Using the RC4 Wireless Flkr Effects Engine
Contents
1. RC4 Series 3 Wireless Dimmers Quick Start RC4 Flikr Effects Engine Contents Hed RS od cecexc cae cisseuicesoxsnn i iea er Not for Use Where Human Safety May Be At Risk onrnrnornrnonrrvrnenvrrnnennnrnnenrnenserneensenseene Not for Control of Pyr technical Devices rnsrsmvessemsessarseeserereasnresesanesnesnnenseansesvsannenseser PN Start with Basic Wireless Dimming ccsiccnasanstenetanekacaboertountorsbanstesstanstounbeestausteuabersineeevetauekices The RC a Series G EE irii iia Restore Defaults RR EE The RC4 Flkr Effects Engine anse A Added Lawrence OSC 6 ss poses ancknsinsnischnsanczsijeancatiuaiicaciuuneenamehsasantetgiaaateneseaeennaanpemeannne Random Number Generators ccccssccesssceesseceessecesseccessececssecesseecesseceessecesseecesseeeesseceeseees Enabling RCA Flkr Effects Wi Gd xs ccscscscasscsshesoncanasscsssassagsentacgosesdnesonsesussenesascstivanncmusssacmneniates Flkr gt DimA B C DMX gt DimD Blink BBA oorrrrrnrrrnrrnvrrnrrnnrrnrrnnrrnvrnnrrnvrnnrrnvrnnnrnvennr Fikr gt DimA B C D AAB reronrnnrrnornonrennnrenernnnrenervenseneereneenessenernensenessenesnessenesvensenessenesnene Flkr gt HSL gt DimA B C DMX gt DimD BAB rrrrrnvronrrnvrrnrrnnrrnrrnnrrnvrnnrrnvrnnnrnvrnnnrnvennr Fikr gt HSL gt DimA B C Flkr gt DimD ABB scsiccsssssdsscsesetsassesdecnsessdessosastescsoesdecssnessecses Flkr gt HSL gt DimA B C D RGBW BBB ccccsccssce2. amages resulting from the use of any RC4 Wireless product or group of products RC4 Wireless does not guarantee the suitability of any product for any purpose user assumes all risk RC4 dimmers must be used strictly in accordance with manufacturer s instructions and cannot be used for unsupervised operation RC4 Wireless products must be installed and operated only by qualified technicians as outlined in the manufacturer s documentation and should be inspected and tested on a regular basis to ensure proper and safe operation Not for Control of Pyrotechnical Devices RC4 Wireless products should not be used to control pyrotechnics of any kind A brief output surge on dimmer outputs during power up could trigger these devices RC4 Wireless accepts no liability if RC4 equipment is used for this or any other purpose Product Safety RC4 receiver dimmers are capable of controlling very large currents at up to 35VDC Dimmers should not be allowed to operate at dangerous temperatures Appropriately sized wire and connectors must be used along with suitable ventilation to dissipate heat and external fuses rated for the load being operated This guide is not intended to provide comprehensive electrical safety instructions RC4 devices should be used only by qualified personnel Page 2 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine Start with Basic Wireless Dimming Before you can make use of this guide you need your RC4 Wireless system up
3. and running in basic wireless dimming mode Find the companion Quick Start Guide for the system you are using at http www theatrewireless com support manuals Start with one of these depending on the devices you are using e RC4Magic Series 3 Quick Start Guide e RC4 W DIM4 W DIMm3 Quick Start Guide e RC4 LumenDima LumenDimM 4 Quick Start Guide Tutorial videos help you use and understand RC4 technology Find them at http www theatrewireless com category support video Seeing the process is often easier than reading a manual Wireless dimming with professional and reliable results is easy it s easier than you think The RC4 Series 3 User Interface The RC4 Series 3 User Interface consists of numerous LEDs and recessed pushbuttons All LED are behind small round holes All buttons are behind small slotted openings A small tool like a bent paperclip is required to press the recessed buttons Never insert a tool into a round hole buttons are only behind slotted holes Never insert a tool into a round hole buttons are only behind slotted holes Poking tools into round holes can damage LED indicators and circuit board traces Such damage is not covered under warranty Page 3 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine Restore Defaults If you are unsure of the settings in an RC4 Series 3 device or if it is not responding as expected you can restore default settings Hold the recess
4. any minutes even hours In other cases particular if temperatures and battery voltages are different for each unit they may drift apart more quickly You can combat this by routinely resynchronizing Effect Save and Power Up Recall When operating in any mode that uses the RC4 Wireless Flkr Engine RC4 OneTouch is only used with SetA to assign Master Fade and SetB to assign the first Control The SetC button saves the current Flkr effect in non volatile memory When the device subsequently powers up in Flkr mode the saved effect is recalled and is immediately displayed This allows RC4 Series 3 devices to be used as standalone flicker effect generators with no need to a data connection at all To disable the flicker effect on power up either save an affect that has no levels all controls cleared Master Fade at zero or select a mode that does not use the Flkr Engine RC4 Series 3 devices always power up in the last selected mode How to Reach RC4 Wireless Page 9 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine Physical Address RC4 Wireless is a registered trade name of Soundsculpture Incorporated of North Carolina Soundsculpture Incorporated RC4 Wireless 13604 Heathwood Court Raleigh NC 27615 USA Telephone Fax Toll Free 1 866 258 4577 North America North Carolina USA Local 919 229 9950 London UK 44 0 20 3289 8765 Emergency Cellular 919 400 3961 Toll Free Fax 1 866 237 6641 N
5. bers is generated 32 times faster than the LFO cycles up and down That is the LFO frequency also affects the frequency of RNG shimmer but is a much faster element of the overall look Enabling RC4 Fikr Effects Mode For complete details on selecting the various modes available in RC4 Series 3 devices see RC4 Quick Start Selecting Device Modes and the complete RC4 Wireless Series 3 Wireless Dimmers User Manual RC4 HotPatch provides eight basic device configurations When using RC4Magic devices dimmer source patching can be further customized using RC4MagicPC software Press and hold the Func button then press and release i e tap the SetB button The selected mode will increment and the DimA and DimB indicators will provide a pattern of 3 blinks to indicate the newly selected mode Each press of the SetB button while holding the Func button cycles to the next mode listed below returning to the first mode after the last mode around and around When changing mode the DimA and DimB indicators provide feedback to the user This also causes loads connected to these outputs to blink Only two indicators are used so that the same indication method can be used on all devices with 2 or more dimmers Of the eight available these modes utilize the RC4 Flkr Effect engine Fikr gt DimA B C DMX gt DimD Blink BBA DimA DimB ele Page 5 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine The RC4 Wi
6. ed Func button while you press and release the SetA recessed button The Dima indicator will blink and most settings will be cleared to defaults Some firmware versions leave the PWM frequency and RC4 Digital Persistence setting unchanged after loading defaults To restore everything to original factory settings including PWM frequency and Digital Persistence Hold both the Func and the SetA buttons while powering on the device and hold them for more than 5 seconds The COP indicator will light for 5 seconds in bootloader mode before reverting to normal operation Hold the two buttons for this entire time Restoring defaults is easiest with two bent paperclips one for each button The RC4 Fikr Effects Engine The RC4 Wireless Flicker Engine is a versatile DMX controlled tool for creating modulating light effects Rather than provide preprogrammed or canned flicker effects the RC4 Wireless Flicker Engine provides numerous control channels to build and fine tune an infinite range of effects that can utilize a wide range of light sources The primary tools provided by the RC4 Flicker Engine are Low Frequency Oscillators LFOs and Random Number Generators RNGs These can be combined in various ways to influence the output levels of multiple dimmers Low Frequency Oscillator The Low Frequency Oscillator LFO generates a triangle wave sometimes called a saw tooth wave It is a signal that steadily rises and falls ove
7. ntrol Channel Profiles 2 Dimmer 8 Channel Profile Master Fader base DMX channel base level base Control channel B base level base 1 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer A CENTER OFF base 2 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer B CENTER OFF base 3 LFO frequency base 4 random depth to LFO frequency base 5 random depth to A B base 6 Page 7 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine 3 Dimmer 10 Channel Profile Master Fader base DMX channel base level base Control channel B base level base 1 C base level base 2 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer A CENTER OFF base 3 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer B CENTER OFF base 4 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer C CENTER OFF base 5 LFO frequency base 6 random depth to LFO frequency base 7 random depth to A B C and D base 8 4 Dimmer 12 Channel Profile Master Fader base DMX channel base level base Control channel B base level base 1 C base level base 2 D base level base 3 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer A CENTER OFF base 4 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer B CENTER OFF base 5 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer C CENTER OFF base 6 LFO triangle depth to Dimmer C CENTER OFF base 7 LFO frequency base 8 random depth to LFO frequency base 9 random depth to A B C and D base 10 Effect Synchronization Page 8 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effect
8. orth America Internet Email moreinfo theatrewireless com Skype RC4 Sales and Technical Support rc4smd Skype RC4 Administration rc4acw Website www theatrewireless com Rev 1 0 Aug 2014 JDS Page 10
9. r and over again at speeds ranging from one cycle over several seconds up to several cycles in a single second When a simple LFO modulates the brightness of a dimmer over its full range you will see the dimmer get brighter and brighter reach its peak at 100 then get dimmer and dimmer go completely out at 0 then come back on and get brighter and brighter and so on But it is not necessary to modulate over the full range of a dimmer from o to 100 it is usually more appealing to establish a base level then use the LFO to gently and subtly animate the look Page 4 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine The RC4 Flicker Engine provides one LFO with two outputs normal and inverted When the normal output is rising the inverted output is falling They are exactly 180 degrees out of phase they are compliments of each other Random Number Generators For a more natural affect it is best if the LFO frequency is not absolutely steady Using a Random Number Generator RNG to influence the LFO frequency the rate of LFO rise and fall can vary over time As we saw with LFO modulation of brightness this feature is usually most pleasing when applied subtly but it can also be used to create very sudden extreme and irregular changes in speed RNGs can also be applied directly to the brightness of dimmers Unlike the ebb and flow of an LFO RNGs are quick crisp and shimmery In the RC4 Flicker Engine a stream of random num
10. reless Flkr Engine drives DimA B and C DimD is not controlled by the Flkr engine Instead it is directly controlled by the DMX channel assigned for DimD Thus this mode provides a 3 color Flkr effect and one general purpose dimmer In this mode the 4 output of the Flkr Engine is not used Fikr gt DimA B C D AAB DimA ele DimB e All 4 dimmers are controlled by the RC4 Wireless Flkr Engine This is the most commonly used Flkr Engine mode Fikr gt HSL gt DimA B C DMX gt DimD BAB DimA e DimB The RC4 Wireless Flkr Engine modulates the HSL color controller The HSL controller output drives DimA B and C for RGB control DimD is is directly controlled by the DMX channel assigned for DimD Fikr gt HSL gt DimA B C Flkr gt DimD ABB DimA DimB The RC4 Wireless Flkr Engine modulates the HSL color controller The HSL controller output drives DimA B and C for RGB control DimD is is directly controlled by the 4 output of the Flkr Engine bypassing the HSL controller Page 6 RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine Fikr gt HSL gt DimA B C D RGBW BBB DimA DimB ele e The RC4 Wireless Flkr Engine modulates the HSL color controller The HSL controller output drives all 4 dimmers for RGBW control In this mode the 4 output of the Flkr Engine is not used DMX Co
11. s Engine In most cases flicker effects are more pleasing with a degree of randomness via RNGs Multiple units side by side and controlled by the same DMX channels will each look a little different thanks to independent streams of random numbers from the separate RNGs in each device But sometimes an appearance of synchronization rather than randomness may be desired In this case RNGs should not be used in the effect setup random depth to LFO and shimmer should both be at zero LFOs in multiple units can be synchronized regardless of what they were doing previously This is done by setting all four LFO depth to dimmer channels off 50 and setting random to LFO off 0 When these five channels are in this state the internal LFO is stopped and locked to the midpoint of its wave As soon as any LFO depth channel becomes non zero not 50 or the random to LFO channel changes to be non zero higher than 0 the LFO is released and begins rising at the speed determined by the LFO frequency channel If the random to LFO remains at zero all the LFOs in multiple units will restart together and track together for quite a long time There is no physical synchronization between units they simple follow the same control channel instructions at the same time with no randomness Due to very small inaccuracies in quartz crystal timers multiple units will eventually drift apart In most cases they will appear to be synchronized for m
12. ssesscesecescesecssecseesseeseeeaeeeeeneeseees DMX Control Channel Profiles peels mee eee a eee enmars eaten rater ae ners oisinn nioi 2 Dimmer 8 Channel Profile ssroonvronvenvesnvenneensenneeneenneensennsenssnnsensssnsennssnsennsensennssnssnnsene 3 Dimmer 10 Channel ProNleuvasassaaassgasseneramkedndedeeure d d 4 Dimmer 12 Channel Profile ssoonvrroonvennvennsensrnnsenssnnsenssensennsensennsensennsensennssnssnnssnssnnsen Effect Sy ICR ON Zac ccescinnchsnornecwuesteusberstauvtencaustoubuntoustorsiontiulatooeadombeutosiontrsauckioane Effect Save and Power Up Retallll ccscssssssscsesesossesacsesonassaeassanedasesdsevossncaunasssescssessbnssosesdsseoseapaenae How to Reach RC4 Wireless ti sicscinscacttacesiectiaadeashocsrandicasesstesadarcantessecdansdanatacedaeatignderabaansaeancaans Physical ACIAWESS 5 accsss2uscspsndussqeadeseBacetssetesedasntassenssdenasnsadysetssetansdeuetassdnseaaseascabensbsssdeaatorsne Telephone NNN nen aa RC4 Series 3 Quick Start RC4 Flkr Effects Engine Disclaimers WIRING AND INSTALLATION OF BATTERIES DIMMERS AND LOADS MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LOCAL AND NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODES RC4 Wireless devices and equipment are operated at the user s own risk and RC4 Wireless accepts no liability either direct or consequential as a result of using this equipment Not for Use Where Human Safety May Be At Risk RC4 Wireless accepts no liability for direct indirect or consequential d
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