MagicQ iPhone/iPad thread

[Pete McCrea]

Ooooohhh. And While I remember: iPad. Howsabout an iPad/iPhone app, with a Dock to DMX connector?

[gyro_gearloose]

Matt and I were discussing this a few days ago when I found an iPhone hardware development kit. However you have to sign your soul away to Apple for it and farce around a fair bit with the legal side it seems, so probably won't be happening soon unless there's a large demand for one, in which case I might suggest it to the powers that be!

 

Rather than restricting yourself to just supporting iPhones/iPads, how about expanding the web browser remote functions so that anything with a web browser can remotely control the desk?

[Wol]

errr. Have I missed something there?

 

As far as I thought, Pete was meaning an iPhone > MagicDMX dongle directly out of the dock connector on the iPhone and running a mini MagicQ on the actual "phone" itself.

 

The web browser functionality currently in MagicQ means that anything that supports a web browser can control the desk as it stands currently. Or do you mean something else?

 

edit to add: A custom iPhone app also provides a faster, sleeker interface to controlling MagicQ when the hardware platform is available. Network packets get sent directly, rather than having to be wrapped in a HTTP header. You get a lot more interactive controls available in a custom app rather than having to bodge the HTML / JavaScript, and only have to render the controls which change, rather than re-rendering the entire page each time. Support for AJAX and Javascript may not be common on all phones yet, which is why currently the web interface uses an interface which should be supported by any phone with web support.

[rossmck]

Ooooohhh. And While I remember: iPad. Howsabout an iPad/iPhone app, with a Dock to DMX connector?

Matt and I were discussing this a few days ago when I found an iPhone hardware development kit. However you have to sign your soul away to Apple for it and farce around a fair bit with the legal side it seems, so probably won't be happening soon unless there's a large demand for one, in which case I might suggest it to the powers that be!

 

I think it'd be worthwhile ... but even if not, what about an iPad/iPhone app (or port Magic Q to iPad, wouldn't be too usable on an iPhone I imagine except as a playback tool) that can output Art-Net ?

[Wol]

Just to clarify, my point quoted was with regards to a hardware Dock to DMX connector idea, rather than the software of an iPhone app. There is an iPhone app under development currently for those who wish to use their iPhones as a focus remote and more info will be announced once it's at release stage.

 

:-)

 

Starting to veer off topic now ;-)

[sessiondrummer]

Also for the meantime an app called "NumPad" for the iphone/ ipod touch can work like a focus remote for magicQ PC users.

 

Basically NumPad operates over a free VNC application that runs on your computer and then inputs numeric digits like a number pad on a keyboard.

For anyone interested this is how to set it all up.

 

1. Download NumPad - Wireless Numeric Keypad on Iphone or Ipod touch

 

2. Download Real VNC on the target computer and install.

 

3. Follow the instructions here or in the app.

 

4. You may need to disable the firewall (on Windows: Control Panel -> Windows Firewall and from there turn it off, make sure you do not have an active connection to the internet because doing this may put your computer at risk).

 

It should be working, I then mapped the important keys in the magic Q software to have - mapped to @, = mapped to through, * mapped to full.

so you have all the features you normally would on any light board keypad.

 

and there you have it.

A focus remote for less than £2. (Minus the ipod/iphone and a wireless router) :o

 

I got in touch with the app makers for a skin so the app will display the specific keys needed but they don't seem to keen!

Maybe a little pressure from us all will help??

[Pete McCrea]

I did mean a physical Dock to DMX connector.

 

From my point of view, we will at some point in the future end up with some form of lighting desk for use on general lighting and maybe media servers. I've never driven a Magicue, but with this I will now have an excuse to not hire a desk, use a Mac and learn the software. Which means that I'm more likely to buy the board when we actually get to the point of purchase.

 

It also means that those who fiddle around and post on the blue-room are likely to play with the software, possibly growing a new generation of users that will become the specifiers of the future.

 

And if the cost of the device is recouped in the price, then fair play to Chamsys! I can't really see any downsides to the strategy.

[pritch]

It should be working, I then mapped the important keys in the magic Q software to have - mapped to @, = mapped to through, * mapped to full.

so you have all the features you normally would on any light board keypad.

 

How do you go about doing that? Is it done within MagicQ?

[sessiondrummer]

It should be working, I then mapped the important keys in the magic Q software to have - mapped to @, = mapped to through, * mapped to full.

so you have all the features you normally would on any light board keypad.

 

How do you go about doing that? Is it done within MagicQ?

 

In magic Q its:

 

Setup - settings- keypad/ encoders and the option is towards the bottom.

[pritch]

Setup - settings- keypad/ encoders and the option is towards the bottom.

 

Cheers. Guess who was using a really ancient copy of MagicQ that didn't have these settings?

 

Next question... I've done that, and it seems that it's not doing my bidding. I can set levels using the number keys along the top of my notebook keyboard, but as soon as I press '1' on the iPhone keypad, it goes into some sort of shape generator. What am I missing?

[sessiondrummer]

Setup - settings- keypad/ encoders and the option is towards the bottom.

 

Cheers. Guess who was using a really ancient copy of MagicQ that didn't have these settings?

 

Next question... I've done that, and it seems that it's not doing my bidding. I can set levels using the number keys along the top of my notebook keyboard, but as soon as I press '1' on the iPhone keypad, it goes into some sort of shape generator. What am I missing?

 

Hmmm, Im not to sure. The problem I had is that it would input everywhere except on the Magic Q software. I solved it by taking magic Q out of "run as administrator mode" Thats really the only problem I know how to solve. Ive not tried running it on a notebook.

 

Do you have a num lock key??

[Nicktaylor]

To be honest I could just do with something my iPhone could channel flash through. I have got a sweetlight dongle, but of course that is USB to DMX, and I hard want to have to lug around a pc/laptop as well to run that.

[tuxlux]

To be honest I could just do with something my iPhone could channel flash through. I have got a sweetlight dongle, but of course that is USB to DMX, and I hard want to have to lug around a pc/laptop as well to run that.

 

Rather than use a dedicated connector for one bit of hardware I suggested a bluetooth->DMX dongle. However this was a while ago and I didn't follow it up due to lack of interest. Is there sufficient interest now phones have got more advanced?

 

http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?s=&a...ost&p=81132