Elation Show Designer 2CF Users Manual

SHOW DESIGNER 2CF

User Manual

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©2019 ELATION PROFESSIONAL all rights reserved. Information, specifications, diagrams,

Date

Document

Version

Software

Version ≥

Notes

04/09/19

2

1.20

Updated manual format.

images, and instructions herein are subject to change without notice. ELATION PROFESSIONAL
logo and identifying product names and numbers herein are trademarks of ELATION
PROFESSIONAL. Copyright protection claimed includes all forms and matters of copyrightable
materials and information now allowed by statutory or judicial law or hereinafter granted. Product
names used in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies and are hereby acknowledged. All non-ELATION brands and product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

ELATION PROFESSIONAL and all affiliated companies hereby disclaim any and all liabilities for
property, equipment, building, and electrical damages, injuries to any persons, and direct or indirect
economic loss associated with the use or reliance of any information contained within this
document, and/or as a result of the improper, unsafe, insufficient and negligent assembly,
installation, rigging, and operation of this product.

Elation Professional USA | 6122 S. Eastern Ave. | Los Angeles, CA. 90040

323-582-3322 | 323-832-9142 fax | www.elationlighting.com | [e-mail]

Elation Professional B.V. | Junostraat 2 | 6468 EW Kerkrade, The Netherlands

[phone] | [phone] fax | www.elationlighting.eu | [e-mail]

Elation Professional Mexico | AV Santa Ana 30 | Parque Industrial Lerma, Lerma, Mexico 52000

[phone]

DOCUMENT VERSION

Due to additional product features and/or enhancements, an
updated version of this document may be available online.
Please scan the QR Code with your mobile device or visit

www.elationlighting.com for the latest revision/update of this

manual, before installation and/or programming.

Europe Energy Saving Notice
Energy Saving Matters (EuP 2009/125/EC)
Saving electric energy is a key to help protecting the environment. Please turn off all electrical
products when they are not in use. To avoid power consumption in idle mode, disconnect all
electrical equipment from power when not in use. Thank you!

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3!

CONTENT

GENERAL INFORMATION

4

LIMITED WARRANTY (USA ONLY)

5

SAFETY GUIDELINES

6

OVERVIEW

7

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

8

SWITCHES AND CONTROLS

15

SCENES

18

PRESETS

20

CHASES

22

SHOWS

26

PREVIEW

29

SCENE MASTERS

30

MIDI

31

USING THE COMPACT FLASH INTERFACE

31

USING THE COM PORT

34

FIXTURE LIBRARY

35

SPECIFICATIONS

36

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

37

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4!

GENERAL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

Please read and understand the instructions in this manual carefully and thoroughly before
attempting to operate this device. These instructions contain important safety and use information.

UNPACKING

Each device has been thoroughly tested and has been shipped in perfect operating condition.
Carefully check the shipping carton for damage that may have occurred during shipping. If the
carton is damaged, carefully inspect the device for damage, and be sure all accessories necessary
to install and operate the device have arrived intact. In the event damage has been found or parts
are missing, please contact our customer support team for further instructions. Please do not return
this device to your dealer without first contacting customer support. Please do not discard the
shipping carton in the trash. Please recycle whenever possible.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Contact ELATION Service for any product related service and support needs.
Also visit forums.elationlighting.com with questions, comments or suggestions.

ELATION SERVICE USA - Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm PST
323-582-3322 | Fax [phone] | [e-mail]

ELATION SERVICE EUROPE - Monday - Friday 08:30 to 17:00 CET
[phone] | Fax [phone] | [e-mail]

REPLACEMENT PARTS please visit parts.elationlighting.com

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

THIS DEVICE MUST ONLY BE USED BY AN AUTHORIZED ELATION TRAINED SERVICE
TECHNICIAN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THIS DEVICE WITHOUT BEING FULLY TRAINED ON
HOW TO USE IT. ANY DAMAGES OR REPAIRS TO THIS DEVICE OR ANY ELATION AND/OR
NON-ELATION LIGHTING FIXTURES CONNECTED TO THIS DEVICE RESULTING FROM
IMPROPER USE, INCORRECT PRESSURE/VACUUM SETTINGS, AND/OR THE DISREGARD OF
THE SAFETY AND OPERATION GUIDELINES IN THIS USER MANUAL VOIDS THE ELATION
WARRANTY AND ARE NOT SUBJECT TO ANY WARRANTY CLAIMS AND/OR REPAIRS, AND
MAY ALSO VOID THE WARRANTY FOR ANY NON-ELATION LIGHTING FIXTURES.

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5!

LIMITED WARRANTY (USA ONLY)

1. Elation Professional hereby warrants, to the original purchaser, Elation Professional products to be free of
manufacturing defects in material and workmanship for a period of two years (730 days), and Elation
Professional product rechargeable batteries to be free of manufacturing defects in material and workmanship
for a period of six months (180 days), from the original date of purchase. This warranty excludes discharge
lamps and all product accessories. This warranty shall be valid only if the product is purchased within the
United States of America, including possessions and territories. It is the owner’s responsibility to establish the
date and place of purchase by acceptable evidence, at the time service is sought.

2. For warranty service, send the product only to the Elation Professional factory. All shipping charges must be
pre-paid. If the requested repairs or service (including parts replacement) are within the terms of this warranty,
Elation Professional will pay return shipping charges only to a designated point within the United States. If any
product is sent, it must be shipped in its original package and packaging material. No accessories should be
shipped with the product. If any accessories are shipped with the product, Elation Professional shall have no
liability what so ever for loss and/or or damage to any such accessories, nor for the safe return thereof.

3. This warranty is void if the product serial number and/or labels are altered or removed; if the product is
modified in any manner which Elation Professional concludes, after inspection, affects the reliability of the
product; if the product has been repaired or serviced by anyone other than the Elation Professional factory
unless prior written authorization was issued to purchaser by Elation Professional; if the product is damaged
because not properly maintained as set forth in the product instructions, guidelines and/or user manual.

4. This is not a service contract, and this warranty does not include any maintenance, cleaning or periodic
check-up. During the periods as specified above, Elation Professional will replace defective parts at its expense,
and will absorb all expenses for warranty service and repair labor by reason of defects in material or
workmanship. The sole responsibility of Elation Professional under this warranty shall be limited to the repair of
the product, or replacement thereof, including parts, at the sole discretion of Elation Professional. All products
covered by this warranty were manufactured after January 1, 1990, and bare identifying marks to that effect.

5. Elation Professional reserves the right to make changes in design and/or performance improvements upon
its products without any obligation to include these changes in any products theretofore manufactured.

6. No warranty, whether expressed or implied, is given or made with respect to any accessory supplied with
the products described above. Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, all implied warranties made
by Elation Professional in connection with this product, including warranties of merchantability or fitness, are
limited in duration to the warranty periods set forth above. And no warranties, whether expressed or implied,
including warranties of merchantability or fitness, shall apply to this product after said periods have expired.
The consumer’s and/or dealer’s sole remedy shall be such repair or replacement as is expressly provided
above; and under no circumstances shall Elation Professional be liable for any loss and/or damage, direct
and/or consequential, arising out of the use of, and/or the inability to use, this product.

7. This warranty is the only written warranty applicable to Elation Professional products and supersedes all
prior warranties and written descriptions of warranty terms and conditions heretofore published.

WARRANTY RETURNS
All returned service items whether under warranty or not, must be freight pre-paid and accompany a
return authorization (R.A.) number. The R.A. number must be clearly written on the outside of the
return package. A brief description of the problem as well as the R.A. number must also be written
down on a piece of paper and included in the shipping container. If the unit is under warranty, you
must provide a copy of your proof of purchase invoice. Items returned without a R.A. number clearly
marked on the outside of the package will be refused and returned at customer’s expense. You may
obtain a R.A. number by contacting customer support.

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6!

SAFETY GUIDELINES

This device is a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment. To guarantee a smooth operation, it is

important to follow all instructions and guidelines in this manual. ELATION PROFESSIONAL is not

responsible for injury and/or damages resulting from the misuse of this device due to the disregard of the

information printed in this manual. Only the original included parts and/or accessories for this device

should be used. Any modifications to the device, included and/or accessories will void the original

manufactures warranty and increase the risk of damage and/or personal injury.

DRY LOCATIONS USE ONLY!
DO NOT EXPOSE CONTROLLER TO RAIN, MOISTURE, AND/OR SEVERE ENVIRONMENTS!
DO NOT SPILL WATER AND/OR LIQUIDS ON OR INTO THE CONTROLLER!

DO NOT PLUG DEVICE INTO A DIMMER PACK!
KEEP FLAMMABLE MATERIALS AWAY FROM DEVICE!
ENSURE NO DUST, WATER, OR DEBREE ENTERS THE DEVICE!

AVOID brute force handling when transporting or operating.

DO NOT expose any part of the device to open flame or smoke. Keep device away from heat sources

such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

DO NOT use device in extreme and/or severe environments.

CAUTION: Device should be operated by qualified and trained professionals ONLY.

Read user manual carefully to ensure normal operation and lifespan of the device.

ONLY use the original packaging materials and/or case to transport the controller for service.

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7!

OVERVIEW

The Show Designer 2CF is a lighting controller based on the successful and simple to use Show
Designer 1. The Show Designer 2CF offers all of the same features and much more. It is designed
to simplify the programming process as much as possible while still offering lots of power at a
low cost.

You can control 48 DMX 512 lighting fixtures of up to 32 channels each from two DMX 512
universes. If you are controlling smaller lighting fixtures that use fewer than 32 channels each,
you will be able to control more than just 48 fixtures. You can control as many fixtures as will
fit within the two DMX 512 universes. The Show Designer 2CF supports all popular brands of DMX
512 lighting fixtures. Libraries of fixtures are available for download at elationlighting.com.

REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS

Power Input - uses an external 9V power supply. This requires a transformer with a 9VDC

output at 500ma. The plug polarity is + center with an inside diameter of 2.1 mm.

Two DMX 512 Outputs - each with a 3 pin and a 5 pin XLR connector. There is a polarity
switch for the 3 pin XLR which swaps pins 2 and 3. Some older lighting fixtures require this.
The more commonly used and correct DMX 512 polarity is data minus on pin 2 (switch is to
the right as you’re looking at the back of the unit).

MIDI In/Out - used for calling scenes in an automated installation.

9pin RS-232 Connector - used for connection to a PC.

PS/2 Keyboard Connector - used to attach a PC keyboard for data entry.

RCA Audio Input - used for syncing chases to an external audio source. This is a line level input

for connection to the output of a mixing console. Do NOT connect speaker level signals to this.

Compact Flash Slot - This allows you to back up the memory, load lighting fixture
profiles or update the software using compact flash memory cards.

FRONT PANEL

Front panel features include assorted switches for programming, eight 60mm faders for direct
control of lighting fixture channels as well as for scene masters, four rotary wheels for channel
control and data entry, a joystick for pan and tilt control, an 80-character backlit LCD display for
programming, and a USB work light port. (light not included)

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8!

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

The menu switch, which is located above the character display, is used to configure the Show
Designer 2 for your particular lighting setup. The left and right cursor switches, the + and ­switches, and the data input wheels allow you to select settings for the various menus that
appear on the display. Pressing the menu switch displays the message “Select a menu item then
press enter” on the top line of the display. You will be given a choice of menu items on the
bottom line of the display. You can cycle through the choices using the + and - switches or the
#1 data wheel. Press “enter” to select the desired menu item. After selecting from the menu, the
cursor switches will allow you to select a field on the display to edit and the + and - switches
will allow you to change the value in that field. An underline cursor shows the selected field.
You can also use one of the four data wheels under any field to make changes. (The wheels
don’t require you to select a field using the cursor switches). The “enter” switch must always be
pressed following any change made to a menu item to make it permanent. This allows you to
look at all of the possible choices first.

Several of the menu choices are hidden to prevent unauthorized or accidental changes to the
memory. The “memory lock/unlock” function is hidden as well as the “erase all memory”
function. These choices can only be selected by pressing and holding down the “add” switch
while selecting these last items from the menu list. This is a safety feature for the benefit of
installers who wish to protect the memory from unauthorized tampering.

The various menu items are explained in the following paragraphs.

CHOOSE FIXTURES

This allows you to select from a list of lighting fixtures in the fixture library. First use the + or ­switch or the #1 data wheel to select the fixture number (from 1 to 48), then select the type of
fixture with the #2 data wheel or move the cursor to the fixture type and use the + or - switch.
You must press “enter” to record the choice. You can also press “erase” to select “No Fixture”. If
auto patch is enabled, a warning will appear telling you that some DMX start addresses may be
changed. Press “yes” to confirm or “no” to exit. After pressing “yes” the message “DONE” will
appear for 1 second. If auto patch is enabled, the start addresses of any fixtures above the
selected fixture may be shifted to accommodate the new fixture.

The Show Designer 2CF has a short list of built in list of fixtures to choose from. You can also
load in “fixture profiles” that contain more detailed information about a particular lighting
fixture than what is offered by the built-in list. Fixture profiles are small files that can be
downloaded from elationlighting.com. They can then be loaded into the Show Designer 2CF using
the compact flash drive or through the RS-232 port. Read the section on loading fixture profiles
for more information.

When selecting fixtures from the “Choose Fixtures” menu, any fixture profiles that were loaded
into memory with the compact flash will be followed by the word “profile” in the display. This
is so that you can tell the difference between the built-in fixtures and profiles. Use profiles
whenever possible.

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9!

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

PATCH FIXTURES

This allows you to turn auto patch on and off or to change the output port and set the DMX
starting address for each fixture manually. Auto patch must be turned off to manually change
the start address or port of any of the fixtures. To turn auto patch on or off, place the cursor
under the words “ON” or “OFF” below “AUTO PATCH”, then use the + or - switch or use data
wheel #4 to change. You must press “enter” for the change to take effect. If you are turning auto
patch on, a warning will appear telling you that some DMX starting addresses may
change. Press “yes” to proceed or “no” to exit. Auto patch will assign an address to each fixture
in ascending order. The first fixture will be assigned to DMX output port 1 at address 1. After
512 channels have been used, DMX output port 2 will be used for any remaining fixtures.

With data wheel #1 you can select from fixtures 1-48 and see the starting address and port
assigned to each fixture. You can move the cursor under any of the three digits of the channel
number or use data wheel #3 to select a new starting address as long as auto patch is turned
off. You must press “enter” to record any change. The message “DONE” will appear for 1
second to confirm.

MULTI FIXTURE

Show Designer 2CF supports intelligent lighting fixtures that use as many as 32 DMX channels.
Since most fixtures use fewer than 32 channels, Show Designer 2CF will allow you to configure a
group of smaller fixtures that are of the same type, under a single fixture number. For example
if you have selected a 4-channel scanner for fixture number 1, you can set “multi” to 8. When
fixture 1 is selected you will be able to use all 32 channels available for fixture 1 to control 8 of
these scanners.

NOTE: This feature is for controlling large numbers of small fixtures. This helps to prevent
using up all 48 of your fixture numbers on small fixtures.

You will be able to control the individual channels of each fixture separately using the 4 banks
of 8 faders or with the data wheels. When using the joystick, all of the multi fixtures within that
fixture number will respond if they have a pan and tilt feature. To control individual pan and
tilt levels separately you will have to use the faders or the wheels.

To program the multi fixture setting for a fixture number, use data wheel #1 to select a fixture.
Use data wheel #2 to increment or decrement the multi value. You can only choose numbers
between 1 and the maximum number of fixtures that will fit into 32 channels. For example, if
you are using a 4 channel fixture the multi value can be no higher than 8. You must press
“enter” to record the change. If auto patch is enabled, you will be given the warning that some
addresses may change. Press “yes” to continue or “no” to exit with no changes.

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10!

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

MODIFY FIXTURE

This allows you modify some of the channel attributes of a fixture. You can also use this to
create a new fixture that isn’t in the library by modifying an existing one. To do this you must
first select a fixture as described above in the “Choose Fixture” section. When trying to create a
new fixture choose something that is similar to the one you are trying to create or start with
the “Generic Dimmer” which is the first choice from the list. You can later use the “Copy
Fixture” feature as described in the next section to duplicate the new fixture.

There are nine fixture attributes that can be modified. The attributes are: fixture name, number
of channels, black channel, black value, pan channel, pan fine channel, tilt channel, tilt fine
channel and crossfade mode. From the “Modify Fixture” menu, use data wheel #1 to select the
fixture you want to modify. Next use data wheel #2 to select from the nine fixture attributes.
Next use data wheel #3 to select the value for the attribute you are changing. Finally, you must
always press “enter” to record the changes you make to each attribute. The message “DONE”
will appear in the display when the change has been recorded. The fixture attributes are
described in the following paragraphs.

NAME is the fixture name that appears whenever you select or deselect a fixture. You may
want to modify this attribute for all of your fixtures to show fixture purpose or location. You must
place the underline cursor on the character you want to edit, or you can use the external
keyboard to enter a fixture name.

CHANNELS is the total number of channels used by the fixture. This can be any number from
1 to 32. When you change the number of channels, be aware that other things such as fixture
addresses and number of multi fixtures can be automatically changed when you do this. Fixture
attributes such as black channel, pan or tilt will also be automatically disabled if you select a
number that is smaller than the channel numbers that are already assigned to those attributes.
For example, if you already assigned pan to channel 8 and you reduce the total number of
channels for the fixture to 4, pan will automatically be set to “none”. Likewise, if you increase
the number of channels from 8 to 9 and you had previously set up 4 multi fixtures using all 32
channels, the multi fixture setting will automatically be reset back to 1.

BLACK CHANNEL is the channel that will be affected when the “black” switch is pressed. You
can choose any available fixture channel as well as “ALL” which will force all channels to the
selected black value.

BLACK VALUE is the DMX value that will be sent to the selected black channel(s). This will
accommodate fixtures that use the gobo wheel for blackout and use a value other than 0 to set
the gobo wheel to black. You may also want to blackout all channels to a value other than 0
since this is used as a reset by some fixtures. For some fixtures a value of 1 achieves the same
result as a value of 0 for blackout.

PAN CHANNEL is the channel used by the fixture for pan. This can also be set to “none” if the
fixture does not have a pan feature. This is also the pan coarse channel or pan high byte
channel for those fixtures that use two channels to control pan. This directs the joystick output
as well as other pan functions such as factory chases.

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11!

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

PAN FINE is for fixtures that use two channels to control pan. This is also referred to

sometimes as the pan “low byte” channel. Set this to “none” if the fixture uses only one channel
for pan. The joystick will control this channel with “fine” mode turned on.

TILT CHANNEL is the same as described above for pan channel except that it controls tilt.

TILT FINE is the same as described above for pan fine except that it controls tilt.

FADE MODE is used to set the crossfade method for each of the fixture’s channels. Use data

wheel #2 to select the channel. Once the channel is selected use data wheel #3 to select the
crossfade mode. The choices are “crossfade”, “snap before fade” and “snap after fade”. You
must press “enter” after each channel has been programmed.

Selecting “Crossfade” will cause a channel to smoothly fade from one scene to another when
changing scenes. The crossfade time will vary from scene to scene depending on how that
scene was programmed. Use this setting for channels that control functions like pan and tilt or
dimming to achieve a smooth transition from scene to scene. This is usually the default setting
for pan, tilt and dimmer channels. If you use this setting for gobo or color wheel channels, it
will cause the wheels to step through all positions between the start and end positions of a
long fade.

Selecting “Snap before fade” will cause the channel to jump immediately to the next scene level
as soon as the new scene is called. Use this setting for channels that control motor speed so
that pan and tilt will move at the correct speed during the fade. You can also use this setting for
wheel channels that you want to change at the start of a long crossfade. This is usually the
default setting for speed and mode channels.

Selecting “Snap after fade” will cause the channel to jump immediately to the next scene level
at the end of a crossfade. Use this setting for wheels and effects that you want to take effect
after a long crossfade is complete. This is usually the default setting for color and effects
wheels.

COPY FIXTURE

Use this to copy the fixture type and attributes from one fixture number to another. This feature
saves time when setting up a group of fixtures that are all the same type by letting you copy a
fixture rather than searching through the list each time. data wheels #1 and #2 to select a fixture
number to copy from and to. You must press “enter” to complete the copy process. If auto
patch is enabled you will be given the warning that some addresses may change. Press “yes” to
continue or “no” to exit with no changes. If a fixture is already set up at the “copy to” location,
you will be asked if you want to copy over the existing fixture, press “yes” to copy over it or
“no” to exit.

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12!

MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS

PAN AND TILT INVERT

The joystick can be used to control pan and tilt when a fixture has a pan and tilt feature.
Sometimes a fixture is oriented in a way so that its pan or tilt movement is opposite that of the
joystick movement. You can use this to invert the direction of the pan or tilt for each fixture.
This setting will not affect the faders or the wheels when they are used to control pan or tilt.
From this menu, use data wheel #1 to select the fixture then use data wheels #2 or #3 to set the
invert states for pan or for tilt. You must then press, “enter” to save the selection.

ADJUST FACTORY CHASES

The Show Designer 2CF provides 48 preprogrammed chases of pan and tilt movements that are
referred to as factory chases. These are mostly circle movements and some other pan and tilt
effects. Use this menu to adjust the pan and tilt centers of these chases. This is helpful when
one of the circle chases is close to what you want but is not in the exact desired location. You
can use this while the chase is running so that you can see the results as you make
adjustments. First select the factory chase number (1-48) using data wheel #1 then adjust the
pan or tilt offset using data wheels #2 or #3. The offset can be adjusted in a plus or minus
direction. This menu does not require you to press “enter” to complete the change. Be aware
that any scene that uses this factory chase will be affected by this adjustment.

SELECT HOME SCENE

This allows you to select a home scene that will be called automatically whenever you use the
“clear all” function when holding down the “black” switch for 2 seconds. This can be used to
call up a default lighting configuration such as all beams centered, full intensity at white when
building a new scene. Use data wheels 1 and 2 to select the desired page and scene number
then press “enter”. You must of course have a scene saved at that location for it to work. You
can use any saved scene as the home scene.

SET MIDI CHANNEL

This allows you to select the MIDI channel that Show Designer 2CF will send and receive on.
Select from 1-16 using data wheel #1 then press “enter”. See MIDI section for more details.

VIEW MEMORY SIZE

This allows you to see how much memory is left for scenes and shows. It is displayed in
kilobytes remaining. Memory usage varies depending on the size and complexity of the scenes.

SAVE MEMORY FILE TO CF

This allows you to back up the memory to a compact flash card. The message “Press enter to
save file to CF” will appear on the top line of the display. The default file name will appear on
the bottom line. You can use the data wheel or the external keyboard to enter a new file name.
Insert a formatted CF card in the slot and press enter. The message “File has been saved” will
appear when finished. The content of the entire memory is backed up including all menu
settings, scenes, presets, chases and shows. The file will have the extension .sdm and is
compatible with Windows as long as you adhere to Window’s file naming rules. The file name
can use up to 8 characters. You do not need to add the extension when typing in the file name.
Read the section at the end of this manual on using the compact flash for more information.

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