How to Set Up Intelligent Lighting

One of the greatest inventions of this century is the intelligent lighting fixture. No longer do you have to buy hundreds of fixtures to get all the tones, colors, and patterns you desire in your stage lighting. Now you can easily change colors, gobos and even the angle of your lighting electronically with the push of a button.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Intelligent Lighting Fixture
• DMX capable board
• DMX cables

How to Set Up Intelligent Lighting

1. Attach your fixture to your lighting set up. Each fixture has a different way to attach to your set up dependent on the size, weight and manufacturer of your product. Most will use some sort of clamp device that will attach to your set.
2. Connect your DMX cables. On the back of each unit is a DMX in and a DMX out. Attach your first cable from the back of your DMX board to fixture #1's DMX in. Use another DMX cable from it's DMX output into the DMX imput of Fixture #2 and so forth until you have all your units connected. You will only be able to connect so many fixtures to your board. Be sure and read the directions for your DMX controller thoroughly before starting so that you know it's limitations.
3. Program the correct address on the back of your fixture. With your DMX board there should be a diagram on how to program your fixtures. Each fixture should have a set of numbered white switches on its back. Your diagram will show you which switches need to be pulled up or down to dictate to the board which fixture is #1 which is #2 and so forth. Be exact with your programming of addresses or you will end up assigning your fixtures to the wrong channels on your board, making it nearly impossible to program your lighting show correctly. If you want two of your lights to be controlled in exactly the same way, just program their addresses to be identical. This is also an option when you have more fixtures than you have fixture channels on your board.
4. Test your fixture. Go to your lighting board and select fixture #1. This should turn your sliders into channels that operate the functions on fixture #1. In most cases, two sliders will control the positioning of your lighting, one slider should control dimming, one slider should control colors and any others will control your gobo change and strobing speed. Try each slider out to make sure that it controls the correct fixture. If you have chosen fixture #1 and your sliders are controlling fixture #3, then you probably will need to check your fixture addresses.
5. Design your lighting show. Now that you have all your fixtures connected and working properly, you can design your lighting show. Choose each fixture separately and adjust their color, gobo, positioning, etc. until all of your fixtures are where you want them. You then can just save your cue. Create multiple cues in the order of your show and you are set to go.

Tips & Warnings

• Mark the ends of your cable and the fixture that they go to with colored electrical tape. This will make it much easier to set up if your system is mobile, and will also prevent you from having to reassign addresses each time you do a show.
• Always use a hazer with your intelligent lighting. You will be amazed in how much more your lighting will be capable of with the use of a good hazer.
• This how to is meant for the use of a simple DMX system. Though most of the knowledge can be applied to a more complex lighting set up, be sure to read your systems instructions well, and maybe even consider getting a book on intelligent lighting for the set up and control of more complex lighting systems.

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