The Avolites Discussion Forum

I wonder if it is possible to program the following:

For example: I've got a martin atomic patched and I want to be able to control the rate of the strobe thru a playback fader.
Is this possible, or is this only possible we I patched the fixture as dimchannels?

Thanks for your help.

Bert.

You can do this by using mode 2.

Program a playback with the highest rate you would require. [Edit Times], Press playback Swop button, Toggle Softbutton G until Mode=2.

This mode forces LTP channels to act as HTP and is also useful for colour wheel and gobo selection by fader. It can be used with Shape Generator to control speed and/or size by fader.

/Edit: Note that after creating the memory you will need to manually set the rate back to zero before the playback can work.

Is it possible to invert a channel on a playback?

What if I use mac600 and want to put the strobe on a playback? The strobe-channel of this fixture goes from fast to slow... I want to have it on my fader from slow to fast.

The only attributes you can invert within the desk are Pan/Tilt

You could edit the personality which has an invert function. On the appropriate line, where you see an 'N', replace with an 'I'. I have never tried this but it should work!

You may need to alter the values used for locate at the same time, although I am not 100% sure.

Ooops. Scratch that. The dangers of not enough sleep and not being near a console...

You can invert any attribute using the Patch Utilities/Invert function inconjunction with the relevant attribute button.

The time I realised this was during a changeover whilst attempting to 'flip' the P/T positions of one of those unreliable overheating moving heads. After repeatedly swearing at the lamp whilst trying to reset it, I realised I had stupidly inverted the dimmer channel.....

niclights wrote:I realised I had stupidly inverted the dimmer channel.....

My favorite 'operator error' when messing with <invert> is not exiting <invert> fully, before selecting new fixtures ie...selecting a bunch of fixtures from swops and then seeing a whole load pans get inverted.

(what a twit)

Regards,

Andy

niclights wrote:You can do this by using mode 2.

...

But this only work for some of the channels.
This weekend I worked with some mac250's. The shutter-channel worked fine with mode 2, but the color-channel did'nt. Is there any way to change that? I guess it's a personality issue?

Bert.

powerdesign@skynet.be wrote:

niclights wrote:You can do this by using mode 2.

...

But this only work for some of the channels.
This weekend I worked with some mac250's. The shutter-channel worked fine with mode 2, but the color-channel did'nt. Is there any way to change that? I guess it's a personality issue?

Bert.

Colour channels (along with gobos, control and a few others) are usually set to be LTP Instant in the personality files instead of LTP Fade, meaning that regardless of times/position of the fader the channel will always snap to the programmed value as the fader passes the trigger value. CMY/RGB mixing, shutters, speed, pan and tilt (amongst others) are all set to be fadable.

This is basically because of the mechanics of a colour wheel - going from blue to red may go through three other different colours. For example, fixtures with CMY mix would fading through purple, while your colour wheel fixtures go through green, orange and magenta before reaching red.

If you do want to change this, then it can be edited in the personality file's DMX section. There's details of this near the back of the manual, but specifically in the DMX section of the personality you would need to change the third character on the Colour line (which is currently 'I') to the letter 'L'.

Or you could set the attribute to FADE via SET/RESET INSTANT MODE.

Select fixture/s - select PATCH - select PATCH UTILITIES(soft F)
select SET/RESET INSTANT MODE (soft B).

Then select what attribute you want to change from the attribute bank buttons. The LCD will display selectable options. Pressing the soft button will toggle the attribute between instant or fade. If you have an external display connected (highly recommended), then you get a list of all fixtures and their instant/fade status for the attribute you have selected.

Job done.

Regards,

Andy

Sorry. I forgot about that!

I agree with Iadwm - I always set all the attributes of all my fixtures to fading using the Patch Utilities.

Editing Personalities avoids this extra button pressing but cannot be done without losing any programmed data for those fixtures.