K-Nine

Frog Reference 5397 - Palette lock.

Q: How many sound engineers does it take to change a light bulb ? A: ONE... TWO... ONE...ONE ...ONE TWO....TWO ........

There is no reset information stored in the fixture personality data for the Frog series desks; they only define the fixture parameters (brightness, colour, gobo, pan, tilt etc.), which channel they are on and their default value (ie the value sent out by the desk when you 'home' the fixture). If it was simply a case of sending out a specific DMX value on a particular channel to reset a fixture, then this could be implemented relatively easily. However as Paul stated earlier every manufacturer has a different way of 'resetting' their fixtures and many involve setting various channels at different levels and/or holding levels for a period of time etc. This subject has cropped up on numerous occasions in the past but as yet we have no simple solution to the problem Cheers, K-Nine.

How many steps would you like ?

If you don't get any video output, you should check the version of software you are using. Go into 'Super User' (see manual for details) and select 'Desk Information' you will see the software version. If you have an early software version, (i.e before V4) then you will need to upgrade your software. If this is the case, please let us know your Serial number and we can check that you don't need any other modifications.

You may joke, but we have had a PS controller hooked up to a desk down in Wales... you know, just to see if we could !!

From a UI point of view, it's actually quite hard to implement. There are all sorts of display issues which make the job a real challenge ! Anyway, that's one of the reasons we developed the LeapFrog and Mambo Frog desks.

This may require a bit more thought as it may only be applicable or necessary on certain monitor screens. From your initial posting: The down arrow scrolls down the screen to the next cue. The up arrow scrolls to the previous cue on-screen. The left arrow goes left on-screen (across the cue settings) The right arrow goes right on-screen (across the cue settings) Which keys would you then use to adjust the currently selected field ?

I agree that this may seem illogical on certain monitor screens. However, one important thing that many later users fail to appreciate is that the user interface for the Frog series of desks was originally designed around the Main LCD, the four cursor keys and other front panel buttons. In all cases on the main LCD the up and down arrow keys move the cursor through the editable fields and soft buttons, and the + and - keys (originally < and > keys) adjust the value in the selected field. On the main LCD, the fields on the memory screen, submasters screen etc are effectively a vertical list and therefore the up and down arrows move through the list. It was only when the monitor screens were introduced in Release 3 of the software that this 'anomaly' occurred as it was more logical to put the memory parameters horizontally across the screen on the monitor. As the cursor keys on the external keyboard simply mimic the up, down + and - keys on the desk, then they work as designed for the main LCD. With virtually all the other screens on the monitor, popup windows etc. you will find that the up and down arrows do move up and down the list as you would expect.

A burglar broke into a house late one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables. When he picked up a CD player and was about to place it in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying "Jesus is watching you." He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight out, and froze. When he heard nothing more, he shook his head, then began searching for more valuables. Just as he pulled the video out from under the TV so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he hears the same voice say "Jesus is watching you." Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the far corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. "Did you just say that ?" he hissed at the parrot. "Yes" the parrot squawked " I was just trying to warn you." The burglar relaxed "Warn me, huh. Who in the world are you ?" "I am Moses " replied the bird. "Moses ?" the burglar laughed "What kind of people would name their bird Moses ?" The bird replies ..... "The same kind of people that would name their Rottweiler Jesus !"

If there are, then I'd like one too, because we didn't make them ! lanyard 1. (Naut.) A short piece of rope or line for fastening something in ships; as, the lanyards of the gun ports, of the buoy, and the like; esp., pieces passing through the dead-eyes, and used to extend shrouds, stays, etc. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. I knew Frogs were amphibious, but nautical

A young blonde was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana. She desperately wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes, but was reluctant to pay the high prices the local vendors were asking. After becoming very frustrated with the "no haggle" attitude of one of the shopkeepers, the blonde shouted, "Maybe I'll just go out and catch my own alligator so I can get a pair of shoes at a reasonable price !" The shopkeeper said, "By all means, be my guest. Maybe you'll be lucky and catch yourself a big one!" Determined, the blonde turned and headed for the swamps, set on catching herself an alligator. Later that day, the shopkeeper is driving home, when he spots the young woman standing waist deep in the water, shotgun in hand. Just then, he sees a huge 9-foot alligator swimming quickly toward her. She takes aim, kills the creature and with a great deal of effort hauls it on to the bank. Laying nearby were several more of the dead creatures. The shopkeeper watches in amazement. Just then the blonde flips the alligator on it's back, and frustrated, shouts ....... "Damn, this one isn't wearing any shoes either!"

A Software Engineer, a Hardware Engineer and a Departmental Manager were on their way to a meeting in Switzerland. They were driving down a steep mountain road when suddenly the brakes on their car failed. The car careered out of control down the road, bouncing off the crash barriers, until it miraculously ground to a halt by scraping along the mountainside. The car's occupants, shaken but unhurt, now had a problem: they were stuck halfway down a mountain in a car with no brakes. What were they to do? "I know", said the Departmental Manager, "Let's have a meeting, propose a vision, formulate a mission statement, define some goals, and by a process of continuous improvement find a solution to the critical problems, and we can be on our way." "No, no", said the Hardware Engineer, "That will take far too long, and besides, that method has never worked before. I've got my Swiss army knife with me, and in no time at all I can strip down the car's braking system, isolate the fault, fix it, and we can be on our way." "Well", said the Software Engineer, "Before we do anything, I think we should push the car back up the road and see if it happens again."

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: James T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Mr. Scott: 'Cos ma wee transporter beam was nay functioning properly. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? Q: Dr. McCoy: Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not an farmer !! Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Mr. Spock: Obviously, it was the logical thing to do. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Mr. Data: Why is a barnyard fowl crossing a thoroughfare humorous ? Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Mr. Worf: For the honour of all chickens. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Counsellor Troi: I knew it was going to happen. I could sense it. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Computer: Insufficient information.

1. Pint glass, small glass, wine glass, champagne flute, cup, mug ? 2. Electronic, butane, oxy-acetylene, phosphorus, match ? 3. Metal, ceramic, glass, square, round, frog-shaped ? Specification can be such a tricky business :wink:

Hi, The outputs dipping when editing the current memory is one of the items to be fixed in the next major software release. This release will also include some new functionality which is currently being specified and designed. Unfortunately I cannot give you a relase date at the moment. Cheers, k-nine.

Hi, This is one of the things we are hoping to include in the features upgrade later this year. The name (text) field will be preserved when overwriting memories, submasters, SX buttons and palettes. Cheers, k-nine.

Hi, Each generic channel may be patched to a maximum of 10 different DMX addresses. The additional 9 DMX addresses are called duplicates - see The Frog Series Operating Manual (Issue 2) page 6-7 for further details. Cheers, k-nine.

Frog Series Operating Software Release 6.2 Frog Series Desk Software Release 6.0, was the first release to support the Mambo Frog desk, and contained the following bug fix: -- Updating palettes did not work in Full programming mode. Frog Series Desk Software Release 6.2 contains the following bug fixes: -- Reporting of battery status, on startup and additional field in Super User Information. -- Attempting to copy to memory zero corrupts memories screen on monitor. -- Live adjustment of chase speed for last chase programmed/edited should not be possible and caused desk crashes on occasions. -- Submaster and SX button LTP trigger levels were reset to defaults when desk power cycled. -- 'Ghost palettes' appearing when desk was power cycled. This version of operating software can be downloaded from the main Zero 88 website CLICK HERE.

Hi, As you are probably aware, the Mambo Frog was developed specifically as a fixture only desk for a particular market. However it is still possible to control generic lights (single brightness channel fixtures) using the desk. The restriction however is that each generic has to be assigned to a different fixture number. One of the fundamental ways in which fixtures are processed on all the Frog desks, not just the Mambo, is dependent on the fact that a 'fixture' can only have one brightness (HTP) channel. HTP channels require significantly more processing than LTP channels, as there are a large number of possible sources which require calculating and then mixing on a HTP basis. For example, on the Mambo Frog there are 75 different sources for each HTP channel. Cheers, K-Nine.

Hi, The simplest way of seeing what each of the generic channels are patched to is to go to the Manual Patch section of Desk Setup in Super User. The monitor screen will show you the DMX address(es) patched to each of the generic channels, and fixtures, if appropriate. Cheers, k-nine.

With regards editing fixture types, we have the Fixture Type Editor which you can use on a PC to create new fixture types or edit existing ones to your own preferences (eg change default values, wheel groups etc.) These can then be copied onto a floppy disk and loaded onto your frog as you would any fixture type from our fixture library (see Frog manual page 6-5 for details).

Hi, As Paul correctly said, each generic channel may be patched to a maximum of 10 different DMX addresses. The term we use for these additional patch addresses is duplicates - for further details see the Frog Series Operating Manual (Issue 2) page 6-7 Cheers, k-nine.

Dave B said: "Once you have picked up chase speed you can hit Enter hence releasing the Edit functions but retaining speed control for that chase. In essence it appears that chase speed is 'with' the last edited chase so you can always alter chase speed of last edited chase. " I have been investigating this recently as part of the general testing on the Frog desks, and in actual fact, it is a bug. When you come out of edit, and output the chase via playback X or a submaster, the chase should run at the programmed speed and not be adjustable via the speed control on the front panel. This bug will be fixed in the next issue of the Frog software. However, live adjustment of chase speeds, both on playback X and submasters is one of vaious items being looked at for future upgrades. Cheers, K-Nine.

FROG function : You can stop specific channels of the Moving light being included in the FROG function by setting their values with the wheels. So : Select the fixture Select Beamshape (for example) Hit F.R.O.G. (Everything goes mad !) Using the wheels / wheel group button, set the beamshape parameters you don't want included in the FROG function. You can then record as appropriate. As for spreads and so forth, we are reviewing the effects on the desk at the moment.