ETC Cobalt Nomad Quick Guide

ETC® Quick Guide

Cobalt™ Nomad, Cobalt Client, & Cobalt Offline

Cobalt™ software, when installed on a personal computer (with the Windows® 7 or Windows 8
operating system) running Cobalt software version 7.0.0 or greater, can be used to control a lighting
system, interact with an existing Cobalt lighting control system, or as an offline show file editor.

A computer with the Cobalt software and Nomad dongle installed may be used online as a server,
backup, or client to another Congo family product. Backup capabilities extend only to the number of
outputs available on the Cobalt Nomad installation (maximum 4 universes).

A computer with the Cobalt software and a Cobalt client dongle installed may be used on a Cobalt
lighting network to interact with another Cobalt product acting as server. This could be a Cobalt 20
console, Cobalt Light Server, or another computer running Cobalt Nomad.

A computer with the Cobalt software and no connected dongle may be used offline to edit or create
show files. Cobalt Offline Editor can communicate with visualization software, but the output will be
steppy.

The Cobalt Nomad kit contains the following:

• Cobalt Nomad dongle

• Tag with Nomad serial number and dongle number. Please keep this tag in a safe place.

• USB drive containing software, this quick guide, user manuals, tutorials, etc.

The Cobalt Client kit contains the following:

• Cobalt Client dongle

• USB drive containing software, this quick guide, user manuals, tutorials, etc.

Note:

It is highly recommended that you check www.etcconnect.com/Cobalt for the
latest version of software as it is possible that patches or updates have been
released since this kit was manufactured.

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Personal Computer (laptop or desktop) with:

• Intel-based multi-core processor with clock frequency higher than 2.0 GHz

• Windows 7 or Windows 8 with 500 MB free disk space

• Display with resolution of at least 1280x1024

• 512 MB of RAM minimum (1 GB recommended)

• 64 MB Video Card with hardware accelerated OpenGL

• RJ-45 Ethernet Network adapter (required to communicate with a lighting network, DMX output
devices)

• Available USB port for the Cobalt Nomad or Cobalt Client Dongle

Note:

Note:

Windows XP and Macintosh computers are not officially supported in this release.
It may be possible to use a Mac with Parallels
performance and connectivity to lighting networks cannot be guaranteed.

Using typical WiFi networks to transmit show critical data is not recommended.
Show critical data includes output levels to the rig and backup connections to
other consoles, Cobalt Nomad, or Client computers.

®

or Windows XP; however,

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ETC Quick Guide

Cobalt Nomad, Client, & Offline Editor

Using Real-Time Software Like Cobalt Nomad on a Personal Computer

Cobalt is an application that, when acting as a server, performs real-time fading of lighting levels to
create a show. It is vital to the accurate performance of your show that the computer used for this
purpose not be used for other activities, like gaming or web surfing. It is highly recommended that the
performance of the computer as a lighting controller be checked after any major changes to the
computer running Cobalt software – like system updates, new service packs, newly installed software,
updated drivers and so on – to ensure that the change does not affect the performance of the real-time
performance of Cobalt.

Note:

If you experience any performance issues, it is recommended that you first close
any other programs that are running, including background tasks.

Software Installation

Note:

Step 1: Copy the files (software, dongle driver, and movie files) from the USB drive to your PC.

Step 2: To install Cobalt software:

Note:

Note:

Step 3: To install the optional training and tutorial movies, double-click the installer file, and follow

A software installer is provided on the included USB drive, however it is a good
idea to verify that you have the latest version of the software. Please check

www.etcconnect.com/Cobalt

If you are reinstalling Cobalt, click the Repair option at the beginning of the
installation process.

Step a: Double-click the Cobalt installer file.

If you downloaded the latest software version from www.etcconnect.com, you
may need to extract the files from the ZIP file before running the Cobalt installer.

Step b: Follow the directions within the installer.

the instructions to install the movies on your PC.

to ensure that you have the latest version.

Cobalt Nomad, Cobalt Client, & Cobalt Offline Editor Page 2 of 16 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

ETC Quick Guide

With Cobalt Nomad and another server online, this
option will display “Start Backup”

With Cobalt Nomad or Cobalt Client and
another server online, this option will
display “Start Client”

With no dongle connected, this will be
the only “start” option shown

Cobalt Nomad, Client, & Offline Editor

Getting Started

For Cobalt Nomad and Cobalt Client systems, connect the Nomad or Client dongle to a USB port on
your computer. The dongle must be connected to and recognized by the computer before you launch
the Cobalt application.

For Cobalt Offline Editor systems, there is no dongle required and you can just start the Cobalt
application normally.

Note:

When you first launch the Cobalt application, a welcome screen appears with a number of options,
depending on whether you have the Cobalt Nomad dongle connected to the computer and whether you
have other Cobalt family devices on the same network and in the same Logical Network, see

Configuring Your Output Options on page 6. On a simple system with only the PC and the Nomad

dongle connected, you should see this:

The Cobalt Nomad and Cobalt Client dongles require software drivers. Please
make sure that you have installed these drivers prior to connecting the dongle.

See “Software Installation” on page 2.

Navigating this screen

Cobalt Nomad, Cobalt Client, & Cobalt Offline Editor Page 3 of 16 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

You can simply click on the round buttons to activate the appropriate option, or you can use the arrow
keys to move the gold selection indicator around the disc. Press ENTER to activate your selection.

Note:

A quick note about the use of the term MODIFY in the software - the Cobalt family
consoles use the [Modify] key on their facepanels to confirm actions, enter
numbers and texts into dialogs, and modify spreadsheet cells. On a PC keyboard,
the ENTER/RETURN key is the [Modify] key.

ETC Quick Guide

Cobalt Nomad, Client, & Offline Editor

Start Server/Start Backup

Click {Start Server} option to start the Cobalt application and allow uninterrupted data onto the network
for proper control of your lighting devices. If this option is not visible, the Cobalt Nomad dongle has not
been recognized by your computer or the Cobalt application. Quit Cobalt and check that the dongle is
recognized by your PC.

If this option shows {Start Backup}, there is another Cobalt family product with the same Logical
Network setting already connected to the network as a server. There should only ever be one server
online in a Logical Network at a time. If you want the Cobalt Nomad to be an independent server on this
network, please adjust the Logical Network setting to a different number. See “Protocols” on page 7.

Start Client

This option appears to the left of the Start Server/Start Backup option when there is another Cobalt
family product online, in the same Logical Network, and already started as a server. Otherwise the
option will appear blank.

Start Offline

This option will start the Cobalt application without sending any lighting levels to the network. If you
have no Cobalt Nomad or Cobalt Client dongle connected, it is possible to use Cobalt offline with a
visualizer by clicking the “Enable Output in Offline Mode” box in the Protocols tab of System Settings,
see Configuring Your Output Options on page 6. If you are using Cobalt Nomad and your faders appear
very choppy when running your show, ensure that your system is running as a server and not in offline
mode. Offline systems will have a green background color in the Cobalt windows, and will display
“Offline Editor” in the upper left corner of those windows.

System Settings

Click this option to enter the System Settings of Cobalt. See Connecting to the Network on page 5 for
important settings regarding your network configuration. System Settings contains the language
settings for Cobalt. You may change the user interface and help system languages separately. Other
settings are described in the online help or the Cobalt User Manual found on the included USB drive or
at www.etcconnect.com/Cobalt

.

Quit

Click this option to quit the Cobalt application. You can also click on the X in the upper right corner of the
welcome screen.

Cobalt Nomad, Cobalt Client, & Cobalt Offline Editor Page 4 of 16 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

ETC Quick Guide

Cobalt Nomad, Client, & Offline Editor

Connecting to the Network

To connect to a lighting network, you may need to adjust the configuration of your Network Interface
Connection. This may include changing an IP address or adjusting a proxy server setting. The details
on what settings you may need to adjust can be clarified with the administrator of the network you are
using. These settings are made in Windows itself.

CAUTION:

The image below shows the settings available on a typical laptop:

ETC does not recommend the use of wireless networks for transmission of show­critical data like lighting levels or backup connections.

Using Cobalt Nomad with an ETC Net3 DMX/RDM Gateway or Other ETC Lighting Net­works

Note:

If you plan to use Cobalt Nomad with a brand new ETC Net3 DMX/RDM Gateway for conversion of
sACN to DMX, or if you plan to connect your Cobalt Nomad computer to another ETC lighting network
using ETC recommended IP addressing, we recommend that you configure the Internet Protocol (TCP/
IPv4) settings for your computer as shown below.

Note:

• IP Address: 10.101.79.101

• Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0

• Default Gateway: 10.101.1.1

Cobalt Nomad, Cobalt Client, & Cobalt Offline Editor Page 5 of 16 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

Always consult with the administrator of the network you plan to connect to
regarding specific settings. Some settings may interfere with the normal operation
of an existing network.

The network address of your DMX gateways must be configured to
complementary settings. Use Net3 Concert, GCE or the Net3 Address Service.