Network Manager

The IP address and subnet mask of the device can be set from this tab.

SnakeSys Nodes can be configured in two different ways – in normal mode the product is configured from the front panel switches and buttons on the product. In ChamNet mode the switches and buttons are ignored and the product is configured from MagicQ only.

If the SnakeSys product is set in a mode other than ChamNet Mode (such as Art-Net, ACN or buffer) then it is not possible to configure the interface from Net Manager. However, the device will still appear in Net Manager and it is possible to view its configuration.

Older ChamSys 4 Port Ethernet Interfaces and the SnakeSys B4 interfaces manufactured prior to 2013 (serial numbers with last 4 digits less than 0268) have no storage for configuration data and so when in ChamNet mode they always get their configuration from MagicQ every time they are powered up.

When the interface starts up it will recognise that it is in MQ Mode and then will search on the network to find a MagicQ system that can give it a configuration. The interface will not output or input DMX data until it has received configuration from a MagicQ system.

The MagicQ system stores the configuration information for all these older interfaces as console settings. In View Ports, press the INSERT B4MK1 button to add a new interface. MagicQ will present a list of default profiles for configuring the interface.

An interface can be removed by putting the cursor on the line of the interface and pressing REMOVE.

If there are multiple MagicQ consoles on the network, then only the master one (as per Hot Takeover) will provide configuration information to the interfaces.

Newer SnakeSys B4s and all other SnakeSys and all GeNetix products will appear automatically in the list and do not need to be inserted or removed.

GeNetix and SnakeSys nodes can be firmware upgraded from MagicQ software - the latest MagicQ software contains the latest firmware for all GeNetix and SnakeSys products - this can be found in the firmware folder under on the installation.

ChamSys recommend not attempting a firmware update in a critical show environment.

Download the latest MagicQ software from the ChamSys download site. In order to upgrade GeNetix devices, MagicQ must be running software version 1.9.5.0 or above.

http://chamsys.co.uk/download

If you are sent a newer firmware file by ChamSys support then copy the file into the firmware folder in the MagicQ installation. To install it onto a MagicQ console put the file onto a USB stick, then in MagicQ go to Setup, File Manager. Select USB DRIVE. Press COPY and select the file as the source to copy. Then select the destination, by selecting HARD DRIVE, UP DIR, and select the firmware folder. Press the "." item to copy to. Then follow the procedure above.

The firmware has the filename firmware_XXXX_YYYY or firmware_XXXX_XXXX_YYYY where the XXXX or XXXX_XXXX is the product code and YYYY is the firmware version number. The product codes are:

GeNetix nodes start up in a boot firmware, indicated red on the front panel display before starting the main application firmware. During firmware upgrade the nodes return to boot code. If for any reason the main application fails to program or run then the GeNetix node will return to the boot firmware and can be upgraded again.

In order to use a GeNetix or SnakeSys node with a MagicQ system the MagicQ system must be set up in Setup, View DMX I/O to output or input universes over the network

When outputting from the GeNetix node set up MagicQ universes with Output type of Art-Net or sACN with the Out Uni set to the Art-Net or sACN universes that the GeNetix node is set to decode.

For inputting DMX from the GeNetix node set up MagicQ universes with Input type of Art-Net or sACN with the In Uni set to the Art-Net or sACN universes that the GeNetix node is set to generate.

Press DISCOVER ALL to discover RDM devices. MagicQ will attempt to discover RDM compliant devices on its direct console ports (MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ250M and Stadium Connect) and via connected Art-Net nodes that support RDM.

When MagicQ detects the RDM devices it will automatically attempt to get information from each fixture in turn on all. Some devices may not respond immediately - in this case it may be necessary to press GET INFO to force this information to be retrieved.

If the RDM devices are connected to an Art-Net node and nothing is detected then check that your RDM-enabled Art-Net node appears in VIEW ART-NET.

The fixture address, mode, dimmer curve and modulation frequency can be set directly for each RDM device shown in the Window. It is also possible to factory reset devices that support it.

To further configure the manufacturer parameter PIDs of each connected RDM device, put the cursor on the required device and press VIEW PIDS.

Note that The DISCOVER ALL command requests Art-Net nodes to perform a flush of their RDM table of devices (TOD) and to then perform a discovery of all currently connected devices. In some cases it may be useful to just retrieve the table off devices without forcing a new discovery - in this case press SHIFT + GET TOD ALL. .

Press the AUTO ADDRESS soft button to automatically address all the fixtures in the list, starting at 1 and incrementing based on the channel count of each fixture.

Where there are devices from more than one universe the devices on each universe will be addressed starting at 1.

Once a DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO has been performed on a lighting rig, MagicQ stores the RDM address and mode for each fixture with its unique UUID in the show file. This is maintained in the show file through subsequent loads and saves of that show file.

At any time a lighting rig can be restored to a known state from a MagicQ show file.

First in Net Manager perform a DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO to get the addresses and mode of the RDM devices. Check that all the expected devices have been detected.

Then press SHIFT + RESTORE ADDRESS and select a show file to load the RDM information from. MagicQ loads the RDM data from that show file and readdresses the RDM fixtures to the mode and address from that show file. Note that MagicQ only loads the RDM information from that show file, it does not load or change any other data in your show.

When setting up a new venue, or a new lighting rig that uses RDM when the configuration is complete it is recommended to DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO for the complete rig and save the MagicQ show file with a name such as "VenueRDM.shw" which can then be used in the future to restore the lighitn rig to the correct RDM state.

The RDM identify command forces a fixture to identify itself. This is usually a flashing white light or continuous pan, tilt and colour scroll. This allows you to match up the devices you are seeing in the VIEW RDM window with physical devices on the lighting rig, similar to the Head Test feature in the Patch window.

In the VIEW RDM window, press soft button C, RDM Test, and use the cursor keys to scroll up and down the list of devices. The device at the cursor will be sent the RDM identify message and highlighted red to show it is in test mode.

Sensor information for the RDM device at the cursor is displayed at the top of the window and is continually refreshed. If the device is able to report multiple sensors then they are all shown.

Pressing the PATCH RDM HEAD soft button will patch the RDM device at the cursor into the show, using its current DMX address and mode.

Press SHIFT and PATCH ALL RDM soft button to patch everything in the list.

This tries to find a matching head file using the ESTA Manufacturer ID, Device Model ID and mode. If this fails it tries to match the manufacturer and model descriptions and channel count.

To improve the accuracy of the auto patching feature, you can add in the RDM information into the head file using the head editor. In the General View there is

The ESTA Manufacturer ID, Device Model ID and Personality number are all reported by the fixture over RDM and together can be used to match a specific head file. You should not have more than one head file with all three of these fields the same.

MagicQ has an extensive personality library which covers nearly all fixtures. MagicQ personality library has very detailed modelling of fixtures including gobo icons and physical dimensions.

RDM optionally allows fixtures to provide basic reporting of attribute allocation enabling MagicQ to create a basic new personality which can be then used to patch the head.

Put the cursor on the required device and press CREATE HEAD to create a new personality. The name of the personality will be based on the Manufacturer, Model and Mode fields reported by the RDM device.

Note that creating heads is only possible if the RDM device supports the RDM SLOT_INFO PID.

MagicQ provides shortcuts for repatching a lighting rig RDM compliant fixtures in it.

There are two options - Readdress physical fixtures and Repatch show to fixtures.

Use soft button F to enable background RDM checking. When Background Check is on, MagicQ performs a RDM discovery every 60 seconds to detect RDM devices and get their info.

When Background Check is off, MagicQ only performs RDM discovery when requested by pressing the DISCOVER ALL button.

Note that Background RDM checking requires a lot of RDM traffic, particularly on larger lighting rigs or with complex fixtures, which may slow down DMX refresh rates.

Auto Patch enables a lighting rig to be detected and patched automatically. It also enables the show to be updated if any devices have had their address or mode changed.

Use soft button Y to enable RDM auto patching. When Auto Patch is on, then Background Check is automatically turned on.

When Auto Patch is on, MagicQ performs a background discovery and patches any new devices that it had not previously encountered in the show using the current device mode . If MagicQ determines that devices that it had previously auto patched have changed DMX address or mode then MagicQ will change the DMX address or mode of the patched Head in the show.

Note that MagicQ does not remove Heads from the Patch if devices are not detected - this ensures that the show programming is maintained. If devices are permanently removed from the lighting rig then they must be manually unpatched from the show.

Rig Lock enables a lighting rig to be locked so that users cannot change the DMX address or modes of fixtures.

Use soft button X to enable RDM Rig Lock. When Rig Lock is on, then Background Check is automatically turned on.

When Rig Lock is on, MagicQ performes a background discovery and checks any devices found. If the device address or mode has been changed then MagicQ sends a RDM command to return the device to the address and mode from its show file.

Rig Lock takes priority over Auto Patch. Generally Auto Patch should be set to off when Rig Lock is in use.

RDM fixtures support parameters referred to as PIDs. Parameters can be "Get" - i.e read only, "Set", i.e. set only, or "Get and Set".

All RDM fixtures must support the parameters used for discovering the device, identifying the device and setting the DMX start address.

In the VIEW PIDS all the PIDs that the device reports that it supports are shown. For each parameter there is an ID (as defined by the RDM specification), a description and the current value.

Standard PIDs have IDs in the range 0x0001 to 0x7FFF. Manufacturer specific PIDs are in the range 0x8000 to 0xFFDF.

The Size, Data Type, Min, Max, Type, Default, Unit and Prefix fields give more information about the particular parameter.

For parameters that are "Set" or "Get and Set" the Value field can be set. Enter a new value on the keyboard to change the value.

Press REFRESH PIDS to reload the PIDs from the device.

The GET SLOTS and LOG RDM soft buttons are used for testing RDM fixtures. Press GET SLOTS to force MagicQ to get the DMX Slot information (fixture attribute information) from the RDM device. LOG RDM writes all the details that have been retrieved from the RDM device including the general info, modes, slot info and PIDs to the file "rdm.csv" in the log folder.

Press COPY PID to copy the PID that the cursor is on to all devices of the same type. Press SHIFT + COPY ALL PIDs to copy all PIDs to all devices of the same type.