Paradigm button ideas

[PeaceTech]

If every light switch in your space had more than 10 functions, what would you do?

Imagine:

A button you hold for 10 seconds can take the whole venue to off mode.

You can change the color of the button.

What happens if you triple press?

What if there are 2 or more buttons?


Any cool combinations you can think of for your space?

 

[rsmentele]

Kinda like what Interactive Technologies offers in their products? One button can cycle through playback options....

http://interactive-online.com/

 

[Mac Hosehead]

If every light switch in your space had more than 10 functions, what would you do?

Imagine:

A button you hold for 10 seconds can take the whole venue to off mode.

You can change the color of the button.

What happens if you triple press?

What if there are 2 or more buttons?


Any cool combinations you can think of for your space?

Certainly Paradigm has the ability to custom program multiple functions onto a single button of a wall panel but I think it also opens up the possibility of unintended consequences.

The best example I can give for this is a wall panel where a button press and release brings up a preset but holding down the button for a time initiates a record to the preset. Many times a person who is not familiar with the system will hold down the button and expect to see a light change when they just recorded over the previous settings.

One of the problems is these custom functions are usually not well documented. I have seen "venue off" functionality programmed into a button on every wall panel near an entry door including the house manager. What happens if this is set off accidentally? And since this is custom programmed, will someone use a button sequence from another venue assuming it does the same thing at the current venue?

 

[MNicolai]

Certainly Paradigm has the ability to custom program multiple functions onto a single button of a wall panel but I think it also opens up the possibility of unintended consequences.

Exactly. It's clever to the guy who programmed it. It's broken or surprisingly embarrassing to everyone who comes in after them.

The most clever I get on button stations is master control locations (SR, FOH mix, booth) get a ghost light button/preset that resets at 11pm to turn on a single light bulb in the 1st catwalk, and they get a lockout button to disable all of the simple entry stations into the house. This also resets at 11pm. Anything left on the in the venue at 2am except the ghost light turns off after a 2min warning pulse.

In general on the average Unison system (average here meaning simple -- Paradigm can drive theme parks and ballrooms and that's a whole different beast), I think any more complexity than that and you should be on a touch panel.

 

[RickR]

A few years ago I saw a document listing about 150 functions for a Paradigm button. Faders don't have quite so many.

There are 4 ways to use a button: press, release, press and hold, double tap. I too have seen folks press and hold when the system expected press/release.

I make a big deal out of labeling. A good label is one word that evokes just what will happen. Multiple functions make this hard but can be used as pseudo security. Touch screens are finally acceptable! I've been pushing them for decades and typically got the "too complicated" argument. Labels can be a paragraph and we can have as many buttons as we want. Give me a triple push button and I'll send it back!

 

[JonCarter]

ONE function per button, button CLEARLY LABELLED with that function! Please!!
As for touch screens, they're OK, but they need some improvement. It's far too easy to miss the "active" area of the buttons, hit adjacent buttons with a knuckle, double tap accidentally, etc. Nice, big (3/4" dia) clearly labelled push buttons, positive audio feedback when pushed ("CLICK").

 

[RonHebbard]

ONE function per button, button CLEARLY LABELLED with that function! Please!!
As for touch screens, they're OK, but they need some improvement. It's far too easy to miss the "active" area of the buttons, hit adjacent buttons with a knuckle, double tap accidentally, etc. Nice, big (3/4" dia) clearly labelled push buttons, positive audio feedback when pushed ("CLICK").

@JonCarter @RickR ~3/4" [5/8" to 13/16"] round or square, clearly labelled, internally illuminated. Dimmer when inactive, brighter when active. NEVER illuminated to 100%, with a tactile "click" for sure and a fairly quiet audible click if desired. Actuator should protrude slightly lower when active and return to its normal maximum height when inactive. I think I typed that clearly reflecting my thoughts and desires.
Now I'll hit "Post Reply" and see all my errors.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[RickR]

An old friend came up with the ultimate control spec:

A single large red (optional) button, when your hand gets near it, it reads your mind and does that on contact.

 

[RonHebbard]

An old friend came up with the ultimate control spec:

A single large red (optional) button, when your hand gets near it, it reads your mind and does that on contact.

@RickR Imagine! If the single buttons could do that, think what the married buttons could do.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[JonCarter]

@RonHebbard AMEN! Get rid of this "one-button-does-it-all" stuff!

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I haven't found the problems with the touch screens that you experience Jon. And I thought I had fat fingers. But I do use only the "large" buttons or sliders. As far as multiple button functions, other than allowing a double strike for bump on a very rare raise/lower pair, I agree. Though lock out sort of does that - button does one thing or nothing. I concur on labels. Its about the only "custom" work I specify anymore, and dealers still make a fuss about it. I keep wishing for a single gang button station with some small display that can provide labels that can be rewritten digitally, rather than having to send an order to factory and ship new plates back. Even it it required a device to go to the stations and erase and create new labels. When I was working at a project at MIT long ago, they were talking about a "smart ink" that would do just that - rewrite it with a wand - but smart ink appears to now be something different entirely - a marker board or a health indicating tattoo or something.

 

[RickR]

You might like a solution I saw some years ago. A small paper holder was mounted on half a double gang plate, buttons on the other half. There must have been a plastic cover as I recall that just a slip of paper could be used. Simple, cheap, effective! It was a ETC system so I'm sure they could do it again.

 

[JonCarter]

Ever been in an airplane cockpit? Multiple buttons--one function each, and different shape buttons for different purposes. Instantly identifiable by touch.

And re: touch screens. They (usually) work OK, but I've been faced with several of them which either have a "too-small" active area or some difficulty with my fingers, but they "click" more than once when one finger pushes them and possibly slides a bit in the process. (I don't know what's the issue, but in my experience they're not a RELIABLE means of giving an unambiguous instruction to a usually rather dumb machine.)

 

[mercerfils]

A few years ago I saw a document listing about 150 functions for a Paradigm button. Faders don't have quite so many.

There are 4 ways to use a button: press, release, press and hold, double tap. I too have seen folks press and hold when the system expected press/release.

I make a big deal out of labeling. A good label is one word that evokes just what will happen. Multiple functions make this hard but can be used as pseudo security. Touch screens are finally acceptable! I've been pushing them for decades and typically got the "too complicated" argument. Labels can be a paragraph and we can have as many buttons as we want. Give me a triple push button and I'll send it back!

I'd love to be able to label on our Paradigm system's touchscreen, but can't get the software. Is it available?

 

[tyler.martin]

I'd love to be able to label on our Paradigm system's touchscreen, but can't get the software. Is it available?

Actually yes - sort of.

ControlDesigner, which is the software for creating and modifying the touchpanel layout is available for public use. You can modify labels and passcodes of your touchpanels, but not add any functionality. You will still need to extract the configuration file from your touchpanel, and then reupload it to the touchpanel after modifications.

 

[mercerfils]

Actually yes - sort of.

ControlDesigner, which is the software for creating and modifying the touchpanel layout is available for public use. You can modify labels and passcodes of your touchpanels, but not add any functionality. You will still need to extract the configuration file from your touchpanel, and then reupload it to the touchpanel after modifications.

Outstanding! Thank you!

 

[FeRDNYC]

An old friend came up with the ultimate control spec:

A single large red (optional) button, when your hand gets near it, it reads your mind and does that on contact.

Issue with that, though, is: If it can do that, then why does your hand have to get near it?

(Which is both a continuation of the tongue-in-cheek premise, and a serious concern. Because, while there are many functions for which I'm completely on board with real, tactile controls, placed in physical locations and manually operated, there are others where that makes the opposite of sense.)

For example, many Google Home wireless routers have a feature where you can have it prioritize certain types of network traffic. It's meant to support streaming applications, mostly, so that you can throttle down non-realtime network usage and watch NetFlix without any interruptions or performance issues. Which is a great idea. But the way you activate that feature, not so much: You walk over to the router and wave your hand over the top.

They expect people to stand up and walk over to their Google Home unit, in order to optimize their wireless network in order to watch NetFlix in peace. Seriously? It's been over 40 years since we had to get up walk over to the TV to change channels. Way to turn back the clock, Google.

Some things shouldn't have any button at all.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

When will the lighting system be simply connected to the intercom and eliminate the buttons and consoles? (Actually IIRC I think AVAB had a console that did speech recognition and spoke back.)

 

[cadcoke5]

I have used the old X-10 system that has been public domain for a few decades now. And you would think that more modern technology would be able to come up with a system that is as easy to use, but more robust and reliable. But, no, virtually all the new smart home devices out there have major flaws. And even the electronics have become dumber. The X-10 system does not need a 3-wire system for a wall switch. But, all the modern "smart" home systems do.

Many of them don't have a device that will work in a wall switch. Worse still, none of the new systems have a way to use a multiple button controller. You are left with a single battery-operated button that has one function, unless you learn a complicated code first. Most offer smart-phone control. But, your guests in your house don't have the right software installed. And even if they install it, it has to be configured to be of use. Smart-home systems have become dumb about how people use technology. My X-10 system, at over 40 years old, is smarter about that.

 

[RickR]

If only X10 was reliable. I've designed and installed many systems and taken the calls from unhappy clients.