2.2 How do I make the heads work?
There are 4 ways to make the heads work: Manual operation - use the joystick and controls to manually work the heads Scenes - When you have positioned the heads to give a nice effect, you can save the position of all the heads as a Scene. Then you can recall the effect whenever you want with one button press. Chases - You can string together up to 64 scenes to form a dynamic moving chase Light show - The controller will automatically work the heads for you.
Youll probably want to use all of these ways of operating the controller. Each one is useful for different applications. Read on

Page 8

Quick guide to the controller

2.3 Manual operation

You can manually control any or all of the 16 heads by selecting the heads you want to use. Press the Head button, then the number corresponding to the head you want to control. You can do this for as many heads as you want. The green light above the head number will come on to indicate that the head is selected. If you press the button again it will go off and the head will be deselected. If you get confused at any point or want to start with a clean sheet, hold down Cancel to turn everything off. This useful all off can be done at any time. OK, so youve got some heads selected. If you move any of the front panel controls, the heads which are selected will respond. If you move the joystick, the mirror will move (if the head has a mirror). If you change the colour or gobo (pattern), then the head will change its colour or gobo. If you have got more than one head selected, they will all do the same thing. When you deselect the heads, they will lock in the position you left them. You can now select some other heads and set different positions.
2.4 Using scenes - static positions
Manual control is OK, but its a bit fiddly. You dont want to have to position all the heads by hand every time. This is where a scene comes in handy. A scene stores the current position of all 16 heads. When you have got a nice effect with your heads, you can save the effect as a scene by pressing Save, then Scene, then pressing the number of the scene you want to save. When you are saving or recalling a scene, the green lights light up to show you which scenes have already been programmed. You can save up to 384 scenes, and the controller has a further 128 scenes which are pre-programmed. The scenes are organised in 32 banks of 16. Once youve saved a scene, youll want to get it back. To recall a scene, simply press Scene, then the number of the scene you want to recall. All 16 heads will be repositioned according to the settings you saved in the scene. To recall the next scene, press another number. When you get a bit more advanced, you can tell the controller to move slowly (crossfade) between scenes if you want. You can turn the current scene off by pressing Scene then Cancel.

Unless you have more than 16 effects to control, you will probably want to use them all on separate DMX channels. You dont have to set them in order; the controller can rearrange the DMX allocation if you want it to. Once you have told the controller what type of effect you are using as head 1, head 2, etc., the controller will automatically work out the DMX channels to use (see Head Setup option 3, on page 18). You can then ask the controller how to set the dip switches on each effect (Head Setup option 4), and it will show you using a picture on the display. You can also set the channels manually on the controller if you want (again using Head Setup option 3); if so, you will need to know which DMX channel each head is set to. If you have problems setting up the controller to match the effects, look at the Head Setup section of the manual (page 16) for more details. Note: It is not recommended to use the auto-number facility on the heads when using the CE controller.
A new controller is set up by default so that all heads are Futurescan 2CEs. If all your effects are this type, you dont need to change anything.

Page 13

4. Head
The Head button allows you to select which of the 16 heads you want to work with. It also allows you to enter Head Setup mode, by holding the button down for longer than 2 seconds.

4.1 Head Select

In Head Select mode, the unit displays
Select heads Active when lit
Press the number key corresponding to the head you want to control. The green light above the key will come on (and stay on) to tell you which heads are currently being controlled. The controller will tell you what type of head you have selected. If the head was in blackout, it will turn on (unless youve disabled the Auto light up option - see section 4.3). This can be useful to identify which head you have just selected when you are programming. If you want to stop controlling a head, press the key again. The light above the key will go out. If Auto light up is on, you havent moved the head, and it was in blackout before you selected it, it will turn off. If you have moved the head it will lock in the position you left it. You can select a range of heads by pressing the first and last buttons in the range together. All the heads in between will be toggled (they will be selected if they were not selected before, or deselected if they were selected before). To deselect all heads, press Cancel briefly. Note: If you select a scene or chase when some heads are selected, any settings you have made on the selected heads will not change. All unselected heads will be overwritten by the new scene or chase. To exit head select mode, simply press the key for the new function you want to use. You can cancel changes to an individual head (which will set all its controls to zero) by holding down its number key for more than 2 seconds. You can cancel a range of heads by holding down the first and last buttons in the range for more than 2 seconds.

Save as which scene? Showing Bk:01 Sc:02
You still save the scene in the same way. If you change the bank, the reminder will disappear.

Selecting the Scene Bank

There are 24 banks of user-programmable scenes. You can select another of the banks using the Bank button. Press Bank again to swap between banks 1-16 and 17-24. Press one of the number keys to select the bank number. For banks 17-24, add 16 to the number on the key to get the bank number you want (in other words button 1 will give Bank 17, button 2 gives Bank 18 and so on). The lights above the buttons will change to show you which scenes have been programmed in the new bank.
Programming scenes for use with multiple chases
You can play back two chases together, which allows you to program some mirror only chases and some colour/gobo only chases, then produce more varied chases by combining the two at different speeds. You can also overlay a scene on a chase allowing you to control, say, a switch pack or some Scenesetters separately from the chase. To program, for example, a mirror only chase, you will need some mirror only scenes, which have the mirror channels set to non-zero values but the colour and gobo channels set at zero. When you replay the chase, you will be able to replace the zero values with values from another chase. The controller has an Exclude function (Scene setup option 5, see page 30), allowing you to automatically exclude channels from the scene when you save it; you tell the controller which channels you want to be saved with the scene and which channels you want to save as zero. Note: Channels are only set at zero when you havent changed them, when you use the exclude function, or when you Cancel your changes. You cant manually set channels back to zero once you have changed them.

Page 27

7.2 Recalling Scenes
Press Scene to go into Scene recall mode. The unit will display
Select scene Bank:01 Scene:--
The lights above the number keys will light up to tell you which scenes in the current bank have been programmed. Press the number key of the scene you want to recall. The output will change to the new scene. If you try to recall a scene which has not been programmed, the unit will tell you that the scene is not programmed. The output will not change. You can continue to select scenes by pressing number buttons. The controller will stay in Scene Recall mode until you select another function. You can also recall scenes by MIDI. See section 15 on page 58 for details.

Crossfading between scenes
You can set the controller to crossfade between scenes, allowing you to smoothly change between one scene and the next. You do this using the Scene Crossfade option in the Scene Setup mode (see next section); this allows you to either set a preset crossfade speed, or have a variable crossfade speed set using the Value slider.

Turning off a scene

You can turn off a scene by pressing Cancel when in Scene mode.
You can change the Scene Bank to any of the 32 possible banks by pressing the Bank button, then a number between 1 and 16. Press Bank again to swap between banks 1-16 and 17-32. (Banks 25-32 contain pre-programmed scenes). The lights will change to show you the programmed scenes in the new bank.
Overlaying a scene on a chase
If you recall a scene while a chase is running, or recall a chase while a scene is displayed, the values in the scene will be added to the chase and will offset it. This might be useful if you want to set some static lighting while a chase is running. Set channels at zero if you dont want to affect them.

Page 28

7.3 Scene setup
This function allows you to perform certain special operations on scenes, such as erasing and copying. It also allows you to set up the scene crossfade mode. You select the Scene Setup mode by holding down Scene for about 2 seconds. Note: You wont be able to select this option if the controller is in Playback Only mode.
Scene Setup 1-Erase scene
There are 6 possible actions which are displayed one after the other. You can: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. erase an individual scene erase a bank of scenes copy one bank of scenes to another bank set up the scene crossfade mode set up the exclude channels mode tell the unit to swap between scenes and chases rather than adding them
Press the number key of the option you want to select (you dont have to wait for it to be displayed).

1: Erase scene

This option allows you to erase an individual scene. You select the scene to erase exactly as if you were recalling it. You can change bank by pressing the Bank button. The controller will check you really want to erase it before wiping the memory for that scene. (You dont need to erase the scene if all you want to do is change it - you can just overwrite the old scene).

2: Erase whole bank

This option erases a complete bank of 16 scenes. You select the bank of scenes to erase exactly as if you were selecting a bank of scenes to recall. You can swap between banks 1-16 and 17-24 by pressing the Bank button. The controller will check you really want to erase the bank before wiping the memory for every scene in the bank.

3: Copy a bank

This option allows you to copy an entire bank of scenes to another bank. You might want to do this if you are tidying up the storage of scenes on the controller. The controller displays Page 29

6: Scene/Chase swap

This option allows you to set whether the controller will run scenes and chases simultaneously, or whether it will swap between scenes and chases (turn off the current scene when you select a chase). You might find the Swap mode useful in live performances if you want to go to a static scene and automatically stop the chase.
Scene/chase select 1.Combine 2*Swap s/c
If set to combine , when you select a scene with a chase running (or vice versa), the chase will be combined with the scene. If set to Swap (default setting), the chase will stop and the scene will crossfade from the current step in the chase (the crossfade time will be determined by the current scene crossfade setting). If you have a scene selected and you run a chase, the first step of the chase will crossfade from the scene (the crossfade time will be determined by the chase crossfade setting). This also applies when recalling scenes or chases.

Page 31

8. Bank
The function of the Bank button varies depending on what the controller is doing when you press it. If you are saving or recalling Chases, then the button allows you to change the Chase Bank. If you are saving or recalling Scenes, then it allows you to change the Scene Bank Otherwise the button will display a warning message and do nothing.

8.1 Chase bank select

If you press Bank while you are recalling a chase, or while you are selecting a chase number to save, then you will be asked to select a chase bank. If you are recalling a chase, you can choose from banks 1 to 8; banks 1-4 are user programmable and banks 5-8 are pre-programmed. If you are saving a chase, you can only choose banks 1-4.

8.2 Scene bank select

If you press Bank at any other time, you will set the Scene Bank. There are 32 possible scenes, but you can only write to the bottom 24. The first time you press Bank, the unit will say
Select sc bank 1-16 [Bank] for 17-32
If you want to select a bank between 1 and 16, press the number button of the bank. If you want to select a bank from 17 to 32, press Bank again. The unit will say
Select sc bank 17-32 [Bank] for 1-16
If you are selecting banks 17 to 32, add 16 to the numbers on the buttons. In other words, if you want bank 17, press 1; for bank 18, press 2; and so on up to bank 32, for which you press 16. If you are selecting a scene bank for saving, you will not be able to select banks 25-32 as they are pre-programmed and not user-programmable.

Page 32

Page 33

9. Chase

A chase is a sequence of scenes played back automatically, one after the other. The timing can be controlled by the Speed slider, by the beat of the music, by MIDI or by manually stepping through using a footswitch. You can store up to 64 chases, each with up to 64 steps. The controller has a further 64 pre-programmed chases which you can select. The chases are stored as 8 banks of 16 chases; banks 1-4 are user programmable and banks 5-8 are pre-programmed. You can play back two chases together; the controller calls the first one Chase A and the second one Chase B. Each has its own speed and crossfade time, and can be timer or sound triggered. This allows you to produce a wider variety of chases by combining two existing ones. You will find that this works best when you program some chases with only mirror movements in, and some chases with only colour and gobo changes in, then combine the two; or you could use two sets of mirror values to offset the position. The values in each chase are added together to give the final output, so if you want to program a chase that, for example, doesnt affect the colour setting, you should program the colour values as zero (see Programming Scenes for multiple chases on page 27).

9.1 Programming chases

Note: Before you start programming a chase, make sure you have programmed all the scenes that you want to use in the chase. Press Save, then Chase. The display will show
Save which chase? Bk=01 Lit=Used
The lights above the number buttons will light up to show which chases in the chase bank are already programmed. If the light is not on, that chase is blank. You can select another chase bank by pressing Bank, then number 1 to 4 (this doesnt affect the scene bank). Press the number button of the chase you want to save. If the chase is blank, you will be able to start saving the chase straight away. If the chase is already programmed, you have the choice of overwriting it or editing it. See the next section.

Page 34

Storing a new chase

The unit will display

Step 01:Select scene Scene bank 01
The unit is now in Scene Recall mode, and you can use the normal Scene recall procedure. Press Bank to change the scene bank. When you choose a scene, the controller will output the scene and store it as a step in the chase. For a short period, the unit will display
Step 01 stored Press [Chase] to end
and then go back to the scene select display. You can continue to enter steps by selecting scenes; the display shows you the current step number. If you change your mind about the scene youve just stored, you can press Cancel to go back a step. You can mark the end of the chase by pressing Chase. You can store up to 64 steps in the chase. If you try to enter more, the chase will end automatically. If you want to abandon the chase, press Head, Colour or Gobo. The unit will ask if you are sure you want to abandon it.

Storing speed, crossfade and sound mode
Once you have set the end of the chase, the controller will display
Set speed and Xfade [Save]/[Cancel]
The controller will play back the chase you have just programmed. If you want, you can set the default speed of the chase using the Speed slider, the default crossfade time between steps using the Value slider, and whether the chase will be sound triggered by pressing the Sound button. Press Save when all the parameters are set. When you recall the chase, the default speed, crossfade and sound trigger settings will be set automatically (you can then change them using the controls if you want).

Page 35

If you dont want to set a default value, press Cancel. When the chase is recalled, the controller will use the current setting of the controls at that time.

Editing a chase

If you choose to program a chase which has already been used, the controller will display
Chase already used Edit existing chase?
If you press Cancel (No) the unit will ask you if you want to overwrite the chase. Press Save (Yes) to overwrite the chase (see previous section). Press Cancel (No) to choose another chase. If you press Save (Yes) you will go into Chase edit mode. The unit will display each chase step and will output the step. If you press Save the unit will go on to the next step, if you press Cancel it will go back to the previous one. If you want to change the scene at any step, you simply select a new scene. If you want to make the chase shorter, press Chase on the step after the last step you want (in other words, if you want to end the chase at step 10, press Chase on step 11). If you go past the end of the existing chase, the unit will say
No more steps Add steps to chase?
If you press Save (Yes) you can continue to add steps to the end of the chase, as if you were saving a new chase (see previous section). If you want to exit the chase edit mode, press Head, Colour or Gobo. Any changes you have made will still be retained. You can also change the default chase speed and crossfade programmed with the chase. If you just want to change these values and not the rest of the chase, press Head after selecting Edit Chase to skip that step. You can erase a chase using the Chase Setup mode. See the next section for details.

Page 36

9.2 Recalling a Chase
You play back a chase by pressing Chase. You can select either Chase A or Chase B by pressing Chase again. The unit will display
Select Chase A Cbank:01 Chase:--
The lights above the buttons will light up to show you which chases in the current bank are programmed; if the light is lit then the chase is programmed. Recall the chase you want by pressing one of the number buttons. The chase will start to run. If a speed or crossfade value was programmed with the chase, this will also be set. If the chase was programmed as sound-activated, Sound mode will be turned on (Sound mode operates separately for Chase A and Chase B). If you try to recall a chase which is not programmed, the unit will warn you. You can continue to recall different chases by pressing number buttons, or swap between Chase A and Chase B by pressing Chase. You can also recall the automatic Light Show as Chase B by pressing Light show. When a chase is running, the controller will display lots of abbreviated information about the chase:
-Ch A- CBk:01 Chs:10 Step 03: Bk02-Sc08
The top left hand corner tells you whether you are on chase A or chase B. CBk and Chs tell you which Chase bank and Chase number is selected as Chase A. The bottom row tells you which step the chase is currently on and which scene bank and scene is programmed as that step. To stop the chase (A or B), press Cancel. To do something else while the chase is running, press an Action button (for example, to manually take over a head, just press Head). You can select a different bank of chases by pressing Bank, then a number between 1 and 8. The lights will change to show which chases are programmed in the new bank. Chases in banks 5 to 8 are pre-programmed. Note: If you want to manually control a head, select it in the usual way, then take over the functions you want to control by moving the controls. The other functions of the head will continue to be controlled by the chase.

Page 37

Changing speed and crossfade
You can always change the speed of the chase using the Speed slider and the Crossfade time of the chase (time to crossfade between steps) using the Value slider. A crossfade of 0% gives instant switching between steps, a crossfade of 100% gives constant movement. Chase A and Chase B have independent speed and crossfade times; if youve currently got Chase A selected, then the changes will be applied to chase A, and similarly for Chase B. If the current value is different to the position of the slider, you will need to match the slider to the current setting before anything will change. The display will show

6: Product information

The controller will display some information about itself, including the control software version number and date of last update. You might need this information if you run into difficulties and contact Abstract for technical support.
7: Reset all options to factory defaults
You can use this command to return all option settings to their factory defaults. Unlike the complete reset, which you get by holding down Cancel while turning the power on, this does not affect any scenes or chases you have programmed. However, all user-settable options are returned to their factory default settings. You might want to use this option if someone else has used the controller and you dont know what state all the options are in, or if you just want to go back to standard operation.
8: Output calculation mode
If you select two chases to run together, or a scene and a chase together (if the controller is set up to allow this), the controller will has to combine the DMX values in the two chases, or the DMX values in the scene and the chase. This option tells it how to work out the values.
Output calc mode 1.Add 2*Use highest
The controller can be set to add the values together, or to take the highest value and ignore the others.
9: Gobo only blackout mode
If this option is set to on , when you press blackout only the Gobo channels of heads are set to zero. This gives a faster response when you take the controller out of blackout. Normally all channels are set to zero when in blackout. Page 51

Blackout

12. Blackout
The Blackout button is a system button, which means that you can press it at any time, whatever the controller is doing, and it will always work. When you press Blackout, the controller changes all its outputs to zero*. The light comes on above the button to show that Blackout mode is active. When you press Blackout again, the controller restores all its outputs to how they were before. Note: This is different to All Clear mode (which you get when you hold Cancel down) - that permanently clears all the outputs, whereas Blackout temporarily sets them to zero. You can continue to operate the controller in Blind mode while it is in blackout - it continues to work as normal, except zeros are output on the DMX line.

Standby mode

If you leave CE-range effects in blackout for longer than 10 seconds, they will switch to standby mode. If they use halogen lamps, they will turn the lamps off to conserve lamp life. If you want an instant start from blackout, define a scene which has only the gobo channels at blackout, but all other channels in a non-zero position. Recall that scene, then release Blackout mode. This will take the heads out of standby mode and turn the lamps back on. Otherwise you may notice a delay as the lamps turn on. (* You can change this so only the gobo/shutter channels are set to blackout. See Gobo only blackout in System Setup section on previous page)

Page 59

Using MIDI The controller also understands MIDI commands outside the range of a normal keyboard; it uses these for special functions. You may be able to access them from a keyboard using its transpose function. The other MIDI commands that the controller uses are given in the following table.
MIDI Key 24-Note C1-B6 C7 C#7 D7 F#7 G7 G#7 A#7 Function White notes = Scene select, Black notes = Chase select (see diagram) Turn Scene off Turn Chase off* Light show mode on/off SysEx dump scenes SysEx dump chases SysEx dump config SysEx dump all memory Velocity sets xfade time
*The Turn Chase off function operates on Chase A or B, depending on which was selected last.

15.4 MIDI Thru modes

Normally the controller receives MIDI and also passes it through to any other MIDI devices connected to the Thru socket. If you want to program a light show, you connect a keyboard or some other MIDI-generating device to the input of your sequencer, then connect the output of the sequencer to the controller. The MIDI Thru socket has a further function in MIDI Data Out mode (see section 5.2). This allows you to record a light show in real-time on your sequencer. When this mode is enabled, every time you select a scene or chase from the front panel, the controller sends out the MIDI key code (from the Thru connector) to represent your action. When you play back the MIDI file, the controller will replay your actions. Note: You MUST switch off MIDI Thru on your sequencer when using this function, or disconnect the MIDI In connection to the controller. You will also find that the controller responds slightly slower because it has to output the MIDI data. The controller outputs MIDI for the following actions: Select scene, select scene bank, Scene Off (i.e. pressing Cancel) , Select chase, Select chase bank, Chase Off. (Chases will be run as Chase A or Chase B, as you selected them). Scene crossfade and chase crossfade values are output with the MIDI information as they are set when you record the MIDI file. Chase speed will be determined by the speed saved with the chase, unless you save a Chase Speed command separately.

Page 60

Using MIDI You can also use this mode to slave two controllers together; however, there is no MIDI command transmitted for a chase step, so chases run on two controllers may not be synchronised. When the unit is sending its own MIDI information, it transmits on the same channel on which it is set to receive. If the Receive setting is OMNI then it transmits on channel 1.

Mode 2: Omni On, Mono Mode 4: Omni Off, Mono

O : Yes X : No

Page 64

Page 65

Error Messages

C. Error Messages

This section lists the error messages that the controller might produce and tells you what to do. There are two types of message - information and fault. The information messages are normally just to help you out. The fault messages indicate that there is a problem with the controller and you will need to take some action.

Information messages

Message You need to select some heads first Scene has not been programmed Chase has not been programmed Deselect other heads to use switch pack Explanation You cant use the colour or gobo option unless youve selected some heads You tried to recall a scene that isnt programmed You tried to recall a chase that isnt programmed The head you are trying to select is a switch pack, you need to deselect all other heads to use it You are trying to use the Gobo option with a switch pack The unit is locked and this option cannot be used Solution Use Head Select to select one or more heads Choose a scene with a light above the button Choose a chase with a light above the button Press Cancel to deselect other heads, then select the switch pack Use the Colour set option to control the switch pack Unlock the unit (if you know the code it was locked with) by holding down the Save button Check the setup of all heads and correct any errors (may be caused by corruption or entry error).
Use [Colour] to control switch pack Playback Only Mode This option locked
Invalid head setup found, defaults set
Invalid settings found in head setup, replaced by default settings

Page 66

Fault messages
Message Backup battery low -WARNINGBackup battery flat Memory will be lost RAM ERROR AT 0000 Fatal system fault Explanation Memory backup battery is getting low - memory may be lost in a few weeks Memory backup battery is flat - memory will be lost when unit is turned off Error detected in RAM - fault in system (only tested when RAM is initialised) Solution Contact dealer for replacement Contact dealer for replacement Contact dealer - unit requires repair. This should never occur in normal use

Page 67

System Options

D. System options

This section lists the options that you can set on the system, where you find them and what effect they have. All the options listed below are remembered when the unit is turned off.
Option Set head type Set DMX channels Pan/Tilt invert Light Show options Auto light up Head cancel mode Scene xfade mode Exclude channels Scene/Chase swap Auto/Manual mode Chase auto-select mode Chase Link mode Location Head Setup option 2 Head Setup option 3 Head Setup option 5 Head Setup option 6 Head Setup option 7 Head Setup option 8 Scene Setup option 4 Scene Setup option 5 Scene Setup option 6 Chase Setup option 3 Chase Setup option 4 Chase Setup option 5 Function Sets the physical head type for each head number Tells the controller the DMX base channel setting for each head Inverts the operation of the joystick for each head when manually controlled, also can swap x-y. Sets the allocation of heads to Light Show groups. Selects the automatic light-up mode when a head is selected Turns off selected heads when scene or chase is turned on Sets the crossfade mode between scenes to Off (no crossfade), Fix (set value) or Slider (variable) Sets functions to be automatically excluded when saving a scene for a multiple chase Automatically turns scene off when chase selected, and vice versa Sets auto (sound/timer) chases or manual (keypress/footswitch) chases Sets options for unit to automatically run through different chases Sets option for linked chase selection (unit finds chase last used with the one you select)

Page 68

Option Playback only mode Set Control action Set startup mode Light show options Midi options Output calc mode
Location System Setup option 1 System Setup option 2 System Setup option 3 System Setup option 4 System Setup option 5 System Setup option 8
Function Sets the unit to locked mode (protected by code) Sets the action to perform when Control socket is activated Sets what the controller does when first turned on Sets Light show strobe enable and enhanced mode Sets midi options (see midi chapter for details) Sets whether scenes and chases add or highest-takesprecedence

Page 69

all off function, 44, 59 audio line in socket, 12, 54 auto light up mode, 14, 20 automatic chase selection, 39 backup battery, 6, 26, 67 bank selecting by MIDI, 59 selecting chase bank, 34 selecting scene bank, 27, 28 Bank button, 32 Blackout button, 52 Cancel button, 44 changing a scene, 27 chase abandoning program, 35 auto/manual mode, 41 automatic selection, 39, 41 changing speed and crossfade, 38 display when running, 37 editing, 36 erase, 40 link mode, 38, 42 programming, 34 quick guide, 10 recalling, 37 recording speed and crossfade, 35 selecting A or B, 34, 37 setup, 40 Chase button, 34 clear all outputs, 44 Colour button, 22 colour, setting split colour, 22 connector panel, 12 control in socket, 12 control in socket, setting function, 48 controlling selected heads, 15 copying bank of scenes, 29 crossfade between scenes, 28 changing chase crossfade, 38 setting scene mode, 30 dipswitch graphic display, 18 DMX address, 8

Abstract Design to Light 2001 Tel: +44 (0)8078 http://www.abstractavr.com
Universal Instruction Manual - Issue 1.3: Dec 2001
Written for Abstract Design to Light by Sabre Technology Ltd: 01482 831031

Instruction Manual

Dipswitch settings
The Abstract CE controller can show you a picture of how the dip switches should be set. If you are using this controller, ignore the settings below. Settings for all normal heads

Settings for Twister 4

Settings for ClubColour
The dipswitches are set in binary code (1=switch 1 on). To work out how you need to set the dipswitches to get a certain channel number, use the following step-by-step procedure:
Step 1: Is number more than 256? If so turn switch 9 on and subtract 256. Step 2: Is resulting number more than 128? If so turn switch 8 on and subtract 128. Step 3: Is resulting number more than 64? If so turn switch 7 on and subtract 64. Step 4: Is resulting number more than 32? If so turn switch 6 on and subtract 32. Step 5: Is resulting number more than 16? If so turn switch 5 on and subtract 16. Step 6: Is resulting number more than 8? If so turn switch 4 on and subtract 8. Step 7: Is resulting number more than 4? If so turn switch 3 on and subtract 4. Step 8: Is resulting number more than 2? If so turn switch 2 on and subtract 2. Step 9: Is result 1? If so turn switch 1 on.
If you have a calculator which can display binary, just convert the channel number to binary and turn on the 1 bits (switch 1 is the right hand bit).

Page 2

Page 19

Product Features

Smoothly microstepped movements with automatic speed sensing Vivid dichroic colours Microstepped colour wheel with both smooth colour crossfading and fast colour snapping Microstepped gobo wheel (where fitted) for precise and fast gobo changing Variable speed strobe effect Controlled by standard DMX512, any channel 1-508 Automatic switch to stand-alone mode when DMX disconnected Synchronising stand alone 2-channel light show (compatible across whole Abstract range) DMX channel can be changed while unit is running DMX switch-through relay in case of unit failure DMX/Audio beat indication LED Units can be remotely reset (using Abstract controller)

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of this Abstract product. Your new unit offers many exciting features and can work in harmony with any other Abstract product in the range to produce an amazing light show. This booklet contains instructions for the following products: ClubScan ClubRevolution ClubColour MoonScan MoonRay Futurescan 1CE 250W Gladiator Revolution CE 250W Twister 4CE 250W Galactic Star Colourflood

Specifications

Beam movement: 160 (pan) x 100 (tilt) -(CS, FS1, MS) Beam rotation: 0 - 80rpm variable speed bidirectional rotation (CR, TW4, GS, MS, MR) Mirror drum swivel: 220 swivel (CR, GR, MR) Microstepping: 0.1125 resolution (all channels) Colours: Gobos: Lamp: White + 10 dichroic + multicolour (Club range, GS) White + 7 dichroic + multicolour (FS1, GR, TW4, MR, MS, CF) 11 + open (Club range, GS) 7+open fixed to colours (FS1, GR, TW4, MR, MS, CF) 150W Arcstream 4000K (Club range, GS) 250W 24V A1-259 (FS1, GR, TW4, MR, MS) 100W 12V A1-231 (CF) Receive on 1-508 Transmit on 1-8 (stand alone mode - non-standard DMX) DMX active regeneration when not stand alone Electret mic with AGC
All the instructions in this booklet apply to all the above products, unless the text says otherwise.

If youre in a hurry

If you dont want all the details, and you just want to get it working in a hurry. If you are using a controller with the lights, go to page 9 If you are running the lights in sound-to-light mode, go to page 6

Audio:

Power consumption: 300W approx. Internal fuse: T3.15A
FS1=Futurescan 1, GR=Gladiator Revolution, CS=Clubscan, CR=ClubRevolution, TW4=Twister4, MS=MoonScan, MR=MoonRay, GS=Galactic Star, CF=ColourFlood

Page 18

Page 3

Features of the unit

All the units have the same plugs and indicator lights, though they are in different positions on the different units. The main ones are: 1. DMX output socket (pin 3 cold, pin 2 hot, pin 1 grounded). Other DMX devices can be linked in to the system through this socket. (If you cant tell which is which, the output is the one where you cant touch the pins.) DMX input plug (pin 3 cold, pin 2 hot, pin 1 screen). Used to connect the unit to either a DMX controller or to another Abstract unit in stand-alone mode. You can use a dedicated controller such as the Abstract CE controller, or another DMX lighting desk. If you are using a controller with a 5-pin DMX output, you will need to use a 5 to 3 pin adaptor with pins 2 and 3 swapped. Power on light (red). This light should be on whenever the unit is powered up. If it doesnt come on there is either no power to the unit, or some internal problem with the unit. DMX present / Audio beat light (green). This light is on constantly when DMX is being received (it may flicker a bit). When it is not lit, the unit is in stand alone mode and the light will flash when an audio beat is detected.

Maintenance of the unit

In typical use, the unit will get dirty due to smoke fluid, dust and cigarette smoke. Every few weeks you should clean the mirror and lens of the unit using a soft damp cloth to ensure maximum light output. Do not use abrasive cleaners or solvents to clean the optics or case of the unit. Using a vacuum cleaner, remove fluff from the fan outlet and the air intakes on the unit. If the airflow becomes restricted or blocked, the unit will overheat. This will shorten the working life of the unit and may result in the thermal trip activating on Club series units. If you are operating the unit regularly for prolonged periods (e.g. nightclub installations) you should take the unit to an Abstract dealer for full servicing and internal cleaning a few times a year. Do not attempt to open the case yourself as electrical hazards are present inside, and you risk damaging delicate internal parts.

Lamp replacement

To replace the lamp, first turn off the unit, remove the power, and if the unit has been operating, wait 15 minutes for it to cool down. Club range units: Remove the lamp by taking out the thumbscrews in the end plate and withdrawing the lampholder through the rear end of the case. Remove the old lamp from the lampholder and fit the new lamp. You must not touch the quartz glass of the lamp! Handle by the ceramic base only. Replace the lamp into the unit and refit the thumbscrews. Power up the unit and set to open white. Adjust the lamp for best brightness and evenness of light using the 3 screws on the lamp plate. Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution and ColourFlood: Open the hatch on the top of the unit by removing the thumbscrew. Slide out the old lamp. Pull the connector off the lamp and plug it onto the new lamp. Refit the lamp. Close the hatch.
Dip switches. Dip switches 1-9 set the DMX channel that the unit will respond to (in binary code) when a DMX controller is being used. Switch 10 sets the stand alone group of the unit when in stand-alone mode, either 1 (off) or 2 (on). See the last page of this booklet for help on setting the switches.
Twister 4, MoonScan, MoonRay and Galactic Star: Open the hatch on the front of the unit by removing the two thumbscrews. Slide out the old lamp. Pull the connector off the lamp and plug it onto the new lamp. Refit the lamp. Close the hatch.

Page 4

Page 17
Try using a different DMX source (controller or another scan) to check if that is the problem. If youve tried all these and the DMX still doesnt work, the DMX interface circuit may have been damaged by a line transient or induced interference (this happens occasionally). The unit will require repair. Check where your DMX cables run - if they are near or run alongside high voltage cables, power lines, or neon, you may have problems. Some units respond to the controller, others do something different You have a break in the DMX cabling - one unit is not receiving the DMX and is generating its own light show. Check the green LEDs - one of the units which is misbehaving will be flashing its green LED in time to the music. The DMX link between this unit and the previous one is faulty. Unit does not respond to sound Check that the unit is not receiving DMX (the green LED should be off). Also check that the unit is not set to display mode (see page 6) as it does not respond to sound in this mode. Otherwise, tapping the microphone should cause the green LED to flash. Quiet or high pitched sounds will not activate the unit. Unit keeps resetting itself intermittently Sometimes the fuse holder on the electronics board becomes loose. This results in an intermittent power supply, which may cause the unit to reset itself. You can rectify this by removing the fuse and squeezing the terminals on the fuse holder gently together. This fault can sometimes cause the fuseholder to get hot and desolder itself from the board, so check that as well.

Microphone. The unit can sense the beat of the music through this built-in microphone. The microphone is bass-filtered and will only pick up low-pitched sounds. Mains power (not shown in picture). Power is supplied to the unit through an IEC connector on the back face of the unit. There is a power supply fuse built into this connector. If this fuse fails you should take the unit to an Abstract dealer for service. Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution and ColourFlood have captive power leads instead of the IEC connector.
Lamp alignment (not shown in picture). ClubScan and ClubRevolution only. On the bottom of the unit (the opposite end from the mirror) there are 3 screws marked Lamp align. These allow you to adjust the position of the lamp within the reflector to optimise the evenness of the light beam. The alignment is set at the factory and you should not need to change it until you renew the lamp.
Focus (not shown in picture). You can focus the light beam for sharp gobo projection by turning the lens. If you turn the lens anticlockwise several turns, the lens will come out of the unit allowing it to be cleaned. On the Twister 4, MoonScan, MoonRay and Galactic Star, there is a slider knob on the top of the case. Turn the knob anticlockwise to loosen it, focus by sliding backwards and forwards, then turn the knob clockwise to lock the focus position.
If still you cannot resolve the problem, it may be that the unit has a fault. You should contact your Abstract dealer for assistance. If you have Internet access you can go to: http://www.abstractavr.com which has a technical help page.
High/Low switch (not shown). Not fitted on all units. This switch is a lamp saver which controls the power to the lamp. When set in Low position, the lamp is run at a lower power which slightly reduces the brightness, but greatly increases the lamp life. High position gives full brightness and normal lamp life. Remote control socket (Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution and ColourFlood). The remote control (3 buttons) can be connected to this socket using a stereo jack cable. Do not connect any other equipment to this socket or damage may result.
Note: when power is not connected to the unit, the DMX input and output connectors are bridged through by a relay to maintain the DMX circuit.

Page 16

Page 5

Installing the unit

Make sure that fixings or lighting stands are sufficient to carry the weight of the unit. The unit is fan cooled, make sure that you dont block any vents. Ensure there is at least 1 metre between the lens of the unit and any surface which the light beam can shine on. For Club range units, the unit should be installed with the mirror at the top to ensure best light output.

If you have problems

The world of intelligent lighting can sometimes be confusing. You may at times wonder if the lighting is more intelligent than you are. The next section lists a few common problems you may encounter, with solutions. No light from the unit Check the Power on (red) LED is lit and the fan is running. If not, there is no mains supply. Check your mains wiring and the fuse in the back panel. Check if the lamp is alight. You should be able to see some light escaping through the fan. If power is present but the lamp is not alight it may need replacing. Note: if the unit is in standby mode because all its control channels are at zero position, it may have turned the lamp off. Set some controls to non-zero positions. If the lamp is alight, check that the unit is not in blackout. If you are using a controller, change the setting. If in stand alone mode, tap the microphone.
When you turn the unit on, it will go through an initialisation routine where it moves all the motors to their zero positions. You may hear some bumping noises as the unit checks the limits of movement on the motors. The initialisation routine takes about 20 seconds, after which the unit will begin to respond to DMX input, or to sound if no DMX is connected. Note: Units with halogen lamps do not turn the lamps on until initialisation is complete.
Setup for Stand Alone mode
If you dont connect a controller, the unit will automatically run in stand alone (lightshow) mode. You dont need to set any switches. for stand alone mode. This mode is good when you want a quick and impressive show, or if you dont have time to program or operate the light show. If you want to control the unit yourself, see page 9. If you have more than one Abstract unit, link the units together using 3-pin DMX cables. Connect the DMX out (the socket) on the first unit to the DMX in (plug) on the second unit. Then continue linking as many other units as you want. The first unit (the Master unit) will generate the light show and automatically control the other (Slave) units to give a synchronised light show.
Unit turns itself off after working for a while Club range units are fitted with a thermal trip which may operate if the fan vents are blocked or excessively dirty, or if the fan fails. The trip will automatically reset when the unit cools down. Ensure all vents are clean and have free airflow. If the fan does not run when the unit starts up, take the unit to an Abstract dealer for repair. Unit not responding to DMX Check if the green DMX LED is lit. If not, check that your DMX cables are connected properly and are wired correctly (the unit is wired with pin 2 hot; some controllers may have pin 3 hot). Also check you have connected the cables to the right connectors; it does matter which way round they are. If the DMX LED (green) on the rear of the unit is lit, the unit is definitely receiving DMX but is probably not responding to the channel you think it is. Check the dipswitch settings. Also check the DMX polarity, as the green LED can sometimes light when the DMX is inverted. If you have intermittent DMX problems, one leg of the DMX may be disconnected, either in this unit or the previous one, or in your wiring (sometimes the connectors become loose on the electronics board). The DMX may work intermittently using the mains earth as a common.

Page 6

Page 15
Gobo / Shutter / Moon rotation DMX Gobo Shutter 0 Blackout Blackout 24 Open Open 40 Laser 56 Star 72 Slice 88 Tunnel 104 Heart 120 Eurostars 136 Sunburst 152 Triangle 168 Slash 184 Bubbles 200 Segment 216 Bubbles Open 226 Slow strobe Slow strobe 230 Strobe 2 Strobe Strobe 3 Strobe Strobe 4 Strobe Strobe 5 Strobe Strobe 6 Strobe Strobe 7 Strobe Fast strobe Fast strobe Note: Intermediate values will give part gobos MoonScan/Ray Blackout (No rotation) Open (No rotation) Fastest clockwise rot. | Medium clockwise | Slowest clockwise rot. Stop rotation Slowest anticlockwise | Medium anticlockwise | | Fastest anticlockwise Slow strobe (No rotation) Strobe 2 Strobe 3 Strobe 4 Strobe 5 Strobe 6 Strobe 7 Fast strobe
You can tell which unit is the Master unit because its green light will be flashing in time with the music. The green light will be permanently lit on all the slave units. Note: If you connect other manufacturers products to the DMX line while using stand alone mode, they will probably not respond.
Remote control for Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution and Colourflood: Connect the remote control to the first unit in the DMX line using a stereo jack cable. Not all units are fitted with the remote control socket, so ensure a master unit fitted with the socket is first in the DMX line. The remote will then control all the other lights in the DMX line. If the unit with the remote is not first in the DMX line, the remote will be ignored.
Light show variations To improve the light show, you can set Dipswitch 10 to ON on some units. This will make the unit do a variation on the lightshow (like inverting the movement or using a different colour). Units with Dipswitch 10 OFF will follow the Master unit. If youve got four units, you might want to set Dipswitch 10 ON on the outside two units and OFF on the middle two, to create an exciting varied lightshow. Even with only two units, setting Dipswitch 10 ON on the Slave unit will make for a better lightshow. On units with Advanced Sound Response (ASR), if you set dip switch 10 ON on the Master unit, no blackouts will be used in the lightshow. This is useful if you are using a single unit. On units with Supersound, the Master unit does not take any notice of Dipswitch 10. It always behaves as if the switch is OFF. If youve got a variety of different Abstract products, they might have different versions of the light show programmed into them - we are continually improving the light show. If you have any units with ASR, make sure one of those is the Master unit.

On MoonScan/MoonRay, rotation functions are for internal mirror dish. Dish is stopped during blackout and strobing.
Special functions On units with halogen lamps (all except Club series) the unit will turn off the lamp if all control channels are at zero for more than about 10 seconds. The lamp will turn back on when any channel changes from zero. This helps to extend lamp life if the unit is left powered but in black out for some time.

Page 14

Page 7
Special options in stand alone mode In stand alone mode, you can also set three options on the Master units Dipswitches which affect the light show:

DMX values

Pan & Swivel DMX 255 Result Left Central Right Tilt DMX 255 Result Top Central Bottom
All dip switches on: Display mode - unit ignores audio and scans slowly through various patterns (including strobes) 1 off, 2-9 on: Slow mode - unit responds to audio but always moves slowly and gently. No strobing is used. 1 on, 2 off, 3-9 on: Strobe disable mode - unit behaves as for normal stand-alone mode but will not use strobing.
Rotation (see Gobo table for MoonScan/MoonRay dish rotation) DMX 255 Result Stop Fastest speed clockwise Slowest speed clockwise Stop Slowest speed a.clockwise Fastest speed a.clockwise Stop
If youve got several units connected together, the slave units will obey the options on the Master unit. You can set the switches before or after the unit is turned on. If you connect a DMX source while these special options are set, the unit will have a start channel of 1.
Operation in stand alone mode
If the unit is in stand alone mode (no DMX connected), it will automatically produce a light show in response to the music, and will control any other units connected to it. You cant change what it is doing, unless you use the special options above, or connect a remote control as described next. Remote control (only on Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution and Colourflood): You can black out the unit (and any others connected to it by DMX) by pressing the Blackout button. You can make the unit strobe by pressing the Strobe button. You can make the unit move more slowly by pressing the Slow button. If the unit is receiving DMX (either from a controller or another unit in standalone mode), the remote control will have no effect. On the ColourFlood, if you hold down the Blackout button, the unit will strobe in white. The Colour button will lock the unit in one colour. Every time you press the button, the unit will step to the next colour. If you hold down the button, the unit will scroll continuously through all colours. The Sound button will put the unit in sound trigger mode (and turn off the Colour lock mode). If you hold down the button, the unit will go into Slow mode, and will fade between colours. The light next to the button will flash in Slow mode.

Colour and colour / gobo DMX Colour only Colour / Gobo 0 White Blackout (Twister 4 only) 10 White White/open 26 Red Red/dot tunnel 43 Blue Blue/Slash 59 Green Green/Segment 75 Yellow Yellow/Triangle 91 Cyan Cyan/Tunnel 108 Orange Orange/Bubbles 124 Magenta Pink/Stars 140 Neon Green Multicolour 156 Pink Orange/Bubbles 173 UV Blue Cyan/Tunnel 189 Multicolour Yellow/Triangle 221 UV blue Blue/Slash 238 Pink Red/dot tunnel (Slow strobe on Tw4) 254 Neon Green Red (Fast strobe on Twister 4) NB: Intermediate values will give mixed colours

Page 8

Page 13
Shutter The Galactic Star, Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution, MoonRay, MoonScan and ColourFlood have a separate channel to control blackout and strobe functions. On all units except the Galactic Star, these functions are actually provided by the colour/gobo wheel, so you may see colours momentarily flash by when you select blackout. The strobe function operates on adjacent colours. If you want a black/white strobe, select White on the colour channel. The Galactic Star has a separate shutter. Channel 1 must be set to a non-zero value before any light will come out of the unit.
Setup for DMX controlled mode
DMX controlled mode gives you full control over every function of the unit. Using a suitable DMX controller such as the Abstract CE controller, you can program the lightshow just the way you want it. However, it does take a bit more setting up, and a lot more programming time, than the stand alone lightshow.
Compatibility with other Abstract units
All units in the Abstract CE, VR and Club ranges are compatible with each other, even those which have different functions, or more colours and gobos. You will find that some colours are repeated on the simpler units; these match the extra colours or gobos on the more complex units. Connect your controller to the DMX in socket on the first unit, using a 3-pin XLR cable. If you are using a controller with a 5-pin DMX output, you will need to use a 5 to 3 pin adaptor with pins 2 and 3 swapped (pin 2 is hot). Connect the next unit, if you have one, to the DMX output plug. This unit buffers the DMX signal as it passes through the unit, which means that you can connect as many units together as you want. You dont need to connect a line terminator in the last unit. Setting the dip switches on the units Your DMX controller sends out commands for all the units it is controlling down one cable. You need to tell each unit which commands to respond to by setting dip switches 1-9. The correct settings depend on what controller you are using, and how it is set up, but usually the first unit is set to address 1, the second to address 5, the third to address 9 and so on - keep adding 4 to the address. (See the back page of this manual for more help). Note: if you want two units to behave exactly the same, you can set the dip switches for both units to the same channel. You can change the dipswitches while the units are running, and the new settings will take effect immediately. You dont need to turn the unit off and on. Page 12 Page 9

If you are using the Abstract CE controller, or another personality based controller, you should set up the controller to match the heads you have connected. Refer to the controller manual for help on this. If the controller does not have an appropriate setting for the head, use the nearest similar setting. If in doubt, a VR8 or Futurescan setting will operate most of the units.
Pan/tilt The mirror pan and tilt functions are proportional with automatic speed sensing - if you move the control fast, the mirror will move fast; if you move the control slowly, the unit will follow slowly and smoothly. Rotation and Swivel Units with rotation functions have a stop position at the centre of the DMX control (value 128), with rotation speed increasing anticlockwise as you go down the control or clockwise as you go up the control. There is also a stop position at the maximum and minimum values. The Swivel function allows you to twist the mirror drum through 220 degrees, providing some amazing beam movements. The MoonRay has two rotation functions, the mirror drum and an internal mirror dish. Channel 2 is the drum rotation, the internal dish rotation is controlled by the central part of channel 4. Colour The colour function is also proportional; this allows you to perform smooth crossfades between colours. To obtain correctly positioned colours you need to send the correct DMX values (the unit does not snap to the colours). Many controllers can learn these values. The Abstract controllers are preprogrammed with them. On the Futurescan 1, Gladiator Revolution, Twister 4, MoonScan, MoonRay, gobos are permanently fixed to the colours. You cannot select them separately. Gobo (Club range & Galactic Star only) These units also crossfade between gobos. This allows you to fade out the light by moving the control slowly from Open to Blackout. To obtain correctly positioned gobos, you need to send the correct DMX values to the unit. If you move the control to the top end of its range (about 80%) you will enter the strobe zone. The unit will strobe slowly (about one flash per second) at 80%, up to full speed strobe (about 8 flashes per second) at 100%. Note: Except for the Galactic Star, the gobo wheel is used to produce the strobe effect, so you cannot strobe on a gobo. The Galactic Star can strobe on any setting if you use the Shutter channel to control the effect. If you move the control to zero, the unit will black out.
Operation in DMX controlled mode
To control the unit we recommend Abstracts CE controller, Compact controller or ClubShow system, which are designed specifically for Abstract lighting units. However, you can use any DMX controller to operate the unit. DMX channel usage The following table shows you which function of the unit is controlled by each DMX channel, and how many channels are used. Base is the channel number you have set on the dip switches. The values for each function are on page 15. Unit type ClubScan ClubRevolution ClubColour Futurescan 1 Gladiator Revolutn. Twister 4 MoonScan MoonRay Galactic Star ColourFlood

No. of chans

1 Base Pan Swivel Colour Pan Swivel Rotation Pan Swivel Shutter -
2 Base+1 Tilt Rotation Gobo Tilt Rotation Col/Gob Tilt

DrumRot

Rotation -
3 Base+2 Colour Colour Col/Gob Col/Gob Col/Gob Col/Gob Colour Colour
4 Base+3 Gobo Gobo Shutter Shutter Shut/Rot Shut/Rot Gobo Shutter
Note: The ColourFlood uses 4 DMX channels, but the first two are ignored. This is to make it compatible with the other units in the range.

Page 10

Page 11