Setup
Page 34
ORB Operating Manual – Issue 1.0
Patching Fixtures
After adding the fixtures into the desk, the next step is to patch the
fixtures to the DMX outputs. Patching a fixture is the act of defining
on the desk which DMX channels the fixture has been set to.
Fixtures can be patched individually or in groups. Until a fixture is
patched, it will be impossible to control it on ORB, as the desk has
no information as to where within the 2048 possible channels the
data is to be sent.
DMX addresses
The DMX signal transmitted from ORB carries 512 channels of
information down each ‘universe’. Fixtures plugged into this
universe must have a DMX address set on them in order for the
desk to be able to control them.
A DMX address is the range of channels which a fixture has been
configured to respond to. This can be a single channel (for
example, a dimmer or colour scroller) or a large range (for example
a moving light). Depending on the particular equipment you are
connecting, the DMX address may be configured using DIP switches,
on-screen menus or remotely using various configuration tools. For
information on addressing your fixtures, please consult the user
manual of the fixtures.
If a fixture is using a range of DMX addreses then no other fixture in
the rig should be set to use these addresses as this will cause
problems configuring the desk to communicate with the fixtures
effectively.
A typical DMX addressing system may work like this:
1 – 96 – Dimmers 1 – 96
97 – 100 – Empty
101 – 115 – Fixture 1 (14 channels)
116 – 129 – Fixture 2 (14 channels)
129 – 143 – Fixture 3 (14 channels)
144 – 157 – Fixture 4 (14 channels)
etc
DMX universes
The ORB has four ‘universes’ of DMX output, numbered 1 to 4. Each
of these universes carries a different set of 512 channels of data,
giving a total of 2048 possible channels outputting from the desk.
There is a 5 pin XLR output for each universe, located on the rear of
the desk. Each DMX universe can also be output over Ethernet,
using various communication methods.
Using the Desk Setup / Outputs settings (Page 54) it is possible to
configure which DMX universe is transmitted from each of the DMX
outputs, so if the behaviour of your fixtures isn’t as you would
expect, please check these settings.
It is critical that you patch the fixtures to the correct DMX universe
to correspond with the cable which they are connected to.
Summary of Contents for ORB
Page 1: ...ORB OPERATING MANUAL...
