How it Works
Elation
Loading...
show designer 3
User Manual
44 pgs313.15 Kb0

Elation show designer 3 User Manual

Software Revision 1.12
ii
OVERVIEW.............................................................................................................................................................1
REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS..........................................................................................................................................1
TOP PANEL ..........................................................................................................................................................................1
MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS............................................................................................3
CHOOSE FIXTURES............................................................................................................................................................3
PATCH FIXTURES ..............................................................................................................................................................4
PATCH CONVENTIONAL DIMMERS...............................................................................................................................4
COPY FIXTURE...................................................................................................................................................................5
LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE FROM CF................................................................................................................................5
LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE FROM COM PORT ................................................................................................................5
REMOVE FIXTURE PROFILE............................................................................................................................................5
SELECT FLEX FADER MODE ...........................................................................................................................................6
SELECT PLAYBACK MODES............................................................................................................................................6
SELECT HOME SCENE.......................................................................................................................................................6
PAN AND TILT INVERT.....................................................................................................................................................6
MODIFY FIXTURE..............................................................................................................................................................6
MULTI FIXTURE .................................................................................................................................................................8
VIEW MEMORY SIZE.........................................................................................................................................................9
SAVE MEMORY FILE TO CF.............................................................................................................................................9
SAVE MEMORY FILE TO COM PORT .............................................................................................................................9
LOAD MEMORY FILE FROM CF ......................................................................................................................................9
LOAD MEMORY FILE FROM COM PORT .......................................................................................................................9
SET MIDI CHANNEL ..........................................................................................................................................................9
UPDATE SOFTWARE .........................................................................................................................................................9
LOCK/UNLOCK MEMORY (hidden)................................................................................................................................10
ERASE ALL MEMORY (hidden) .......................................................................................................................................10
NUMBER SWITCHES 1-48 and FUNCTION SWITCHES...............................................................................................11
FIXTURE SWITCH ............................................................................................................................................................11
FIXTURE GROUP..............................................................................................................................................................11
USING THE DATA WHEELS TO CONTROL FIXTURE CHANNELS..........................................................................12
USING THE FLEX FADERS TO CONTROL FIXTURE CHANNELS............................................................................12
JOYSTICK...........................................................................................................................................................................13
FINE SWITCH....................................................................................................................................................................13
SOLO SWITCH...................................................................................................................................................................13
DIMMER CONTROL USING A KEYBOARD..................................................................................................................14
CREATING A DIMMER PLAYBACK (Proportional Dimmer Patch)...............................................................................14
RECORD SWITCH .............................................................................................................................................................15
SOLO SWITCH...................................................................................................................................................................15
CLEAR ALL CHANNEL FUNCTION ...............................................................................................................................15
RECALLING SCENES .......................................................................................................................................................16
RECALLING SCENES (solo mode) ...................................................................................................................................16
RECALLING SCENES (preview mode) .............................................................................................................................16
RECALLING SCENES WITH PLAYBACK MASTERS...................................................................................................16
TURN OFF SCENE.............................................................................................................................................................17
ERASE SCENE ...................................................................................................................................................................17
FACTORY PROGRAMMED PRESETS ............................................................................................................................18
CREATING AND RECORDING PRESETS ......................................................................................................................18
RECALLING PRESETS......................................................................................................................................................19
RECALLING PRESETS WITH PLAYBACK MASTERS.................................................................................................19
ERASE PRESET..................................................................................................................................................................19
EDITING PRESETS............................................................................................................................................................19
COMBINING PRESETS.....................................................................................................................................................20
RECORDING CHASES ......................................................................................................................................................21
SHAPE CHASE...................................................................................................................................................................21
SIMPLE FLASH CHASE....................................................................................................................................................22
COMPLEX FLASH CHASE ...............................................................................................................................................23
COMPLEX CHANNEL CHASE.........................................................................................................................................23
COLOR CHASE..................................................................................................................................................................24
GOBO CHASE ....................................................................................................................................................................25
COLOR MIX CHASE .........................................................................................................................................................25
EDITING CHASES THAT ARE ALREADY SAVED.......................................................................................................25
ERASE CHASE...................................................................................................................................................................25
RECALLING CHASES.......................................................................................................................................................26
RECALLING CHASES WITH PLAYBACK MASTERS ..................................................................................................26
RECORDING SHOWS........................................................................................................................................................27
ERASE SHOW ....................................................................................................................................................................28
EDITING EXISTING SHOWS ...........................................................................................................................................28
PLAYING SHOWS .............................................................................................................................................................28
PREVIEW............................................................................................................................................................................30
BACK SWITCH..................................................................................................................................................................30
STOP SWITCH ...................................................................................................................................................................30
GO SWITCH .......................................................................................................................................................................30
FINE SWITCH....................................................................................................................................................................30
AUDIO SWITCH ................................................................................................................................................................30
BEAT SWITCH...................................................................................................................................................................31
BLACKOUT SWITCH........................................................................................................................................................31
GRAND MASTER FADER ................................................................................................................................................31
FLEX MASTER FADER.....................................................................................................................................................31
ASSIGNING A MEMORY TO A PLAYBACK .................................................................................................................32
USING THE PLAYBACKS................................................................................................................................................32
LTP X/Y Mode....................................................................................................................................................................32
HTP Dimmer Mode..............................................................................................................................................................33
MEMORY BACKUP...........................................................................................................................................................35
MEMORY RESTORE.........................................................................................................................................................35
SOFTWARE UPDATE .......................................................................................................................................................35
INSTALL FIXTURE PROFILES........................................................................................................................................36
CONFIGURING YOU COMPUTER..................................................................................................................................37
MEMORY BACKUP USING THE COMPUTER PORT ...................................................................................................37
MEMORY RESTORE USING THE COMPUTER PORT .................................................................................................37
UPDATING THE SOFTWARE..........................................................................................................................................37
LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE................................................................................................................................................38
OVERVIEW
The Show Designer 3 is a lighting controller based on the successful and simple to use Show Designer 1 and Show Designer 2. The Show Designer 3 expands on the existing features of these controllers and adds many others. The approach of this controller is to simplify the programmingprocess as much as possible while still offering a high level of control at a low cost. If you are already familiar with the SD1 and SD2 then you find the SD3 to be a simple step forward.
Control of up to 1536 DMX lighting channels is possible using three DMX 512 outputs. 48 moving light fixtures of up to 32 channels each as well as 128 conventional dimmers can be controlled. Support of Elation and American DJ lighting fixtures as well as other popular brands is included in the setup menu. Additional lighting fixture profiles can also be downloaded from the Elation web site.
The operating system of the Show Designer 3 uses flash memory so that the software can be updated using a computer connected to the RS-232 port or with the compact flash drive. Software updates are available on the Elation web site at www.elationlighting.com.
REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS
The rear panel of the Show Designer 3 features the following: AC input using a standard 3 prong AC cord. A switch is provided for 115-230V selection. The power
switch is also located near the AC input.
Three DMX 512 outputs each with a 3 pin and a 5 pin XLR connector.
MIDI in - used for calling scenes in an automated installation.
9 pin RS-232 connector - used for connection to a PC to update the software, backup the memory or
download fixture profiles.
Keyboard connector– used to attach a PC keyboard for data entry. This uses a PS2 style keyboard.
Audio input - used for syncing chases to an external audio source. This is a line level input for
connection to the line output of a mixing console. Do not connect speaker level signals to this.
Compact Flash Drive - This allows you to back up the memory, install lighting fixture profiles or
update the software with a CF card.
TOP PANEL
The top panel of the SD3 is divided into four sections. The upper left section contains the flex faders with their flash and page select buttons. The upper right section contains the 48 multi-purpose number switches with their function select switches just above. The lower left section contains the playback masters with their flash and page select buttons. The lower right section contains the display with its cursor buttons, the joystick, the data wheels and the performance control switches.
The following is a brief summary of the top panel features of the Show Designer 3:
Programming and memory switch section featuring 48 multi purpose switches for assigning and
recalling memories using the function select switches just above these.
Display control section featuring 8 menu control buttons above an 80 character display used for data
entry and most programming functions.
Joystick for controlling pan and tilt on moving light fixtures.
4 rotary encoder wheels for data entry and moving light fixture channel control.
Live performance control section featuring 8 switches for various playback functions.
Flex fader section featuring eight 100mm fadersfor control of moving light fixture channels,
conventional dimmers or for use as additional playbacks.
Playback masters featuring eight 100mm faders that are assignable as playbacks for any of the
memories.
Grand master fader for overall control of conventional dimmers and dimming channels.
Flex master fader for control of conventional dimmers.
MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS
The menu switch, which is located just above the display, is used to access the menus that allow you to configure the Show Designer 3 for your particular lighting setup. 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 first data wheel. Press “enter” to select the desired menu item. The data wheels also have a built in switch that duplicates the “enter” switch by pressing down on the wheel.
After selecting a menu item, 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 each field to make changes. (The wheels don’t require you to select a field using the cursor switches). The “enter” switch must 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. If a menu requires more than one page to display all of the programming options, use the right cursor to continue past the last field on the right of the display and a new page will be displayed.
NOTE: 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 cycling through the 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 as they appear in order.
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. Press “erase” to select “No Fixture” or as a shortcut back to the startof the list. After selecting a fixture type, a warning will appear telling you that some DMX start addresses may be changed if auto patch is enabled. Press “yes” or “enter” to confirm or “no” to exit. After confirming, the message “DONE” will appear for 1 second. If auto patch is enabled, the start addresses of any fixtures above the selected fixture will be adjusted to accommodate the new fixture.
The Show Designer 3 has a 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 3 using the compact flash drive or through the RS-232 port. Read the sections on loading fixture profiles for more information.
When selecting fixtures from the list, any fixture using a profile will be followed by the word “profile” in the display. It is possible to have the same fixture available as a profile as well as from the internal list. For greatest flexibility and programming power, use profiles whenever possible.
PATCH FIXTURES
This menu allows you to turn auto patch on and off, change the DMX output and set the DMX starting address for each moving light fixture. Auto patch must be turned off to change the start address or output number. To turn auto patch on or off, place the cursor under the words “ON” or “OFF” below “Autopatch”, then use the + or - switch or use data wheel #4 to make the 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 moving light fixture in ascending order with each DMX address immediately following the last channel of the previous fixture. The first fixture will be assigned to DMX output port 1 at address 1. After 512 channels have been used, DMX output port 2 and then port 3 will be used for any remaining fixtures.
Using data wheel #1 you can select 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.
NOTE: If autopatch is enabled and any conventional dimmers are found to have their DMX addresses overlapping those of any moving light fixtures, the conventional dimmer DMX addresses will be moved to a location just above the last moving light fixture. If the dimmers are patched at an address already higher than any moving light fixture they will not be changed.
PATCH CONVENTIONAL DIMMERS
The Show Designer 3 supports up to 128 conventional dimmers, these can be dimmer modules that are wired to par cans, house lights or even fog machines. Once patched, conventional dimmers are controlled using the flex faders or by typing values with an external keyboard. Please read the chapter on conventional dimmers for more info regarding programming.
Each dimmer can be assigned to one of eight faders on one of sixteen pages of the flex faders. Each dimmer can also control up to eight consecutive DMX channels allowing you to assign a group of DMX channels to a single fader. Those DMX channels will all be locked to the same dimmer level as set by the fader. This is useful when you are treating house lights or whole sections of stage dimmers as a single unit. In addition to selecting the DMX channel and number of dimmers, you can also choose to put the dimmer into manual mode so that it can only be controlled using its fader or flash button (good for fog machines). You can also select the flash button to operate as momentary flash or latching on/off and you can enter a text name for the dimmer. These last three items are done by using the second page of the dimmer patching menu. Move the underline cursor on the display to the right to get to the second page.
On the first page of the menu, using data wheel #1, select the fader number and page for the dimmer. You can also press the flash button over the flex fader as long as the flex faders are configured for conventional dimmers. If the dimmer is not patched, all of the other fields will be blank. Use data wheel #2 to select the DMX out and data wheel #3 to select the DMX channel for the dimmer. As soon as you move one of these wheels the next available DMX address will appear in the field. You can then select a different address if needed. Use data wheel #4 to select the number of consecutive DMX addresses to be controlled by this dimmer. In most cases this will be 1. Use the right arrow switch to move the underline cursor all the way to the right side of the display then continue on to call the second page of the menu. On the second
page of the menu, use data wheel #1 to select the operation mode for this dimmer. “Memory” allows the dimmer to be included in and controlled by any memory, “Manual” will exclude the dimmer from memory functions and only allow it to be controlled using its fader or flash switch. Use data wheel #2 to select how the flash button will function, either as momentary flash or latching on/off. You can also enter a name for this dimmer by moving the cursor under the “name” field and by using data wheels 3 and 4 to enter characters or you can use the external keyboard. After all fields have been entered, you must press “enter” to save.
COPY FIXTURE
This menu is used to copy the fixture type and attributes from one moving light fixture number to another. This feature saves time by letting you copy the fixture choice rather than searching through the list for each fixture. Use this when you modify or create your own fixture and want to duplicate it. Use the + and ­switches or 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. 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.
LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE FROM CF
This menu allows you to load fixture profiles into the Show Designer 3 from the compact flash drive. Fixture profiles are small files that are available from elationlighting.com that contain detailed information about a lighting fixture such as the name and function of each of the channels as well as the name and DMX values of steps within a channel. Once loaded, a profile can be selected from the fixture list when choosing fixtures. Fixture profiles are most useful when using the data wheels to program moving light channels. The display will be able to show the function and current setting for a channel. The wheels will be able to select preprogrammed steps within a channel such as the colors on a color wheel. These channel steps can also be called from presets that are explained in more detail in a later section.
When this menu item is selected the message “Select fixture file, then press enter” will appear on the top line of the display. The bottom line of the display will show the first fixture profile found on the CF card, use the + or – switch or data wheel 1 to select a profile (if there is more that one profile on the disk) then press “enter”. The profile will be loaded into memory and can then be selected using the “choose fixtures” menu. Up to 256 fixture profiles can be loaded into memory.
LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE FROM COM PORT
This menu allows you to load fixture profiles into the Show Designer 3 from a PC using the COM port. When this menu item is selected the message “Ready to receive fixture profile” will appear. You must send the fixture file from your PC to the Show Designer using the “SD backup” program which is available from elationlighting.com. The profile will be loaded into memory and can then be selected using the “choose fixtures” menu. Read the section later in this manual on how to use the computer port for more information on this topic.
REMOVE FIXTURE PROFILE
This menu allows you to remove individual profiles from memory to free up memory space. When you enter this menu the message “Select profile to remove, press enter” will appear on the top line of the display. The first profile found in memory will appear on the bottom line, use the + or – switch or data wheel 1 to select from the list of profiles. Press, “enter” to remove that profile.
SELECT FLEX FADER MODE
The flex fader section can operate in three different ways; to control moving light channels, to control conventional dimmers, or as additional playback masters. Select the desired operation mode and press “enter”. None of the programming information will be lost when switching back and forth between modes.
SELECT PLAYBACK MODES
From this menu you can set the playback faders to operate in LTP or HTP mode. You can also set the playback flash buttons to operate as “momentary flash”, “latching on/off” or “go”. The flex fader section can be set differently than the regular playback section. Consult the chapter on playback faders for a complete explanation of each of the playback modes. Use the data wheels to make each selection and press “enter” to save.
NOTE: “Go” mode is not available for the flash button when the fader is set to LTP mode.
SELECT HOME SCENE
This allows you to select a home scene that will be called automatically whenever you use the “clear all” function by 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 the menu switches or data wheels 1 and 2 to select the desired page and scene number then press “enter”. You must of course first create the scene and save it before you do this. You can use any saved scene as the home scene.
PAN AND TILT INVERT
This menu allows you to invert the output of any of the pan or tilt channels for moving light fixtures. With this menu displayed, use the + and -switches or 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 press “enter” to save the selection.
MODIFY FIXTURE
This menu allows you modify some of the channel attributes of a fixture. These attributes are first set when you select a fixture from the library. You can also use this menu to create a new fixture that isn’t in the library by modifying an existing one. First select a fixture as described above in the “Choose Fixture” section. When trying to create a new fixture, start with “32 DMX Channels” which is the first choice from the internal list. You can later use the “Copy Fixture” feature as described in the next section to duplicate the new fixture. You will not be able to enter individual names for each channel when creating a new fixture. The channel names will be displayed as “chan 1, 2, 3 etc.” You can also create a fixture profile by downloading the fixture profile editor from the Elation web site. It can be found in the downloads section and is labeled “SD2 Library Creator”.
With this menu there are fourteen fixture attributes that can be modified. The attributes are: fixture name, number of channels, black channel, black value, dimmer channel, shutter channel, pan channel, pan fine channel, tilt channel, tilt fine channel, cyan channel, magenta channel, yellow channel and crossfade mode. Use the cursor switches to move the underline cursor to the fixture number or use data wheel #1 to select the fixture you want to modify. Next move the cursor to the “attribute” which is displayed immediately to the right or use data wheel #2 to select the attribute. Next move the cursor to the “value” line of the display or use data wheel #3 to select the value for the attribute you are changing. You must 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 a moving light fixture. You may want to modify this attribute on each 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 an external keyboard to enter the fixture name.
CHANNELSis the total number of channels for 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 “blackout” switch is pressed. You can choose any available fixture channel as well as “ALL” which will force all channels to the selected black value. Normally you would choose the shutter or dimmer channel for this.
BLACK VALUE is the DMX value that will be used for blackout on the selected black channel(s). This will accommodate fixtures that use the gobo wheel for blackout with a value other than 0 needed for a blackout. You may also want to blackout all channels to a value other than 0 since this is sometimes used as a reset by some fixtures. For some fixtures a value of 1 will achieve the same result as a value of 0.
DIMMER CHANNEL is the channel used by the fixture for the dimmer if it has one. This will only work for a fixture that has a full range (0 to 255) dimmer channel. If not, set this to “none”. The grand master fader will use this channel as well as the playback faders when in HTP mode and also by the flash chase effects.
SHUTTER CHANNEL is used by the flash chase effects to flash the fixture on and off. The shutter must operate using a value of 0 as fully closed and 255 as fully open for this to work properly.
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 shape chases.
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. CYAN CHANNEL is used to create color chase effects.
MAGENTA CHANNEL is used to create color chase effects. YELLOW CHANNEL is used to create color chase effects.
FADE MODE is used to set the crossfade method for each of the fixture’s channels. Use the + and -
switches or data wheel #2 to select the channel number. Once the channel is selected move the cursor to the value or 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.
“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. If you use this setting for gobo or color wheel channels, this will cause the wheels to step through all positions between the start and end positions of a long fade. This is usually the default setting for pan, tilt and dimmer channels.
“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 long crossfades. This is usually the default setting for speed and mode channels.
“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.
MULTI FIXTURE
Show Designer 3 supports moving light fixtures that use up to 32 DMX channels. Since many fixtures use fewer than 32 channels, Show Designer 3 will allow you to configure a group of 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 these 8 scanners. This feature is for controlling large numbers of small 1, 2, 3 or 4 channel fixtures to prevent wasting fixture numbers on many small fixtures.
You will be able to control the channels of each individual fixture by using the flex faders or 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 you will have to use the faders or the wheels.
Move the cursor to the fixture number and use the + and - switches or data wheel #1 to select a fixture. Move the cursor to the multi number or use data wheel #2 to increment or decrement this value. You can only choose numbers between 1 and the maximum number of fixtures that will fit into 32 channels. If it is a 4 channel fixture the multi value can be no higher than 8. 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.
VIEW MEMORY SIZE
This allows you to see how much memory is left for scenes, shows, etc. It is displayed as the percentage of memory 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 on 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 an external keyboard to enter a new file name. Insert a formatted CF card in the slot on the rear of the SD3 and press “enter”. The message “File has been saved to disk” will appear when finished. The content of the entire memory is backed up including all menu settings, scenes, presets, chases and shows. The file is a binary file with the file 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 CF drive for more information.
SAVE MEMORY FILE TO COM PORT
This allows you to back up the SD3 memory on a PC using the RS-232 port. Press “enter” to start the data transmission. The contents of the memory are encoded in text format and can be recorded by a PC connected to the RS-232 port running the SD Backup software. Read the section at the end of this manual on using the computer port for more information on how to back up the memory this way.
LOAD MEMORY FILE FROM CF
This allows you to restore the memory from your backup CF card. Pressing, “enter” displaysthe message “Select memory file, then press enter” on the top line of the display. The name of the first Show Designer 3 memory file found on the card will appear on the bottom line of the display, use the + or- switch or data wheel 1 to select the desired file. Press “enter” to load the file. Warning: the current memory will be overwritten. Read the section at the end of this manual on using the CF drive for more information.
LOAD MEMORY FILE FROM COM PORT
This allows you to restore the memory from a backup that was made using the RS-232 port and a PC. Pressing “enter” configures the RS-232 port for memory restore and waits for the file to be sent from a PC. Read the section at the end of this manual on using the computer port for details on how to back up and restore the memory this way. The only way to exit or abort this menu is to turn the SD3 power off.
SET MIDI CHANNEL
This allows you to select the MIDI channel that Show Designer 3 will receive on. Select channels 1-16 using the + or – switches or usedata wheel #1 then pre ss “enter”. Read the section on MIDI for more info.
UPDATE SOFTWARE
This allows you to update the Show Designer 3 software using the compact flash drive or a computer connected to the RS-232 port. The message “DOWNLOAD NEW SOFTWARE OR INSERT CARD” will appear when you press “enter”. The SD3 will wait until it detects a CF card with the correct file on it or for the correct type of file to be sent from a PC. The message “RECEIVING NEW PROGRAM” will appear as the new software file is installed. Upon completion, the system will reboot. The only way to exit
or abort this menu is to turn the power off. You can also call this menu on power up by pressing and holding “menu” and “erase” together while turning on the power.
LOCK/UNLOCK MEMORY (hidden)
This is one of the hidden menus that can only be selected while holding the “add” switch when cycling through the menu selections. This feature allows you to lock the memory to prevent someone from changing or erasing anything that has been recorded. The message “MEMORY LOCKED, CAN’T RECORD” will appear if the memory is locked and anyone presses the record switch. All other menu items will also be locked out in order to protect the memory.
To lock or unlock the memory from this menu, use the + and - switches or data wheel #1 to select the desired state, then press “enter”.
ERASE ALL MEMORY (hidden)
This is another one of the hidden menus that can only be selected while holding the “add” switch when cycling through the menu selections. This menu allows you to clear the entire memory of the Show Designer 3. This erases the scene, preset, chase and show data as well as the system parameters such as fixture assignments. The message “This will erase the entire memory. To erase, hold yes for 5 seconds” will appear in the display. Press and hold “yes” until the system reboots or press “no” to exit.
Loading...
+ 30 hidden pages
Buy Points How it Works FAQ Contact Us Questions and Suggestions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms of Use