Scrollers

[JohnMcConnell]

I do the lighting for an amateur drama group and the hall we use for our shows have just spend some funds on a refurbishment that is long overdue. As a result, I now have a strand 200 series board to play with :( . This means that everything now operates on 512 DMX if I understand things correctly.

 

If I assign the scrollers to a channel on the board, or multiple channels if I want them separately, the intensity of the channel then sets the colour of the scroller?? Y/N?? If this is true, what happens to the colour of the scroller during, say, a slow fade to a B/O, as the intensity of the channel will change?

 

Also, how do I wire up the scrollers to the output from the boards, as this is just a DMX output that links in with the 48 channels in the dimmer racks, and I can't see where to plug in the scroller cable? ;)

 

If any of you are familiar with the strand 200 series, could someone tell me how to get the cues to work on the 'Go' button like on a 520i because I have spend ages trying, and can get them to go through using two submasters (like on the old two present boards, where one submaster is the cue in use, and other one loads up the next cue ready for the next cue), but can't get the 'go' button to work!

 

Any advice, information you have would be appreciated greatly, as really I don't know very much, but want to achieve a lot with my designs, and not knowing all this basic stuff is very frustrating :D

Thanks to you all in advance,

John

[richard]

I'm sure that gareth will answer your question on the 200 series - it being his favourite an all, but regarding the scrollers,

 

I am assuming that they are either of the 'rainbow' or 'chroma-Q' type (or similar) in that they have a Power Supply, into which you plug mains and DMX, and then outputs to plug the scrollers into?

 

If this is the case then you will need to find the 'DMX out' or 'DMX through' (or similar) on your last dimmer, you can then take a cable from that and into your PSU, you may find that there is a plug already in the DMX ot with no wire coming out of it, if so then this is a terminator plug, which you should plug into the DMX out of the scroller PSU to stop interference on the data.

 

When you fade the channel then yes, the scrolls will fade, so you would need to program the scrollers so that they are 'preset' into their colour, and remain in that colour in the cue after they go out, then changing in a middle cue. (if that makes sense)

 

If you tell us the make of your dimmers then I can be of more help in finding the right connector!

 

Hope this helps

 

Richard

[Stu]

On the subject of the scrollers if you hired Chroma Qs for instance, you'd get (say) 6 scrollers and a PSU to run them which would be setup as such:

 

DMX (Strand 200) -(5pin DMX)-> Dimmer 1 (etc) -(5pin DMX)-> Chroma Q PSU -(DMX Termination)->

 

then from PSU to

 

-(4pin XLR)-> Scroller 1 -> 2 -> etc until -> 6 -> PSU

 

in a loop in other words.

 

Each scroller would then be given a DMX address (say 101, 102 etc) and you'd patch the 101, 102 (etc) to a channel on the desk, for instance 42, 43 etc.

 

With the Strand 200, I don't think it does LTP (Latest Takes Precendce, where a value won't change, even when you take the fader to 0% or the GM down, until you give the channel a new value/command) so you'd have to make sure the scene your fading from (all lights up, scrollers at blue) into the next scene (blackout) has the scrollers programmed into the blackout at the same value as the last scene so they don't go back to home position when you fade the lights out! You could then do the change on the scrollers in a new cue, while still in blackout.

 

Hope this makes sense, and helps.

Stu

(PS. Good luck with the new desk n' all)

[JohnMcConnell]

We haven't actually got any scrollers of our own, I was thinking about hiring some.

Will hire companies hire out scrollers with, say, a control box for four scrollers, or do they have to go through the lighting board?

 

Hoping you wouldn't ask about the dimmers. They are maufactured by that much loved company, Furse, something like furse delta or something? anyway, I know they are analogue and just had a DMX - anaolgue conversion card installed into them during the refurbishment.

[gareth]

I do the lighting for an amateur drama group and the hall we use for our shows have just spend some funds on a refurbishment that is long overdue. As a result, I now have a strand 200 series board to play with :

Good choice!

This means that everything now operates on 512 DMX if I understand things correctly.

It does, and you do.

If I assign the scrollers to a channel on the board, or multiple channels if I want them separately, the intensity of the channel then sets the colour of the scroller?? Y/N??

Correct. Zero puts the scroll at one end, full puts it at the other, with intermediate levels stopping the scroll along its travel.

If this is true, what happens to the colour of the scroller during, say, a slow fade to a B/O, as the intensity of the channel will change?

The position of the scroll changes accordingly. If all channels fade to black, the scroll will slowly move to its first frame as the control channel fades to zero. So you need to make sure that scroller control channels don't fade to black with intensity channels, otherwise your cues will go through some strange colours on their way to FBO.

Also, how do I wire up the scrollers to the output from the boards, as this is just a DMX output that links in with the 48 channels in the dimmer racks, and I can't see where to plug in the scroller cable? :D

The last dimmer rack in the chain should have a DMX loop-through connector on it - run a 5-pin DMX cable from here to the scroller power supply. Then run a 4-pin XLR scroller cable from the PSU to the first scroller, and out of that into the second scroller, etc. etc. until you get to the last scroller in the chain. Then run a cable from that back to the return connector on the PSU. Apply power to the PSU, check that your scrollers are all set to the right DMX address, and off you go.

 

If any of you are familiar with the strand 200 series, could someone tell me how to get the cues to work on the 'Go' button like on a 520i because I have spend ages trying, and can get them to go through using two submasters (like on the old two present boards, where one submaster is the cue in use, and other one loads up the next cue ready for the next cue), but can't get the 'go' button to work!

There's no 'go' button on a 200. Edit : well, yes there is a physical button marked Go, but it's not a playback control in the same way as the 520's Go button - the one on the 200 is for starting effects only. The way to do sequential crossfades is to program your lighting states into a series of sequential submasters. To start the sequence, put preset masters A and B to the top of their travel and set your fade time on the two time faders. Move masters A and B down, and the LED under the first recorded sub will flash. Move them up again and the first recorded sub will fade in. Move A and B down and up again and the output will crossfade to the next recorded sub. Repeat until you reach the end of your sequence, then it loops back to the beginning and starts again. To get out of the loop move preset master A down and up on its own, or change mode from submasters to two-scene.

[Stu]

We haven't actually got any scrollers of our own, I was thinking about hiring some.

Will hire companies hire out scrollers with, say, a control box for four scrollers, or do they have to go through the lighting board?

 

Hoping you wouldn't ask about the dimmers. They are maufactured by that much loved company, Furse, something like furse delta or something? anyway, I know they are analogue and just had a DMX - anaolgue conversion card installed into them during the refurbishment.

If the company you use stock a Chroma Q Playback unit or whatever they are called they might hire one of these to you, but this is unlikely.

 

Your best bet with the dimmers in mind is to go

 

Strand 200 -> Chroma Q PSU -> Dimmers

 

or if the PSU would be above the stage and the dimmers are in a control room

 

Strand 200 -> DMX Splitter -> Chroma Q PSU
                           -> Dimmers

 

so therefore your not running wacking great big lengths of DMX cable all over the shop, nor 4 pin scroller cable. By the way, don't split a DMX signal using 1 5pin going to 2x 5 pin, as this will cause problems, but hire a proper powered DMX Splitter.

 

If you wanted to save channels you could of cause give all the scrollers the same DMX value, or channel.

 

Stu

[richard]

Seeing as your dimmers sound like a bit of a bodge, you may find that you have no DMX out, in this case you can just go:

 

DESK -> SCROLLER PSU -> Dimmers

 

And as to your question about hiring scrollers, most companies will do a deal with 4 or 6 scrollers, some cable and the PSU, this would allow you to use them on the 200, you could hire an extra small desk to control them, but this would be expensive and only worth it if your desk is full up!

 

Richard

[JohnMcConnell]

Right, but if I want to go straight from the dest to PSU, where do I plug in the cable, while still havin the DMX output on the board plugged into the dimmer rack? I don't see where to plug it in. Maybe ill just end up getting a small desk in as-well, or something.

[richard]

In order to go to both singly you would need to hire a DMX splitter as mentioned above, this would take one DMX input and split it to two outputs.

 

Otherwise, you would have to go DESK>PSU>Dimmers (using DMX in and DMX out on the PSU)..

[JohnMcConnell]

Yeh, sorry about that repeated question, I hadn't really understood what the first reply meant.

 

THankyou all for your advice.