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Changes for page Pharos Configuration

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/02/26 15:10
From version 9.1
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/15 15:48
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version 1.47
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/05 21:40
Change comment: (Autosaved)

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6 6  (((
7 7  ShowRunner™ can control DMX fixtures through several different methods, including Pharos DMX controllers. The most common Pharos controllers sold through Crestron are the Pharos LPC-1 (DIN-DMX-1UNIVERSE) and the Pharos LPC-2 (DIN-DMX-2UNIVERSE). These LPC controllers appear physically identical, but the LPC-1 shares a single universe across both DMX outputs while the LPC-2 has a separate universe for each output. ShowRunner™ uses the Pharos Controller API to send commands over Ethernet to the Pharos Controller, which then sends DMX commands to the fixtures.
8 8  
9 -= Pharos Projects =
9 += Pharos Project =
10 10  
11 -ShowRunner™ integrates with Pharos LPC DMX controllers using the Pharos API. The ShowRunner™ configuration and the Pharos project loaded to the Pharos LPC need to be in coordination with each other in order for ShowRunner™ to control the DMX loads as expected. It is therefore sometimes necessary to either create or edit a Pharos project in order to determine how the DMX loads need to be defined in the ShowRunner™ configuration.
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 -== Creating a New Pharos Project for ShowRunner™ ==
14 -
15 -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.
16 -
17 17  When creating a Pharos project for a ShowRunner™ installation, there are several things to consider:
18 18  
19 19  * Individual loads defined in ShowRunner™ send commands to individual Fixture Groups in Pharos
20 20  * Scenes in ShowRunner™ can be mapped in order to trigger Timelines in Pharos
21 -* The Pharos API limits group-level commands to intensity, intensity/RGB, and intensity/CCT
22 -** Other fixture profiles are still supported: the Pharos controller will do any necessary processing to adapt the commands to the fixtures
23 -*** 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
24 -*** Certain manufacturer-specific fixture Profiles exist in order to help the Pharos controller achieve a consistent output across multiple different fixture types
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
25 25  * 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 
26 26  ** Add both a generic RGB fixture and a generic White fixture to the layout
27 27  ** Assign each fixture to a different group
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34 34  The basic steps for creating a Pharos Project for use with ShowRunner™ are as follows:
35 35  
36 36  1. Open the Pharos Designer 2 software
37 -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
38 38  1. In the top-right, click "New Project" and select the type of Pharos controller that will be the primary controller
39 39  1*. Crestron SKUs DIN-DMX-1UNIVERSE and DIN-DMX-2UNIVERSE both correspond to "LPC" in Pharos
40 40  1. Navigate to the "Project" page by clicking the Pharos logo on the left
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71 71  1*. Fixtures can be unpatched by right clicking them in the universe
72 72  1. If desired, navigate to the "Timeline" page and create timelines
73 73  
74 -== Editing an Existing Pharos Project ==
79 += Device Configuration =
75 75  
76 -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:
77 -
78 -* 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.
79 -** 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]]
80 -* ShowRunner™ does not pay attention to how Pharos DMX fixtures are addressed, only how they are grouped
81 -** 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™
82 -** 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
83 -** 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
84 -** 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™
85 -** 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
86 -* ShowRunner™ maps Scenes to Pharos Timelines by their timeline ID
87 -** Avoid changing Pharos timeline IDs unless you are aware of how they are mapped in ShowRunner™
88 -** 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
89 -** If an existing Timeline is deleted, it should be unmapped in ShowRunner™ to prevent errors when the mapped ShowRunner™ Scene is recalled
90 -
91 -= Pharos Configuration =
92 -
93 93  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:
94 94  
95 95  1. Open Pharos Designer 2 or an existing Pharos project
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98 98  1. Select the Pharos controller from the list
99 99  1*. If a Pharos project is open, controllers defined in the project will be displayed above the list of online controllers
100 100  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
101 -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]]
89 +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
102 102  1. Press the "Configure" button to open the network configuration menu
103 103  1. Set DHCP mode to Static and configure the IP address, IP mask, default gateway, and DNS servers as required for your network
104 104  
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125 125  
126 126  = ShowRunner™ Configuration =
127 127  
128 -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]].
116 +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.
129 129  
130 130  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.
131 131  
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170 170  
171 171  Some things to consider if you are triggering Pharos Timelines with ShowRunner™:
172 172  
173 -* 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
174 -* Scene recalls are still executed even if Scene Tracking is enabled
175 -** Non-DMX loads in an area with Scene Tracking will still go to their predefined scene levels unless they are excluded from the scene
176 -** 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
177 -* 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
178 -
179 -= Fixture Addressing =
180 -
181 -Pharos Designer 2 has several features that make it relatively straightforward to address DMX fixtures, or to change how fixtures need to be addressed in order for the lighting controls to work correctly. Since ShowRunner™ uses fixture groups to send commands to DMX fixtures on the Pharos LPC, the specific fixture addresses do not matter as long as they are addressed according to the Pharos project. This means that if fixtures are re-patched to different addresses in the Pharos project but kept in the same fixture groups, then no changes to the ShowRunner™ configuration are necessary.
182 -
183 -In addition to allowing the re-patching of fixtures, Pharos LPC have Remote Device Management (RDM) capabilities that allow for remotely addressing DMX fixtures provided the fixtures are RDM capable. See our [[DMX Fixture Addressing page>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.Device Addressing.DMX Fixture Addressing.WebHome]] for more general information regarding DMX networks and fixture addressing for non-RDM capable fixtues.
161 +* Pharos Fixture Groups do not need to be defined in ShowRunner™ if Timelines are the only intended means of controlling the DMX fixtures
162 +* ShowRunner™ will still execute a scene recall even if the scene is mapped to a Pharos Timeline
163 +** Non-DMX loads in an area with Scene tracking configured will still go to their scene levels
184 184  )))