Special Palette Option

[maandazi]

After playing around with the console (err.. desk, sorry) and reading some of the posts, I think I've come up with an idea for a new feature that is really powerful, yet, at least in my world (where the sky is always frog-green), is relatively easy to program. One user wanted to be able to program a gobo pattern in one palette, and a rotation speed in another, but palettes can't get that specific. So here's the idea . . .

 

Make a special palette mode (I call it the Super-Capable, Really Advanced Palette Program, or SCRAPPy) that is programmed absolutely instead of in reference to anything. That means the user would program each DMX channel with a value from 0-255 or --, meaning no change. This palette would act as a filter on the final DMX output stage. When the user calls the SCRAPPy, it intercepts the DMX output from the desk and replaces it with the values programmed in the palette, passing through any data on DMX channels set to --, or no change. The desk itself would go merrily about its way, unaware anything has happened. Chases and memories would continue as usual. When the SCRAPPy is pushed again, it is turned off and the desk outputs DMX from its current states.

In this way, if someone wanted to program a palette with a gobo pattern and gobo rotation speed, the user could also program a SCRAPPy that changed the DMX channel(s) linked to the speed parameter to the value of "fast." Anytime this special palette is activated, the DMX channel data would switch to the programmed level, in this case changing the rotation speeds, but nothing else. Upon deactivation, the DMX channel(s) would be output as normal.

 

This would give users a brute-force method to make the desk do whatever, whenever. This palette would not reference anything going on in the desk. No HTP nonsense. This would give users an added benefit of being able to output channel data on ANY DMX channel, not just those patched. Again, this would be basically a filter on the final DMX output stage to create the "always have the final say" button (maybe it should be called the wife button? commence flaming('8O')). I think this could solve a lot of issues.

[K-Nine]

An interesting suggestion

 

... but I would have no idea on how it would be implemented or displayed using the current front panel controls and user interfaces 8O

[maandazi]

It would be programmed the same way you currently enter the lock codes. Use the submaster flash buttons to select the DMX chnnel <enter>, then the desired output value <enter>. Each set of values would be displayed the same way the patching values are displayed.