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kgallen

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Everything posted by kgallen

  1. WTF??????!!!!! Oh no! I've known Ian since 1996 when he joined CTS. I bought my Alcora and FLX from him when he was there plus countless other theatre items as I'd hang about his "sweet shop" on a Saturday morning waiting for him to open up. He obviously contributed on this Forum regularly and we were loosely in contact over the years; I gave him my "spares" and he got me a Line Backer. I had no idea he was ill, or maybe he wasn't and this was a shock event. I'm speechless. I would also like to convey my sadness and condolences to his family. Kevin
  2. Thank you for the updates and roadmap. The FLX S fixture and universe upgrades are interesting and welcome. I’m working on my local hall moving to FLX S. However I can’t help but feel a little scared for my own FLX. I hope you are genuinely able to keep supporting and developing for this platform as there is a lot a capability under the hood. Are you developing a replacement high-end console to supersede FLX or is the Neo-X now that offering? I’ve never seen Neo mentioned outside of Vari-lite - no one on any of the forums I contribute on ever mentions or recommends the product (and neither do I as I know nothing about it). FLX and FLX S do, despite their undoubted reduced market share compared to the ETC offerings. Thanks, Kevin
  3. Oh no! Keith that is such a shame. But we have to all thank you for your many years of tireless support and answering all of our stupid questions. We will remember you with the ‘KR’ stickers inside of our equipment. With best wishes for whatever you are moving on to. If it’s still inside the entertainments industry then maybe we’ll see you around. If not, then good escape! Kevin
  4. Looks like there is a Test Mode within Setup (SHIFT+MODE): Setup Mode JesterML Operating Manual 73-406-00 Issue 3.0 59 of 85 Test Mode This option is provided primarily for factory and dealer servicing only. It allows the hardware of the JesterML to be tested in isolation from setup options or programming in the show data, which can be useful in diagnosing some problems. Pressing a button will display it‟s name on the Main LCD, optionally toggle nearby LEDs, and optionally display the level of a nearby fader. The 7-segment displays will show a count pattern Wheel levels will be displayed on the wheel LCD. The DMX Input and Output ports will be tested (this test may fail if a DMX-Input source is present). Shaded colour bar patterns are displayed on the monitor output. MIDI test messages are transmitted if MIDI is enabled. Press ENTER to leave test mode and return to the Setup menu. Manual: https://www.vari-lite.com/b-dam/vari-lite/discontinued-products/jester/english/jesterml-manual-3-0.pdf See also this thread:
  5. Marco I'm sure it will be something simple - but might be a ribbon cable come loose inside the desk. I expect it will be readily fixable, so don't worry. I can't find a Service Manual - there will be a test mode that can be enabled from boot that will allow testing of all buttons and faders. Hopefully Keith @KWR88 will be along shortly to help you diagnose the issue.
  6. I don’t think you can directly with a UDK (*) What you need is an Inhibit playback. Record the same lights to another playback (probably you could copy) and then SETUP and set playback as an inhibit. But then I think you’ll have to drag the fader down for the ‘out’ which is not as snappy as just pressing a button. (*) There might be a convoluted way: create a macro to trigger the above inhibit playback and then set a UDK to trigger the macro. I’m sure Edward will have a better idea! ETA: On FLX you can now reconfigure the Blackout fader/button. Probably you could reprogram the Blackout fader/button as an Inhibit for just your above lights then hopefully the Blackout button is your "UDK". (Blackout is usually an Inhibit for the whole lighting rig).
  7. Adding updated links for Alcora: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/alcora and Elara: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/elara
  8. That all sounds in order. If your trigger cue only has the macro trigger and no other lights recorded then I’d expect fade times all to be blank. The next (or maybe a later) cue in your main stack will be a Release of PB1 to stop the effect. I’m not sure why your trigger is not happening. I’m assuming you are viewing and GO on your main cue stack. Maybe there are some other playback settings that are not default. I’ll have to defer to Edward for what other settings you should check.
  9. Yes. If you start recording your cue stack with snapshots then these cues will just take control of everything, stopping you overlaying your effects just on certain fixtures. There is an Unblock feature so probably if you have cues recorded, you can Unblock the whole cue stack to allow you to do the overlaying you want. Hopefully Edward will clarify for Solution. You should take a look at some of these training videos on Record and Tagging. Ok they use FLX but you will have the same features on Solution but they keys will be different. I’m assuming you’re on pretty recent ZerOS version.
  10. What you want should be easy. But you will need to be in Tracking mode. If you use Snapshot then you won’t achieve what you want. Tracking mode plus SmartTag on should automatically just record the fixtures you want to change and leave everything else alone. It should just work.
  11. What you did should work and is the right approach - ie create a playback with a sequence of cues. Maybe convert to Chase. Then in the main stack trigger and release that playback to get your effect. That is indeed the neatest and the best way. We need to work out what’s going wrong with your special playback recording…
  12. That’s strange - I’ve rigged Strand Quartet F in my own Capture designs. Your Quartet PC will be in there somewhere. You must be looking in the wrong place or your search is too specific, or that you don’t have a Capture license is stopping you finding their full library of fixtures.
  13. Well you won’t, it’s not in there. Generic tungsten lanterns are just patched as Dimmer, they don’t need any other information for the console. The same way you’ll never find ETC Source 4 in there or CCT Minuette or Strand Prelude. The console doesn’t talk to these types of fixture over DMX, it talks to a dimmer. The console couldn’t care less what type of generic lantern you plug into that dimmer output, it can only dim it. If the fixture were more complex, say an LED, then the console needs to know which channel is red, which green, etc, which channel is the strobe. If it’s a mover then it needs to know the pan and tilt controls etc. In that case you have to find the correct fixture definition (and mode) so the FLX knows how to control all of the parameters of that light. None of this is required for a generic light which can just go on or off. If you were building a design in Capture then you would look up Strand Quartet PC in their library so that Capture knows what beam angle the light supports, if it has a barn door, what gel colour is in it, what it’s luminous intensity is compared to other lights in the rig, so it can model it. But from the FLX point of view it’s just a dimmer channel.
  14. All the stuff you need for Dock House is on this page - there is a section ‘Capture Files’ including instructions to get it working: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/zeros-software
  15. A Strand Quartet would be just patched as Dimmer. All conventional lights just patch as Dimmer as they only have intensity control. You can rename within the Fixture Schedule if you’d like to see a different name (eg ‘DSL’) in the Output Window. In Capture you will pull up a Strand Quartet PC so it has the correct focus and photometric data. Re Dock House I think you have to download a package from the Zero88 website, I can’t remember I’ll have a hunt. I’m sure it says in Edward’s video.
  16. I do that a lot for transient lightning type effects, nothing wrong with that approach. The reason this works is that when you stop pressing the UDK it does a "release" operation that allows the lights to be re-controlled by whatever other cue stack is active. Since there is no "visualiser" for the Waveform engine this is hard. I've only had limited success. You really need the lights there so you can see what is happening. A usability improvement for the Waveform Generator is long overdue for the console, Z88 have been promising something for a long time now but as yet nothing has materialised (and it's #2 request here: ) In this case one of the presets is probably the most practical approach, but use the Speed and Size to try and get it to work with the right feel. We need to encourage the Z88 folk to build in more effects presets like strobes and explosion type effects. But also to continue to include effects that support tungsten and not just newer LED fixtures. Your requirements aren't unreasonable or uncommon and I feel this is harder than it should be with such an advanced console. You can use the Dock House setup with Capture for free but if you want to design your own rigs then you have to buy Capture, which I think starts close to £400 for a Solo license. I bought a license a few years back (Capture 2019), but honestly I don't get on with it very well, I find it very un-user-friendly and clunky. Edward swears by it though...! https://shopwl.com/capture-2023-solo-edition-download/
  17. You could use a chase and set Shots to 3 or 4 (or a multiple of depending on your sequence). Lightning effect might be too quick for tungsten. If you use an effect your follow cue needs to programme No Effect. If you are using SmartTag and set your effect lights to 0 intensity this No Effect won’t record. So make that cue then go back in with Update, select fixtures and No Effect then turn off Smart Tag for that update. If you’ve recorded later cues make sure Track Forwards is also enabled in that Update. This behaviour of SmartTag and No Effect is well known as a PITA even though the console is behaving consistently with the definition of SmartTag. Your other comments on programming do suggest you’re making life needlessly complicated though, no wonder you feel confused.
  18. Change permanently or temporarily? I think your main options are to select the fixtures/group and then tap the palette so this is in the programmer (enable programmer time if you want this to fade). To keep this use UPDATE to change in the cue, or alternatively RECORD this into another playback and then use this LTP to override the colours in the running playback.
  19. kgallen

    playback

    If playback #2 is LTP it will override the old playback. Only the parameters recorded in #2 will be overridden. If you want to cancel everything in playback #1 then CLEAR+Playback button will RELEASE all parameters of playback #1.
  20. Been there with the same thing with Effect and have the scars to go with it. You have to use exactly, and only, the process in the manual page you’ve found if you want a hybrid of attribute types in a palette. Yes including SmartTag off and the green stripes otherwise the console won’t do what you think it should given the selections you’ve made on the Record Options screen. Tagged fixtures and red stripes just doesn’t work regardless you think it should. This is was my journey down this particular rabbit hole. The same will apply to your scenario. Probably you can jump in at this post so you bypass all of my petulant tantrums earlier on (swap Effect for Colour/Beam/Shape/Position as required):
  21. Hi, The power is always provided through the triac, so is implicitly "dimmed" even if the channel is at full. Betapack2 does not have a bypass or "non-dim" circuit. The test output level is hard-coded in the design - it's notionally "@FUL" but this is not the same as direct undimmed AC. This is not recommended as explained above this is still a notionally "dimmed" output and will be chopped by the output triac, even if only to 1-2% - i.e. it's not clean AC. Your LED fixtures will almost certainly use a switched-mode powersupply, which will not take kindly to an "unclean" AC supply. Unfortunately you need to get installed some "hard power" (i.e. normal mains AC) outlets, correctly protected for overcurrent and overload (and probably with RCD), into your venue, with which to supply your LEDs. (I do sympathise, I've had to do the same thing - my main venue has Betapack1 and Betapack2). Google is your friend. I just searched and found them straight away. Zero88 will not provide these to you and you need to self-certify that you are competent to use the information from a safety point of view. ...but you will find what I describe above and your electrician friend should conclude the same.
  22. If it's plugged into DMX then it's effectively just a radio-based wire substitute isn't it? It's not an "end fixture" just a means of getting the DMX signal from the console to wherever the actual DMX cabling starts (at the Lumenradio receiver). viz there is nothing to set on the console and the console won't know (or care) that it's connected to the Lumenradio. If your connection was with ArtNet or sACN then there are a whole load of things that can go wrong with IP addresses, universe mappings, protocol. But DMX should be plug-and-play providing you've set up the radio properly on the Lumenradio kit.
  23. Via DMX? Via Art-Net? What issues are you having? If you want some timely and useful support, you need to provide a lot more information, no-one on here is a mind reader.
  24. It should just work unless your programming style is stopping MoD working. Cue 1 - fixture is lit Cue 2 - fixture goes dark - fixture will then prepare for Cue 3 - you should see the fixture intensity figure in the Output Screen with a light grey box during the time the fixture is preparing with MoD - the light grey box will go one the fixture has prepared for Cue 3 Cue 3 - fixture is lit in another position/zoom If you record snapshot cues, this will stop the fixture preparing for Cue 3 after Cue 2 executes. It is best to use Tracking mode.
  25. kgallen

    FLX repairs

    In the absence of a relationship with a local dealer you trust, then I think @iank99 is your man (Coventry). http://www.serviceguy.co.uk/
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