
GEMINI
MEMORY LIGHTING CONTROL
OPERATOR'S HANDBOOK

Back to contents
CHAPTER 3
OUTLINE OPERATIONAL DESCRIPTION
3.1 HOW TO SWITCH THE SYSTEM ON
Before any Lighting may be controlled, the mains supply to the dimmers
and the Control Console must be turned on. Also turn on the power to the
manual fader wing, if this is provided (in many cases the power to the
Latter will be provided from the dimmer racks). The equipment is now ready
for use.
The initial state of the system on power-up is as follows:
i) O/P (Output) indicator illuminated and Video mimic showing OUTPUT display.
A Power-up message (normally 'POWER-UP O.K.') will be passing across the
Back-up keypad display and the RATE indicator on the Effects panel will
be illuminated in green. ALL other indicators and displays are cleared.
ii) ALL channels are restored to the states which were current when the
system was switched off. However, no channels or memories will be selected,
no fades will be running and no special facilities (USE TIME, SEQ, MAN,
etc.) will be selected.
Before starting to control Lights, check that the OUTPUT master fader
is at full and that the master fader on any Manual Fader Wing is at zero.
Check also that the blackout switch is in the up ( )
position.
3.2 HOW TO GET LIGHTS UP
i) Check that the O/P indicator above the CHANNEL CONTROL keypad is lit.
If not, press the O/P button.
ii) Enter the number of the first channel to be controlled on the CHANNEL
CONTROL keypad. The number entered will appear in the display window above
the keypad.
iii) Adjust the channel to the required Level using the channel control
wheel.
iv) Select the next channel and adjust its Level as required.
v) Continue as above until the Lighting scene is complete.
Note that there is no need to press the Clear (CL) key between entries
as the system assumes that once a channel has been controlled. the next
key entry will be a new channel number.
3.3 HOW TO MODIFY THE LEVEL OF A CHANNEL ALREADY ON
This procedure is identical to that outlined above. The channel is simply
selected on the keypad and the wheel is used to adjust it upwards or downwards
to the new level.
3.4 HOW TO RECORD A SCENE
Once a Lighting state has been set-up to the satisfaction of the operator
it may be recorded in the memory. It is important, at this stage, to know
if previously recorded memories are still required - whether they may
be overwritten or should be preserved. If in doubt, the memory contents
may be saved on disc (see section 4.8).
i) Enable recording by inserting a key (TOK4) in the LOCK keyswitch and
turning it 900 clockwise to the horizontal, CLEAR position. The key cannot
now be removed without turning it back to the vertical position.
ii) Enter the required memory number on the MEMORY CONTROL keypad. The
number will appear in the display window above the keypad.
iii) Press the 'REC ' button
once to record the Lighting scene. The indicator above the button illuminates
for a few seconds to indicate a successful recording. If the system alarm
sounds and the button does not Light, one of four errors has occurred.
a) The Record Lock is in the wrong position.
b) No memory number has been entered.
c) There is already a memory with the number that has been selected. To
over-write a previously recorded memory, press the Record button twice
in rapid succession. The old memory will then be erased and the new state
recorded.
Note: If a manual fader wing is provided, any Lighting which it contributes
to the scene will also be recorded. To prevent this, set the master fader
on the Manual Fader Wing to zero.
3.5 HOW TO PLAY-BACK MEMORIES
i) Ensure that the OUTPUT master fader is at maximum.
ii) Select the memory number corresponding to the required lighting state
on the MEMORY CONTROL keypad.
iii) Set the Fade Duration controls on one of the two Playbacks to the
required fade time (instant to 20 minutes). Alternatively, select USE
TIME (the indicator above the button will light).
iv) On cue, press the appropriate FADE button to start the fade.
A crossfade will be carried out automatically in the time set on the Fade
Duration controls or, if USE TIME is selected, that recalled with the
memory. The fade rate may be adjusted at any time, although if USE TIME
is in use this must first be deselected. In the latter case, to avoid
a sudden change of speed, the Fade Duration controls should first be matched
to the active fade rate by means of the appropriate part of the Video
Mimic display.
Once a fade has been started, the next memory number may be selected,
ready for recall. Alternatively, to eliminate unnecessary button operations,
a sequence mode may be selected. When either SEQ button is pressed, the
associated lights and the next memory in numeric sequence will then be
automatically selected each time a fade is started on the corresponding
Playback.
Two types of fade are possible: a Cross fade, in which the state recalled
from the memory totally replaces the old lighting state, and a Move-fade,
in which the channels which are On in the memory change to new levels,
but those which are Off in the memory remain unaffected. A Move-fade is
selected by prefixing the memory number with '+' on selection. If there
is no prefix, a Crossfade results. (A '-' prefix gives a special type
of Move-fade - a Dim-fade - where the channels On in the memory fade to
zero.)
A blackout state may be obtained by performing a fade action with no memory
selected.
3.6 'BLIND' PLOTTING AND MODIFICATION
Should it be necessary to set-up or modify a memory without the lighting
being seen, the Channel Control should be routed to Sub- masters by pressing
the SUB button. Any channels now modified by the Channel Control will
now be set On in the selected ,Sub-master store (shown by the corresponding
indicator at the top of the SUB- MASTERS section of the control panel).
The modified lighting state in the selected Sub-master store may be recorded
by selecting the memory number in the usual way, but pressing the REC
SUB button rather than 'REC '.
|