Chapter 8. Patch; About Physical Channels And Control Channels; Fixtures - Martin Xciter User Manual

Chapter 8. Patch

Before you start programming, Xciter needs to know which devices are connected to its DMX universe and
how it will control them. This is where the patch comes in. To patch a device means to connect it to the
Xciter controls, so you are able to manipulate it.
The Xciter controls are divided into three groups, which enable you to control:
•
Up to 40 fixtures.
•
Up to 20 dimmers.
•
Up to 4 direct access devices.
Press {Patch} in the setup menu to access the patch menu.

8.1 About physical channels and control channels

You will encounter the terms 'physical channel' and 'control channel' a lot in this manual. You need to know
what they mean to better understand this manual.
Physical channels or DMX channels are the channels as they occur on the DMX output. They start at
channel 1 and end at channel 512. Channel 0 is reserved for special purposes which we will not discuss in
this manual.
Example: Dimmer 1 is on channel 480.
In this manual we are mostly talking about selected devices and the control channels we use to manipulate
them. We rarely talk about the actual channel on the DMX output.
Example: Use SM1 to set the value of dimmer 1 to 128.
In the above examples the control channel "Dimmer 1" is patched to physical channel 480.

8.2 Fixtures

Each fixture type has its own set of control channels, which are described in a fixture definition.
Xciter user manual
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