Kirkup_xp

Okay assuming you've got a lantern plugged into a dimmer (say number 6, for example), and the dimmer plugged into the desk via DMX cable. Go into super user Desk Setup Assign Fixtures In the assign fixtures screen, select "Generic Parcan" or an appropriate fixture file. These fixtures contain just one attribute - Brightness. Then go to: Patch Functions Manual Patch In the Manual Patch screen, make sure that dimmer 6 isnt patched to anything already (if you've started with a desk at defaults, it'll be patched to channel 6 on the desk. Select the channel and press Clear) Press the fixture button for the fixture you patched, and type in/select the DMX address of the dimmer (006). Then [Finish] and Exit super user. Now you should be able to select the fixture by pressing the fixture button and then wheeling up the brightness. I hope this makes sense. Peter

If you patch the generic lights as a fixture with only one attribute (brightness, obviously) then you can use the whels just as you would use the faders. Effectively this turns the Fat Frog into a 60 channel desk. P

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I've been having a think about the auto move whilst dark, and with the implimentation of 'n-shot' chases, you can do it fairly simply. Scenario: Light in position 1 in Scene 1, needs to fade out and then fade up in a new position for cue 2. Scene 1 - program as normal Scene 2 - plot as n-shot chase as below Step 1 - in same position as Scene 1, but dimmer @ 0% Step 2 - in position for Scene 2, but dimmer @ 0% Step 3 - Scene 2 If you set this to N-shot (1 shot), with the '^' modifier, and your position attribute set to fade, you can make your show nice and smooth. Its nice and tidy when re-playing, as you don't have lots of point cues with auto-goes. Hope this makes sense and helps some people. I'll be trying it out on a show over the weekend.

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had a URL for an Alcora Quick Start Guide. I've tried googling, but can't seem to find one, but I know there are some out there. I'd rather print off a quick start guide than the 48 page manual. Peter

Then again you could use the jump function, to jump straight to 121 after cue 4 (leave trigger on "Go") and then set cue 121 to jump to cue 6 afterwards. P

If the pause is to happen for a specific ammount of time, you could just add several steps the same to the chase. Alternatively, you could use 3 cues - Q1 - Chase (n-shot?) Q2 - Dramatic Pause Q3 - Auto triggered Chase

Lots of softkeys would certainly be appreciated. I quite like the way its implimented onto the Strand 500 series - you can assign the submaster flash buttons from flash to macro, meaning you can set them to macro for programming and then back to flash for running the show. Of course, the P keys on the 500 series are also nice as you can perform fixture resets, etc with a little programming. As for faders for generics, I don't think they're necessary at all - A wheel would do fine. (or CHAN @ LEVEL *)

Hi Z88 and thanks for 9.0... it adds a lot of useful features. However, there are a few I would have liked which arent there... Direct programming of chases onto subs Random chase speed option Memory/Outputs screen I appreciate that these have been discussed already, but I just thought I should mention them again.

Is this a hint at a new product?

Can I suggest something quick to pop into the next update: An option for a "memory/output" screen. Basically instead of a full page of cues, you get half a screen of cues and a table giving you the current channel output levels. This would be EXTREMELY useful! User interface wise, can I suggest pressing and holding "Memory" whilst pressing "Output" and both LEDs become lit. A single press on either Memory or Output would switch to their screens. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease? This could also easily be implemented into the submasters screen, although i'm not sure there would be enough room on the Bullfrog screen to fit all 24 subs into the top half of the screen, although you could use a keypress to switch between subs 1>12 and 13>24.

This may be a desk specific error (I have spoken to Z88 and that is their suggestion) but I thought i'd post on here anyway incase anyone else has had the same symptoms: When plotting our current production, we noticed that the percentage values on the Output screen are not the values that are recorded into the memory stack - the values in the memory stack seem to be 1% lower. Our dimmers must be running an odd dimming curve, but the 1% in the lower (10% to 30%) areas makes a visible difference to the state. I've checked all the masters are at 100%, and have used the test mode to check that the faders are returning 100% values. So, is this specific to our desk, or general to everyones?? To test, plot a scene where ch1 = 1%, ch2 = 2%, etc (using the generic faders) Then go into preview and see what you actually have plotted.

Thanks Simon. I had thought it would be that, but wanted to check.

Could you please confirm whether the playback speed pot takes one value as its normalised position, or a range. When I use the test mode, there seems to be a range between which the pot is "clicked" into the middle. Obviously this should be replicated within the software - can you confirm if it is or not? I appreciate its a small niggle, but should be quite easy to fix, if indeed it is a problem. If the desk does take one value, can you tell me which value, so I know where the pot should rest. Ta Peter

That would lead to a snap to 5% of the value when you reached the LTP trigger You would have to find a way of storing the last LTP value as well as the sub value. So the sub would calculate from the current value (regardless of whether its being output on P-X, an SX or manually) to the new value, and divide it up. This is implemented on Pearl's - It's option 2 in the submaster options.

The theory is that as you push the fader up, the LTP 'crossfades' at the same time - you can stop 50% of the way up, and the LTP fade stops too. So if you have a fixture at a particular position, as you push the fader up slightly it begins to move towards the defined position saved to the submaster. If you stop moving the sub, it stops moving its position. I assume this is done by calculating the 'distance to change' - say from 23% to 67% on the tilt attribute. Thus the 100% fade on the submaster is broken up to 44 steps. You could make this fit easily into the user interface simply by adding another option to submaster LTP fade - although what you would call it i dont know - Follow would be obvious, but F is already taken. Proportional?

Can I suggest Page Up and Page Down? That seems consistant with many other PC-based programs.

Whilst you're looking at Phantom Frog, would it be possible to issue a release with the new software on it, when that becomes available? Some of us don't have day to day access to a console, so PF is our only way of trying out the cool new features 8O

Playback X is probably up.

FF = Full = 100%

If you open the disk up on your computer, in Windows Explorer or similar, you can rename the show file. This will then be updated on the Frog when you open the show. Not sure if you can actually edit the name on the Frog itsself though.

A 6 channel dimmer pack will count as one item on the DMX line. Are you sure you have 46 dimmers though - Dimmer packs are nearly always sold in multipuls of 3 or 6. Thus you would most likely have 48. Assuming this is constructed from 6 channel dimming packs, you would have 8 of them. So 8 dimmers, plus 4 moving mirrors, plus 3 others, gives 15 items on the DMX chain. This should be fine. Which moving mirrors are they? It could be a mechanical fault which stops them dimming quickly. There may also be a DMX channel to control fade times, depending on the unit. Also, as Laubfrosch said, check the pot by the PlaybackX section.

Just to add a little to this thread, many consoles which have the "auto create pallets" feature only create half a dozen or so pallets - for colour, that could be each of the colours of the rainbow. for position, do a full left pan, 0 tilt; centre pan, 0 tilt; right pan, 0 tilt; full left pan, centre tilt; etc... This would work well for busking shows, although would take a while to set up. Even if you could only impliment this for a particular range of fixtures, it would be useful. Perhaps you could "borrow" the data from the details section of the fixture profile - it reads off the colours, as defined, and creates pallets for them.

Fixtures can be linked in any order, irrelevant of manufacturers. There is no need to link by manufacturer or sequentially by DMX address, provided all fixtures are running to the USITT standards. Occasionally you get some which could cause problems - particularly if using cable where all 5 pins are connected - Goldenscan 3's for example, give out 25v on pins 4 and 5 - best not to connect that to another fixture which might be sensitive to such voltages. Hope this helps Peter

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