well, my answer is going to be based on theory, since without knowing specifics of the
fixture or the
console I can really only give a theory.
As far as the connections, yes if they are
dmx than they are either 5 pin or 3 pin, you can get an
adapter to go between either,
power is not really standard in a lot of fixtures so you might end up with a computer
IEC cable for one type of
fixture, and a powercon cable for the other, so keep that in mind, but not really that big of a problem. Every company is different.
Every lighting
fixture that is on a
dmx system uses a certain amount of addresses. Most
conventional dimmers only have 1, for
led's they usually start at 3, and go up... 1 for red, 1 for green, 1 for blue,
etc, every
fixture is different, there are
RGB or
CMY, yada yada. For movers, they go up quite a
bit. most of what I use, clay pakys start at 26 addresses...
Now if you take that to its
very basic concept, each
address is one
fader controlling one
parameter of that light. (Yes this can get complex when dealing with 8bit vs 16bit yada yada, that's NOT important for my explanation here.)
But at its absolute basic,
dmx deals with a digital value of each
parameter going from 0-255. If you look at a
fixture with an understanding that every
address has its own
fader, then it might help you to understand any kind of
fixture, from a basic
conventional all the way
pixel mapping...
With a standard
conventional it has 1
fader with an
intensity anywhere from 0-100%.
Wtih a standard
RGB it has 3 faders that allow you to mix colors.1 for red, 1 for green, 1 for blue; when they are all up the light output is white.
With a mover, it is no different (the
manual will tell you what order they are in, so thats important to download if you can) example:
Lets look at the Chauvet Maverick for example:
Fader 1 pans the
fixture, a 001 value puts it to the as far counterclockwise where 255 puts it as far clockwise
Fader 2 pans the
fixture with smaller increments, which is based on where
fader 1 is.
Fader 4 tilts the
fixture up and down
Fader 5 tilts the
fixture with smaller increments
Fader 6 turns the
intensity up or down (actually closes and opens an
iris, think of a lense, an arc type lamp stays on)
Fader 7 strobes the
unit in different ways (macros) depending on where the
fader is...
and on it goes...
At its very core this is how all fixtures works. In theory you can run this mover on a 12
channel preset board with nothing but faders, although
not ideal.
Hopefully, that helps you understand what is actually going on in a
fixture at its very basic
level, like when you asked if a
led is similar to a
conventional, the answer is yes, just more faders controlling the one
unit.
Now as you can imagine having to move 24 faders for 1
fixture is normally not an option as you run out of faders real fast.
If you only had one light for your rig and only needed it
in one position and you just needed to ride the
intensity than that's not so bad, but for all the rest of us lampys that's just not an option.
So we use programming desks or computer based software that turns those parameters into virtual faders, allowing us to move more efficient, plus automating effects allowing us to really get the benefit of movers. I would not recommend running movers on an old
preset board... Personally, i would strongly suggest bringing a different
console in and placing it next to the old one that the
venue has, and just take the
dmx cable from the old
console and
plug it straight into your
console.
honestly, the most fun way I can think of for you to
play with moving heads for the first time is to use ADJ's My
DMX... it's very basic I understand that, but it will make movers way less daunting to just have fun with and get a feeling for.
My best recommendation is to go to your closest church [there hours are easy to work with
] that has movers and see if they would be willing to take an hour after rehearsal or service and show you how they use them. What can it hurt to ask? plus depending on your location there are lots of churches around if one says no. Plus churches are usually nicer than your local theater
house or club... don't give up. Also, rental houses might have a test rig set up that they check fixtures out on that they might let you
play with, but not usully for free, and not usually unless your already scheduled to rent gear.
Now if you know specifics about a different board you have access to and the type of movers you will be using, we can definitely go more specific on how to program those lights and, if the board allows it, make them dance. However, if you are locked into the rig as it stands, I would just tell them that movers aren't an option unless they bring in another board and you have time to learn it.
It's ok to say no if you can't do something, don't know how to do something or don't feel confident that you can understand it by the time doors open.
This can seem complex but it's rather simple, just like a soundboard, if you understand what one
fader does, you understand what all of them do.
Just keep it simple, we have all been there. You are in the right place looking for advice. Hope this helps.
Remember to breathe... You can do this.
http://www.etcconnect.com/EosFamilyVideos/Level-1/
If you have time, watch every video on that
page, while they are steps are
console specific the concepts aren't. this may help
intro you to concepts of moving light control...