VR8 - VR8R ©Abstract Design to Light 1998 Tel:0116 278 8078 http://www.abstract-lighting.co.uk VR Instruction Manual - Issue 1.2: May 2000 Written for Abstract Design to Light by Sabre Technology Ltd: 01482 831031 2000 edition Specifications Introduction Gobo rotation - Channel 5 - CE mode OFF Gobo DMX Stop 0-11 Fast anticlockwise 12 -> Slow anticlockwise 112 Stop 113-140 Slow clockwise 141-> Fast clockwise 244 Stop 245-255 Rotation speed is continuously variable between fast and slow limits. Introduction Welcome to the Abstract VR, the unit which is putting the passion back into lighting. The VR is a state-of-the art intelligent lighting product, offering many advanced features and making use of the latest technology. The VR has the following features: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Attractive sculpted plastic housing LED function display for easy setup Smoothly microstepped movements with automatic speed sensing 12 vivid dichroic colours 12 stylish gobos (VR8) 8 rotating gobos (VR8-R) Microstepped colour and gobo wheel with smooth crossfading `Snap' option for colour and gobo functions Colour scrolling function Variable speed strobe up to 10 flashes per second Separate strobe/blackout shutter (VR8-R) Pan and tilt invert and swap options Controlled by standard DMX512, any channel 1-508 Built in 8-position memory for unattended operation CE-range compatible mode Automatic switch to `stand-alone' mode when DMX disconnected Sophisticated 4-channel automatic light show - no controller required (compatible with Abstract CE range products) VR8 - Powerful 150W discharge lamp with 6000 hour life Resettable lamp timer, non-resettable unit hours timer Self test routine and motor reset function built in DMX interface protected against surges and interference Function display has blanking and lock functions to prevent tampering Shutter - Channel 6 - CE mode OFF Gobo DMX Blackout 0-5 Fade 6-7 Open 8 -> Slow strobe 224 -> Fast strobe 255 Strobe speed is variable (8 speeds) between fast and slow limits. If you snap the shutter to/from zero, the unit will snap to black/open. If you fade the shutter, the unit will fade in or out. Fade speed is fixed. Specifications Beam movement: 170° (pan) x 100° (tilt) Microstepping: 0.1125° resolution Colours: White + 11 dichroic + multicolour Gobos: 11 + open (VR8) 8 rotating (VR8R) Shutter: Variable speed strobe Lamp: 150W Arcstream 5000K DMX: Receive on 1-508 Transmit on 1-16 (stand alone mode - non-standard DMX) Audio: Electret mic with AGC Power consumption: 300W approx. Electronics fuse: T3.15A Page 24 Page 1 Connections and controls DMX Values Connections and controls The VR has a connection panel located at the bottom rear side of the unit. 3-pin XLR connectors are provided for DMX connections. The wiring is pin 3 cold, pin 2 hot, pin 1 grounded. If you are using a controller with a 5-pin DMX output, you will need to use a 5 to 3 pin adaptor with pins 2 and 3 swapped. DMX connections can be made to either XLR connector. The last VR in the line should have a terminating plug fitted to the vacant connector. The mains inlet is also on this panel and is an IEC plug with integral fuse. VR8R - Gobo/shutter/rotate channel 4 - CE mode ON DMX CE-off CE controller (centre value in gobo number brackets) Blackout 0-7 (0) 16 (blackout) Open 8-32 (24) 1 Gobo2 rot ccw* 33-38 (36) Gobo2 static 39-46 (40) 2 Gobo2 rot cw 47-64 (56) 3 Gobo3 rot ccw* 65-70 (68) Gobo3 static 71--78 (72) 4 Gobo3 rot cw 79-96 (88) 5 Gobo4 rot ccw* 97-102 (100) Gobo4 static 103-110 (104) 6 Gobo4 rot cw 111-128 (120) 7 Gobo5 rot ccw* 129-134 (132) Gobo5 static 135-142 (136) 8 Gobo5 rot cw 143-160 (152) 9 Gobo6 rot ccw* 161-166 (164) Gobo6 static 167-174 (168) 10 Gobo6 rot cw* 175-178 (176) Gobo7rot ccw* 179-182 (180) Gobo7 static 183-190 (184) 11 Gobo7 rot cw* 191-194 (192) Gobo8 rot ccw* 195-198 (196) Gobo8 static 199-206 (200) 12 Gobo8 rot cw 207-223 (210) 13 Strobe varispeed 224-255 15 Always snaps to full gobos. Rotation speed is fixed in this mode. NB: it is not possible to select these settings on the compact controller. On the CE controller in-between values can be selected by pressing Gobo and using the Value slider. The unit will fade to black if a value of 6-7 is sent, or snap to black if a value of 0-5 is sent. When opening the shutter, the unit will fade if the start value was 6-7 or snap if the starting value was 0-5. See below for notes on fade mode. Gobo The VR has a userfriendly control panel which has a 3-digit display and 4 buttons. All the features of the VR are controlled from this display panel. The large button is the MODE button, used for selecting which option is to be set. Hold down the MODE button to change options. The other three buttons are used to change the option settings. The function of the button varies depending on the option being changed. The display can be set to blank after a period of time by setting the "DBL" option to ON. The keypad can be locked to prevent tampering by holding down the mode button while you turn on the power. You unlock it by repeating this procedure. Control indicators The "dots" on the display indicate what is controlling the VR. If the right hand dot is lit, a DMX control signal is being received. If the left hand dot is lit, another VR is sending a light show to this unit. If the middle dot is flashing, the VR is running from sound triggers. Page 2 Page 23 DMX values Turning on & maintenance VR8 Gobo - Channel 4 Gobo DMX (VR mode) DMX (CE mode) Blackout 0 0 Open 16 24 Laser 32 40 Star 48 56 Slice 64 72 Tunnel 80 88 Heart 96 104 Eurostars 112 120 Sunburst 128 136 Triangle 144 152 Slash 160 168 Bubbles 176 184 Segment 192 200 Slowest strobe 242 226 Strobe 2 244 230 Strobe 3 246 234 Strobe 4 248 238 Strobe 5 250 242 Strobe 6 252 246 Fastest strobe 254 254 NB: Intermediate values will give mixed gobos if GSN (Gobo snap) is set to OFF. When you turn the VR on When you connect the power, the display will show ---, then ABSTRACT VR will scroll across. The display will show INI until the VR has completed its initialisation sequence, which takes about 10 seconds. You may hear some bumping noises as the VR checks the limits of movement on the motors. The VR8 lamp will take about 60 seconds from turn-on before it reaches full brightness.. If you turn the VR8 off, you should leave it for about 15 minutes to allow the lamp to cool before turning it on again. The discharge lamp will not restrike while it is hot. Positioning note for the VR8 Although the VR8 can be positioned in any orientation, the Arcstream lamp is intended to be used pointing upwards, so you should try to have the mirror at the top of the unit. The lamp emits a yellower light when it is pointed downwards. Maintenance of your VR The VR has a usage timer which can help you determine when it needs servicing. The VR should only require external cleaning. Ensure that all ventilation grilles are kept free of dust and fluff to keep the fan cooling working efficiently. The VR has an internal thermal trip which may cut out if the cooling vents are obstructed. To change the lamp in the unit, first disconnect the mains cable and remove any DMX connections. Remove the back housing (the part with the display on) by taking out the two hex-head bolts at the edges of the back moulding. The lamp can be withdrawn by removing the two outer screws from the circular plate in the internal metal panel. The VR8 has another three screws in the circular plate which are for aligning the lamp in the reflector. You should not need to adjust these unless you change the lamp. You should not attempt to dismantle any other part of the VR. VR8R Gobo - Channel 4 - CE mode off Gobo Open Dot line Bars Tunnel Star circle Triangle Slash Bubbles DMX CE-off 0-31 32-63 64-95 96-127 128-159 160-191 192-223 224-255 Always snaps to full gobos. Page 22 Page 3 DMX mode Option list Using the VR You can use the VR in three ways: · DMX controlled mode, where you connect a controller such as the Abstract CE controller or a standard DMX lighting desk to the VR and control its movements yourself. This mode is best for live performance, or if you want to have full control over the effects produced. Light show mode, where the VR listens to the music and generates its own complex lightshow. This mode is good when you want a quick and impressive show, or if you don't have time to program or operate the light show. If you have more than one VR, or if you have some Abstract CE-range products, you can connect the VRs together to give a synchronised show. Run mode, where you can program up to 8 positions for the VR to run through automatically. No external equipment is required for this mode. DMX values Mirror Pan - Channel 1 DMX 0 128 255 Result Left Central Right Mirror Tilt - Channel 2 DMX 0 128 255 Result Top Central Bottom · Colour - Channel 3 Colour White Red Blue Green Yellow Cyan Orange Magenta Neon Green Pink UV Blue Aqua Slow colour scroll Colour scroll 2 Colour scroll 3 Fast colour scroll DMX (VR mode) 0 16 32 48 64 80 96 112 128 144 160 176 242 248 250 254 DMX (CE mode) 10 26 43 59 75 91 108 124 140 156 173 189 246 254 - · DMX controlled mode DMX is a digital control system where all the control channels are sent to all the units. Each VR picks out 4 channels and responds only to those channels. You can tell each VR which channels to respond to by setting the DMX channel using the display. (See Options section for how to set the DMX channel). Connecting the VR up for DMX control All VRs are connected to the controller in a daisy-chain, one after the other, using standard XLR microphone cables (twisted 2 core screened). The output of the controller is connected to the first VR. The spare DMX connector on the first VR is connected to the second VR, and so on. The last VR in the line should have a terminating plug fitted in its spare DMX connector. (The terminating plug has a 220 ohm resistor connected between pins 2 & 3, and prevents data corruption on the line). If you want independent control of your VR's, you should set the DMX channels to different values on each unit. Set the first VR to 001, the second to 005, the third to 009, the fourth to 013, and so on. NB: Intermediate values will give mixed colours if CSN (Colour snap) is set to OFF. Page 4 Page 21 Timers Operating the VR Option list These are the options on the VR, in order of appearance. The default setting is shown. display default Operating the VR The VR uses up to six DMX channels as follows: 1: Mirror Pan (left-right movement) 2: Mirror Tilt (up-down movement) 3: Colour select 4: VR8 - Gobo / strobe select | VR8R - Gobo select 5: VR8R only - gobo rotation 6: VR8R only - shutter / strobe If the VR8R is set to CE mode "ON" it willoperate in a condensed 4 channel mode. Pan/tilt The mirror pan and tilt functions are proportional with automatic speed sensing - if you move the control fast, the mirror will move fast; if you move the control slowly, the VR will follow slowly and smoothly. The VR has options which allow you to reverse the movement of the pan or tilt controls, and also to swap over the pan and tilt channels. Colour The colour function is also proportional; this allows you to perform smooth crossfades between adjacent colours. You need to send the exact values to obtain full colours. Alternatively you can turn on option CSN which makes the VR "snap" to the nearest half-colour. This can help you set colours if you are using a controller with sliders. However, you cannot perform colour crossfades in colour snap mode. At the top end of the colour control, you can set the VR to scroll continuously through the colours at variable speed. Gobo By default, the VR8 `snaps' to the nearest gobo. If you move the control slowly, nothing will happen until the VR senses you are near the next gobo position, when it will jump to the next gobo. Alternatively you can turn off the Gobo Snap function if you want to scroll smoothly through the gobos, but you will then have to send exact values to position the gobos properly. The VR8-R always snaps to gobos. option name Set DMX channel Pan invert Tilt invert Pan-tilt swap Colour snap to half positions Gobo snap to full positions CE compatibility mode Display blanking mode Light show group number Light show enable Light show slow mode Light show strobe enable Light show sound enable Enhanced light show Soft-reset (reinitialise motors) Option Clear (reset options to defaults) Self test mode Run mode options CHA I-P I-T P-T CSN GSN CE DBL LSG LSE SLO STR SOU ELS RST OPC TST RUN 001 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON OFF 1 ON OFF ON ON OFF _ _ _ _ Page 20 Page 5 Light show mode If you move the control to the top end of its range (about 90%) you will enter the `strobe zone'. The VR will strobe slowly (about one flash per second) at 90%, up to full speed strobe (about 10 flashes per second) at 100%. If you move the cont ...