Theatrelight NEBULA, Quick Operation

Page 1: ...s 5 6 to select the mode then press on 4 to set the mode On 3 Press times Menu to enter the DMX Fade Delay Time menu use the arrow keys to edit the times 4 Press Back to return to the top menu the screen shows Changes saved to flash memory SETTING DIMMER PARAMETERS To set Test Min Max Non Dim Off levels Curve Proportional levels or Softstart time for each dimmer 1 From the top menu press Menu twic...

Page 2: ...g non dim levels 16 Setting off levels 16 Setting dimmer curves 16 Setting proportional levels 17 Setting soft start times 17 Resetting DMX and dimmer parameters 17 Displaying input DMX levels 17 Displaying final dimmer levels 18 Displaying temperature history 18 Displaying voltage and frequency 18 Calibrating voltage 18 Displaying fan status 18 Testing the fan 19 Displaying scenes playback levels...

Page 3: ...e 28 REMOTE SCENE AND SHOW CONTROL 30 Communication 30 RS 485 transceiver 30 Power supply 30 Connection and wiring 30 Theatrelight Wallplates 31 Wallplate electronics 31 Remote controlled scenes 31 Remote controlled shows 32 MAINTENANCE 33 SPECIFICATIONS 34 DIMENSIONS 36 GLOSSARY OF THEATRE LIGHTING TERMS 37 INDEX 39 ...

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Page 5: ... available in a number of versions 12 6 and 3 channel models using SCR IGBT or Sinewave dimming methods A number of different mains input and output terminations are available and special socket versions can be made to customer order The Nebula software is available in a number of different software configurations according to application A similar control system and software is also used in the f...

Page 6: ...ght with large clear characters for easy readabilty C The DMX LED shows the presence of DMX signal and any errors The TEMP LED shows the internal temperature while the Remote LED indicates the remote keypads are active with appropriate software D Simple keyboard and easy to understand menu system allow quick setup of all Nebula functions and parameters E A B C LEDs indicate presence of mains power...

Page 7: ... new value will be saved automatically to flash memory after a timeout period of 10 minutes Alternatively the new value can be saved immediately by pressing the Back key to return to the top menu The keys may also be locked to prevent unauthorised operation LEDS Front panel LEDs are provided for display of DMX signal over temperature indication remote key operation and proper mains presence on Pha...

Page 8: ...performance POWER SUPPLY The Nebula is designed to be supplied with power mains of 90 to 265 volts AC 1 2 or 3 phase and Neutral 45 to 65 Hz Do not use the Nebula on a 3 Phase Delta connection ie with no Neutral wire Each Nebula must be properly earthed DMX CONTROL DMX 512 control is commonly used in Theatre and TV for lighting control One DMX line or Universe addresses a maximum of 512 dimmers Ea...

Page 9: ...ARAMETERS The dimmer channels in the Nebula have a number of parameters which may be set individually for each dimmer As incorrect setting of these parameters can prevent the Nebula from working as expected care must be taken when setting them up Test and Set Dimmer levels Normally each dimmer receives control from the DMX line or RS 485 control where fitted However the Test Set options allow each...

Page 10: ...ill switch the dimmer to Full instantly Once On the dimmer will stay on until the control level goes 5 below the Non Dim level An All function allows all Non Dim switch levels to be set at the same time The Non Dim facility may be combined with the Minimum and Maximum settings to switch the dimmer output between any two selected output voltages Television A modified Incandescent dimmer curve suita...

Page 11: ...ut from the dimmer for example where 110 volt Par cans are used on a 220 240 volt mains supply The proportional setting has a higher priority than the maximum setting As the Proportional level may be set anywhere from Full to Zero care needs to taken in setting the level Softstart Fade Times Each dimmer may be set to its own softstart fade time The All function allows all softstart times to be set...

Page 12: ...the level All Minimum levels are set zero by the Reset command 6 If the Maximum setting for the dimmer is set below 100 the dimmer level cannot be higher than that level If the Maximum setting is Full for that dimmer no change is made Giving Minimum and Maximum a higher priority than Non Dim permits switching between any two voltages to suit the application All Maximum levels are set Full by the R...

Page 13: ...and Frequency The LCD screen displays the RMS voltage on Phases A B and C and the frequency in Hertz of each phase Voltages are shown to the nearest volt and frequency to the nearest 0 1 Hz Each phase voltage may be individually calibrated against a known accurate RMS voltmeter Calibration levels are held in Flash memory and not affected by any reset command Fan Status When set to this mode the LC...

Page 14: ...sive with Hold mode Fade to Black delay fade times Instant 30 minutes 5 mins 30 secs Hold Last Levels On Off Off Mutually exclusive with Fade mode DIMMER SETTINGS Range After Reset Notes Test Set Levels Disabled 0 100 Disabled Minimum Levels 0 100 0 Maximum Levels 0 100 100 Non Dim levels 10 90 50 Hysteresis 0 5 Off levels 0 90 0 Hysteresis 0 1 Dimmer curve In ND TV Fl Ne LP LA In In Incandescent ...

Page 15: ...Delays Down fade after start of Up fade SHOWS SETTINGS Range After Reset Notes Local Shows On Off Off If On turns off Scenes Remote Shows On Off Off If On turns off Scenes Show types Show or Chase Chase Show stops at End scene Chase re starts Show xfade types Proportional slope Time Proportional fade best for Shows Chase xfade types Proportional slope Slope Constant Slope fade best for Chases Chas...

Page 16: ...LY CABLING 1 Keep the supply cabling between the transformer switchboard and dimmers as short as possible 2 Minimum inductance in the supply cabling is critical Keep all phase and neutral cables tightly bunched together On smaller installations use of neutral screen or composite cables is recommended On larger installations ensure that all phase cables are bound close to the neutral cable s Avoid ...

Page 17: ...e 6 DMX512 wiring must be a daisy chain starting at the control console and looping from device to device The signal must not have any splits or T connections except when using an electronic splitter 7 The last device in the line should be terminated with a 120 ohm resistor 8 In permanent installations keep DMX512 cabling at least 600mm away from power and dimmer load cables 9 Preferably run the D...

Page 18: ...e latest changes 2 To lock the keypad hold3 4 5 until the message Keys Locked appears about 2 seconds 3 Release all keys the screen shows Changes saved to flash memory SETTING DMX START OR PATCH MODE The current DMX mode Start Mode or Patch Mode is shown on the top menu To set DMX Start Mode 1 From the top menu press Menu twice 2 Press Up5or Down6 to select Start or Patch mode then press on Right4...

Page 19: ...set Test Set levels for each dimmer 1 From the top menu press Menu twice select Dimmer Settings press Menu 2 Select Test set dimmers press Menu 3 Press Left3or Right4to select the dimmer Up5or Down6 to adjust the level 4 Press All Left key with Up5or Down6 to adjust all test levels 5 Press Flash Menu key to flash the dimmer if required to identify the channel 6 Press All Left key with Flash Menu k...

Page 20: ...Down6 to adjust all dimmers 5 Press Back until you reach the top menu the screen shows Changes saved to flash memory SETTING OFF LEVELS To set Off levels for each dimmer 1 In Menu Level 0 press Menu twice select Dimmer Settings press Menu 2 Select Off levels on page 2 press Menu 3 Press Left3or Right4to select the dimmer Up5or Down6 to set the level 4 Press All Left key with Up5or Down6 to adjust ...

Page 21: ... menu press Menu twice select Dimmer Settings press Menu 2 Select Soft start setup on page 3 press Menu 3 Press Left3or Right4to select the dimmer Up5or Down6 to adjust the time 4 Press All Left key with Up5or Down6 to adjust all times 5 Press Back until you reach the top menu the screen shows Changes saved to flash memory RESETTING DMX AND DIMMER PARAMETERS To reset all DMX and dimmer parameters ...

Page 22: ... the top menu DISPLAYING VOLTAGE AND FREQUENCY To display the voltage and frequency of phases A B and C 1 From the top menu press Menu once select Voltage and Frequency page 2 press Menu 2 The display will remain set and restore after power up 3 Or else press Back to reach the top menu CALIBRATING VOLTAGE To calibrate the voltage readout of phases A B and C 1 While in the Voltage and Frequency men...

Page 23: ... top menu press Menu once select Scenes P B Levels page 3 press Menu 2 The display will remain set and restore after power up 3 Or else press Back to reach the top menu DISPLAYING REMOTE CONTROL DATA To display the first 21 hexadecimal values received or transmitted on the RS 485 data line 1 From the top menu press Menu once select Remote RX Data or Remote TX Data page 3 press Menu 2 The display w...

Page 24: ...m a previously copied Scene Instant remote record of Blackout or Full levels or mixed DMX and Scene levels Each Nebula may be set to respond to one area out a maximum of 8 area commands Dipless crossfade to any scene from 1 to 64 from local pushbutton or remote matching area command Each Nebula may be given a Report Identification number from 1 to 250 for use with Theatrelight Reporting software C...

Page 25: ... shows Changes saved to flash memory SETTING UP AREA ID AND REPORT ID To set Remote Scenes area ID for use with other Nebulas and with Theatrelight Wallplate controllers and Report ID for use with Theatrelight Reporting software for each dimmer pack 1 From the top menu press Menu twice 2 Press Up5or Down6 to select Setup Area ID on page 2 press Menu 3 With the cursor over the Area ID press 5or Dow...

Page 26: ...t3or Right4to select the text position for the character 5 While in text edit mode the function of the Back key changes to Upper Lower case press the Back key to swap the letter from lower to upper case 6 To complete the label and re enable the Back function press Right4until the cursor is over the Dimmer 1 level 7 Press Back until you reach the top menu the screen shows Changes saved to flash mem...

Page 27: ...t to playback then press Go Right4 The new scene is faded in at its fade times the progress of the fade is displayed in the LCD If the Remote LED is lit the Nebula issues a Go to Scene Area command on the data network to other matching area Nebulas indicated by the Remote LED flashing Scenes will not play back if Local Scenes is set Off 4 Press Back until you reach the top menu the screen shows Ch...

Page 28: ...scene Programmable end scene Wait times between cues from 0 1 second to 30 minutes Wait time may also be set at stop for slaved Nebulas An editable Show label of 8 alphanumeric characters Each of the 20 Shows may be programmed as a Show an auto sequence of scenes finishing at the last scene or as a Chase an auto sequence of scenes which restarts after the last scene Chases can be programmed to be ...

Page 29: ...d to flash memory SETTING UP AREA ID AND REPORT ID Remote Shows uses the same Area ID and Report ID as for Scenes mode If you need to change these numbers 1 From the top menu press Menu twice 2 Press Up5or Down6 to select Setup Area ID on page 2 press Menu 3 With the cursor over the Area ID number press 5or Down6 to set the Area ID to a value between 1 and 8 4 Press Right4or Left3so the cursor is ...

Page 30: ...l Shows on page 3 then press Menu 3 Press Left3twice to bring the cursor over the current Show number then press Up5or Down6 to select the new show number Local Show playback is set to the Cue 1 of the new show at Pause and if the Remote LED is lit the Nebula issues a Start Show Area command on the data network to other matching area Nebulas indicated by the Remote LED flashing 4 Press Right4twice...

Page 31: ...s menu you can edit Scenes levels fade times and wait times as described earlier under Setting Scene Levels and subsequent instructions 5 After editing the Scene press Back to return to the Cue Go menu press Go the Back key to fade to the newly edited Scene The new cue is faded in at the new fade times for that scene and the show is set to Play If the Remote LED is lit the Nebula issues a Go to Sh...

Page 32: ...the Back key to swap the letter from lower to upper case 6 To complete the label and re enable the Back function press Right4until the cursor is over the Start Scene number 7 Press Back until you reach the top menu the screen shows Changes saved to flash memory The order of the alpha numeric characters is as follows Up5 key action Down6 key action Upper case characters Space ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV...

Page 33: ...efault type set after resetting the flash memory Ch fad Chase time proportional fade Ch slp3 Chase constant slope fade auto reversing Ch fad3 Chase time proportional fade auto reversing Sh slp Show constant slope fade Sh fad Show time proportional fade Time proportional crossfade means that a dimmer programmed to fade from say 40 to 60 percent finishes its fade at exactly the same time as a dimmer...

Page 34: ...on of all larger installations the data line should always be inspected with an oscilloscope to confirm that the data signal has good edges and is free of noise and reflections POWER SUPPLY A 12 volt supply is carried over the Cat 5 data cable to supply remote Wallplates where used Each Nebula has a 12 volt 200 mill amp constant current source allowing every Nebula to drive up to 100 Wallplates No...

Page 35: ...an be supplied to customer specification Key legend can be engraved and paint filled or laser etched to customer specification Wallplates can also be silk screened in wear resistant epoxy ink for larger order quantities WALLPLATE ELECTRONICS Each Wallplate is run by an ultra low power microprocessor which scans the keys and pre set dipswitch settings drives the LEDs and transmits the appropriate c...

Page 36: ...he remote show command whether from other Nebulas Theatrelight Wallplates or remote computer 3 Each Nebula must be set to the same current show the same Show Chase type and with the same start and end scenes 4 Each Scene in each Nebula must be set to its correct levels and fade times 5 One Nebula only should be programmed with the correct wait times between cues all others should have all scene wa...

Page 37: ... and vibration Use rear support plates on each dimmer pack when touring Take care that all power connections are firmly screwed down when operating the dimmer pack Ensure the dimmer packs are properly earthed to a low impedance earth system Use DMX splitters reconditioners to ensure a clean DMX signal Terminate the last pack in the DMX line with a 120 ohm resistor for reliable operation __________...

Page 38: ...ted capacitors LCD DISPLAY 4 line 20 character display STN Blue with auto dimming super bright white LED backlight PUSH BUTTONS Alps brand computer keys with custom moulded keycaps MCBs 6KA rated MCBs provide full overload and short circuit protection of power devices FILTERING Iron powder toroidal chokes for linear current rise and minimum EMI Theatrelight can provide filtering to customer standa...

Page 39: ...ower consumption at no load is less than 5 watts EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS Output 12 channel 6 and 3 channel versions with SCR IGBT or Sinewave modules Terminations Moving cage terminals or cable input with socket outputs depending on model and destination country Socapex output versions available Special socket versions may be made to customer order DMX Control Input DMX 512 via gold plated 5 Pin XLR ...

Page 40: ...36 NEBULA OPERATION DIMENSIONS ...

Page 41: ... DIMMER A power controller which changes the brilliance of lights connected to it DIPLESS Applied to a cross fade where a dimmer up at the same level on both the new and the old lighting states does not change level during the cross fade DMX 512 A method of transmitting dimmer levels digitally over a two wire cable Digital MultipleX 512 dimmers EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only M...

Page 42: ... to set up faders in advance of a cue PREVIEW To view a set of recorded levels without showing on stage SCENE A recording which stores a single set of all channel levels SCENEMASTER A master fader which controls the playback of a scene of recorded levels SCR Silicon Controlled Rectifier A unidirectional power switch used in dimmers SEQUENCE A repetitive pattern of lighting changes SHOW A performan...

Page 43: ...Input levels 17 Introduction 1 LCD display 3 LEDs 3 Locking keys 14 Maintenance 33 Maximum levels 16 Minimum levels 15 Non dim levels 16 Off levels 16 Phase LEDs 3 Playing scenes 23 Proportional levels 17 Remote control 5 30 Remote control data 19 Remote LED 3 Remote scenes 31 Remote scenes editing 21 Remote shows 32 Report ID number 21 Reset command 9 17 RS 485 connections 35 Scene levels 19 Scen...