Skip to Content

Changes for page Pharos Configuration

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/02/26 15:10
From version 1.27
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/05 19:54
Change comment: (Autosaved)
To version 7.1
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/10 15:49
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Page properties
Content
... ... @@ -8,27 +8,23 @@
8 8  
9 9  = Pharos Project =
10 10  
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.
11 +== Creating a New Pharos Project for ShowRunner™ ==
12 12  
13 +Pharos projects are created using the free [[Pharos Designer 2 software>>https://www.pharoscontrols.com/support/designer/software-downloads/]] 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.
14 +
13 13  When creating a Pharos project for a ShowRunner™ installation, there are several things to consider:
14 14  
15 15  * Individual loads defined in ShowRunner™ send commands to individual Fixture Groups in Pharos
16 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
19 +* The Pharos API limits group-level commands to intensity, intensity/RGB, and intensity/CCT
20 +** Other fixture profiles are still supported: the Pharos controller will do any necessary processing to adapt the commands to the fixtures
21 +*** For example, if Pharos receives an RGB command for a group containing RGB, HSI, and HSIC fixtures, it will mix the DMX channels to achieve a consistent color output across all the different fixture types
22 +*** Certain manufacturer-specific fixture Profiles exist in order to help the Pharos controller achieve a consistent output across multiple different fixture types
23 +* To control the RGB and white channels of an RGBW fixture separately in ShowRunner™, it is necessary to define separate RGB and White fixtures in the Pharos project 
24 +** Add both a generic RGB fixture and a generic White fixture to the layout
25 +** Assign each fixture to a different group
26 +** Patch the RGB fixture
27 +** Patch the White fixture immediately following the RGB fixture (e.g., if the RGB is at address 1, patch the White fixture to address 4)
32 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 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 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
... ... @@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
36 36  The basic steps for creating a Pharos Project for use with ShowRunner™ are as follows:
37 37  
38 38  1. Open the Pharos Designer 2 software
35 +1*. Note that the version of Designer 2 lines up with the version of the Pharos controller firmware, and that any project that is created or edited in one version of Designer 2 will not necessarily be able to be loaded to a controller that is running older firmware without first updating the firmware
39 39  1. In the top-right, click "New Project" and select the type of Pharos controller that will be the primary controller
40 40  1*. Crestron SKUs DIN-DMX-1UNIVERSE and DIN-DMX-2UNIVERSE both correspond to "LPC" in Pharos
41 41  1. Navigate to the "Project" page by clicking the Pharos logo on the left
... ... @@ -72,22 +72,108 @@
72 72  1*. Fixtures can be unpatched by right clicking them in the universe
73 73  1. If desired, navigate to the "Timeline" page and create timelines
74 74  
75 -= Device Configuration =
72 +== Editing an Existing Pharos Project ==
76 76  
74 +If modifications need to be made to a Pharos Project that is already working with ShowRunner™, there are some things that should be taken into consideration in order to avoid breaking the existing programming:
75 +
76 +* The version of Pharos Designer 2 is tied to the version of the Pharos controller firmware. Editing an existing project with a newer version of Designer 2 than the project was last saved in may result in the newly edited project no longer being able to be loaded to the controller without updating the controller firmware.
77 +** To maintain full backwards compatibility with an existing installation, verify the controller's current firmware version and then download the corresponding version of Designer 2 from [[Pharos Controls' website>>https://www.pharoscontrols.com/support/designer/software-downloads/#software-archive]]
78 +* ShowRunner™ does not pay attention to how Pharos DMX fixtures are addressed, only how they are grouped
79 +** ShowRunner™ provides direct control of Pharos fixture groups by their group ID. Avoid changing Pharos fixture groups or group numbers unless you are aware of how they are mapped in ShowRunner™
80 +** Adding newly patched/addressed fixtures to existing groups that are mapped in ShowRunner™ will allow those fixtures to be controlled without adding them to the ShowRunner™ configuration
81 +** Removing fixtures from existing groups that are mapped in ShowRunner™ will prevent those fixtures from being controlled unless they are also in another group that is mapped to a ShowRunner™ load
82 +** Renumbering a group that is mapped to a load in ShowRunner™ will prevent ShowRunner™ from controlling that group, unless the new number is also mapped in ShowRunner™
83 +** If a new group is created that has the same group ID as a group that is already mapped in ShowRunner™, then ShowRunner™ will control that new group using the old load unless the ShowRunner™ configuration is updated
84 +* ShowRunner™ maps Scenes to Pharos Timelines by their timeline ID
85 +** Avoid changing Pharos timeline IDs unless you are aware of how they are mapped in ShowRunner™
86 +** If a new Timeline is added that replaces the ID of an old Timeline, then the scene mapping in ShowRunner™ needs to be updated to prevent the old ShowRunner™ Scene from triggering the new Timeline
87 +** If an existing Timeline is deleted, it should be unmapped in ShowRunner™ to prevent errors when the mapped ShowRunner™ Scene is recalled
88 +
89 += Pharos Configuration =
90 +
77 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:
78 78  
79 79  1. Open Pharos Designer 2 or an existing Pharos project
80 80  1. Connect to the Pharos controller using the USB-B port on the front of the controller
81 -1. Navigate to the Network tab and select the LPC
82 -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
95 +1. Navigate to the "Network" page
96 +1. Select the Pharos controller from the list
97 +1*. If a Pharos project is open, controllers defined in the project will be displayed above the list of online controllers
98 +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
99 +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>>https://www.pharoscontrols.com/support/designer/software-downloads/#software-archive]]
83 83  1. Press the "Configure" button to open the network configuration menu
101 +1. Set DHCP mode to Static and configure the IP address, IP mask, default gateway, and DNS servers as required for your network
84 84  
103 +Once the Pharos controller is online, it is necessary to load the Pharos project to the controller:
85 85  
86 -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
105 +1. Open the Pharos project in Pharos Designer 2
106 +1. Connect to the network that the Pharos controller is on, or connect to the controller directly via USB
107 +1. Navigate to the "Network" page in Pharos Designer 2
108 +1. Verify that all online controllers have firmware that matches the version of Pharos Designer 2 you are running, and update them if necessary
109 +1*. Online controllers are displayed below the list of controllers that are defined in the project
110 +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
111 +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
112 +1*. If you do not see the controller online, but you are connecting to it over a routed network, proceed to the next step
113 +1. Select a controller that is defined in the project
114 +1. In the Properties menu on the right, click the Serial Number dropdown menu and select the SN corresponding to the controller
115 +1*. If you do not see the corresponding serial number, click the "Find..." button
116 +1*. If you are connecting to the controller over a routed network, put the controller's IP address into this field
117 +1*. If you are connecting to a controller on a Control Subnet from the LAN side of the processor, put the processor's LAN IP address followed by a colon and the external port number that corresponds to internal port 38008 of the controller. See our [[FAQ>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%20my%20Pharos%20LPC%20on%20the%20Control%20Subnet]] for information
118 +1. If there are multiple controllers in the project, repeat step 6 for all controllers
119 +1. Once all controllers defined in the project have been assigned a serial number, press the "Upload" button
120 +1. Upload the project to individual controllers, or press the "Upload All" button to upload the project to all online controllers
87 87  
122 +Pharos projects can also be loaded to controllers using the web interface, but in these cases it is still necessary to assign the Serial Number of the controller to the controller that is defined in the Pharos project. Additionally, the Pharos project must be exported for upload. See our [[FAQ>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20load%20my%20Pharos%20project%20using%20the%20Pharos%20web%20interface]] for details.
123 +
88 88  = ShowRunner™ Configuration =
89 89  
90 -no feedback from dmx
126 +ShowRunner™ is able to control fixtures in Pharos by sending group-level commands directly to Fixture Groups that are defined in the Pharos project, triggering Timelines that are defined in the Pharos project, or both. Note that ShowRunner™ does not receive feedback from the Pharos controller, so fixture feedback as shown in the ShowRunner™ UI is only accurate if ShowRunner™ sent group-level commands. Changes to fixture levels caused by a Timeline are not reflected in the ShowRunner™ UI. A video tutorial of setting up Pharos loads and configuring Scene Tracking is [[available on our YouTube channel>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y63C_vnATec&list=PLhxgcngAeiD_pCRxFDwX5eg0O56OjNdHf]].
91 91  
92 -
128 +In order to control DMX fixtures on a Pharos controller with ShowRunner™, it is necessary to make sure that the ShowRunner™ configuration has the correct settings for the Pharos controller. Under the "LightingControllers" section of the ShowRunner™ configuration, locate the entry for the Pharos controller. Under the "Properties" section, verify that the "IpAddressOrHostname" matches the IP address or hostname of the Pharos controller. The "ApiPort" only needs to be changed if the HTTP port for the Pharos controller's web server has been changed from the default 80. Once the Properties for all Pharos controllers have been updated, load the configuration to the processor.
129 +
130 +Control Pharos groups with ShowRunner™, it is necessary to define them as loads in the ShowRunner™ configuration. To do this using the XPanel UI, navigate to the Settings > Load Configuration page and then select the Pharos controller from the list of controllers on the left. Once the controller is selected, press the "Configure Loads" button:
131 +
132 +* Currently defined loads are shown in the list on the left
133 +** The "Group: #" of the load must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
134 +** It is not possible to change the group of an existing load from the XPanel UI. Instead, either save the config and edit the "LoadBaseIndex" property of the load, or delete the load and create a new load at the correct group
135 +* Press "Add New Load" below the list of loads to create a new load
136 +** The "Load Index/Channel" must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
137 +*** Since ShowRunner™ uses group-level commands and fixtures in a group aren't necessarily on the same DMX universe, the "Universe ID" is grayed out and cannot be modified
138 +*** It is not possible to assign multiple Pharos groups to the same load, and it is not possible to assign multiple loads to the same group
139 +**** To have a single load in ShowRunner™ control multiple Pharos groups, create a new group in the Pharos project that contains the other groups and then associate the ShowRunner™ load with the super-group
140 +**** To have multiple ShowRunner™ loads control the same set of fixtures, create multiple groups in the Pharos project and assign the same fixtures to all groups (this is useful e.g. to allow ShowRunner™ to control an HSIC fixture using either RGB or dynamic white without needing to change the Load Type)
141 +** The "Load Type" does not need to strictly match the fixture type as defined in the Pharos project, as the Pharos controller will do its own processing to mix the DMX output to achieve the desired color
142 +*** "Single Channel" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as intensity only 
143 +**** Fixture profiles with a dedicated channel for intensity (IRGB, HSI, HSIC, ICHS, etc.) will only adjust the intensity channel, leaving the color and color temperature unchanged
144 +**** Fixture profiles without a dedicated intensity channel (RGB, RGBA, RGBW, etc.) will set all channels to the same intensity value sent by ShowRunner™
145 +*** "Dynamic White" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity and a color temperature
146 +**** Fixture profiles with dedicated intensity and color temperature (HSIC, ICHS, I/CCT, etc.) will use the values sent by ShowRunner™
147 +**** Pharos will attempt to mix the DMX output for fixture profiles without dedicated intensity and color temperature channels (warm/cool, RGBW, etc.) in order to match the values sent by ShowRunner™
148 +*** "RGB" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity + specific red, green, and blue values
149 +**** Fixture profiles with a dedicated channel for intensity (IRGB, HSI, HSIC, etc.) will use the load level sent by ShowRunner™ for intensity and then mix the other channels to match the RGB values
150 +**** Fixture profiles without a dedicated intensity channel (RGB, RGBW, etc.) will mix the intensities for each color to attempt to match the color and overall intensity sent by ShowRunner™
151 +** If controlling the RGB and White channels of an RGBW fixture separately, then you must define an RGB type load associated with the RGB fixture group in Pharos and then a Single Channel type load associated with the White fixture group in Pharos
152 +** The Area Assignment dictates what area the load will be associated with
153 +
154 +ShowRunner™ is also capable of triggering Timelines in the Pharos project. This can be configured using the XPanel UI:
155 +
156 +1. Navigate to Settings > Load Hardware
157 +1. Select the Pharos controller from the list of load controllers on the left
158 +1. Press "Configure Scene Tracking"
159 +1. Tick the "Enable Scene Tracking" box to enable scene tracking
160 +1. Select an area whose scenes you want to trigger Timelines from the "Area to Track" list
161 +1*. Note that the area selected does not actually need any loads assigned to it
162 +1*. Pharos fixture groups do not need to be defined as loads in ShowRunner™ at all if scene tracking is being used to control fixtures
163 +1. With the area selected, press "Add New Map"
164 +1. Select the scene you want to trigger the Timeline from the list of scenes
165 +1. Enter the number of the Timeline as defined in the Pharos project in the "Timeline ID" field
166 +1. Press "Add" to add the scene map
167 +1. Press "Add New Map" to add more Timelines, or select another area to trigger Timelines with scene recalls on other areas
168 +
169 +Some things to consider if you are triggering Pharos Timelines with ShowRunner™:
170 +
171 +* If Scene Tracking is configured for a ShowRunner™ Area, the Pharos Timeline will be triggered regardless of whether any loads are assigned to the Area
172 +* Scene recalls are still executed even if Scene Tracking is enabled
173 +** Non-DMX loads in an area with Scene Tracking will still go to their predefined scene levels unless they are excluded from the scene
174 +** Pharos DMX loads will go to their predefined scene levels unless they are excluded from the scene, even if they are included in the Pharos Timeline being triggered
175 +* If Timelines are being used to control DMX fixtures, then the Fixture Groups do not actually need to be defined in ShowRunner™ unless direct control of the Fixture Groups is desired
93 93  )))