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Power Line Power Cue DMX User Manual

High end systems power cue dmx user's manual
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User Manual
2217 West Braker Lane
Austin, TX 78758 USA
(512) 836-2242
www.highend.com

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Summary of Contents for Power Line Power Cue DMX

  • Page 1 User Manual 2217 West Braker Lane Austin, TX 78758 USA (512) 836-2242 www.highend.com...
  • Page 2 Power Cue DMX © 1999 High End Systems, Inc. Power Line 2217 West Braker Lane Austin, TX 78758 USA www.highend.com (512) 836-2242 QCOMM/ENG/2.00A/02/99...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS I. Introduction General Principles Front Panel Layout and Function Rear Panel Layout and Function II. SetUp Passcodes Channel Names Keys - Latch, Flash, Swap, Solo Fixtures - Selecting Types, Setting DMX Address Groups Channel Types - HTP, LTP, Permanent - Dim, Switch, Snap Patch - The Input Extender Comms.
  • Page 4 Information and specifications in this document are subject to change without notice. High End Systems, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual. The system software for Power Cue DMX described in this manual is furnished under license, and is protected by copyright law and international treaties.
  • Page 5 Any Product unit or parts returned to High End Systems must be packaged in a suitable manner to ensure the protection of such Product unit or parts, and such package shall be clearly and prominently marked to indicate that the package contains returned Product units or parts and with an RMA number.

  • Page 6: General Principles

    •64 playback keys •16 channel analog input SetUp Before making programs it will be necessary to configure the Power Cue DMX in respect of the lighting being used and of user preferences. This procedure is discussed in Section ll, Setup. Menu Structure The programming interface is a backlit LCD display, showing multi-level menus.

  • Page 7: Front Panel Layout And Function

    Memory Card The Power Cue DMX has a PCMCIA memory card slot which allows you to save all your programming to a suitable memory card. Conversely you may upload from a memory card into the Power Cue DMX. New versions of the operating system may be loaded via a memory card and new intelligent fixture personalities may also be uploaded via the card slot.
  • Page 8 Power Cue DMX. They may also be programmed to contain pre-defined groups of channels and subsequently during scene programming to call these groups into a scene. They may also be used as output keys. In RUN mode (playback) they are used to recall those effects programmed into them.

  • Page 9: Rear Panel Layout And Function

    A rotary display contrast adjustment is provided to compensate for varying viewing angles and lighting levels. MIDI The MIDI strategy is for key actions to respond to note on and note off messages. The Power Cue DMX can be set to send note on and note off messages corresponding to key presses.
  • Page 11 You may set passcodes to protect the Prog/Edit menu, the Setup menu and the Card menu. The code to the setup menu is the master and has global access. When your Power Cue DMX is delivered, it is set up with the passcode 0000 and all menu levels are open. Setting up the passcode with anything other than 0000 invokes the security system.
  • Page 12 All the instruction sequences in this manual start from the MAIN MENU screen. If you are in RUN mode, press ESCAPE to get to MAIN MENU. menu and select the passcode option. Use the numeric key- pad to enter the current 4-digit code.

  • Page 13: Channel Names

    SET UP CHANNEL NAMES This section discusses how to name channels, which can make them easier to remember. Press SetUp. Enter the SetUp passcode, if active. Enter or edit the channel name as shown in step 5. NOTE: Channels used by fixtures are named automatically during the setup fixtures routine.
  • Page 14 Scroll through the channels list, using the UP and DOWN buttons. Press STORE to select a channel. •Press SetUp •Press ChnName •Scroll to a channel and press STORE •Type a name •Press STORE...

  • Page 15: Groups

    SET UP KEYS Both the push buttons and the touchkeys may be configured according to the following options. Both the buttons and the keys are grouped left and right over two pages. A selected attribute applies to all keys in the group. Press SetUp.
  • Page 16 Select a group of keys to setup. Scroll through the options to make your selection. Repeat this procedure for other groups. Press STORE and return to step 2. These are the available functional modes. Except where the function is Global, it applies only within the group:- Latch and Add - A pressed key remains switched on until pressed a second time.
  • Page 17 SET UP FIXTURES The Power Cue DMX contains a library of a great number of intelligent fixture personalities. Before you can use a fixture, it must first be assigned a personality and a DMX start address. Press SetUp. Enter the passcode, if prompted.
  • Page 18 You will need to set a DMX start address for each fixture on the other DIP switches. These addresses must correspond to the addresses you set on the Power Cue DMX. Please refer to the manual for your fixtures for instructions.

  • Page 19: Set Up Groups

    SET UP GROUPS Where you need to use certain channels together on a regular basis, you will find it easier and quick- er to call them into a scene as one group, rather than many individual channels. This routine shows you how to define the channels in a group.
  • Page 20 Select the group to setup. NOTE: Setting up one of the 16 groups for a second time will result in the original setup being overwritten. •Press SetUp •Press Groups •Press button for Group •Select channels to include •Press STORE when finished...
  • Page 21 DMX value 0 is fully on and 255 is off. Note that some intelligent lights have their shutter fully closed at 255. The Power Cue DMX sets shutters to 0 at the end of a chase: in such a case you would set the channel type True/Invert to Invert.
  • Page 22 •OUTPUT Outputs are either LTP, HTP or PERM. A channel can only output one level at any one time. If it receives more than one output command, which one should it choose to obey? LTP, HTP and PERM lays down the rules for this situation, following conventions established for various types of device.
  • Page 23 SET UP CHANNEL TYPE Press SetUp. Enter the setup menu passcode, Press ChnTyp. if prompted.
  • Page 24 Scroll to the desired channel and adjust the attributes. Then press ESCAPE. See the notes opposite for an explanation of the attributes. •Press SetUp •Press ChnTyp •Set the attributes •Press STORE...
  • Page 25 16 desk channels to the Power Cue DMX’s auxiliary control input (pin connections detailed below). Note that the desk must be powered in the usual way and not from the Power Cue DMX. Therefore, when you make your cable, do not connect pins 14 and 15 at the Power Cue DMX end.
  • Page 26 1. Press SetUP 2. Press Patch. 3. Scroll to one of the 16 available patches. Select the effect TYPE you want to use (scene, chase, et.c.) and then use the trackball to scroll through the scene list (chase list et.c.). to select the item to patch.

  • Page 27: Set Up Comms

    SET UP COMMS. The Power Cue DMX may be set up to communicate using MIDI or RS232, depending on the functionality required. Jumpers on the Power Cue DMX's main circuit board may need to be set to change from the factory setting of MIDI to RS232.
  • Page 28 Position jumpers as shown to set the Comms. mode for either 3. Press STORE to initialise the Comms mode. MIDI or RS232. 4. Check display to verify that the desired Comm mode has been ini- tialised. Press ESCAPE to return to main menu. •Press SetUp •Press Comms •Press STORE...
  • Page 29 PROGRAMMING SCENES - AN OVERVIEW All output is made from the push buttons and the touchkeys. The object of programming is to create effects and then to load those effects on to the push buttons and the touchkeys for output. The basic building unit is the channel.
  • Page 30 previously-defined group. The scene is then further defined by giving it certain attributes to determine its appearance: •It may appear as a static scene. In this case you have the option to set fade in and fade out times. Besides driving generic lighting a static scene could be used to energise strobes or smoke machines or to operate motors.
  • Page 31 PROGRAMMING A SCENE WITH MOVING LIGHTS - CONTINUED 5. Select the fixtures to include in the scene, using the illuminated push buttons. During setup you allocated personalities and DMX addresses to fixtures 1-16. Fixtures 1-16 were automatically assigned to the 16 illuminated push buttons above the touchkeys.
  • Page 32 The display shows the type of fixture being used, the attribute currently being adjusted and the level of the channel (or two channels in the case of XYmirror movement), expressed as a number between 0 and 255 (or 0 and 65535 in the case of 16-bit mirror channels).
  • Page 33 PROGRAMMING A SCENE WITH MOVING LIGHTS - CONTINUED 8. Give the scene a name. Use the alphanumeric keypad to name or re-name a scene, using the yellow legend. One press of the button marked ABC will display an A above the cursor ^.
  • Page 34 Press STORE to go to step 4. and start pro- gramming a scene in the next scene memory. Where there are several sequential scenes with the same name, the Power Cue DMX will give them a number in addition to the name. For example, if two scenes are programmed...

  • Page 35: Savepalet

    SAVEPALET EXPLAINED SavePalet is used with moving light scene programming to enable you to repeat settings of the various attributes during later programming. You may save 16 settings of each fixture attribute. Remember that it works with any individual attribute, not whole scenes; whole scenes may be repeated using COPY.
  • Page 36 What Is TRANSPARENCY? How Does OVERLAY work? Overlay allows you to generate scenes where only the channels you choose to use are included in the scene. All other channels remain transparent. While an attribute is selected, press OVERLAY, and the corresponding channels become overlay channels.

  • Page 37: Preset Focus

    In the Power Cue DMX this library can contain 46 scenes of the 512 available, i.e. nos. 450-495 and in the scene list these scenes are indicated with a 'p' on the right hand side of the display.
  • Page 38 subsequent selection. An attempt to make a second link will produce the message in the display ‘No linkable channels’. Links cannot apply to transparent channels. If you adjust a linked channel in the client scene, the link for that channel is broken and the link to the preset is broken completely if all linked channels are manually adjusted.

  • Page 39: Chases

    When you set Auto Check to on, as described in the system options section later in this manual, the Power Cue DMX automatically checks for programming errors and corrupt data held in memories. When you are programming, if you see the arrowed message, press STORE to track down the error.
  • Page 40 16 BIT MIRROR FADES Where the fixture(s) you are programming support 16-bit mirror fades, the Power Cue DMX automatically makes this feature available, giving you 65536 steps of adjustment instead of 256. MIRROR LOCKS One press of the Mirror button on the alphanumeric keypad will show XY mirror in the display and allow you to adjust both mirror axes.
  • Page 41 During editing a channel may be removed from a scene (made transparent again) by scrolling to it as in step 5. and then pressing ESCAPE. Do not edit the level first or the Power Cue DMX will think you simply want to cancel the edit. TIP! 2.
  • Page 42 You may overwrite or edit such scenes. Where there are several scenes with the same name, the Power Cue DMX will automatically give them a number in addition to the name. For example, if two scenes are programmed with the name red wash, the first one is referred to as red wash and the second one as red wash [001].
  • Page 43 (B) PROGRAMMING GROUPS INTO A SCENE - GENERIC LIGHTING 1. Press Prog/Edit 5. Use the push buttons to select the groups you wish to import into the scene. Push a button a second time to de-select a selected group. You can add groups into a scene built from individual channels. You can equally well start with a group and then add or modify channels.
  • Page 44 A previously-programmed scene will have a name. You may overwrite or edit such scenes. Where there are several scenes with the same name, the Power Cue DMX will give them a number in additional to the name. For example, if two scenes are programmed with...
  • Page 45 SELECTING SCENE ATTRIBUTES - GENERIC LIGHTING 1. Press Prog/Edit. 5(a). Scroll through the options under the Type button. If you select MOVING ZONE, this screen appears and you can then adjust the various attributes. When step is not audio, speed is enabled and may be adjusted using the trackball.
  • Page 46 3. Scroll to the scene to Prog/Edit and press STORE. 5(c). Bump through the options under the Type button. If you select STATIC SCENE, this screen appears. You may choose to select FadeIn and/or FadeOut times or not. Fade out is disabled by default; it can be enabled via the system options utility.
  • Page 47 COPYING AND CLEARING SCENE MEMORIES Existing scenes may be copied from one location to another from within the scene programming menu. Proceed as follows to copy a scene to another memory number. 1. Press Prog/Edit 4(a). Scroll to the scene to copy and press STORE.
  • Page 48 3(a). Press COPY To clear a scene memory (delete a scene) repeat steps 1. & 2. above, then do the following:- 3(b). Scroll to the scene you wish to delete and press Clear. 4(b). Confirm that you wish to delete the scene by pressing STORE.

  • Page 49: Programming A Chase

    PROGRAMMING A CHASE Scenes made with moving lights may be programmed together into a sequence called a chase. You can also make a chase with scenes of generic lighting. 1. Press Program/Edit 5. Select attributes for this chase step: STEP- and STEP+ allow you to move through the series of scenes you are programming into the chase, so that you can fine tune the attributes.
  • Page 50 3. Scroll through the list and select a chase to program by pressing STORE. A previously programmed chase will have a name. You may overwrite or edit such chases. Note: A chase memory may be cleared by pressing the Clear button and then pressing STORE to confirm that you really want to clear.
  • Page 51 SCENES, CHASES, CHANNELS AND LOOKS ARE LOADED ON TO PUSH- 1. Press Prog/Edit EITHER 4(a) If the key has nothing previously assigned to it, you see this screen. Choose an effect to assign to the key. Then press STORE. 2. Press Key OR 4(b) If the key has been previously programmed, you have the choice to: •overwrite the previous assignments...

  • Page 52: Output Keys

    During playback later button presses will have priority over earlier ones because of the last takes precedence rule. Where multiple effects are assigned to a single key, the Power Cue DMX has its own system of rules for deciding priorities. Where, for example, there are multiple chases, it will give priority to the last-selected ones and channels called by multiple chases will respond to the higher priority ones.
  • Page 53 SCENES, CHASES, CHANNELS AND LOOKS ARE LOADED ON TO PUSH- 5(a). Scroll through the scene list and press SELECT to include in the keylist a zone, a sound-to-light scene or a static scene with no fade times. Press XREF to include a static scene with its associated fade times.

  • Page 54: Deleting The Contents Of A Key

    BUTTONS OR TOUCHKEYS FOR PLAYBACK - CONTINUED 5(c). Scroll to any channel. A channel is transparent until you move the trackball. It is then selected at the level shown. Select one or several channels. Press STORE when finished to go back to step 4. The capturing (programming) of a LOOK is dealt with later on in the section on the RUN menu.
  • Page 55 The Power Cue DMX allows you to program a show in real time, so that while you play back a series of events, the Power Cue DMX memorises the events, the order in which they are played and their duration.
  • Page 56 Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton Choose SHOW pushbutton...

  • Page 57: Deleting A Show

    NOTES ON SHOWS Unlike in earlier versions the keyboard is not locked during show playback. A running show is indicated by its output key LED remaining lit. A second press of the key turns off the show and the LED. A show may be programmed so that its last action is to call another show.
  • Page 59 RUN MODE - GENERAL If the Power Cue DMX is left switched on and menu timers are active, it will default to RUN MODE, as in the drawing under Step 1 below. Alternatively, from the main menu, press Run. This is the menu from which you play back the effects you have programmed, using the pushbuttons and the touchkeys.
  • Page 60 3. The lower list shows all the programmed scenes. The upper list shows the output key locations of the selected scene. Press ESCAPE to return to RUN MODE. •Press Find •Press Scene, Chase etc. •Press ESC when finished...
  • Page 61 VIEW View allows you to see the contents of an output key. The value of this function depends a great deal on the extent to which you make use of the various naming functions available to you. 2. Now press an output key. 1.
  • Page 62 •Hold View pressed •Press the key to view •Release View when finished 3. The display shows the contents of the pressed key. Release VIEW to return to RUN MODE.
  • Page 63 LEVELS Levels provides an approximate display of channel activity across a range of 20 channels. 1. Press Levels 2. Display shows levels in any active output channels. Push bottom right softkey for next 20 channels; bottom left softkey for previous 20 channels.
  • Page 64 •Press Levels •Press softkey to scroll ± 20 chan- nels...
  • Page 65 CAPTURING A LOOK A Look is a snapshot of the outputs at a particular moment in time. While in RUN MODE you might be running a combination of scenes, chases and channels and decide that you want to save (or capture) this set of outputs to be repeated at some later time. A Look may be stored on any empty push button or touchkey.
  • Page 66 •Press Capture •Choose an output...
  • Page 67 ADJUST Adjust allows you to change the various attributes of programmed effects such as chases or scenes while they are running in the outputs. 1. Press Adjust. 2. Select an output key to adjust. Press Adjust to scroll through the list of available adjustments.
  • Page 68 •Press Adjust •Choose an output •Adjust the attribute •Press Store when finished...
  • Page 69 LIVE Live allows you to make changes to the attributes of intelligent fixtures while those fixtures are active. By selecting, for example, the mirror channels of moving lights, you effectively produce a fol- low spot. 1. Press LIVE. 2. Select the fixture(s) to use live.
  • Page 70 3. Select the attribute to adjust. It becomes live on the trackball. Press ESCAPE to return to RUN MODE. Any changes that you made are NOT saved. If you wish to make changes and save them during output, use ADJUST (see page 62).

  • Page 71: Using The Card

    The Power Cue DMX uses a PC card, Type 1, 512Kb, SRAM. The card is used to perform the following functions: · To store the contents of the Power Cue DMX’s memory, i.e. as a backup or as longterm storage. · To update the intelligent fixtures library.
  • Page 72 COPYING DATA FROM THE CARD Press Restore. 1. 'Backup card Found' Press STORE/YES. 2. Note: DO NOT INTERRUPT CARD TRANSFER.' 3. 'Card transfer complete.' Press ESCAPE/NO to return to main menu. NOTES: 1.The softkeys TxPC and RxPC are inoperative on this version and may be ignored. 2.

  • Page 73: System Sub-Menu

    SYSTEM SUB-MENU The System sub-menu deals with: · the uploading of an updated operating system · the uploading of new intelligent fixture personalities · the clearing of all setups and stored memories · the setting of certain advanced system options In the card menu press System, then follow the on-screen prompts.
  • Page 74 ERASE Memories and set-ups may be cleared by stages, e.g. scenes, chases, et.c. 'Clear Everything' leaves only the operating system and the fixtures library in place. 'Clear Fixtures' removes the fixture assignments from buttons 1-16 but leaves the fixtures library in place. 1.

  • Page 75: Configuration Options

    OPTIONS MENU Certain configuration options are available as detailed in the table. 1. Press System. 2. Press Options. 3. Scroll to the desired option and adjust using the trackball or the INC/DEC softkeys. Press ESCAPE when finished. 00. Locked on startup. Default OFF. disabled. 01.
  • Page 76 18. Send keys as MIDI. Default ON. Must be enabled for MIDI communication. 19. MIDI Channel No. Default 000. Sets a specific MIDI receive channel. 20. MIDI Omni On. Default OFF. When set to ON, the Power Cue DMX receives on all MIDI channels 0-15.
  • Page 77 The Power Cue DMX sends MIDI OUT only on MIDI channel 0. The Power Cue DMX can receive MIDI IN on channels 0-15. To setup on which channel the Power Cue DMX will receive, use option19. See Configuration options, page 70-71. To setup the Power Cue DMX to receive on any MIDI channel (omni on), use option 20.
  • Page 79 EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS (A) POWER SUPPLY INPUT 180° 5-pin DIN, female. (B) DMX OUTPUT 5-pin XLR, female. (C) AUXILIARY CONTROL INPUT 25-pin sub-D, female. (D) AUDIO INPUT ¼ inch mono Jack, female (male shown here for clarity).
  • Page 80 (E) RS232 9-pin sub-D, male (F) MIDI MIDI in, out and through. All 180° 5-pin DIN, female NOTE: When connecting this product to accessories and /or another product, use only high quality shielded cables.

  • Page 81: Getting Help

    GETTING HELP When you contact your dealer for help, please be ready to give the following information. • Version no. • Serial no. To access this information, go to the main menu and press STORE/YES. Power Cue VX.XXN...

  • Page 82: Conformity

    An original certificate of conformity, specific to a serial-numbered product is available on request at a nominal charge. Power Line 2217 West Braker Lane Austin, TX 78758, USA Low voltage lighting control desk Power Cue DMX September, 1996 FCC Class B...

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