Using ColorSource in DIR (RGBL) mode

[tyteen4a03]

I've just patched some ColorSource PARs and Spots on my phantom ZerOS instance, but I noticed that my Phantom ZerOS (7.9.5) does not understand DIR mode of the ColorSources; it thinks it is RGB plus a separate Lime value.

 

How do I make the console understand RGBL mode?

[Jon Hole]

Hi,

The default mode for these units is “5 channel” mode. This allows the console to send the fixture RGB values, and for the fixture to decide how best to create that colour using the LED chips available to it. According to their manufacture, this is the recommended way of using their fixtures (which is why it’s set as default).

Direct mode allows you to access each chip individually - and on FLX we let you do that via the encoder wheels. There are plenty of downsides to doing this - you don’t get to use all the clever calibration built into the fixture itself, you don’t get to use the FLX colour and image picker, and this mode uses a larger number of DMX channels than the 5 channel RGB mode.

[tyteen4a03]

3 hours ago, Jon Hole said:

Hi,

The default mode for these units is “5 channel” mode. This allows the console to send the fixture RGB values, and for the fixture to decide how best to create that colour using the LED chips available to it. According to their manufacture, this is the recommended way of using their fixtures (which is why it’s set as default).

Direct mode allows you to access each chip individually - and on FLX we let you do that via the encoder wheels. There are plenty of downsides to doing this - you don’t get to use all the clever calibration built into the fixture itself, you don’t get to use the FLX colour and image picker, and this mode uses a larger number of DMX channels than the 5 channel RGB mode.

I can't seem to access the attributes in encoder wheels on Phantom ZerOS; clicking on the wheel does nothing. Turning the encoder wheel is also very difficult with no real fine-tuned control.

 

How do I pre-program shows with the ColorSources in this case?

[Jon Hole]

Is there a reason you need the fixture in 6ch I-RGBL-S mode rather than the default 5ch I-RGB-S mode? This will allow you to use the colour picker, Mood Boards, etc

[tyteen4a03]

38 minutes ago, Jon Hole said:

Is there a reason you need the fixture in 6ch I-RGBL-S mode rather than the default 5ch I-RGB-S mode? This will allow you to use the colour picker, Mood Boards, etc

Theatre restriction.

 

Either way the encoder wheel is impossible to use.

[Jon Hole]

Don’t try turning the encoders, click and then use a straight line motion to move them (remember the middle of the encoder is a separate button, so click around it). It’s something we’d like to improve in the future.

 

The Colour Palettes are referencing, so if you record “blank” palettes (I’d suggest pressing “home” first, so RGBL are all “tagged” and hence recorded into the palette) you can record your cues with references to the palettes, and then just update the palettes when you’re in the venue (presumably you’d have to do this anyway, blind programming colour, even with the best visualisers, is near impossible to get right first time).

 

(Another option, depending on the theatre, is to program in 5ch mode, and when you’re in the venue change the mode using RDM. You can then use the “revert rig” feature to put it all back at the end of the run)