ice

Try the forum search, this problem is known for some desklights, had something to do with the ground being attached or not as I recall. Edit: here it is: http://support.zero88.com/forum/viewtopic....neck&t=1014

In order to use yokes as follow spots you require very good coordination on the wheels. I don't think your going to manage unless it only requires a bit of left-right panning. But if you need real follow spot operating, you shoud use a follow spot and not a yoke

A scanner or movinghead calculates the movement it has to make to get from current to new position. That means flickering signal does make the fixture unusable, but it won't destroy it. I'll simply calculate movement to the next position, but before it reaches that position it has to recalculate to the new position. Exactly the same as a nice clean fade, only the endpoint keeps on changing rapidly. It's a common mistake that only low-end stuff would be affected by bad cabling. Highend fixtures usually have more sensitive signal sensing and thus are more likely to react to a bad signal. Low end equipment uses less sensitive readings in combination with algorithms which make sure that doesn't affect operation. I've allready experienced a rig of new MAC250's and old 518 scanners with a long, unshielded microphone calbe. The new macs wouldn't react, pro518 worked like a charm; new proper cable and terminator fixed everything.

So maybe somekind of poll will help?

No it doens't, at least not the first 5 times this question came up. I asked about it myself too, way back... search, find and conclude it's not gonna happen and then focus on doable requests, like software stuff.

No flame intended, but damn... you people should understand it's nearly impossible to fit hardware onto a platform which isn't intended to support that kind of device. Sure, with USB this all became a lot easier because you can hookup every kind of device with a USB port on it. But the chip which makes this possible has to be put into the hardware design when that's being made. It's like trying to fit 6 seats into a normal hatchback chassis: can't be done (easily). If you really need USB: buy another desk. If you don't have the money for that, accept the floppydrive for now. </annoyed-IT-guy-mode>

I've never finished it beyond the point mentioned above... sorry!

I'm afraid not... the only way to get such behaviour is the use of pallets, and you can't use pallets on the brightness attribute. If it's only intelligent lighting you used; you could set your master fader at 82% and use an extra submaster to push the rest of all the intensities to 100%. That is offcourse, assuming you programmed @ 100% all over. Think you have some editing work to do Maybe Z88 could provide you with a way to alter the actual showfile, but I don't know if there is one.

Read the update notes on that one! The wheel group now has a different function: it is used to view the tagging state of each attribute. The former wheel group function has been moved to the attribute selection buttons, which you can press to flip though the different attributes. Read the notes for a more detailed description.

You can create your own libraries using the tools available for download of the Z88 website! Just use the current library, import the items you want to have in your own custom library and save it to disk. You can also update the standard fixtures of your console to contain your own personal fixtures.

That's not an answer to my question. I know how the desk works, but I wonder WHY it works like this. When are you going to actually use all the tagged HOME parameters? Or do you really want to program you're movers HOME parameters to a sub or memory? No you don't, you always want to program the stuff you alter after pressing home, so tagging all paramters isn't usefull since you're going to untag them anyway. And you're right: you can allready do that, but doing that every time takes way to much time. And what exactly would you need HOME for during the show? What effect do you acheive by turning off your lights and setting them to default position? If you want everything to go off, program a submaster containing brightness info and lower it. Resetting position, beamshape or colour can always be done by pressing the attribute button + HOME, which is a nice functionality (tagging involved here too?). As far as I can see, the console always tags parameters you change. In my opinion it shouldn't, it should only tag parameters changed by hand via the encoder wheels or pallet entries. I find the other autotagging functions useless.

I don't see why HOME should tag anything. In what case are you really going to program such a setting when you're in partial mode? Partial mode now implements full transparancy, so you'll only want to program things you change from default. In the one case you do want to program everything, you can always acheive that by pressing wheel group + program. So what is the benefit of tagging stuff on HOME?? In my opinion: - HOME: everything to default parameters, nothing tagged - HOME + WHEEL GROUP: everything to default parameters, fully tagged for those of you who actually use that, I'm not going to... As for the brightness matter: when you get around the philosophy of the desk you'll won't need the HOME button during showtime, so who cares if brightness will be up or not? I found it an issue when I was a beginner, I don't anymore since more desks seem to work this way, when you get used to it it's fine.

I agree with tygrysm!!

Instead of 4 HTP channels for the fixture, you can, offcourse, always choose to patch normal HTP faders for controller the fixtures output. This way all movement is kept to were it belongs: the fixture section, but brightness is set to faders. You can group these faders in a sub to control the entire fixtures brightness. The only problem is this takes 4 of your 48 channels for each fixture, so how many do you intend to use? By the way, does anyone know how these kind of problems are dealt with on other console ranges such as the Avo's, SGM, LSC and even Hogs? Do they allow more than one HTP parameter for a fixture? Same goes for programming LED fixtures by the way...

Ah you're right, that makes sence... ok!

Isn't it possible to combine the normal outputs screen with tagged status? For instance all tagged parameters get a red background colour and white text instead of the default colour and black text. There's no need to discard any information that way, you're just adding some.

With the new 10.x software I find it hard to track what changes I've made before pressing program. This results in either untagging the fixtures completely and re-do the tagging so I know for sure it's right, or just programming to find out some things i didn't want tagged were. Maybe a new output screen (for instance a "page 2" of the fixture output screen, accessible by pressing + in the fixture output screen) could display the current tagged values for each fixture? Maybe you could even combine those screens and alter the fixture output screen so tagged values get marked. I don't know if pressing wheel group outputs --- in the fixture output screen too? In that case that's a nice start but: - pressing a button takes time - non-marked attributes (just values instead of ---) are much less clear to read.

You could re-use those paper sphere's. Buy some UV reflective paint in several colours, and spray it onto the sphere's. Hang them by a fishing wire and use some blacklight cannons to light them. The effect is very cool and decorative, and important: cheap! Example: Edit; or do you need something that has a dmx address?

Is the autosave process visible on the LCD? When that happens you loose all control, so maybe that's the cause of this....?

It's true that "real" theater consoles work in a completely different way. It's not true the Frog range brings complicated consoles (nothing like Hog 3)! Maybe the manual doesn't do it for you, seek someone who can explain the primary functions of the console. Pretty soon you'll figure out a way of working yourself. I do admit that with latest upgrades I find the interface a bit confusing too. But that's mainly because some button functionalities were changed around in the movinglights section, some added... Just give us a quick inside on the actions you want to perform, maybe we can guide you through that. Just yelling it's an annoying console won't help you getting any further with it.

On a Dutch forum someone asked a question about a frog console which gets slow. I'll paste it here and translate it, because the topic starter doesn't speak English. Translation: Dear Folks, I've got a question about the Zero88 FatFrog console. I've been using this desk for a while, for many different parties. I save each show on floppy for use later on. Last few shows I noticed the reaction time getting slower. Sometimes it hangs for a few seconds and then continues to work again. Just like a PC, it stops for a moment and then continues again. Does anyone have a clue how this can happen? I heard sometimes the memory gets filled up and you need to buy some more. I don't know if that's possible, is it? Thanks in adance. [/end translation] My idea: maybe a loop in an autotrigger memory, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. I myself noticed the console gets slow when it gets filled up, check the several topics about saving the show (is this visible on the console LCD?). I'll translate your answers for this guy (or just post in Dutch for all the Dutch and Belgium subscribers).

Choose "dimmer" as fixture type and assign a dmx address, now the fixture has only a HTP channel and you can control a generic lantern with it. Success

But keep in mind the following won't work: - start a scene from memories - start another scene from submasters (e.g. parcans in one colour or something like that) - program the new scene. This doesn't work as you'd think it would because the second step overwrites the tags made by the first one. So all tagging into from the memories is lost as soon as you raise a sub containing just conventionals. Hitting program will accordingly only save HTP channels. The procedure for discarding HTP (dimmer) info from a chase is: - edit the chase (playback fader at 100%) - go to the step you want to edit - press edit again to edit this step - select fixtures and turn down brightness with the wheel - press edit again to save this step - repeat actions for all steps in your chase Also when you're going to do this in the future: be aware of the fact that lowering and raising the submaster will again discard tagging info! A real solution for this will be the next update including tracking I hope.

Yeah that a feedback error on the positioning feedback system. MACs will still work but position won't be as accurate as it should be, and sometimes movement will act strange because the head loses track of it's own position. You can still run show but make sure to look at it, it won't work forever. Probably a loose connector in the arm where all positioning hardware is found. Close up on the VJ (?) please!

Brightness is still being treated as an HTP level; so highest output gets recorded. This will be over when the next update containing tracking functions will be out, then only tagged things will be recorded, brightness included.