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Changes for page Pharos Configuration

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/02/26 15:10
From version 1.10
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/05 18:29
Change comment: (Autosaved)
To version 1.31
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/05 20:14
Change comment: (Autosaved)

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11 11  Pharos projects are created using the free Pharos Designer 2 software from Pharos Controls. When creating a project for use with ShowRunner™, ensure that API version 5.0 is selected for the project. Individual loads control from ShowRunner™ is achieved with group-level commands using the Pharos Controller API, so each Fixture Group defined in the Pharos Project should correspond to a single load in ShowRunner™. In addition to group-level commands, ShowRunner™ also supports mapping ShowRunner™ Scenes to Pharos Timelines.
12 12  
13 -The basic steps for creating a Pharos Project for use with ShowRunner™ are:
13 +When creating a Pharos project for a ShowRunner™ installation, there are several things to consider:
14 14  
15 +* Individual loads defined in ShowRunner™ send commands to individual Fixture Groups in Pharos
16 +* Scenes in ShowRunner™ can be mapped in order to trigger Timelines in Pharos
17 +* The Pharos API limits group-level commands to intensity, intensity/RGB, and intensity/CCT(% class="row" %)
18 +(((
19 +(% class="col-xs-8" %)
20 +(((
21 +(% class="table-condensed" %)
22 +|(% style="width:244px" %)**ShowRunner™ Load Type**|(% style="width:244px" %)**Pharos API Command**
23 +|(% style="width:244px" %)Single-Channel|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity
24 +|(% style="width:244px" %)RGB|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity/RGB
25 +|(% style="width:244px" %)Dynamic White|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity/CCT
26 +)))
27 +)))
28 +* The Pharos controller does any necessary processing to adapt these commands for the fixtures
29 +** For example, if Pharos receives an RGB command for a group containing RGB, HSI, and HSIC fixtures, it will do its best to make sure that the output color is consistent across all the different fixture types
30 +** Certain manufacturer-specific fixture Profiles exist in order to help the Pharos controller achieve a consistent output across multiple different fixture types
31 +* If it is desired to control the white channel separately from the RGB channels of an RGBW fixture, then it must be defined in the Pharos project as two separate RGB and W fixtures that are in different groups
32 +* Individual Fixtures can belong to multiple Fixture Groups, allowing ShowRunner™ to send different types of command (e.g. RGB vs CCT) to the same fixture 
33 +** Useful for certain situations, such as HSIC fixtures that need to be controlled as color-changing (RGB) in some situations but dynamic white (intensity/CCT) in others
34 +** In this scenario, one group would be defined in ShowRunner™ as an RGB load and one group would be defined as a Dynamic White load
35 +
36 +The basic steps for creating a Pharos Project for use with ShowRunner™ are as follows:
37 +
15 15  1. Open the Pharos Designer 2 software
16 16  1. In the top-right, click "New Project" and select the type of Pharos controller that will be the primary controller
17 17  1*. Crestron SKUs DIN-DMX-1UNIVERSE and DIN-DMX-2UNIVERSE both correspond to "LPC" in Pharos
18 18  1. Navigate to the "Project" page by clicking the Pharos logo on the left
19 19  1. Under the "Controller API" heading, verify that API Version 5.0 is selected
43 +1. Navigate to the "Network" page by clicking the network icon on the left
44 +1. Select "Controller 1" and verify that the number of universes in the "Properties" menu matches the controller that was ordered for the job
45 +1. If required, click the "New Controller..." button to add additional Pharos controllers
20 20  1. Navigate to the "Layout" page by clicking the pencil and ruler icon on the left
21 21  1. At the top left, click "Manage..." to edit the layout name and dimensions, modify grid settings, and upload a background image if desired
22 22  1. Locate the desired fixture in the Fixture Profile List on the right side of the Layout page
23 23  1*. Most fixtures can be controlled correctly using the generic single-channel, RGB, warm/cool, intensity/CCT, HSIC, etc. profiles
24 -1*. Pharos also has a large selection of manufacturer-specific profiles which can be used instead of the generics
25 25  1*. Additional generic and manufacturer-specific profiles can be downloaded by clicking the cloud icon on the right, above the fixture profile list
26 -1. Prior to adding fixtures to the layout, consider the following:
27 -1*. ShowRunner™ uses group-level commands, so each individual load in ShowRunner™ must have a corresponding Fixture Group in Pharos
28 -1*. The Pharos API limits commands to single-channel (intensity), RGB, or Intensity/CCT
29 -1*. For RGBW fixtures, it may be a good idea to define them as separate RGB and W fixtures so that ShowRunner™ is able to control the white channel separately from the RGB channels
30 -1*. Fixtures can belong to multiple Fixture Groups, allowing ShowRunner™ to send different types of commands to the same fixtures
31 -1**. For example,
32 -1. Add fixtures to the layout by dragging them from the fixture profile list
51 +1. Add fixtures to the layout by dragging them from the Fixture Profile List
33 33  1*. Every fixture that is added to the layout represents a unique set of DMX addresses
34 -1*. Note that the fixture number is different than the fixture address, and is automatically incremented by Pharos Designer 2
35 -1*. Right-clicking a fixture on the layout will allow you to "Duplicate" or create a "New Instance" of a fixture
36 -1**. Duplicating a fixture creates a new fixture with the same profile and properties
53 +1*. The fixture number is different than the fixture address, and is automatically incremented by Pharos Designer 2
54 +1*. Fixture properties such as name, shape, and size can be edited using the menu on the right
55 +1*. Right-clicking a fixture on the layout will allow you to either "Duplicate" or create a "New Instance" of a fixture
56 +1**. Duplicating a fixture creates a new fixture with the same profile and properties but that will occupy different DMX addresses
37 37  1**. Creating a New Instance will create a new representation of the fixture without actually creating a new fixture; this allows you to have multiple fixtures represented on the layout that share the same DMX address
38 -1.
39 -1. When adding fixtures to the layout, keep in mind ShowRunner™ uses group-level controls
40 -1*. ShowRunner™ is only able to send RGB, single-channel, and intensity/CCT commands
41 -1*. Other fixture types (such as HSI, warm/cool, ICHS, etc.) still work correctly, but only RGB, single-channel, and intensity/CCT commands can be sent ot them
42 -1*. RGBW fixtures should be defined as separate RGB and W fixtures so that ShowRunner™ can control the white channel separately from the RGB channels
43 -1. adsf
58 +1. Create Fixture Groups by clicking the folder icon above the Fixture List on the left or by right clicking an empty area in the Fixture List
59 +1*. Fixture Groups will correspond to individual loads in ShowRunner™
60 +1*. When a new Fixture Group is created, all currently selected fixtures are automatically added to the group
61 +1**. Clicking a fixture on the layout or in the fixture list will select just that fixture
62 +1**. Ctrl-clicking a fixture will add or remove it from the current selection
63 +1**. Ctrl-dragging on the layout will add multiple fixtures to the current selection
64 +1**. Shift-dragging on the layout will select just the highlighted fixtures
65 +1*. Fixtures can be removed from a group by right clicking them under the group in the Fixture List
66 +1*. Fixtures can be added to an existing group by selecting and then dragging them to a group in the Fixture List
67 +1. Once all fixtures have been laid out and grouped, navigate to the "Patch" page
68 +1. Patch fixtures by dragging them from the fixture list onto the DMX universe
69 +1*. If there are multiple controllers on the job, make sure that the correct controller is selected
70 +1*. For controllers with multiple universes, ensure that the fixtures are patched to the correct universe
71 +1*. Fixtures can be patched to multiple addresses, but it is not possible to patch multiple fixtures to the same address
72 +1*. Fixtures can be unpatched by right clicking them in the universe
73 +1. If desired, navigate to the "Timeline" page and create timelines
44 44  
75 += Device Configuration =
45 45  
46 -Note: Due to limitations with the API, only single channel, RGB, or Intensity/CCT load types can be defined in ShowRunner™. Other fixture types are controllable, but the types of command that ShowRunner™
77 +ShowRunner™ must be able to communicate with the Pharos controller via Ethernet in order for control to work. Pharos controllers ship in DHCP mode by default, but they will sometimes fail to get an address if the controller is powered up before the DHCP server is running. If this happens, or if there is no DHCP server on the network, then it is necessary to configure the controller via USB:
47 47  
48 -= Device Configuration =
79 +1. Open Pharos Designer 2 or an existing Pharos project
80 +1. Connect to the Pharos controller using the USB-B port on the front of the controller
81 +1. Navigate to the "Network" page
82 +1. Select the Pharos controller from the list
83 +1*. If a Pharos project is open, controllers defined in the project will be displayed above the list of online controllers
84 +1*. If there are multiple online controllers, use the "Beacon" function to flash all the LEDs on the front of the controller and verify the correct one is selected
85 +1. If the Pharos Designer 2 version is different than the firmware on the Pharos controller, then it is necessary to either update the controller by pressing the "Reload Firmware" button, or downgrade Pharos Designer 2 by downloading the appropriate version from Pharos Controls' website
86 +1. Press the "Configure" button to open the network configuration menu
87 +1. Set DHCP mode to Static and configure the IP address, IP mask, default gateway, and DNS servers as required for your network
49 49  
89 +Once the Pharos controller is online, it is necessary to load the Pharos project to the controller:
90 +
91 +1. Open the Pharos project in Pharos Designer 2
92 +1. Connect to the network that the Pharos controller is on, or connect to the controller directly via USB
93 +1. Navigate to the "Network" page in Pharos Designer 2
94 +1. Verify that all online controllers have firmware that matches the version of Pharos Designer 2 you are running, and update them if necessary
95 +1*. Online controllers are displayed below the list of controllers that are defined in the project
96 +1*. If you do not see the controller online and you are hard-wired to the same network as the controller, verify that the controller has the correct IP settings
97 +1*. If the controller is on a Control Subnet and you are connecting via the LAN, [[verify that port forwarding has been configured>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%20my%20Pharos%20LPC%20on%20the%20Control%20Subnet]] and proceed to the next step
98 +1*. If you do not see the controller online, but you are connecting to it over a routed network, proceed to the next step
99 +1. Select a controller that is defined in the project
100 +1. In the Properties menu on the right, assign the Serial Number to the controller
101 +1*. If
102 +
103 +If connecting to a Pharos controller located on the Control Subnet of a Crestron processor from the LAN side of the processor, then it is necessary to configure port forwarding on the processor before the project
104 +
50 50  = ShowRunner™ Configuration =
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107 +no feedback from dmx
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54 54  )))