Reset Channel?

nuggety

Member
Hi All,

We just got 4 new moving head lights. Just got a quick question regarding the channels. Here is the channel scheme for the lights.

1. Pan Coarse
2. Pan Fine
3. Tilt Coarse
4. Tilt Fine
5. Colour Wheel
6. Red
7. Green
8. Blue
9. Shutter/Strobe
10. Dimmer
11. RESET
12. Movement/Effect
13. Speed

I understand all of this except the RESET channel (11). Can someone please explain what this is? Thanks!
 
What if the model? Reset could mean lots of things.
 
Something that needs to be answered before we can really help you is what's the brand of fixture as well as model reset could mean a great many things.

sent from my Droid incredible using tapatalk.
 
You will have to look at your manual for details, but in general a Reset channel is used to 'reset' the fixture. Typically this means:
  • Home - make the light figure out where it is by moving all of the controls as if you had powered up the fixture.
  • Lamp Douse / Reset - For arc lamps kill the lamp / or re-strike it.
Sometimes you have different reset values for various items you may want to reset - like pan/tilt -or- colorWheel etc.
 
You will have to look at your manual for details, but in general a Reset channel is used to 'reset' the fixture. Typically this means:
  • Home - make the light figure out where it is by moving all of the controls as if you had powered up the fixture.
  • Lamp Douse / Reset - For arc lamps kill the lamp / or re-strike it.
Sometimes you have different reset values for various items you may want to reset - like pan/tilt -or- colorWheel etc.

Sorry guys! It is the GLP Volkslicht.

And the manual doesn't say...
 
Since it's an LED, the reset will only affect the P/T motors. If a fixture suddenly isn't pointing where you're telling to, bring channel 13 to 100% and leave it there a few seconds until you see the fixture move. Once it starts moving you can put channel 13 back at 0%, where it should always normally be. It'll move P/T all the way one direction to their stops, then it will calculate backwards to the other extremes. When it's done, it'll go back to doing what it's supposed to. Most fixtures darken themselves during this and come back on when the cal cycle is complete. Forcing a cal from the console is known as a soft reset. Forcing a cal by cycling power to the fixture is known as a hard reset. With an LED source it doesn't much matter, but with an arc source, it's better to try a soft reset first, before doing a hard reset.
 
Since it's an LED, the reset will only affect the P/T motors. If a fixture suddenly isn't pointing where you're telling to, bring channel 13 to 100% and leave it there a few seconds until you see the fixture move. Once it starts moving you can put channel 13 back at 0%, where it should always normally be. It'll move P/T all the way one direction to their stops, then it will calculate backwards to the other extremes. When it's done, it'll go back to doing what it's supposed to. Most fixtures darken themselves during this and come back on when the cal cycle is complete. Forcing a cal from the console is known as a soft reset. Forcing a cal by cycling power to the fixture is known as a hard reset. With an LED source it doesn't much matter, but with an arc source, it's better to try a soft reset first, before doing a hard reset.

Thanks man. I assume you mean channel 11 not 13?
 
I don't understand what the GLP Volkslicht manual.pdf is trying to say:
13) Speed Pan/Tilt.
This channel is only for the SPEED of the movements not for Pan/Tilt
Likely something lost in the German to English translation.

EDIT: Some clarification may be gleamed from the Elation Impression DMX traits.pdf:
14) Speed Pan/Tilt.
Pan/Tilt slow – fast
Use this channel 14) also for the speed of the movements (channel 13).
GLP made the Impression for Elation prior to marketing it on their own. The Volkslicht and Impression are essentially the same fixture, with some software modifications. So if you get stuck, try looking in the Impression manual.pdf.

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On most moving lights,
1) One leaves the speed channels at 0% (or whatever the default value is) and movements follow the time of the cue.
2) Some lights have an issue doing very slow moves over a long distance, when getting updates on where they should be via DMX at 44 times per second. Jerkiness or "steppiness" in the pan/tilt is the most apparent. To overcome this, the new cue is written with a time of zero (bump) and a desired value on the speed channel according to the manual. This way the light knows, as soon as the cue is triggered, how far it has to go, and how long it has to get there. If the cue time is not 0 seconds, unpredictable or erratic movement can occur, as the light tries to obey the DMX position (which changes as the cue fades) but in the time on the speed channel.

Short answer: Use option #1. Option #2 just causes grief.

And some still think it's acceptable to call them "intelligent lights"!:angryoldman:
 
On most moving lights,
1) One leaves the speed channels at 0% (or whatever the default value is) and movements follow the time of the cue.

This is generally true - however if you see any wierdness in the unit, be sure to look at the speed control. We had an issue with some Vari-lites. When the speed control was set to 0 ( fast ) they could occasionally lose their position and would be a few degrees off spike. When we set the speed to '255' ( follow the console) they did not have any issues. Not sure if the current models have this issue, but you probably want read the manual ( if the manual is understandable of course).
 

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