kgallen

Hi Jon, Thanks for the detail, that's really interesting.I didn't see the "green/red button" info in the User Manual. It would be great to be able to capture all of these "application ideas" somewhere. Clearly when developing and spec'ing the console you tried out many scenarios from your own usage and refined the operation. Certainly on the course you had some good examples - with a small number of key presses you were generating some fundamental building blocks onto playbacks. As yet I'm failing to really replicate these in the same slick way! (More sick than slick!) Maybe there could be a subforum for FLX for "application ideas/examples" - this would allow users to exploit the power of the console and the efficient programming methods you've built in. Also it could capture the key "tricks" required e.g. "at the step, SmartTag must be turned off so only xyz is recorded" etc. Thanks, Kevin

That'll be it! Thanks. One footnote for the manual and on-desk help pages!

Hi guys, Thanks for the comments and ideas. I've ordered a small Belkin 4-port hub to ease congestion on the ports. It's an unpowered one, but keyboard/mouse/USB stick shouldn't present too much of a current load (and Jon assures us the FLX USB ports are man-enough for anything!). Derek - thanks for the Maplin link, that small keyboard/wireless mouse is a good idea. Ironically I also got one of those right-angle USB adaptors in an attempt to plug the desk light in one of the back ports (leaving the front one free for a memory stick)... but I was scuppered by the rear overhang. Looks like I might have a new application for it! Cheers, Kevin Oh I see Ian, this is what you use your FLX for is it? LX Cue 13 - Go... ouch! http://www.instructables.com/id/Hack-your-usb-missile-launcher-into-an-quotAuto-/

Jon, Could you confirm what FLX does with the R, G and B values entered in the fixture details. Is this just for the colour sample, or does the desk use the values to try and match colours between palettes and pre-defined fixture colours? Thanks, Kevin

To add to keredyelesob's comments: If you want a button to control strictly just e.g. the red elements of your LED fixture (so you can add/remove red to the colours already showing rather than force the fixture red) then you need a slight change to your programming of the playback. You'll need to have SmartTag off - when you go to record, hold the record button down and you should get a record window on the internal screen. Also I think you'll probably need to set the colour recording to "individual". I don't see the Record Window in the User Manual, and I'm not at the desk, so guessing a bit here. However the point is you need to gain exact control of what information is recorded to the playback - hence turning SmartTag off, and that within colours you only want to record information about the red element (the colour parameter red), not the red, green, blue etc (the colour whole attribute) all together. As a refresher on terminology: attribute = colour or beamshape or position parameter = e.g. red (of colour) or gobo (of beamshape) or pan (of position) Setup+Playback button ("flash button" if you like) to change the button function to flash (default is "Go" I think). ETA: Draft1 User Manual p50 suggests Fader Controls... (in Setup+Playback) can be used to isolate the fader to colour in the way you require. However it doesn't elaborate on how you might restrict it to control individual colour parameters (as opposed to the whole colour attribute).

I realise this is fixed for FLX, but I thought I should note it for future consideration... I'm finding the location/number of USB ports tricky... 1 port on the top for the USB desk light - means the USB memory stick needs to go in one of the rear ports (fiddly to access with rear overhang) or pull the desk light to save/load (fortunately no desk crash risk like FatFrog ). -> 2nd port on the front face would solve this (1 could be power-only ). 1 port on the rear near DVI-D needed for touch screen USB. 1 port on the rear for the mouse, and/or the external keyboard (less need once all naming functions can use on-screen keyboard, not there yet with 7.8.4), or the USB memory stick? -> 3 or 4 USB ports needed on the rear? 2 ports on either side of the FLX, either used for Wings or... in my (Swan) flight case I can't get at them (foam stops access). OK, you might say I should have bought a Z88 case, but not sure if these USB ports are accessible even in a Z88 case? Not ideal, but can I use an external USB expander/hub for mouse/keyboard/USB stick access? Thanks, Kevin

I'm finding some slight downsides of the dragging-finger-to-scroll method. It's nice to do this (the scroll bars are unusable with my fingers on internal and external screens), but I often find I inadvertently select something whilst dragging - like some unintended palette. I'm not sure what the answer to this is, but I thought I'd note it here! Yes, I've now added a mouse, but I'm running into USB port issues...

+1 from me, I was "worrying" about this earlier, then I found this thread! Any ZOS for this Jon? Thanks, Kevin

+1 for me on ZOS-6256/6257 too . Until now I hadn't connected both aspects of the release of LTP params and the resetting of the cue stack in my playing around with the "release" setting, but I can see they are both significant in different circumstances! 6255 is of course interesting too! Liking this series of posts from JW and Lufferov! Of course, we just want it all!

I realise I'm a little late to this thread and I realise there's been some open discussion on another, but I'd just like to add my +1 to a simple and clear DMX output window as above - and a tab on the output window would be perfect to get at it (and out of it) quickly. For me a raw DMX value is also invaluable at some point. Even though abstracting the data to % and description is the preferred representation most of the time, when you've that last niggling issue or question on what is actually being output to resolve, out comes the fixture manual DMX mapping page and up comes the DMX output window on the desk... Kevin

Hi Johnny, You define colour palettes on the desk for the "look" of one or more selected fixtures. You don't define a colour palette for a fixture in the fixture definition. If a fixture has a "colour macro" channel that automates colour production by a fixture, then that is a property of the DMX support on a fixture (where you can provide a breakdown in the Detail tab of a colour attribute in the Fixture Editor tool). A (colour) palette is a function of the desk when building "looks" from a lighting rig. Once you've loaded the fixture into FLX and patched it, then in Colour, tap the "Generate auto palettes" (or something like that) button - you might have to scroll down the screen. You should then get some colour palettes that FLX thinks it can apply to the capabilities of the fixtures you have patched. Note I find myself that not all palettes work on all fixtures - have a click around the colour palettes to see which will actually apply to the fixture group you currently have selected (i.e. the set of fixtures with orange boxes around their channel numbers). Hope that helps clarify... Regards, Kevin Jon - should this get split out from the "FLX Introduction/Overview" topic to a separate topic?

Tracking, smart-tag=on, 7,8.4 production code, FLX Playback 0 had a cue stack on it. I programmed playback 1 with a single cue state - actually I output Playback 1 Cue 1 and then did Record <playback flash button 1>. This contained various colours on LED fixtures plus a generic. I expected the tagging would be such that the fixture colours would be recorded in Playback 1. When Playback 0 is outputting Cue 0 (the hidden DBO/default cue), then Playback 1 makes the fixtures behave as expected. If however I play back Playback 1 (fader to 100%) against the background of any other cue from Playback 0, then I get "garbage" on the fixtures - some go dark, others change to a different colour (blue seemed to be popular!). So I'm happy to be told I've been an idiot, which is clearly possible, but I found this a little confusing! I expected activating Playback 1 to LTP the fixtures to the "colours" settings as programmed, and then when pulling Playback 1 fader to 0, this would release the fixtures and they'd go back to the LTP settings of the Playback 0 cue in operation. The Playback Setup was as desk default (e.g. Release on lower=enabled). Any enlightenment appreciated! Can provide a showfile if needed... Thanks, Kevin [in addition, what I also found "interesting" but I now realise is explainable due to HTP, was that if Playback 0 fader was 0, I could Go on Playback 0 and new Playback 0 cues would run and light the fixtures as if Playback 0 fader was 100% - I guess this was due to the HTP on all of these channels on the Playback 1 fader at 100%?]

I was playing around with the playback fader function settings (Fader 1-way, 2-way etc). They didn't seem to change the way the Playback 0 master fader behaved, even though I tried playing other cues, including cue 0. Always seemed to have HTP functionality. I even read the manual and followed the steps on p50. From the FLX course I recall we needed to do "something" to make the new setting take effect but don't recall what that was (and whether that was a bug or not!) (7.8.4 production code) Thanks, Kevin

I couldn't reproduce my original observations - MOD time was consistent even though I played cues with a shorter colour fade time. Good to know about the "unblock" and "block" operation for the playback though. Which brings me to a related question - in tracking mode (smart tag=on) how do I set an individual cue (eg a DBO) as blocking? (I didn't find the answer in the manual, but could easily have missed it!). So what I want to do, is during programming a show, is to be recording a state and force it to be blocking - i.e. everything tagged. I'm sure the answer is easy and probably obvious but it seems to have eluded me for now! >>Found the answer (and more!) in another thread - http://zero88.com/forum/topic/7172-more-questions-issues/#entry28047 Thanks.

Good stuff :-) Would be interested to hear from Jon if the multiple fixture strategy is right in the above - I thought I could create multiple subfixtures in the fixture definition, however when I tried to save the fixture it wouldn't allow it (1 subfixture only allowed) - athough it let me create the data for multiple subfixtures! (2.6.0.0 Fixture Editor.)

Here you go. 4/6/10/24/28 channel options, plus a separate "common" parameters set and an "RGBA" parameters set should you wish to set each RGBA element as a separate fixture to support desk-based effects. No, I don't fancy doing one of those again! Put it on a USB stick, "Load File" on the FLX then use the Patch Wizard to choose the fixture for the mode you want to use. chauvet_colordash_batten_quad_6.ift

I'll try and have a go in a bit/tomorrow, but it's quite a complex fixture in the 28 channel mode... This seems to be the manual DMX chart in case anyone else wants a go: http://www.chauvetprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/COLORdash_Batten-Quad_6_DMX_EN_Rev1_WO.pdf

Hi Jon, Yes, FLX (what else? ;-) in tracking mode. I'll look at your suggestion - sounds like the MOD time shouldn't be affected anyway. Thanks, Kevin

Hi Jon, Is there a timeframe for when the dust covers are available? (As in I ordered and paid for one when I ordered my FLX, but it's not 'materialised' yet!). I appreciate there are other more important things to work on, but I'm just curious when the cover might arrive...! Thanks, Kevin

Hi Jon, (7.8.4 production) If a UDK is setup with Release=No, I found that Clear+UDK (or Clear+Fader Func) won't release the channels on the UDK. p57 of the Draft1 manual talks about UDK release, but you could read the two paragraphs under "Release" either way. I had a situation where the UDK controlled strobes on some LED fixtures (Flash=Latch). With the setup as Release=No, there was no real way to release the strobe. I was in tracking mode running a stack on playback 0, and running cues did not clear the strobe (since the strobe attribute was not tagged in any recorded cue and was tracking through and I didn't have a blocking cue - even a DBO wasn't!). Running Cue 0 (playback 0) also did not release the strobe, which I was surprised at - in that the strobing was still there when the fixture faded up in cue 1. Clear+UDK did not release the strobe. Home the fixture did not, because this was just in the programmer and Clear-Clear "released" the home. The only way I could find to release the strobe was to know that UDK4 has triggered it and change its setup to Release=Yes, re-trigger it and re-release it. I was just experimenting with the desk, but I think Clear+UDK (and Clear+Fader Func) should always release the channels, even if UDK setup Release=No, as I understand the Clear+... operation is somewhat intended as a "get out of jail" operation? Thanks, Kevin

Hi Jon, I'm very concious of "spamming" the FLX forum. The Frog (Mk1) forum had sub-forums like "How Do I" and "Bugs and Errors". Maybe the FLX forum should have similar? Regards, Kevin

Here's a replacement fixture definition for the Showtec Power Spot 9 Q5. The one currently in the library is inaccurate for the colour dial-up in 9-channel mode on channel 8 Program 1. Manual: http://www.highlite.nl/silver.download/Documents@extern@Manuals/42575_MANUAL_GB_V1.pdf The LEDJ Intense 9P10 is similar, but the colours are different in the 9-channel colour dial-up on channel 8. Showtec_PS9Q5.ift

As a follow-up I built a multi-part Lamp+CQ1D and it works as expected. Still interested though if you can associate lamp plus scroller when they are separate fixtures - but that's not an enhancement request if not!

KAM LED Parbar REM1, created for BlueRoom user mattlad564 using Jester ML. Build as a single fixture of 15 channels as per the manual: http://www.kam.co.uk/media/file/product/manual/Kam%20LED%20Parbar%20REM1%20manual%20V1%2031-07-12.pdf It's possible Jon might suggest an alternative build using sub-fixtures. kam_led_parbar_rem1.ift

Using 7.8.4 production release. Enhancement request (might already be in the pipeline): Could the Cue Settings for a Cue include an option to override the MOD time. For example usually I might set a slow (e.g. 10s) MOD time on the playback for noise reasons on e.g. scrollers. However it would be useful to be able to override this in a Cue Setting when e.g. the next cue is coming along soon, and I need the scroller to get to the next required colour frame a bit more quickly than the playback default. An observation - not sure if this is expected or even what the "right answer" is! I found (with a scroller), that if the scroller was in the middle of a MOD change, but then a cue was run that had a fast colour fade setting, the (scroller) MOD took on the time of that cue's colour fade setting, even though that fixture (associated lamp) was still dark in that new cue. This means that if the cue contained just lit LEDs that were colour changing fast, any scrollers doing a MOD potentially come much more noisy as their MOD speeds up (even though they are still @0 in that cue). So the MOD time is being overridden by the cue colour fade time. Related to my request above, if the lamp was being lit in that cue, then the speed up potentially helps get the right colour frame in place in time. However if the lamp is still dark, then there is a needless noise penalty. Regards, Kevin