User Guide Merlin
Merlin
-Page 1-
Merlin User Guide
IMPORTANT
Installer and Users please note:
These instructions should be read carefully and left with the user
of the product for future reference.
Installation
The Merlin must be installed by a competent electrician in
accordance with the current IEE wiring regulations.
Connect the Merlin to the 230 Volt mains supply using the lead
provided:
• Brown = Live
• Blue = Neutral
• Green/yellow = earth.
The Merlin must be earthed for safe and reliable operation of the
touch pads.
The Merlin is not fitted with a mains plug. This is because:
a) it may be installed permanently
b) it is an appliance for professional use.
Connect the flexilight to the 3-pin XLR socket on the front panel.
DO NOT connect the DMX lead to this socket.
Connecting the luminaires
Arrange the DMX controlled luminaires into four "chains" with a
maximum of 32 items on each chain. Do this in such a way as to make
the cabling easy. It is not necessary to arrange the items in order of
DMX address, or to put items in one group of addresses on a particular
chain. Unless you are using a very small number of luminaires, say less
than 8, it is a good idea to use more than one DMX chain because, in
the event of a data fault due to a luminaire or cable, only a quarter of
the light show will fail.
Connect the luminaires to DMX outputs of the Merlin
(the four 5-pin XLR connectors on the rear panel)
(data + = pin 3, data - = pin 2, earth = pin1). All four
sockets output the same DMX data. A maximum of
32 DMX controlled items may be connected to each DMX output.
-Page 2-
SCREEN
DATA DATA +
User Guide Merlin
DMX OUT
DMX IN DMX OUT DMX IN DMX OUT DMX IN DMX OUT DMX IN DMX OUT
CONTROLLER
• Do not connect one output to another
• Do not form a loop by connecting the last DMX item in the chain
back to the Merlin.
• Do not form branches in the chains.
• Use a good quality screened-twisted-pair cable suitable for data use.
• Place a DMX line terminator on the last luminaire in each chain. A
terminator is a 120W resistor connected across the Data+ and
Data− lines of the DMX connection. Some luminaires have
automatic terminators, and some have a switch to turn the
terminator on and off. If the luminaire has a terminator switch,
make sure that it is ON for the last luminaire in the chain, and OFF
for ALL others.
Set all the DMX address switches on the luminaires that you are using
to the address you wish to use to control the item. The instructions to
do this are contained in the user guides for each luminaire. As they vary
from luminaire to luminaire and manufacturer to manufacturer it is not
possible to fully describe how to do this in this user guide. As a general
rule, there are switches labelled 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,128 and 256
(although not all these may be present). Always refer to the numbers
printed on the label above the switches, not on the switches themselves.
Add up all the switches that are switched on, and
1248163264
add 1, to give the DMX address. This applies to all
128
256
NJD luminaires that are fitted with DIL switches. The
example shows a DMX start address of 73
If the memory card is plugged in, it will be loaded as soon as power is
applied. If you do not wish to load the memory card, do not plug it in
-Page 3-
Merlin User Guide
before switching on. (This allows an automatic load to be carried out at
power-on to remove invalid scenes which the Merlin cannot process)
Connecting other inputs
Midi interface
If Midi control is being used connect to the 5-pin 180° DIN socket.
Remote Control Interface
1 2 3 4 5
If the remote control interface is to be used, connect volt-free
switch contacts such as a foot switch, to the 9-pin D-socket
on the rear panel.
Common = pin 1 Input 1 = pin Input 2 = pin 2
Input 3 = pin 7 Input 4 = pin 3 Input 5 = pin 8
Input 6 = pin 4 Input 7 = pin 9 Input 8 = pin 5
When the switch contacts close they should connect one of the inputs to
the common terminal.
The remote control inputs have the same effect as the flash pads.
Closing a switch connected to remote input 1 is the same as touching
the FLASH pad below slider 1. Input 2 corresponds to slider 2 etc.
If a latching switch is used, it will have the same effect as touching the
LATCH pad.
6 7 8 9
RS232 interface
The 5-pin domino pattern DIN socket is for an RS232 interface, which is
not as yet implemented.
It is intended to produce a computer-based editing suite for use in
conjunction with the Merlin, this will connect to the Serial port of the
computer.
Connecting a sound input
Connect a sound input of any level from 775mV rms
(0dBm) (the output level of the tape output of a mixer)
to 60V rms (the speaker output of a 450W per
channel amplifier) to the phono socket on the rear
panel. The signal is connected to the centre pin and
earth to the outside. The output of a mixer that
-Page 4-
Ground
(Screen)
(Core)
Signal
User Guide Merlin
connects to the power amplifier may have too low a level to operate the
sound level if the master control is not turned up.
The sound input allows the Merlin to animate programs to synchronize
to the bass beat of the music. When a sound signal is present, the
green led in the SOUND pad will flash in time to the bass beat of the
music, except when writing programs.
Setting the Merlin DIL switches.
These switches are located underneath the front edge of the Merlin
fascia at the left hand side. They do not set DMX channels, they control
the way that the Merlin displays certain items, and the way it is operated
from MIDI. Switches 1 to 4 of the first group of switches set the
language. Languages available at present are shown overleaf:
Other settings of the switches will give an English display.
Switches 5 and 6 set the way that the Merlin displays channel levels.
For the moment set these 5=Off and 6=On to give a decimal display.
Switches 7, 8 and 16 arenot used at present.
Switches 9 to 15 set the Midi channel and note numbers that the Merlin
responds to, if you are not using Midi control, these do not need to be
set.
Switch 1 Switch 2 Switch 3 Switch 4
English On On On On
Danish On Off Off On
Dutch On On Off On
French Off On On On
German On Off On On
Italian Off Off Off On
Norwegian Off On Off On
Spanish On On On Off
Swedish Off Off On On
The MIDI channel and the note number of slider 1 are set on switches 9
to 15 (switches 9 -15 are in the second group of eight switches - refer
to the rear label) Note number 60 is Middle C (C3), An octave below is
-Page 5-
Merlin User Guide
48 (C2) and an octave above is 72 (C4) Sliders number 2 to 16
correspond to the next 15 notes (on a chromatic scale) following the
note number set.
Note number
slider 1
Switch
15
Switch
14
Switch
13
1 On On On 16
17 On On Off 32
33 On Off On 48
49 On Off Off 64
65 Off On On 80
81 Off On Off 96
97 Off Off On 112
113 Off Off Off 128
Note number
slider 16
-Page 6-
User Guide Merlin
Midi Channel
number
1 On On On On
2 On On On Off
3 On On Off On
4 On On Off Off
5 On Off On On
6 On Off On Off
7 On Off Off On
8 On Off Off Off
9 Off On On On
10 Off On On Off
11 Off On Off On
12 Off On Off Off
13 Off Off On On
14 Off Off On Off
15 Off Off Off On
16 Off Off Off Off
Switch
12
Switch
11
Switch
10
Switch
9
OPERATION
At this point the Merlin may be switched on. All leds will be lit for a
second and then a welcome message will be displayed. When this
disappears, the normal working display will replace it. If the displays are
not legible, or nothing is displayed, then adjust the contrast controls on
the rear panel for the best legibility. There are two contrast controls,
one for each display. The Merlin is now operational. Throughout this
manual, the names of touch pads will be printed like this: ENTER,
and examples of the Merlin's text displays like this: C001
If the welcome message is not in the correct language, go back to the
section on setting switches 1 to 4. After changing the switches, turn the
power off and on again in order to initialize any special characters such
as é, ß or ö correctly. (Don't forget to remove the memory card if you do
-Page 7-
Merlin User Guide
not wish it to be automatically loaded when power is switched on)
The display should now show C001 above the first slider, C002 above
the second, C003 above the third, and so on up to C016 above the
sixteenth slider. These indicate the first slider operates channel 1
(C001), the second, channel 2 (C002), the third, channel 3 (C003)
and so on up to the sixteenth slider which operates DMX channel 16
(C016). These are called the "slider allocations"
If a lighting effect is set to operate on any of the first sixteen channels, it
can now be operated manually, by using the relevant sliders. The NJD
Predator HX intelligent scanner will be used as an example throughout
this manual; other NJD luminaires operate either identically or very
similarly. If the DIL switches on the luminaire set it to operate on channel
5, then slider 5 (with C005) displayed above it will move the mirror
horizontally, slider 6 will move it vertically, slider 7 will change the colour
and slider 8 switch the lamp on and off and change the gobo. Set slider
8 to a central position to turn on the lamp in order to see the other
effects.
To control the mirror position from the joystick instead of the sliders,
touch the joystick allocation key above the C005 slider twice (to set
joystick x axis - LED glows red) and above the C006 slider once to set
joystick y axis (LED glows green). Move the slider to zero. The mirror
position can now be set using the joystick instead of the sliders.
The joystick can be used simultaneously to control the x and y movement
of several luminaires. An offset distance can be added to the joystick
position by moving the slider position away from zero. This may reduce
the overall scan angle achievable.
If however, the Predator was set to operate on channels 129 to 132, it
is not possible to operate it using the sliders set as supplied. It may be
operated from any of the sixteen sliders by changing the Slider
allocation.
Changing the Slider allocation
The slider allocation is the four-character display above each slider
which shows which channel, scene or program it is operating. C001
represents channel 1, S654 represents scene 654, P044 represents
program 44.
• Choose a group of four sliders that you wish to use to operate the
-Page 8-
User Guide Merlin
Predator, say sliders 9 to 12.
• touch the < or > keys until the cursor (flashing black block in the
display) appears above slider 9. Then touch DIGIT, to move the
cursor to the zero.
• Now using the "joystick allocation" keys (which now have become
numeric keys once "DIGIT" has been touched) type "1" "2" "9".
"C129" should now appear above slider 9, instead of C009. If a
mistake is made, touch digit until the underline cursor is below the
incorrect digit, and then touch the correct number. This slider will
now operate channel 129.
• Move the cursor to slider 10 using the > key, touch digit and type
"130". (To enter a zero, touch the joystick allocation pad labelled
10)
• Repeat for sliders 11 and 12 and channels 131 and 132.
The sliders will now operate the Predator as before. To change the
joystick allocation, touch DIGIT until the cursor returns to the C and
changes from and underline to a black block. The joystick allocation keys
will now change the joystick allocations as before. You can now allocate
sliders to any channel you wish to control. As the Merlin only has 256
channels, you cannot allocate a slider to a channel number more than
256. If this is attempted, the allocation will change to C256. This may
happen whilst changing an allocation from say C077 to C211. After the
"2" is touched you would expect the display to read C277, but this
channel is not available, and C256 is displayed. Just continue to type
the "11".
If more than one slider is allocated to the same channel (two sliders
have C001 displayed above them) then no harm will be done, whichever
is at the higher setting will control channel 1.
The LATCH and FLASH pads perform the same function as
moving the slider to full level: touch the latch or flash pad on the slider
used for the mirror x axis, and see the mirror move to full deflection.
Keyswitch.
The keyswitch prevents unauthorized access to editing functions, but still
allows the sliders, LATCH and FLASH pads to be used normally.
-Page 9-
Merlin User Guide
In order to proceed any further with programming the Merlin, the
Authority keyswitch must be turned clockwise.
Storing a scene:
Any combination of channels allocated to the sliders making a certain
lighting display or pattern can be stored as a "scene".
• First make sure that the authority key switch is in the clockwise
position.
• Then touch the "STORE" key, and "Scene to Store:" will be
displayed as a prompt for the scene number you wish to use to
store this scene.
• Type in the scene number using the numeric pads (1 to 10, with 10
representing 0 of the joystick allocation pads). There are one
thousand scenes available. The first one is scene zero S000 and
the last S999.
• Then select the sliders you wish to include in the scene by touching
the latch pads on the sliders. If the scene includes just the position,
colour and gobo of the Predator HX, then select just the four sliders
which control it. If it includes the position, colour and gobo for two
Predators, include all 8 sliders.
• Touch "STORE" again, You can now choose whether the scene is to
be non-dimmable, dimmable or fading. For the moment, choose
"dimmable" by touching the DIM pad.
At this point the scene can be given a name:
• Touch the NAME pad.
• Then use the LATCH and FLASH pads to type the scene
name, of up to twelve characters; if numbers are required, the first
nine joystick allocation pads allow the numbers 1 to 9 to be typed.
The DEL pad deletes the last character typed.
• When the name has been typed, touch the NAME pad again.
• Touch "STORE" again the scene is now stored.
Always keep a record of the last scene number used, to avoid the
possibility of accidentally overwriting your programming. Keep
regular backups on a memory card.
-Page 10-
User Guide Merlin
Replaying a scene
To replay the scene, choose a slider that is not being used, and allocate
the scene to it.
• Move the cursor to it using the < and > keys.
• Then touch the "CHANNEL/SCENE/PROG" key until S
(for Scene) appears as the first character of the display above the
slider.
• Then touch DIGIT and type in the scene number using the
numeric pads. If you stored scene 1 the display should read S001.
touch the "LATCH" pad and the Predator should move to the
position/colour/gobo that you stored.
Make sure that the sliders that control the Predator individually are set
to zero, as they will override the scene.
• Touch "LATCH" again and the Predator will turn off.
Now move the slider for S001 slowly from zero. The Mirror will move
from the bottom left corner to the position stored and the colours will
change slowly from magenta. This is the effect of a dimmable scene. If
the scene had been stored as non-dimmable, the mirror colour and gobo
would remain off and then take up the position stored as soon as the
slider reached half of full level.
Using Fade
If a fade rate is set, the scene will fade in or out at the rate set. This
allows a smooth fade-in or fade-out to be achieved simply by touching the
LATCH pad of a slider operating a scene. The time displayed
assumes that the scene will fade from fully off to fully on. If it is not
fading as far, it will take correspondingly less time to achieve.
The "Auto" setting achieved by rotating the SPEED/FADE RATE control
fully anticlockwise allows the Merlin to calculate the fade rate
automatically whilst running programs. The fade rate is adjusted so that
the fade takes exactly the length of the program step to complete,
allowing continuous smooth movement of mirrors in intelligent lighting.
This applies only to fixed speed, variable speed or timed programs.
Automatic fading is not available for obvious reasons on single step and
sound animated programs.
-Page 11-
Loading...