Davidmk

Save the show as .CSV. open this in a spreadsheet. The top row is a map of all fixtures and their parameter channels. You may have to put at least one cue on the master PB and it may need to include a cue that references every fixture. I can't remember. I also can't remember if channel numbers or addresses are included. I've only used it to check cues and parameter values.

@kgallen I don't have much experience with multi pixel fixtures but would this work? Select each pixel that should.come on together and record a group. Repeat until all the required pixels are in a group. Select the groups not the pixels. Run the effect by groups rather individually. Failing that... If the effect can work on a single fixture then giving them the same address will make them behave the same but rule out treating them individually. Heaven knows what it would do to RDM though. You can patch multiple fixtures, on different addresses to the same channel. Again that stops you treating them separately in this show but they can still be patched separately in another show Or build an actual chase recording each step separately.

@Nin First off, try test mode - see manual here. If your faders are playing up then maybe servisol will sort it otherwise contact support.

@Phil Mckerracher @kgallen So, after testing this on both v7.14 and v8 I have shown that... You don't seem to be able to alter defaults on a Solution showfile - even when it is loaded on an FLX running the FLX-only v8 and been saved on that and reloaded. This seems so wrong that I fear it may be me and the way I am doing it. If it isn't then it probably warrants a call to support. You can achieve default colour black by making amended copies of fixture personalities. Fixtures with a default of white behave exactly as I would expect (i.e. the reverse of what you and I would like). They start with white and, as the playback is raised, they fade out the colours that are not needed. Fixtures with a default of black, on the other hand do what I expected and would like and also what I suspect you need. These start at black and fade up the colours needed. Where another playback is already up the (default white) fixtures, the behaviour of the both black- and white-default fixtures is to raise the "missing" colours and the lower the "unwanted" ones effectively replacing the original PB's colour with the new one. T would seem to be the required behaviour but contrasts with faders set up for colour mixing. If you want to mix playbacks then you should refer to the instructions for this in the manual. My recommendation for you achieve the look you require is to set a default of black fr LEDs in your showfile. While this does not seem to be possible through changing the fixture defaults you can do it by creating modified fixture personality files and replacing the library ones in the patch. However there is another way - one which use all the time. On an FLX I use a multi-function key (latched and with release disabled). I save all the default values I need for a show onto this. Not just default colour black but things like stair edge lights at 50% and default positions for moving heads. I engage this when I start the desk up and record the "default" values I need for that day's show on to it. These values would, of course, be restored whenever that show file is loaded. As you do not have MFKs you could use instead. You might find it helpful to disable raise-on-lower on this PB. Be careful about recording HTP levels on this as they will become the minimum level for those fixtures and you will not be able to go below it. For our stair lights this is, of course, exactly the behaviour I require. Hopefully, this, and the various bits I have sent you by DM wi help you to achieve the reults you require. Have fn!

@Phil Mckerracher I loaded v7.14.4 on my spare desk and added your show file So, like you, I couldn't seem to set the default to be black instead of white. I also had some trouble with the fixtures on 13ch mode. I tried making a custom personality file with zero as the default for all the colours and they all defaulted to zero but red was stuck on 255. For my next attempt, I started with an empty show file and a new, 12ch personality and then added one fixture using the custom personality and another using the library one. This gave me problems and I was able to set up some playbacks that are similar to yours. I did some tests while recording the screen output. Unfortunately the resulting mp4 file is too big to attach here but results were as follows... The custom personality starts from black and the colours fade up with the fader. The standard personality starts from white and fades out the unwanted colours leaving the The fun starts if another PB is up. Taking yellow up and add blue as an example with just yellow, red and green are full and blue is out on both channels but, when blue is raised, the channel one goes to red, green AND blue full but the standard personality fades out red and green while doing nothing with blue - it's not until the yellow is faded out that blue goes to full. EDIT: Messaged you with a link to some files.

Thanks. No promises as to time scales but I'll try to make a start over the weekend.

@Phil Mckerracher Can you post your show file or DM it to me? I'm kind of busy this week pre-programming a show for Friday but as soon as I get a chance I'll load it up on my real FLX and have a play.

@DMH @RJP To be fair, some good answers there and, if delivered, could help the situation but... How it looks is important. In the absence of a published plan and feedback on progress, its all we have. We used to have trust but that has to be earned so, come on Vari-lite, start looking better. You've bought the rights to good hardware and software with an established customer base - many of whom have been using Z88 products for years, decades even @pcollins666. An unpaid sales force that was more than happy to sing the praises of a company that looked after them, had a solid track record of supporting them and of steady innovation. What do you think those established customers are saying to your potential customers now? It's clear the full FLX had to be discontinued but there's no talk of a replacement. The in-person training has stopped. Cwmbran is no longer a service centre and there are none listed on the Vari-Lite Web site in the UK (the two "dealers" listed are a 2nd hand equipment seller and a hire company). Plus, to return to the origin of this thread, there is now a charge for fixing the (inevitable) gaps in the fixture library. These things are probably not Vari-Lite's fault but what is being done to address them? How could I, in all conscience, reccomend a Z88 product today?

Nor me. In fact I don't think I dare to dream. ☹️

@kgallen Correct, although I suspect the processor board isn't custom, more likely an off the shelf unit that has become uneconomical because other customers have moved on. I figured that... The problem with producing FLX is the availability of the processor/screen combination. ZerOS has been shown to run on Rasberry Pi, not only that but an old model of RP. Newer RPs have more muscle than old ones. So it is possible, probable even, that a RP 5 has the capability to run as an FLX The problem with that is interfacing the hardware bits the FLX has and the S doesn't. I speculate that the various peripheral boards inside an FLX actually talk to the processor via USB. We know the fader wing does so its possible the internal faders do as well plus it is the sort of interface an off the shelf board might use. Even back in the day, Zero 88 wouldn't want to develop a whole new protocol so, even if it isn't USB, it will be something for which an RP hat might already be available. So, assuming the hardware interfaces are USB, or something that someone in the community could sort out with widely available circuitry (OK, that might not be possible), then, with access to the source code, you have to identify how it 'knows' what hardware it is running on and all the places it uses that information. For that, you need a software specialist. I'm rusty, and it would probably be in a language I'm not familiar with but I reckon I could give that a go and I'd bet I'm not alone. I don't know the background of everyone in this and the Facebook forums but, given that about half the LX techs I know have backgrounds in IT and/or telecommunications the expertise is out there. The flaw in this is that Vari-Lite have paid for the ZerOS intellectual property and are highly unlikely to give it away for free. Plus they wouldn't want all the support calls which would result from the unofficial versions that would spring up as a result. The other thing is why has there been no announcement of a Pi based FLX S+ to replace the full FLX? Is it that it is much harder than I have assumed or that they bought Zero 88 for the other products?

I doubt it will happen but, if they did, the first thing to look at is whether an FLX could run with a Raspberry Pi processor board and touch screen. Vary-Lite could do this themselves of course.

Sorry about that. Fixed, I think, for posterity.

Just noticed this under Missing Fixtures in the manual Didn't see any news about that. Thought I should bring it to the everyone's attention.

Too complicated to explain here but Search & Filtering and Fixture Creator should help. There is also the Windows Fixture Editor and you can also look into the Generic fixtures already in the library where, for example, an LED PAR where ch1 is red, ch2 is green, ch3 is blue and ch3 is intensity will be listed as RGBI. All of his does, of course, rely on you knowing what parameters your fixtures use (i.e. having access to the manual for the specific model). If you don't have the manual then proceed as follows... With an empty patch, assign some dimmers (more than the number of parameters you think the fixture has got) and starting at the fixture's address. With the fixture powered up, try all the "dimmers" and see what happens. Bear in mind that, to get output, you may need at least two parameters (intensity and colour) up at the same time. You may need three if there is a "shutter" parameter that isn't open at zero. Try to be methodical but it does involve some trial and error. Good luck!

That's the trouble with answering queries on a forum - where between noobs and "actually they know more than me" should you pitch your reply. On a full FLX I'd use an MFK but a playback (as described in my last post) should work as well.

But that's the thing with LTP. When the playback is released, the "last" value (from before the playback) is the one that takes precedence. Your playback needs to set the beam parameter to zero, have release on lower set and should (maybe) have trigger level set to 1% instead of the default 5% https://www.zero88.com/manuals/zeros/cues-playbacks/playback-settings/raise-and-lower#level The snag is that the release is a snap not a fade. I think there's a setting somewhere to fix that but I've never looked it up.

Double check whether you have accidentally included intensity (I'm always doing that!). If you have then you can update with remove (or just set it up again). If you haven't made that mistake then maybe inhibit only works on intensities. It's what it is intended for after all. I've never tried it for anything else. Intensity is HTP of course (hence the need for inhibit). Other parameters are LTP so you don't really need inhibit. A normal playback with the beam at 0 should do it.

Phantom ZeroOS is ZeroOS with a Windows "wrapper" - unlike a hardware desk, you don't/can't load ZeroOS onto it. So Phantom ZerOS version is ZeroOS v8. If you want ZeroOS v7.14.3 then you need to download Phantom ZerOS v7.14.3 which should be in the 7.14.3 zip file under legacy software on the downloads page.

No at all. Valid correction.

Yep, OK, point taken. My take on it was affected by wanting static i/p addresses in my network. Not that I've used TB, just wanted a network I could use it on without re-configuration.

You have to use sACN if you want tracking backup. It cannot work with ArtNet. See the grey information box on the manual page for tracking backup. https://www.zero88.com/manuals/zeros/setup/devices/tracking-backup

To me, this sounds both complicated to set up and hard work to play back but, if it works for you, then carry on!

With you there, however I'm still addicted to the "candy" and try to treat the rigging as good exercise as I slide the last couple of months to my 70th birthday. Good luck with the new hobby but it's called fishing not catching for a reason 😀

You should report the CMY issue as well I think, maybe include your before and after show files if you have them.

Not sure I can help since I've no experience of CMY fixtures. I've scanned through the manual and not spotted any quirks that could trip you up. Best I can do is ask stupid questions and, maybe, you'll see the problem for yourself by answering them. Have you tried a colour or full fixture reset (channel 22 or 19)? Is the colour wheel at "open" when you are trying to colour mix? What output is the fixture giving? Is it (apparently) stuck on white? Black? Something else? What does the desk's DMX output screen say for the CMY, colour wheel and shutter channels? I see from the manual that these fixtures can display the DMX values being received. Do they agree with what the desk says it is sending? Have you contacted @kgallen? He's generally more use than me.