Your first Memory Lighting Console

First console was an ETC Acclaim 124, but its a two-scene with submasters, so not really memory.

First memory console was a Colortran Innovator 48/96 in 2003. I almost revived the Acclaim a few times when the Innovator kept acting up, though.
 
The first one I actually programmed was a smartfade 2496 starting three years ago.

The first one I ever touched was, I think, an ETC Express at my Community Access TV studio put in in... 1999?

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1973 Strand Century IDM-Q / IDM-Cue in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
1977 Electro-Controls ILS at the University of Houston. Operated totally by a computer keyboard. Had a monochrome video monitor and used a general purpose minicomputer made by Data General with a gigantic 8" (?) floppy disk. I think only 3 or 4 were ever sold. Was a pretty impressive "state of the art" design except a belt the size of a rubber band that ran the floppy drive kept falling off and EC made us call the Data General service guy to fix it each time under warranty. Must have cost them a fortune. Within a year or year and a half, it became so problematic that that the university negotiated with EC to supply a huge two scene preset "backup" console custom-painted in UH red.
I left two years later and have often wondered how long they were able to keep it running.
 
1977 Electro-Controls ILS at the University of Houston. Operated totally by a computer keyboard. Had a monochrome video monitor and used a general purpose minicomputer made by Data General with a gigantic 8" (?) floppy disk. I think only 3 or 4 were ever sold. Was a pretty impressive "state of the art" design except a belt the size of a rubber band that ran the floppy drive kept falling off and EC made us call the Data General service guy to fix it each time under warranty. Must have cost them a fortune. Within a year or year and a half, it became so problematic that that the university negotiated with EC to supply a huge two scene preset "backup" console custom-painted in UH red.
I left two years later and have often wondered how long they were able to keep it running.
Did yours have a button cap labelled 'Voice'. or some such term, for a promised voice control feature that never materialized before the ILS was abandoned? But you did have the reflected 'heads up display' similar to fighter jet cockpits, right? We had an ILS in Toronto for a while, I want to say it was in one of the venues in St. Lawrence Centre. EC salesmen were organizing personal tours for any potential buyers / users.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
... But you did have the reflected 'heads up display' similar to fighter jet cockpits, right? ...
That would be the, much later, Electro Controls Premiere--as far as I know, the only console ever with a HUD. As discussed in this and surrounding posts. (Especially post#36.)
 
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As Derek said, the Premiere came later. Here are photos of the two. ILS is the first one.

EC model ILS.jpg
EC model Premiere.jpg
 
Late to thread. Kliegl Q-File at Wesleyan University, summer of 1978. Prior to that just multi-scene presets.
 
1982, a Strand Mantrix at a theatre in Toronto. Forgot which one.

Arrived in a.m. to set up our show. Their lighting system was torn apart as new (BIG!) Mantrix board is coming in. Helped them set it up by noon. Programmed the show in p.m. (with cassette tape memory). Curtain time that evening, push GO and the whole system crashes. Had to be reloaded via cassette while the audience waited.

Ah, fun times.
 

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