Amy Worrall Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 It replaces a Sirius 24 for controlling my collection of cheap Chinese LED PARs (plus a few fresnels and profiles). I snapped it up when I saw it on Ebay. I've alway been a Zero88 fan, and I was rather curious about the cueline interface. (Which I haven't been able to try out yet, since my PS/2 mouse is broken.) Also, I'm a collector of vintage tech in various forms, so why not lighting desks as well? (I recently gave a conference talk from a 23 year old laptop…) Initial verdict: there's a lot of nuances to get used to! I thought the command line would be more omnipresent, like it is on the ETC Ion, so I keep looking for things like a "Go To Cue" button. It seems you can recall the state of a cue by "Memory 1 @ 100", but the command line doesn't let you navigate the cue stack itself. It'll also take me a while to get used to the way it handles colour as LTP values, so no mixing it via subs. I did know that before buying, but it's still a bit bizarre to use… for an actual show I'll probably mainly use palettes and groups. But overall I'm very pleased. I was looking to replace the Sirius because the LED PARs eat up the channels. For my budget, I was expecting to just end up with something with a few more faders, possibly to spring for a Fat Frog if I managed to splurge. But for £200 I've got something that can individually address all my LED PARs, and has a cue stack that's much easier to run a show from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhole Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I was rather curious about the cueline interface. (Which I haven't been able to try out yet, since my PS/2 mouse is broken.)I'd be interested in what you think about it, as it was slightly "ahead of it's time" when it was released. Every so often there's conversations about resurrecting the feature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Worrall Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 I'd be interested in what you think about it, as it was slightly "ahead of it's time" when it was released. Every so often there's conversations about resurrecting the feature When I was learning about how tracking works (on an ETC Ion), I remember thinking I wished there were some kind of timeline view, so I could see what cues would be affected by my change. (I think I was imagining something more like a MIDI piano roll, one row per light.) It was only later that I heard about the Sirius and Illusion desks with Cueline — while it's not quite the same, the timeline idea still appeals. I'll certainly report back once I've had a go. The PS/2 mouse I bought (brand new) arrived with a faulty left click button, so I'm awaiting a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocfe Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Check on the zero 88 site that you have the most recent software release.A long time ago I worked in a venue where they had an Illusion 120. It was using an early version of software and suffered from a lot of latency and had many features missing. I uploaded the most recent version and all of a sudden it turned into a very usable desk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Worrall Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 Check on the zero 88 site that you have the most recent software release.A long time ago I worked in a venue where they had an Illusion 120. It was using an early version of software and suffered from a lot of latency and had many features missing. I uploaded the most recent version and all of a sudden it turned into a very usable desk Thanks for the advice, I've just performed an upgrade. It was on 1.7.1, successfully update to 1.8.1. In doing so I discovered that the CMOS battery is dead, so I've ordered a new one. Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyro_gearloose Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Re the PS/2 mouse: USB mice often used to come with adapters to allow you to plug them into PS/2 ports. I might still have one in a drawer somewhere which you can have if you like, and if I can find it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pritch Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Re the PS/2 mouse: USB mice often used to come with adapters to allow you to plug them into PS/2 ports. I might still have one in a drawer somewhere which you can have if you like, and if I can find it :) As I found out to my cost at the day job a few years ago, USB to PS/2 adaptors don't work with every mouse out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 ...USB to PS/2 adaptors don't work with every mouse out there. Correct. There is nothing clever in such an adaptor; all they do is swap a few wires around with no electronics involved at all. They can only be used with mice (or keyboards) that have the ability to work with both PS/2 or USB. The cleverness is in the peripheral not the adaptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianknight Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Check on the zero 88 site that you have the most recent software release.A long time ago I worked in a venue where they had an Illusion 120. It was using an early version of software and suffered from a lot of latency and had many features missing. I uploaded the most recent version and all of a sudden it turned into a very usable desk In doing so I discovered that the CMOS battery is dead, so I've ordered a new one. Amy It's a simple enough little battery Amy - CR2032 and plan on replacing it every 18 months or so (from experience). It's a fab desk - I always felt comfortable lighting shows on it coming from GeniusPro and The Criterion in Coventry are still using their's (though they're in the throes of moving to ZerOS on LeapFrog). I've got plenty of spares for them about too if you need anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Worrall Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Regarding the mouse, I bought the broken one off Amazon, and they're sending out a replacement. I don't think I've got any USB ones that would have the necessary hardware for PS/2 support — I'm mainly a Mac user, and while I've got the odd non-Apple USB mouse kicking around, I think they're ones that came with USB capable computers. Sadly my box of computer stuff from that era is in my parents' loft! I should be OK changing the battery. I had to change the one in my Sirius just after I got it, and that was a soldering job. Nice to know there's another Illusion in use in Coventry. I'm in Whoberley — just down the road from Earlsdon :) Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianknight Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Nice to know there's another Illusion in use in Coventry. I'm in Whoberley — just down the road from Earlsdon :) Amy ..you won't need a soldering iron to swap the battery :) There's one Illusion in active use - soon to be a second and two "spare" desks - one behind my sofa and the other in Chapelfields/Earlsdon :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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