Hardware Configuration

Copied from Getting Started Guide. In Revision.
Feel free to help!

Documentation still to Write:

• Specific Info re: Renard, DMX, LOR, E1.31, etc.
• Universe Setup
• Testing Hardware Setup

Introduction

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To output your sequence data to your light controllers, there are specific components that must be defined in HLS output settings:

• Physical Hardware Settings
  • This is where you setup COM ports or Ethernet/Wireless connections to get the sequence information "out" to your controllers.
• Universe Assignment
  • HLS then has to know where the sequence data for a universe of channels should go (either a COM port or network connection previously setup).
• Output Protocol
  • Finally, HLS has to know what "language" your controller speaks (Renard, DMX, sACN(DMX over Ethernet), or straight RS485)

Physical Hardware Settings

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Setting Up Com Ports

The first thing you will need to do is determine what port numbers are assigned to your com device(s). For Windows, you can follow this guide.

Figure 9-3

• After determining port numbers, click Output -> Setup COM Ports in the HLS main menu (see Figure 9-3).
• To add a new COM port, click Add.

Figure 9-4

• In the window that opens, enter the appropriate COM number, then click OK (see Figure 9-4).
• Note: Other settings are correct by default and most likely need not be adjusted.

Figure 9-5

• Once your port(s) have been added, they will appear in the COM Port Manager (see Figure9-5).
• If you need to modify or remove a port, select it and click the appropriate button.
• Once done adding and modifying COM ports, click OK.

Setting up a Network

• Network card determination: Plug cable, remove cable.

Figure 9-6

• To setup the use of a network card, click Output -> Select Specific NIC Card (see Figure 9-6).
• Select the appropriate IP address for the network card you wish to use.
  • Note:' This can be a physical connection or a wireless connection.
• If you check Just Use Default, HLS will send out network data on whichever network connection you have set to default and active at that time.
• Once you have selected your network connection, click OK.

Universe Assignment

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Once the physical hardware connections have been defined, HLS needs to know where to send each universe of channel data.

• Click Output -> select Output Method and Compile for Show.
• Each of your created universes will appear. (See Figure)
• Click the Transport column to choose the method of output.
• Choose protocol.
• Status equals 1 is good.
• Check active to make that universe active for output.
• Click OK.

Old Version Portions that Still Need to be Updated

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In Figure 1-49 notice that universe 1 is the one we are working with for output. We only used universe 0 for the beat track. In this example we are only using one Port and one protocol (Renard), so only one universe appears here. Next choose Output from the top tab again and then Select Output Method.

Figure 1-49.

Next you must configure three things: Transport (Port to use), Protocol (Renard in this example), and make the universe active in the Active checkbox. First let’s choose the Transport.

In Figure 1-50 COM was chosen in the example (we will be using Com port 1 that we already configured).

Figure 1-50.

Make sure you select the Com port you want to use before clicking OK. Note that Com1 is highlighted in Figure 1-51.

Figure 1-51.

After you choose OK the screen shown in Figure 1-52 will appear. Note that Renard was chosen. Make sure it is highlighted before you click OK.

Figure 1-52.

Figure 1-53 shows that the status of the Com port is 1 (good) and you must set the checkmark under Active for the output to be active.

Figure 1-53.

To run the sequence with actual outputs make sure your Renard is plugged into the COM port you specified, click on the check box for OutPut Sequence on the upper right of the screen (see Figure 1-54). Note that when you do that the check box for Disengage Audio Display will also be checked so that the audio display does not run during actual output. Hit the play button and lights should flash according to your sequence.

Figure 1-54.