How best to use scrollers on a SFML

Hi Jon -

You need to patch the dimmer and scroller to the same device number. When you are patching your dimmers you normally choose to patch to a dimmer channel A1-24 or B1-24, right? If you keep scrolling in the patch windows, you will find dimmer channels D1-24 as well - these are the dimmer patch locations for devices that use external dimmers like scrollers, I-Cue heads, VL5 or VL1000 Tungsten fixtures, etc. If you patch the dimmer to the D1 channel, then the scroller to D1 as well, you will have Intensity for that scroller available on the PARAM faders and you can make color palettes for the scrolls. Make sense?

I hope this helps -

Thanks much -

Sarah

Hi Jon -

You need to patch the dimmer and scroller to the same device number. When you are patching your dimmers you normally choose to patch to a dimmer channel A1-24 or B1-24, right? If you keep scrolling in the patch windows, you will find dimmer channels D1-24 as well - these are the dimmer patch locations for devices that use external dimmers like scrollers, I-Cue heads, VL5 or VL1000 Tungsten fixtures, etc. If you patch the dimmer to the D1 channel, then the scroller to D1 as well, you will have Intensity for that scroller available on the PARAM faders and you can make color palettes for the scrolls. Make sense?

I hope this helps -

Thanks much -

Sarah

Thank you, Sarah - this is a great feature - the manual doesn't really mention this - thanks for this description.  Unfortunately, it's not going to work for me, but I may have a solution.

My challenge is that all my 'conventionals' (including the Source Fours that serve the scrollers) are controlled on Universe 1, which is the house wiring (and controlled by my Express 48/96).  The SFML doesn't have enough control channels for my conventionals - it's only running my scrollers and wigglers.  They are all on the house's 2nd Universe, which is going to the SFML.

So... I'm wondering if this might work: what if I patch a 'non-existent' dimmer into D1-24 (or whatever matches my scrollers)?  In other words, if I patch a non-existent Dimmer Number 512 into D1, and patch a scroller to D1 as well, would it 'think' there's an intensity device?  (I can't try this quite yet, as I'm in production, but will try soon.)

 - Jon

Hi Jon -

So, the actual intensity for the scroller fixtures comes from the Express, right? If you patch dummy dimmers to your scroller devices, and then cue those intensities the same as your Express, the move dark feature should work for you, I think. This is a kind of special case, isn't it? ;-)

Good luck!

Thanks -

Sarah

Is there a tutorial or something out there to explain how to patch/run a device in this manner (such as a scroller, a VL1000, or such?  I'm just not getting results.

I've patched my scrollers as Devices 5-10, and also patched Intensity Devices 5-10, but the scrollers are still 'moving dark' after the cue is executed.  I'm not even hooked up to the Express yet - I'm trying this with just the SFML, and running the stack.  Here's what I'm testing:

Cue 1: scrollers in frame 3, and intensity (for all) at 100%.

Cue 2: nothing programmed for scrollers (intensity stays up, and they stay on frame 3), only one moving light comes on*

Cue 3: Moving light stays, but scrollers change to frame 10 (no intensity change)

*After Cue 2 executes (mover's intensity comes up) the scrollers go ahead and roll into frame 10, as they will be for Cue 3.  Shouldn't the scrollers stay put? I am not changing intensity for them - isn't it LTP?  Or do I need to program an intensity for each and every cue?  (I am hitting "record all")

 - Jon

Hey Jon,

I'm testing this problem with a SFML and it is confusing how to patch the intensity channel to the device.

First the scrollers have to be patched using the "Patch Wizard" in the "Patch Devices" section of Patch. For my test I selected the 'Wybron Colorram 2 No fan' personality, and patched 1 device with a DMX start of 257.

The intensity channel cannot be patched from the "Patch Devices" section, but rather from the "Patch by Channel" section of patch. In that screen you need to scroll past the A# and B# intensity channels to the D# device channels, then select the corresponding DMX value for intensity. For me it was device 5, universe 1, DMX 5.  Unlike the "Patch Devices" section, "Patch by Channel" will not patch in a range so you'll need to patch each device's corresponding intensity channel.

From there I was able to work with the light+scrooller as you would a regular moving light

About your LTP question, the scrollers should stay put in your scenario through cue 2 if the intensity is up on those devices. However, if the device intensity is not correctly patched the scrollers will not register their intensity channel and thus not know what to follow even if "move dark" is engaged.

I hope this helps,

Betsy Lynch