paradigm was released where etc would design/support architectural systems with an 'amx' (company, not protocol) front-end that triggered an emphasis middle layer. In such a case, the emphasis is tied very closely to the architectural controls.

danTt said:

It sounds unlikely in this case, but I will make the observation that the was a point in etc history before paradigm was released where etc would design/support architectural systems with an 'amx' (company, not protocol) front-end that triggered an emphasis middle layer. In such a case, the emphasis is tied very closely to the architectural controls.

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My recent excavations suggest this dates from approximately 2006 anno domini, under the gracious reign of Emperor Tungstenus Powersuckicus, son of Emperor Tungstenus Lampburnouticus. We have some motorized curtains but I believe those are bridged from Unison by several "DMX Contactor" boxes I haven't explored yet. I won't get rid of the machine until I investigate that more thoroughly. Thanks!

TJCornish said:

My recent excavations suggest this dates from approximately 2006 anno domini ... !

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From 2006? Call ETC. I bet they have records or your original install. One of them will be around sooner or later today and will see the post.

TJCornish said:

My recent excavations suggest this dates from approximately 2006 anno domini, under the gracious reign of Emperor Tungstenus Powersuckicus, son of Emperor Tungstenus Lampburnouticus. We have some motorized curtains but I believe those are bridged from Unison by several "DMX Contactor" boxes I haven't explored yet. I won't get rid of the machine until I investigate that more thoroughly. Thanks!

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Part of the legacy Unison functionality was to operate motorized curtains, walls, etc... for places like hotel ballrooms, etc... so not that odd to have that set up in the Unison system.

If you have Unison Legacy, check and see if you have the configuration app on there. Its not downloadable, and is a Win16 app, so the ability to run it on modern systems poses some challenges (it will not run on a 64 bit version of Windows)

BobHealey said:

If you have Unison Legacy, check and see if you have the configuration app on there. Its not downloadable, and is a Win16 app, so the ability to run it on modern systems poses some challenges (it will not run on a 64 bit version of Windows)

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Anyone with an "Old-ison" system should have a USB floppy drive and some spare disks. Backups of your config file (a very small .cfg and 2 .bmp files) are very valuable. The software itself is officially restricted to trained techs. However it has escaped into the wild in many places but should be handled like all wild animals, as unpredictable and dangerous. Most techs (and usually ETC) will make minor config changes for you without a fuss. Major changes are very likely to cause unforeseen issues and so should be done on site where a fix is fast.

It's also worth noting that virtually all the legacy processors around here have had a repair trip to the factory. 10-15 years without service is pretty good for that level of electronics and some of the ones I sent in 10+ years ago are still humming along well. ETC will update many of the components for more durable versions as a warranty service. Repair is a good deal and a tiny fraction of replacement costs. It's also a good time to bring in a tech to adjust your programming.

Got plans for the Express?

TJCornish said:

I just took over care and feeding of my church's lighting system. 2 ETC Sensor+ racks, Unison system running wall controls, and an Express 48/96 and Emphasis server that I just ripped out in favor of a Martin M-Touch/M-Play system.

Is the Emphasis server (very old Dell XP machine with a parallel port dongle) necessary for future programming/control of the wall controllers and/or the dimmer racks? I know we're not using it on a regular basis, but is it necessary for anything else? If so, is there a more modern way to do those things?

I'm not new to lighting, but I am new to ETC's architectural controls and dimmer racks.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

In side the dell is a dongle that holds the key for wysiwyg that is tied to emphsis. It is what allows interface with 2d drawing. You should have wysiwyg software disk and license. Although an old version as long as you have the dongle you can install it on any xp machine. So pull the dongle before you dump the machine.

And definitely bach up unison. Then call etc support for help.

Jay Ashworth said:

Got plans for the Express?

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Once we're sure we've got the Unison stuff squared away, it needs a new loving home. Interested?

TJCornish said:

Once we're sure we've got the Unison stuff squared away, it needs a new loving home. Interested?

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Possibly. I'm the last guy, though. If someone needs it to be an Express, sell it to them first. I have wild hair in the back of my head to repurpose one as a fader wing -- I like faders a *lot*... and that Express has a lot of faders.

(And yes, I realize there was a 72/144; even I'm not that nuts.)

BobHealey said:

If you have Unison Legacy, check and see if you have the configuration app on there. Its not downloadable, and is a Win16 app, so the ability to run it on modern systems poses some challenges (it will not run on a 64 bit version of Windows)

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Bummer won't run on Windows 3.1 either.

Clint Eastwood said:

Bummer won't run on Windows 3.1 either.

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I wouldn't be too sure of that! The earliest I've ever seen looked like DOS port to Win3.

Unless it needs fancy pre-PCI hardware, I would expect you could install it in Virtual XP mode under Win7Pro, or in Virtual Box, and get it to run.

I have run the latest few versions under Win7 Virtual XP and Win 10 Hyper-V. That doesn't mean ETC recommends either solution.

The real issue is using a program that looks simple but isn't!