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Wiki source code of Pharos Configuration

Version 1.48 by Alexander Mott on 2023/05/05 21:45
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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.
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9 = Pharos Project =
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.
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13 When creating a Pharos project for a ShowRunner™ installation, there are several things to consider:
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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" %)
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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
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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 * 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 
32 ** Add both a generic RGB fixture and a generic White fixture to the layout
33 ** Assign each fixture to a different group
34 ** Patch the RGB fixture
35 ** 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)
36 * 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 
37 ** 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
38 ** 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
39
40 The basic steps for creating a Pharos Project for use with ShowRunner™ are as follows:
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42 1. Open the Pharos Designer 2 software
43 1. In the top-right, click "New Project" and select the type of Pharos controller that will be the primary controller
44 1*. Crestron SKUs DIN-DMX-1UNIVERSE and DIN-DMX-2UNIVERSE both correspond to "LPC" in Pharos
45 1. Navigate to the "Project" page by clicking the Pharos logo on the left
46 1. Under the "Controller API" heading, verify that API Version 5.0 is selected
47 1. Navigate to the "Network" page by clicking the network icon on the left
48 1. Select "Controller 1" and verify that the number of universes in the "Properties" menu matches the controller that was ordered for the job
49 1. If required, click the "New Controller..." button to add additional Pharos controllers
50 1. Navigate to the "Layout" page by clicking the pencil and ruler icon on the left
51 1. At the top left, click "Manage..." to edit the layout name and dimensions, modify grid settings, and upload a background image if desired
52 1. Locate the desired fixture in the Fixture Profile List on the right side of the Layout page
53 1*. Most fixtures can be controlled correctly using the generic single-channel, RGB, warm/cool, intensity/CCT, HSIC, etc. profiles
54 1*. Additional generic and manufacturer-specific profiles can be downloaded by clicking the cloud icon on the right, above the fixture profile list
55 1. Add fixtures to the layout by dragging them from the Fixture Profile List
56 1*. Every fixture that is added to the layout represents a unique set of DMX addresses
57 1*. The fixture number is different than the fixture address, and is automatically incremented by Pharos Designer 2
58 1*. Fixture properties such as name, shape, and size can be edited using the menu on the right
59 1*. Right-clicking a fixture on the layout will allow you to either "Duplicate" or create a "New Instance" of a fixture
60 1**. Duplicating a fixture creates a new fixture with the same profile and properties but that will occupy different DMX addresses
61 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
62 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
63 1*. Fixture Groups will correspond to individual loads in ShowRunner™
64 1*. When a new Fixture Group is created, all currently selected fixtures are automatically added to the group
65 1**. Clicking a fixture on the layout or in the fixture list will select just that fixture
66 1**. Ctrl-clicking a fixture will add or remove it from the current selection
67 1**. Ctrl-dragging on the layout will add multiple fixtures to the current selection
68 1**. Shift-dragging on the layout will select just the highlighted fixtures
69 1*. Fixtures can be removed from a group by right clicking them under the group in the Fixture List
70 1*. Fixtures can be added to an existing group by selecting and then dragging them to a group in the Fixture List
71 1. Once all fixtures have been laid out and grouped, navigate to the "Patch" page
72 1. Patch fixtures by dragging them from the fixture list onto the DMX universe
73 1*. If there are multiple controllers on the job, make sure that the correct controller is selected
74 1*. For controllers with multiple universes, ensure that the fixtures are patched to the correct universe
75 1*. Fixtures can be patched to multiple addresses, but it is not possible to patch multiple fixtures to the same address
76 1*. Fixtures can be unpatched by right clicking them in the universe
77 1. If desired, navigate to the "Timeline" page and create timelines
78
79 = Device Configuration =
80
81 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:
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83 1. Open Pharos Designer 2 or an existing Pharos project
84 1. Connect to the Pharos controller using the USB-B port on the front of the controller
85 1. Navigate to the "Network" page
86 1. Select the Pharos controller from the list
87 1*. If a Pharos project is open, controllers defined in the project will be displayed above the list of online controllers
88 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
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
90 1. Press the "Configure" button to open the network configuration menu
91 1. Set DHCP mode to Static and configure the IP address, IP mask, default gateway, and DNS servers as required for your network
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93 Once the Pharos controller is online, it is necessary to load the Pharos project to the controller:
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95 1. Open the Pharos project in Pharos Designer 2
96 1. Connect to the network that the Pharos controller is on, or connect to the controller directly via USB
97 1. Navigate to the "Network" page in Pharos Designer 2
98 1. Verify that all online controllers have firmware that matches the version of Pharos Designer 2 you are running, and update them if necessary
99 1*. Online controllers are displayed below the list of controllers that are defined in the project
100 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
101 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
102 1*. If you do not see the controller online, but you are connecting to it over a routed network, proceed to the next step
103 1. Select a controller that is defined in the project
104 1. In the Properties menu on the right, click the Serial Number dropdown menu and select the SN corresponding to the controller
105 1*. If you do not see the corresponding serial number, click the "Find..." button
106 1*. If you are connecting to the controller over a routed network, put the controller's IP address into this field
107 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
108 1. If there are multiple controllers in the project, repeat step 6 for all controllers
109 1. Once all controllers defined in the project have been assigned a serial number, press the "Upload" button
110 1. Upload the project to individual controllers, or press the "Upload All" button to upload the project to all online controllers
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112 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.
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114 = ShowRunner™ Configuration =
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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.
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118 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.
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120 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:
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122 * Currently defined loads are shown in the list on the left
123 ** The "Group: #" of the load must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
124 ** 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
125 * Press "Add New Load" below the list of loads to create a new load
126 ** The "Load Index/Channel" must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
127 *** 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
128 *** 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
129 **** 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
130 **** 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)
131 ** 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
132 *** "Single Channel" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as intensity only 
133 **** 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
134 **** Fixture profiles without a dedicated intensity channel (RGB, RGBA, RGBW, etc.) will set all channels to the same intensity value sent by ShowRunner™
135 *** "Dynamic White" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity and a color temperature
136 **** Fixture profiles with dedicated intensity and color temperature (HSIC, ICHS, I/CCT, etc.) will use the values sent by ShowRunner™
137 **** 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™
138 *** "RGB" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity + specific red, green, and blue values
139 **** 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
140 **** 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™
141 ** 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
142 ** The Area Assignment dictates what area the load will be associated with
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144 ShowRunner™ is also capable of triggering Timelines in the Pharos project. This can be configured using the XPanel UI:
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146 1. Navigate to Settings > Load Hardware
147 1. Select the Pharos controller from the list of load controllers on the left
148 1. Press "Configure Scene Tracking"
149 1. Tick the "Enable Scene Tracking" box to enable scene tracking
150 1. Select an area whose scenes you want to trigger Timelines from the "Area to Track" list
151 1*. Note that the area selected does not actually need any loads assigned to it
152 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
153 1. With the area selected, press "Add New Map"
154 1. Select the scene you want to trigger the Timeline from the list of scenes
155 1. Enter the number of the Timeline as defined in the Pharos project in the "Timeline ID" field
156 1. Press "Add" to add the scene map
157 1. Press "Add New Map" to add more Timelines, or select another area to trigger Timelines with scene recalls on other areas
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159 Some things to consider if you are triggering Pharos Timelines with ShowRunner™:
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161 * 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
162 * Scene recalls are still executed even if Scene Tracking is enabled
163 ** Non-DMX loads in an area with Scene Tracking will still go to their predefined scene levels
164 ** Pharos DMX loads will go to their predefined scene levels even if the Timeline being triggered includes them
165 ***
166 * 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
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