ION client setup.

[curtis73]

I swear I asked this before but I can't find it.

We were awarded a tech grant for computery things. One of the things I want to get is a touchscreen laptop and pair it with a touchscreen monitor to client with our ION console. What all do I need? I do have a wireless router, but it wouldn't be terrible to just cat5 it.

Do I need the dongle or puck? What keyboard should I get to do the overlay buttons to emulate the ION keypad?

My normal LD that I ask this stuff is out of the country.

 

[MRW Lights]

Highly subjective.... but.... If you're operating as a client you don't "need" an Nomad dongle or puck, because you're assuming that you're connected to your primary console as a client and that the primary console is handling your output. A Client is basically a window into the console and a remote control...

Client connections are most stable via ETCnet, but "can" work via wifi on your ETCnet as well. I would not make that show critical.

Xkeys are very popular to making an emulator and there are patches and overlays readily available. That being said, some of the best programmers I've ever worked with were skilled at running an RPU with a qwerty keyboard. Interchangeable and available EVERYWHERE!

 

[curtis73]

I think for now I'll likely cat5 for simplicity. This is for cueing/programming a show, so the LD can be audience level without having to haul the whole ION and fader wing down the ladder from the tech booth.

I thought about a qwerty, but one of our things (being a 501c3 based in education) is to educate. Having the console "match" the client is something I can't ask a fresh, amateur LD to tackle.

 

[curtis73]

So I can just download the software and plug in a network cable? As easy as that?

 

[danTt]

You need a nomad dongle. You can run in mirror mode without one but that's not going to do much good.

It varies from person to person and space to space, but I find the xkeys/lxkeys/programmable keyboards to be not very helpful on a client computer. The shortcuts aren't hard to learn, and most people type qwerty faster then a console layout these days.

Definitely stick with a hardwired connection though

 

[curtis73]

So I still need the dongle even if DMX is coming from the ION? Is that for the software licensing?

Again, not running a show with it, just getting the LD at audience level to paint the stage during tech, then unplug and run the show off the ION.

 

[urban79]

Correct - without a dongle Nomad will simply show whatever is on the Ion's screen (mirror mode). You can't change anything.

Chris

 

[curtis73]

Copy that. Makes sense.

I also noticed that the lxkey is no longer in production due to COVID with no expected date (probably couldn't afford it anyway)

Someone was talking about a $30 Cherry brand keyboard with an overlay kit, but they don't say which cherry keyboard.

 

[MRW Lights]

Oh yes sorry that makes sense since you said client, I was thinking you had a programmer at the console and were communicating. That used to not be true back in the good old days, you could get full control as client simply by being on the network… there are reasons as to why that changed.
The education package can set you up with that though as it sounds like you may qualify.

 

[MRW Lights]

Copy that. Makes sense.

I also noticed that the lxkey is no longer in production due to COVID with no expected date (probably couldn't afford it anyway)

Someone was talking about a $30 Cherry brand keyboard with an overlay kit, but they don't say which cherry keyboard.

That one's not available, but really you're paying for someone to buy an xkey, overcharge you for it and to program it.... albeit it works out of the box...

You can however purchase an xkey and then there are some convenient layouts provided from even ETC themselves, but plenty are available on the interwebs. This layout for the Ion Xe Xkey specifically.

I have a throwdown designer pad build out of a pc game controller that I travel with that will hook up into "any" EOS system and it works between platforms because it's command line user0 based in the background. That plus a thumb drive of my magic sheets and macros lets me walk into virtually any EOS house with little prep time and an advance email and we're off and running. They're pretty easy to program and don't take a lot of time if that's a route you want to go down.

But again you can always use a qwerty keyboard and hot keys... not everyone has xkeys. So from an education standpoint you could teach your students to always be successfull... or to be successful within the bounds of circumstances. Something to think about.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Highly subjective.... but.... If you're operating as a client you don't "need" an Nomad dongle or puck, because you're assuming that you're connected to your primary console as a client and that the primary console is handling your output. A Client is basically a window into the console and a remote control...

Client connections are most stable via ETCnet, but "can" work via wifi on your ETCnet as well. I would not make that show critical.

Xkeys are very popular to making an emulator and there are patches and overlays readily available. That being said, some of the best programmers I've ever worked with were skilled at running an RPU with a qwerty keyboard. Interchangeable and available EVERYWHERE!

I tried this once with the Mac in our primary control room, running the (then) current Nomad against our Ion 1000.

Could *not* figure out what I was supposed to have to do to the desk to get it to listen to the computer.

Since I can remote the Mac, it'd be really nice to be able to get in and, say, darken the stage when necessary...

 

[Jay Ashworth]

On point: let me recommend OSCRFR, an Android[edit:]/iPad app that's very close to an exact emulation of the Ion console; we've used it for a couple-three years now. Very nicely done.

Though I should note that since it doesn't show the cue list, OSC is better for operating than it is for programming -- so perhaps it's not entirely on point for this thread.

 

[Crisp image]

On point: let me recommend OSCRFR, an Android app that's very close to an exact emulation of the Ion console; we've used it for a couple-three years now. Very nicely done.

Also available on Ipad.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Sure is. That's what we actually use it on in the house, though I paid for it for my phone and tablet as well, which are Android.

Been awful too damn long I've been in the booth.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I tried this once with the Mac in our primary control room, running the (then) current Nomad against our Ion 1000.

Could *not* figure out what I was supposed to have to do to the desk to get it to listen to the computer.

Since I can remote the Mac, it'd be really nice to be able to get in and, say, darken the stage when necessary...

Sidebar, that I came back across while looking into oscRFR again -- still very nice.

I have been told that you can't use Nomad as a client to a 'real' console unless you have a USB license dongle *for the Nomad install*, as well as the main console, but I see this conflicts with what I *think* you were saying here. Do you think it does *not* need a license?

 

[MRW Lights]

Sidebar, that I came back across while looking into oscRFR again -- still very nice.

I have been told that you can't use Nomad as a client to a 'real' console unless you have a USB license dongle *for the Nomad install*, as well as the main console, but I see this conflicts with what I *think* you were saying here. Do you think it does *not* need a license?

This is true. You can only mirror (view) without the USB license dongle. In order to be a client and have control within the network you need the USB dongle.