Robe DMX CONTROL 1024 User Manual
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User manual
DMX CONTROL 1024
Table of contents
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................................................. 4
2. OPERATING DETERMINATIONS .................................................................................. 4
3.OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 6
3.1.REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS................................................................................ 6
3.2.FRONT PANEL ......................................................................................................... 6
4.MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS .................................................................................. 6
4.1.CHOOSE FIXTURES ............................................................................................... 7
4.2.PATCH FIXTURES ................................................................................................... 7
4.3.MULTI FIXTURE ....................................................................................................... 7
4.4.MODIFY FIXTURE .................................................................................................... 7
4.5.COPY FIXTURE ....................................................................................................... 9
4.6.PAN AND TILT INVERT ............................................................................................ 9
4.7.SET MIDI CHANNEL ................................................................................................ 9
4.8.VIEW MEMORY SIZE ............................................................................................... 9
4.9.SAVE MEMORY FILE ............................................................................................... 9
4.10.LOAD MEMORY FILE ............................................................................................. 9
4.11.LOAD FIXTURE PROFILE ..................................................................................... 9
4.12.REMOVE FIXTURE PROFILE .............................................................................. 10
4.13.UPDATE SOFTWARE........................................................................................... 10
4.14.LOCK/UNLOCK MEMORY ................................................................................... 10
4.15.ERASE ALL MEMORY ......................................................................................... 10
5.SWITCH AND CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................. 10
5.1.NUMBER SWITCHES 1-48 .................................................................................... 10
5.2.FIXTURE ................................................................................................................ 10
5.3.FIXTURE GROUP .................................................................................................. 11
5.4.DATA WHEELS ....................................................................................................... 11
5.5.CHANNEL FADERS ............................................................................................... 11
5.6.BANK SWITCH ....................................................................................................... 11
5.7.JOYSTICK ............................................................................................................... 11
5.8.FINE SWITCH......................................................................................................... 12
5.9.BLACK SWITCH ..................................................................................................... 12
6.SCENES ........................................................................................................................ 12
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6.1.RECORDING SCENES .......................................................................................... 12
6.2.RECALLING SCENES (solo mode) ........................................................................ 12
6.3.RECALLING SCENES (add mode) ........................................................................ 12
6.4.RECALLING SCENES (preview mode) .................................................................. 13
6.5.RECALLING SCENES WITH MASTER FADERS .................................................. 13
6.6.ERASE SCENE ...................................................................................................... 13
7.PRESETS ...................................................................................................................... 13
7.1.RECORDING PRESETS ........................................................................................ 13
7.2.RECALLING PRESETS ......................................................................................... 14
7.3.ERASE PRESET .................................................................................................... 14
7.4.EDITING PRESETS ............................................................................................... 14
7.5.COMBINING PRESETS ......................................................................................... 15
8.CHASES ........................................................................................................................ 15
8.1.RECORDING CHASES .......................................................................................... 15
8.2.RECALLING CHASES ........................................................................................... 16
8.3.ERASE CHASE ...................................................................................................... 16
8.4.EDITING CHASES ................................................................................................. 17
8.5.FACTORY CHASES ............................................................................................... 17
8.6.AUDIO SWITCH ...................................................................................................... 17
8.7.BEAT SWITCH ........................................................................................................ 17
9.SHOWS .......................................................................................................................... 17
9.1.RECORDING SHOWS ........................................................................................... 17
9.2.RECALLING SHOWS ............................................................................................. 18
9.3.ERASE SHOW........................................................................................................ 19
9.4.EDITING SHOWS ................................................................................................... 19
10.PREVIEW .................................................................................................................... 19
11.SCENE MASTERS ...................................................................................................... 19
11.1.HOW THE SCENE MASTERS WORK ................................................................. 20
12.MIDI .............................................................................................................................. 20
13.USING THE DISK DRIVE ............................................................................................ 20
13.1.MEMORY BACKUP .............................................................................................. 20
13.2.MEMORY RESTORE ............................................................................................ 21
13.3.SOFTWARE UPDATE........................................................................................... 21
13.4.SOFTWARE UPDATE USING AUTO LOAD ......................................................... 21
13.5.FIXTURE PROFILES ............................................................................................ 21
14.TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................. 22
15.CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE ............................................................................. 22
APPENDIX - FIXTURE LIBRARY.................................................................................... 23
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Keep this device away from rain and moisture!
Unplug mains lead before opening the housing!
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, PLEASE READ THIS USER MANUAL CAREFULLY
BEFORE YOU INITIAL START - UP!
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Every person involved with installation and maintenance of this device have to:
- be qualilfied
- follow the instructions of this manual
CAUTION!
Be careful with your operations. With a high voltage you can suffer
a dangerous electric shock when touching the wires!
This device has left our premises in absolutely perfect condition. In order to maintain this condition and to ensure
a safe operation, it is absolutely necessary for the user to follow the safety instructions and warning notes written
in this manual.
Important:
The manufacturer will not accept liability for any resulting damages caused by the non-observance of this manual
or any unauthorized modification to the device.
Please consider that damages caused by manual modifications to the device are not subject to warranty.
Never let the power-cord come into contact with other cables! Handle the power-cord and all connections with the
mains with particular caution!
The power plug has to be accessable after installing the device.
Make sure that the power cord is never crimped or damaged by sharp edges. Check the device and the powercord
from time to time.
Always disconnect from the mains, when the device is not in use or before cleaning it.
The electric connection, repairs and servicing must be carried out by a qualified employee.
2. OPERATING DETERMINATIONS
This device was designed for indoor use only.
If the device has been exposed to drastic temperature fluctuation (e.g. after transportation), do not switch it on
immediately. The arising condensation water might damage your device. Leave the device switched off until it has
reached room temperature.
Do not shake the device. Avoid brute force when installing or operating the device.
When choosing the installation-spot, please make sure that the device is not exposed to extreme heat, moisture
or dust. There should not be any cables lying around. You endanger your own and the safety of others!
Operate the device only after having familiarized with its functions. Do not permit operation by persons not
qualified for operating the device. Most damages are the result of unprofessional operation!
Please use the original packaging if the device is to be transported.
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Never put any liquids on the device or close to it. Should any liquid enter the device nevertheless, disconnect
from mains immediately. Please let the device be checked by a qualified service technician before you operate it
again. Any damages caused by liquids having entered the device are not subject to warranty!
Please consider that unauthorized modifications on the device are forbidden due to safety reasons!
If this device will be operated in any way different to the one described in this manual, the product may suffer
damages and the guarantee becomes void. Furthermore, any other operation may lead to dangers like shortcircuit, electric shock, etc.
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3.OVERVIEW
The DMX Control 1024 is a lighting controller. The approach of this controller is to try to simplify the programming
process as much as possible while still offering a high level of control at a low cost.
48 lighting fixtures of up to 32 channels each can be controlled using two DMX 512 outputs. Control of up to 1024
DMX lighting channels is possible. Support of ROBE fixtures as well as other popular brands is included in the
setup menu. Additional lighting fixture profiles can also be downloaded from the ROBE web site.
The operating system of the DMX Control 1024 uses flash memory so that the software can be updated from a
floppy disk drive. Software updates will be made available on the ROBE web site at ww.robe.cz.
3.1.REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS
· Power input for an external 9V power supply. This requires a transformer with a 9VDC output at 1200ma.
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 lighting fixtures send data minus on pin 2 and some on pin 3. The more
commonly used polarity is data minus on pin 2 (switch is to the right as you’re looking at the back of the unit).
· MIDI in and out - 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 in units that don’t have the disk drive installed.
· Keyboard – used to attach a PC keyboard for data entry. This uses a PS2 keyboard connection and is part
of the disk drive option available for the DMX Control 1024.
· 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.
· Disk Drive - Used for back up the memory, input lighting fixture profiles or update the software using
standard 3.5” 1.44 MB floppy disks.
3.2.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 wheels for channel control and data entry, a joystick for pan
and tilt control and a backlit display for programming. There is also a 3 pin XLR connector for a work light.
4.MENU AND SETUP FUNCTIONS
The menu switch located above the character display is used to configure the DMX Control 1024 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 that you
want to change. (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.
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4.1.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 will be
adjusted to accommodate the new fixture.
The DMX Control 1024 has a built in list of fixtures to choose from. You can also load in ”fixture profiles” which
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 robe.cz. They can then be loaded into the DMX Control 1024
using the disk drive or through the RS-232 port if you don’t have the disk drive option installed. Read the section
on loading fixture profiles for more information.
When selecting fixtures from the ”Choose Fixtures” menu, any profiles will be followed by ”(profile)” in the display.
4.2.PATCH FIXTURES
This allows you to turn auto patch on and off or allows you to change the output port and set the DMX starting
address for each fixture manually. Auto patch must be turned off to 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 to select on or off or use data wheel #4. 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 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 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.
4.3.MULTI FIXTURE
DMX Control 1024 supports intelligent lighting fixtures that use as many as 32 DMX channels. Since most
fixtures use fewer than 32 channels, DMX Control 1024 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 8 of these scanners.
NOTE: This feature is for controlling large numbers of small 1, 2, 3 or 4 channel fixtures. This helps to prevent
wasting fixture numbers on a bunch of 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, 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. 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.
4.4.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
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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. After you
have entered the ”Modify Fixture” menu, 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 from the nine fixture attributes. 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 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 on 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 an external keyboard to enter the fixture name.
CHANNELS is 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 if you drastically change the number of channels for a fixture that has already been
set up and is in use. 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 that 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.
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 the + and - switches or
data wheel #2 to select the channel desired. 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.
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