Upgrading From ETC Express

Hi, 

I am apart of a school with an ETC Express which we are looking to possibly replace due to its age but are not looking to replace our power distribution and dimming controls system. Would anyone know if it is possible to upgrade from the express to the cobalt 20 without having to replace any other item except the console itself?

Thank You in advance!

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  • Hello Luke,

    This will depend to some extent on your system, but replacing an Express with a Cobalt 20 is sort of akin to replacing your old Ford Fiesta with a new Porsche Cayenne - many many additional features on the Cobalt, but at the end of the day, it drives you from point A to Point B.

    Like the Express, Cobalt consoles have two DMX ports, which means they can probably talk to anything in your system.  If you actually have an Express with Emphasis, it could be using Net2 - EDMX.  Cobalt can speak that protocol as well.

    One thing to note is that the Cobalt syntax is different than Express - it's more European in flavor.  So rather than typing

    [Chan] 1 @ 75, you would type 1 [Chan] 75 [At Level] to get the same result.  If you'd prefer to stick with similar syntax to the Express, then I'd recommend having a look at the Eos line of consoles.

    If you're interested in an upgrade, I would suggest getting in touch with an ETC Field Project Coordinator.  They can help you figure out the best fit of equipment to your site.  You're welcome to email me off-forum to figure out who the nearest person is (mattp [at ] etcconnect.com) or you could fill out a Get in Touch form here: www.etcconnect.com/Americas.aspx

Reply
  • Hello Luke,

    This will depend to some extent on your system, but replacing an Express with a Cobalt 20 is sort of akin to replacing your old Ford Fiesta with a new Porsche Cayenne - many many additional features on the Cobalt, but at the end of the day, it drives you from point A to Point B.

    Like the Express, Cobalt consoles have two DMX ports, which means they can probably talk to anything in your system.  If you actually have an Express with Emphasis, it could be using Net2 - EDMX.  Cobalt can speak that protocol as well.

    One thing to note is that the Cobalt syntax is different than Express - it's more European in flavor.  So rather than typing

    [Chan] 1 @ 75, you would type 1 [Chan] 75 [At Level] to get the same result.  If you'd prefer to stick with similar syntax to the Express, then I'd recommend having a look at the Eos line of consoles.

    If you're interested in an upgrade, I would suggest getting in touch with an ETC Field Project Coordinator.  They can help you figure out the best fit of equipment to your site.  You're welcome to email me off-forum to figure out who the nearest person is (mattp [at ] etcconnect.com) or you could fill out a Get in Touch form here: www.etcconnect.com/Americas.aspx

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