ilead & icolour4's.......

[DeZine]

Hi all!

I'm a newbie here and I must say a bit of an imposter as in reality I sing as part of a 2-piece function band with my good lady. However, I have always found that for technical support, DJ forums tend to be a bit more informative and helpful!

I have a query.........

We have recently spent the best part of £6K on a new sound and lighting system. On the sound side of things, I'm having no problems (I am a qualified sound engineer and clinical Audiologist!) however DMX lighting is all new to me so this is where I need some help!

We bought a couple of IM5 moving heads, an ilaser and a pair of Icolour4's and the ilead controller. Got them last week and used them at the weekend at a couple of functions using the ilead controller.

I have figured out how to connect up all the IM5's and the ilaser to the ilead via DMX (but will need to sit down and spend a while customising the chases, scenes and shows) however is it possible to connect, via DMX, the icolour4's? I tried in the house before the weekend but got nowhere as I was unsure on what "addresses" to assign to the icolours (it is done remotely to the imove's and ilaser). Does this have to be done "manually" via the dipswitches or can it be done remotely?

I can use everything in "standalone" mode at the minute but with no real control on the colour holds and dimming which we ideally need at various times.

I realise that we may have to purchase the CA32 controller for the colours but I would think that they could ve controlled via the ilead. Am I wrong?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated!

Tony

ps. Our web addy is www.dezine.eu - it's a pretty crappy one at the moment but we are in the process of getting one professionally designed as well as a promotional DVD! It's all money, money, money at the moment!!! LOL!! (Isn't it always!!! :D )

[Corabar Entertainment]

Hi Tony - personally, can't help you at all... but we've got a few DMX experts on here who I'm sure will be along when they can :) ... just wanted to say :welcome1:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Welcome Tony - I can't help with your problem either, but I'm sure they'll be someone who can.

Enjoy the forum.

[Dragonfly]

cant you link all the isolution stuff together via their controler?? thought you could cant remember what its called ? but im sure someone told me you could link them??

[DeZine]

Hi folks!

Thanks to all for the prompt replies!

Dragonfly, you may be correct. My understdanding is that you "daisy chain" the lights (or "fixtures") together from the DMX desk output putting the fixtures with the most "channels" (eg the moving heads") first in the chain and the fixtures with the least channels (eg. the icolours 4's) last in the chain.

With the isolution stuff all the DMX channels (ie for controlling shutters/gobo's/colour/pan/tilt etc are all constant - that is channel one does one thing, channel 2 another and so on consistantly) is consistant throughout there product range making it easier to program and control.

However, it is setting the addresses for each fixture that is posing the problem for me - I have no bother setting the addy's for the imoves and the iscanner - this is done remotely from the ilead DMX desk and is remarkable easy. It is setting the addy's for the icolours that's the problem - the ilead controller send the address to the other lights and these lights (or fixtures) recognise this automatically; however my understanding is you have to set the "dip" switches manually on the icolours but I do not know what address the ilead controller is "sending" to the icolours to set the icolours accordingly!! Blinkin' confusing!!!!

I know, I know - your eyes are probably meeting in the middle and you are scratching your heads in unison. I know I am!!

I have probably got it all totally wrong so I stand (or sit!) here waiting to be corrected!!

Tony

[Dragonfly]

dezine ta for the tecnical backup there lol im a technical numpty but thats what i meant (was told)

[DeZine]

Sorry Dragonfly - I can be a bit of a geek at times!! LOL!!

Tony

[Dragonfly]

no mate you geek away lolol im trying to learn all this stuff all helful and i run ishow/imove rig.

[DeZine]

Thinking of getting some more stuff - another couple of moving heads and perhaps some irocks and ishows - seen them in action and the look great. Plus the abilityto consitantly link them appeals!!

But need to get bigger transport - I used to use an 8k Nexo sound system but it was too heavy, so decided to descale and bought a Bose L1 system (or two of them). Absolutely amazing. However, now buying more lights!! And want more too!! LOL!! I need something to detract from my ugly mug!!

Still after help about the addressing problem with the icolours!

Tony

[Paul James Promotions]

Hi Tony,

Welcome to the forum.

As I am not familiar with the I Solution range, i have looked at the manual for the controller (http://www.prolight.co.uk/images/products/pdfs/345_5.pdf)

At the bottom left of Page 5, there is a table that shows the DMX settings for certain fixture types.

Assuming you are using the IColours as Fixture No. 4 & 5 on your controller, you should use addresses 27 (dip switches 1, 2, 4 & 5 to ON) and 35 (dip switches 1, 2 & 6 to ON) on your IColours.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Jamie

[DeZine]

Hi Whitehousejamie

Thanks for the heads-up!! Talk about mis-reading instructions!!! (well, I was sitting at 3am trying to figure it out with the instruction manual!) DOH!!!!

Will give this a go and will get back to you if I have any probs!!!

Thanks!

Tony

[DeZine]

Hi again

Okay - have managed to get the address situation sorted out (with thanks to Whitehousejamie!).

However, while isolutions have consistency in their DMX configuration (ie each channel corresponding to a particular function throughout the range) it appears that these configurations do not correspond with the DMX channel configuration in the icolour 4's - indeed, when using the ilead controller with these particular fixtures all nothing seems to work in any logical way at all!!

So, in short - if you want full control over the ic4's then by the dedicated ca32 controller and not the ilead controller as I did - not that it's been waste, mind. It still works beautifully with the imoves and whatever else I will buy next!!

Tony

[DMX Will]

Hi again

Okay - have managed to get the address situation sorted out (with thanks to Whitehousejamie!).

However, while isolutions have consistency in their DMX configuration (ie each channel corresponding to a particular function throughout the range) it appears that these configurations do not correspond with the DMX channel configuration in the icolour 4's - indeed, when using the ilead controller with these particular fixtures all nothing seems to work in any logical way at all!!

So, in short - if you want full control over the ic4's then by the dedicated ca32 controller and not the ilead controller as I did - not that it's been waste, mind. It still works beautifully with the imoves and whatever else I will buy next!!

Tony

Are you giving them a seperate DMX address to the other fixtures your running from the ilead? If so, this may cause a problem in the unit and also make the lights look as if they're not doing what your telling them...when they are.

I have no experience with these either, however check with the iColours that you've got any internal programs switched off, sometimes called the "function" dip switch, this may also bugger 'em up!

If you can be a more precise, I'm sure Jamie, myself or anyone else will be able to give you some better advice!

Will.

[iany]

If you're running 2 lights (identical) daisychained from a DMX desk, they will both use the same DMX address if you want them to work together.
Only if you want them to work independently would they ever need to be assigned different addresses.
Have a look to see you've got them set correctly, and also check the manual for the lights to ensure you don't need to run a second fixture on different channels - not different DMX address. I wouldn't have thought that would be the case, but you never know.
Dynatwins use different channels for each mirror, so that's why I'm thinking that way. It probably doesn't apply though.

[DeZine]

Hi all!

Will/Iany

Thanks for the advice. Had tried all your suggestions but to no avail, so I purchased the dedicated "colormix" controller and the corresponding footswitch and it worked like a charm.

This set-up (with the foot controller) is probably much better for me in that I can control the main lighting (floods) much easier as my hands are usually engaged in playing my guitar!!! LOL!!

However, had a bit of a disaster last night - during my gig during a mad bout of dancing (by me, and I say dancing in a very loose sense!!) I tripped over a lighting stand and sent my brand new Acme ilaser crashing down on top of me, then to the floor. The damage - a lump on my head and a broken mirror and perhaps a knocked out-of-alignment-mirror system.

Can anyone recommend a good engineer/technician to repair the damage and give a rough guide to the costing for any repair?

Thanks once again for you help.

Tony

ps. My head is fine!! LOL!:D

[Corabar Entertainment]

Ouch!!!! :cry:

Good luck in finding someone to do the repairs. Only consolation I suppose is that it didn't happen to one of your guest with a consequestial PLI claim!!!! :eek: