Alcorn Mcbride Pro Series User manual

Pro Series
Show
Controllers
Alcorn McBride
January 16, 2012
User’s Guide

Table of Contents Page 2
Document Revision 1.6
January 16, 2012
Copyright 1996-2012 Alcorn McBride, Inc. All rights reserved.
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this manual, and the
reliability of the Alcorn McBride Pro Series show control hardware and software. Errors can sometimes go
undetected, however. If you find one, please bring it to our attention so that we can correct it for others.
Alcorn McBride welcomes comments and suggestions on the content and layout of its documentation.
Applications described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Alcorn McBride Inc. assumes no
responsibility or liability for the use of these products, and makes no representation or warranty that the use
of these products for specific applications will be suitable without further testing or modification. Alcorn
McBride products are not intended for use in applications where a malfunction can reasonably be expected
to result in personal injury. Customers using or selling Alcorn McBride products for use in such
applications do so at their own risk, and agree to fully indemnify Alcorn McBride for any damages
resulting from such improper use or sale.
Alcorn McBride Inc. reserves the right to make changes to these products, without notice, in order to
improve their design or performance.
V16Pro™ V4Pro™ are trademarks of Alcorn McBride Inc., all rights reserved.
Hardware Design: Jim Carstensen, Scott Harkless, and Joy Burke
Firmware Design: Joy Burke, Scott Harkless and Adam Rosenberg
Software Design: Steve Alcorn, Joy Burke, and Adam Rosenberg
Documentation: John Conley, Joy Burke, Adam Rosenberg, and Steve Alcorn
Mechanical Design: Martin Chaney
Alcorn McBride Inc.
3300 S. Hiawassee, Bldg. 105
Orlando, Florida 32835
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
http://www.alcorn.com
[email protected]

Table of Contents Page 3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................................3
Welcome..................................................................................................................................................9
What are the Pro Series show controllers? ............................................................................................9
Compatibility.......................................................................................................................................9
What’s New.......................................................................................................................................10
Hardware ......................................................................................................................................10
Software........................................................................................................................................10
Important Information........................................................................................................................11
WinScript Live Tutorial..........................................................................................................................13
Opening WinScript Live and Creating a Script ...................................................................................13
Configuring the Script........................................................................................................................14
Working with Resources – Clicking and Drag & Drop........................................................................15
Naming Resources .............................................................................................................................16
Buttons..........................................................................................................................................16
Variables.......................................................................................................................................17
Devices .........................................................................................................................................18
Writing The Script .............................................................................................................................20
Sequences .....................................................................................................................................20
Events...........................................................................................................................................21
Event Wizard .......................................................................................................................22
Edit the Default Sequence..............................................................................................................23
Edit the MainShow Sequence ........................................................................................................25
Error Check and Download ................................................................................................................33
Connecting Equipment.......................................................................................................................33
USB Connection............................................................................................................................33
WinScript Live Resources ......................................................................................................................35
Sequences ..........................................................................................................................................35
Sequence Columns ........................................................................................................................35
Sequence Clock.............................................................................................................................36
Events................................................................................................................................................37
Event Columns..............................................................................................................................37
Variables ...........................................................................................................................................38
User Variables...............................................................................................................................38
Device Variables ...........................................................................................................................38
Devices..............................................................................................................................................39
Inputs ................................................................................................................................................42
IO64 Slave Inputs..........................................................................................................................42
Modbus TCP Slave Inputs .............................................................................................................43
Outputs..............................................................................................................................................45
IO64 Slave Outputs .......................................................................................................................45
Modbus TCP Slave Outputs...........................................................................................................46
Buttons ..............................................................................................................................................49
Triggers.............................................................................................................................................49
Trigger Types................................................................................................................................50
Trigger Cause................................................................................................................................50
WinScript Live Timecode (SMPTE/EBU)...............................................................................................51
Display the Timecode Configuration Dialog.......................................................................................51
Internal Timecode Settings.................................................................................................................52
Lock to External Video Sync .........................................................................................................52
External (SMPTE/EBU) Timecode Settings........................................................................................52
General Settings ............................................................................................................................52

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Read Settings ................................................................................................................................53
Generate Settings...........................................................................................................................53
WinScript Live "Live Mode" ..................................................................................................................55
Sequence Status .................................................................................................................................55
Event Status.......................................................................................................................................55
Highlighted Events........................................................................................................................55
Current Time.................................................................................................................................55
Watches.............................................................................................................................................56
Adding Watches............................................................................................................................56
Viewing/Changing Value...............................................................................................................56
Forces ...........................................................................................................................................56
Live Log ............................................................................................................................................57
Live Display ......................................................................................................................................57
Show Controller External Control...........................................................................................................58
"ShowTouch" and "Touch" Software..................................................................................................58
Ami-Terminal Control........................................................................................................................58
Webpage Control ...............................................................................................................................59
iPhone Control...................................................................................................................................59
1: Setup TCP Server on Show Controller .......................................................................................59
2: Add Incoming Message Triggers................................................................................................60
3: Control with iPhone App ...........................................................................................................62
Terminal Control................................................................................................................................62
1: Setup TCP Server on Show Controller .......................................................................................62
2: Add Incoming Message Triggers................................................................................................63
3: Control with Putty or TCP Client...............................................................................................65
WinScript Live Command Reference......................................................................................................67
Discrete Events..................................................................................................................................67
On.................................................................................................................................................67
Off ................................................................................................................................................67
Toggle...........................................................................................................................................67
Blink.............................................................................................................................................68
Pulse .............................................................................................................................................68
Out Port ........................................................................................................................................69
In Port...........................................................................................................................................69
Logical Events...................................................................................................................................70
On.................................................................................................................................................70
Off ................................................................................................................................................70
Toggle...........................................................................................................................................70
Add...............................................................................................................................................71
Subtract.........................................................................................................................................71
Divide...........................................................................................................................................71
Multiply........................................................................................................................................71
BitAnd ..........................................................................................................................................72
BitOr.............................................................................................................................................72
Mod ..............................................................................................................................................72
Concat...........................................................................................................................................72
Format ..........................................................................................................................................72
Set Variable = ...............................................................................................................................73
Save Variable................................................................................................................................74
Restore Variable............................................................................................................................74
Program Control Events.....................................................................................................................75
Start ..............................................................................................................................................76
Pause.............................................................................................................................................76
Stop Loop .....................................................................................................................................76
Reset .............................................................................................................................................76
Goto..............................................................................................................................................76

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If On, If Off...................................................................................................................................77
If =, If not =, If >, If >=, If <, If <= ................................................................................................78
End If............................................................................................................................................79
Else...............................................................................................................................................79
Nop...............................................................................................................................................80
Display Events...................................................................................................................................81
Display..........................................................................................................................................81
Store Display.................................................................................................................................82
Recover Display............................................................................................................................82
Timecode (LTC, SMPTE, EBU) and Internal Time Events .................................................................83
Delay ............................................................................................................................................83
Timecode Set ................................................................................................................................83
Timecode Pause ............................................................................................................................83
Timecode Start..............................................................................................................................84
Timecode Stop ..............................................................................................................................84
Timecode Stop Loop .....................................................................................................................84
Get Seq Time ................................................................................................................................84
Arm ..............................................................................................................................................84
Disarm ..........................................................................................................................................85
Network Events .................................................................................................................................85
Send Mail......................................................................................................................................85
Number Generation............................................................................................................................85
Get Random ..................................................................................................................................85
Device Control Events .......................................................................................................................86
Message Out .................................................................................................................................86
Specifications V16Pro ............................................................................................................................87
LTC Ports..........................................................................................................................................88
Serial Ports ........................................................................................................................................88
RS-232/422/485 Ports....................................................................................................................88
Ethernet Ports ....................................................................................................................................89
Ethernet Cables .............................................................................................................................89
Programmer Ports ..............................................................................................................................91
RS-232C .......................................................................................................................................91
USB ..............................................................................................................................................91
Ethernet Ports A and B ..................................................................................................................91
Show Control Ports............................................................................................................................92
Ports 1-16: RS-232 or RS-422/485.................................................................................................92
MIDI Ports....................................................................................................................................92
Ethernet Ports A and B ..................................................................................................................92
Display..............................................................................................................................................93
Menu Wheel ......................................................................................................................................94
Menu Map.....................................................................................................................................94
Function Description .....................................................................................................................96
System Sub-menu..........................................................................................................................96
System .................................................................................................................................96
Real-Time Clock ..................................................................................................................97
LTC/SMPTE........................................................................................................................98
Network ...............................................................................................................................98
Password..............................................................................................................................98
Script Configuration.............................................................................................................98
Digital Inputs.....................................................................................................................................99
Input Connector.............................................................................................................................99
Voltage Inputs vs. Contact Closures.............................................................................................100
Input Configuration .....................................................................................................................101
Input Wiring................................................................................................................................102
Connecting a Voltage Input.....................................................................................................102

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Connecting a Contact Closure......................................................................................................103
Using Front Panel Buttons...........................................................................................................104
Digital Outputs ................................................................................................................................105
Configuring Outputs....................................................................................................................105
Output Connector ........................................................................................................................105
Wiring Outputs............................................................................................................................107
Non-inductive load .................................................................................................................107
Inductive loads........................................................................................................................108
Video Sync Input ............................................................................................................................. 109
SMPTE Reader/Generator................................................................................................................109
Power Supply...................................................................................................................................109
Rear DIP Switches ........................................................................................................................... 110
Firmware .........................................................................................................................................111
Show Memory .................................................................................................................................111
Specifications V4Pro ............................................................................................................................113
Serial Ports ......................................................................................................................................114
RS-232/422/485 Ports..................................................................................................................114
Ethernet Ports ..................................................................................................................................114
Ethernet Cables ...........................................................................................................................115
Programmer Ports ............................................................................................................................116
RS-232C ..................................................................................................................................... 116
USB ............................................................................................................................................116
Ethernet Ports A and B ................................................................................................................116
Show Control Ports..........................................................................................................................117
Ports 1-4: RS-232 or RS-422/485.................................................................................................117
MIDI Ports..................................................................................................................................117
Ethernet Ports A and B ................................................................................................................117
Display............................................................................................................................................118
Menu Wheel ....................................................................................................................................119
Menu Map...................................................................................................................................119
Function Description ...................................................................................................................121
System Sub-menu........................................................................................................................121
System ...............................................................................................................................121
Real-Time Clock ................................................................................................................122
Network .............................................................................................................................123
Password............................................................................................................................123
Script Configuration...........................................................................................................123
Digital Inputs...................................................................................................................................124
Input Connector...........................................................................................................................124
Voltage Inputs vs. Contact Closures.............................................................................................125
Input Configuration .....................................................................................................................126
Input Wiring................................................................................................................................127
Connecting a Voltage Input.....................................................................................................127
Connecting a Contact Closure......................................................................................................128
Using Front Panel Buttons...........................................................................................................129
Digital Outputs ................................................................................................................................130
Configuring Outputs....................................................................................................................130
Output Connector ........................................................................................................................131
Wiring Outputs............................................................................................................................132
Non-inductive load .................................................................................................................132
Inductive loads........................................................................................................................133
Video Sync Input ............................................................................................................................. 134
Power Supply...................................................................................................................................134
Rear DIP Switches ........................................................................................................................... 134
Firmware .........................................................................................................................................136
Show Memory .................................................................................................................................136

Table of Contents Page 7
Ethernet Step by Step............................................................................................................................137
Hardware.........................................................................................................................................137
Network Equipment.....................................................................................................................138
Hubs ...........................................................................................................................................138
Switches......................................................................................................................................138
Routers........................................................................................................................................138
Addresses and Routing.....................................................................................................................139
IP Addressing..............................................................................................................................139
Subnet Mask ...............................................................................................................................139
Gateway......................................................................................................................................139
Connecting the Hardware.................................................................................................................139
Network A (Point-to-Point) .........................................................................................................140
Network B (Multipoint Connections) ...........................................................................................140
PC Configuration .............................................................................................................................141
Show Controller Configuration.........................................................................................................143
Device Identification........................................................................................................................143
Network A ID .............................................................................................................................143
Network B IDs ............................................................................................................................144
Setting Device IP Addresses.............................................................................................................145
Try It Out.........................................................................................................................................146
Scheduler (Web-based).........................................................................................................................147
Getting Started.................................................................................................................................147
Creating a New Schedule File ..........................................................................................................147
Editing Schedule Entries ..................................................................................................................149
WEB Server Quick Start.......................................................................................................................153
Step 1: Connecting to the Web Server..........................................................................................153
Step 2: Configuration...................................................................................................................154
Step 3: Customer Web Page.........................................................................................................154
Step 4: Understanding home.php..................................................................................................155
Hypertext Transfer Protocol .............................................................................................................156
File Names and Types......................................................................................................................156
Show Controller Web-Script ............................................................................................................ 157
Web-Script Blocks ......................................................................................................................157
If Statements ...............................................................................................................................157
Variables.....................................................................................................................................158
Functions ....................................................................................................................................160
Function Params.................................................................................................................163
Web Server Configuration ...........................................................................................................164
Serial and Ethernet Control...................................................................................................................165
Command set...................................................................................................................................165
?V Get Firmware Version ......................................................................................................165
?S Get SMPTE Firmware Version .........................................................................................165
ES Enable SMPTE.................................................................................................................166
DS Disable SMPTE ...........................................................................................................166
PS Pause SMPTE (Next Loop Point)......................................................................................166
IS Pause SMPTE (Immediately) .......................................................................................167
CT Get/Set SMPTE Time.......................................................................................................167
ID Get/Set Unit ID ................................................................................................................167
IP Get/Set IP address........................................................................................................168
SM Get/Set Subnet Mask number .......................................................................................168
GW Get/Set Gateway IP Address ........................................................................................168
DA Get/Set Date ................................................................................................................169
TI Get/Set Time................................................................................................................169
US Get/Set User Name...........................................................................................................170
PW Get/Set Password.........................................................................................................170
SD Get/Set DST Enable .........................................................................................................170

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DT Get/Set DST Type........................................................................................................171
TZ Get/Set Time Zone ...........................................................................................................171
DI Display Text.....................................................................................................................171
LO Get/Set Longitude Coordinates.....................................................................................172
LA Get/Set Latitude Coordinates........................................................................................172
VA Get/Set a Variable........................................................................................................172
VT Toggle a Boolean Variable...........................................................................................173
RJ Reset Sequence.................................................................................................................173
PA Pause a Sequence .............................................................................................................173
SL Stop a Looping Sequence..................................................................................................173
PL Run a Sequence................................................................................................................174
SQ Get Sequence Status .........................................................................................................174
OU Output Control.............................................................................................................174
SS Send Message................................................................................................................... 175
XX Reboot.........................................................................................................................175
NI Get/Set NTP IP Address ...................................................................................................175
NE Enable/Disable the NTP Function.................................................................................176
NJ Get/Set the Ethernet Port for NTP.....................................................................................176
TS Time Stamp......................................................................................................................176
SF Get/Set Active Script file..................................................................................................177
DH Enable/Disable the DHCP Function..............................................................................177
SJ Get/Set the Ethernet Port for SMTP ..................................................................................177
SA Get/Set the SMTP Address ...............................................................................................178
SP Get/Set the SMTP Port .....................................................................................................178
SU Get/Set the SMTP User Login Name.................................................................................179
SW Get/Set the SMTP Password.........................................................................................179
FR Get/Set the SMTP From Name .........................................................................................179
MA Send E-Mail.................................................................................................................180
HJ Get/Set the HTTP Ethernet Port........................................................................................180
HP Get/Set the HTTP WEB Page ...........................................................................................181
LV Live Mode ...................................................................................................................181
EX Execute a command.....................................................................................................182
Creating Your Own Product File...........................................................................................................183
Protocol File Storage........................................................................................................................183
Getting Started.................................................................................................................................183
Product Section................................................................................................................................183
Hardware Section.............................................................................................................................184
Protocol Section...............................................................................................................................184
Commands Section ..........................................................................................................................185
Command Parameters..................................................................................................................186
Parameter Rules ..........................................................................................................................186
Optional Parameters (Init Values) ................................................................................................187
Operations on Parameters ............................................................................................................187
Outgoing Message.......................................................................................................................190
Hex Characters .......................................................................................................................191
Inserting Parameters/Operations..............................................................................................191
Escape Characters and Quotes.................................................................................................191
Incoming Message (Response To Command)...............................................................................191
Printf style ..............................................................................................................................192
Regular Expression Style ........................................................................................................192
Incoming Message (Unsolicited Command).................................................................................193
Incoming Message Variable Storage............................................................................................193
Error Variable..................................................................................................................................194
TCP Status Variable.........................................................................................................................195
Setup Messages (TCP Only)............................................................................................................195
Troubleshooting Tips............................................................................................................................199

Welcome Page 9
WinScriptLive .................................................................................................................................199
Welcome
What are the Pro Series show controllers?
The Pro Series show controllers are the latest version of our original, most powerful, show controllers.
They are ideally suited for the control of theme park attractions, museum displays, retail spaces, casino
installations, games shows, or almost any automated venue. They provide more serial ports than any of our
other controllers, and offers almost unlimited memory capacity. Other important features include self-
healing outputs, software configurable inputs, dual Ethernet ports, MIDI, USB, video sync, and a built-in
SMPTE generator and reader. In short, they have just about every control interface you’d ever need, all in
one easy to use box.
Compatibility
One of our goals in designing the Pro Series show controllers (aside from trying to amaze you with all of its
features!) was to make then a drop-in hardware replacement for the earlier V Plus series. So if you’re
already familiar with the V Plus family (or are replacing one in an existing installation), you’ll be pleased
to find that you already know a lot about the Pro Series show controllers. Although you’ll need to spend a
little time upgrading your current scripts to take advantage of the more advanced WinScript Live!
Programming environment, your hardware should be good to go.
If you are using ports 1 – 4 of the V16 Plus in RS422 mode of operation, please take note of the following
changes. The buffers used in the Pro Series show controllers use a technology that provides both single
ended (RS232) and differential ended (RS422/485) connections to be used without changing circuit
components.
The TXD+ and TXD- signals needed to be reversed when using the Pro Series show controllers. Pin 3 is
now TXD- and pin 9 is TXD+ in RS422/485 mode only. RS232 operations remain unchanged.

Welcome Page 10
What’s New
Hardware
All 16 serial ports (except the programmer port) are software configurable to
RS-232 or RS422/485, Baud rates up to 115.2 Kbaud
Front Panel switched are not connected to back panel inputs by default and can
be under software control.
Two Ethernet ports – Port A/B can be used as for control, programming and
monitoring or for local networks used it the control of the your show.
USB programmer port for programming and control
Front panel Look – The input, output and serial port activity LED’s are bigger
and better positioned. The operational status of the Pro Series show controllers
can be viewed at a greater distance.
New Status LED’s – Timecode Activity and Video Sync
Menu Wheel for quick stand-a-lone system setup
Vacuum Florescent Display with 8 lines by 40 characters available for use in
show scripts.
Video Sync will accept Composite sync or Black burst.
Software
Show scripts and control parameters are stored in the Compact Flash card.
Changing a show requires only a flash card change.
SMPTE reader/generator
Support for unsolicited incoming messages.
Real-Time Clock
Edit Scripts while running in “Live Mode”
New variable types
Many New Operator types
Wide range of Ethernet protocols
Real time Scheduler

Welcome Page 11
Important Information
Congratulations! You have purchased an extremely fine product that would give you thousands of years of
trouble-free service, except that you undoubtedly will destroy it via some typical bonehead consumer
maneuver. This is why we ask you to:
Please for God's sake read this manual carefully before you unpack the product.
You already unpacked it, didn't you? You unpacked it and plugged it in and turned it on and randomly
punched the buttons, and now your tech, the same tech who only has a fleeting understanding of the
difference between 24VDC and 240VAC, this tech is also punching the buttons with his screw driver even
as you read this, right? We might as well just break these products right at the factory before we ship them
out, you know that?!?
We're sorry. We just get a little crazy sometimes because we're always getting back "defective"
merchandise where it turns out that the consumer inadvertently bathed the product in battery acid for six
days. So, in writing these instructions, we naturally tend to assume that your skull is filled with dead
insects, but we mean nothing by it. OK?
But we digress...
Thank you for purchasing this wonderful product. It will serve you for its entire lifetime, however long that
may be. Since no one ever reads this section of the manual, we’re going to take this opportunity to get a
few things off our collective chests and out of our collective drawers, as it were.
As always, we welcome calls to our technical support department. Unlike many companies, our technical
support personnel all speak at least one language. That’s in addition to any talking they do to themselves.
And they’re not located in some far off backwater, but right near our engineering staff. In fact, according to
their probation officers, they’ll be here quite a while. This is more than I can say for our tools, which have
been disappearing at an alarming rate.
Speaking of engineers, did you know that you’re always welcome to speak directly to the engineer who
designed your product? It’s where they get most of their ideas, because Lord knows they don’t come up
with much on their own.
Of course, the people you really want to speak to are our sales department, because once you experience
the orgasmic joy of owning this product, you’re going to want lots, lots more of them. And there’s no group
better at dispensing orgasmic joy than our sales staff. And if you believe that, you’ve obviously never met
them.
While I’m on the subject of that plastic sheeting your product came wrapped in (and potential uses for
same), here’s a friendly reminder to dispose of all packing materials in an environmentally friendly (and
hygienic) manner. Also, please inspect all packaging carefully before discarding it, as we’re still looking
for Quality Assurance Manager Shirley Peltwater’s prosthetic toe.
Finally, we’d like to once again thank you for purchasing this spectacular product. You have no idea how
much we depend on our design challenges to reduce the amount of time we spend surfing the web for
pictures of… oh my God, is that our sales staff?!

WinScript Live Tutorial Page 13
WinScript
Tutorial
WinScript Live Tutorial
In this tutorial, the member of the Pro Series show controllers that will be used is the V16Pro. The tutorial
that follows will apply to other members of the Pro Series. Other family members will have different
resources available so please keep this in mind when going through the tutorial.
Opening WinScript Live and Creating a Script
The first thing you do to program your Show Controller is to create a Script. The Script is what we will be
creating in this tutorial, and it contains all of the control and program information required by the Show
Controller to run your show. Here’s how you get started…
1. Run WinScript Live from Start Menu or doubling clicking on the desktop icon.
2. Choose your Show Controller from the list in the File –New dialog box and click OK. We will use
the V16Pro for this tutorial.
3. Choose File –Save As from the main menu and save your newly created blank script as
tutorial.ami.

WinScript Live Tutorial Page 14
4. The default startup page is loaded with the Sequences dialog open…
Configuring the Script
It is always best to document the function and purpose for the script, so let’s add the information about the
script. The following form is optional and is not required as part of writing a script.
1. From the toll bar go to Configuration menu item then select Script.
2. The following dialog box opens…
3. At this point you can include information about your show in the Description block.
4. It is a good idea to keep track of the revisions you went through to finish the script. This information is
stored in the Version area and you may use this section as you wish
5. You can include your name and other team members in the Author(s) area so other people know who
to blame when the script doesn’t work.
6. The script can also be locked so only authorized users may have access to the details of the script.
Enter a password if you wish to lock the script.

WinScript Live Tutorial Page 15
WinScript
Tutorial
Working with Resources – Clicking and Drag & Drop
A list of available Resource categories appears on the left side of WinScript Live. Anytime you want
you can double-click any of these resource categories to expand the tree of available resources and drag
them into your script. We’ll go into this in more detail as we go through the steps of this tutorial, but as an
example you can double-click on the Buttons resource causing it to expand the tree showing the list of
available Front Panel Buttons…
At this point you can just drag one of the buttons into the sequences on the right side of the window to the
Triggers column, which opens up a dialog allowing you to configure the button as a trigger.
Keep in mind as we go through this tutorial any resource used in the examples can be accessed by a simple
drag-and-drop from the left side of the window, or accessed by clicking on the Resources link in the
main menu bar at the top.
You can drag-and-drop resources into your script.

WinScript Live Tutorial Page 16
Naming Resources
You can assign unique names to your Show Controller’s Inputs, Buttons, Outputs, Variables, and other
resources so that they make intuitive sense when someone else is reading your script. Let’s assign some
names to the Inputs, Buttons, Outputs, Variables, and Devices we’ll be using.
First of all, it’s a good idea to set some rules in place to avoid confusion later in the design. Using label
identifiers on the objects used in the script will serve as reminders later on as to the function they perform.
For example, including the letters “btn” (or the full word “button”) in a Button label reminds you that this
resource is in fact, a button when it appears in other areas of the script. You’ll see how handy this as we
move along. This also helps you avoid accidentally assigning the same name to different resource types.
For example, if you name a Button “StartShow” and also name a Variable “StartShow” you will make
WinScript very angry and it will generate nasty error messages when you try to compile and load it into
your Show Controller.
Here are some suggested examples for label identifiers:
btn = buttons,
str = strings,
int = integer,
bool = boolean,
sp = display string and so on.
To assign unique names to a specific resource all you need to do is to double left-click the resource to
expand the tree (i.e. Buttons), then right-click the specific resource and select View/Edit Resource.
You can also click on Resources in the menu bar and select Buttons… or whatever other resource you
want to edit.
Buttons
Our show will use the first three front panel buttons of your Show Controller to perform various functions.
Here’s a summary of what the buttons will do.
Button 1 (we will call it btnRunShow) will start a two-minute video presentation.
Button 2 (we will call it btnDayNightMode) will toggle between…guess what…That’s right, Day Mode
and Night Mode!
Finally, Button 3 (we will call it btnCredits) will display your name on the display when it is pressed and
return the display to its previous state when you let it go.
Go up the menu bar and click on Resources and select Buttons…
When the form opens, (as shown below) notice the "Couple" column. When the box is checked beside the
button, the button and the input with the same number will be functionally the same. There is never any
physical electrical connection between the two; they are only assigned to do the same function in the Show
Controller when this box is checked. If this box is un-checked the button and input operate independently
of each other. We are not going to want them to be connected in this script, so leave this box unchecked.

WinScript Live Tutorial Page 17
WinScript
Tutorial
1. Double Click on "button1" and rename it to "btnRunShow". You may add comments about the
function of the button if you wish. Some functions are straightforward while others may seem less
obvious at this point. Over time you may need to be reminded of the function so it is a good idea
to comment your script when possible. In this example this button starts the show.
2. Do the same for button2 and call it "btnDayNightMode". Day/night modes are commonly used for
stopping normal operations and shutting everything down. However, just turning everything off is
normally not an option when the show is to startup on its own the next day and run everyday but
the weekend. For this function to work the show controller will remain on and placed in night
mode to monitor the time of day.
3. Change the name of Button3 to "btnCredits". This button will be programmed to display the
credits information entered "Configure Script" section above.
Variables
Variables are normally used in WinScript to represent numerical or status information. (A complete
description of supported Variable types can be found in the User Variables section of this manual.)
1. For this example we’re going to use a Boolean Variable Type, which is used to hold either a 1 or
0, True or False, etc. From the menu bar select Resources…Variables… to open up the
Variables form.
2. Double Click on first box under the Name column and enter "boolNightMode".
3. Move to the Type column and press the down arrow and select the Boolean variable type. Some
variable types such as integers have additional information the user will need to provide in order to
use the variable properly. This information is given in the details column. Initial values can be set
here, or may be set using a sequence. We will set the initial value to "On" here.
4. This screenshot shows how the dialog box looks after you’ve finished setting up this variable…

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Devices
In WinScript, the audio, video, lighting and other show systems controlled by the V16Pro in your show are
called “Devices”. These Devices are connected to the V16Pro via serial ports or Ethernet, or on occasion
using a discrete parallel output(s). For this example we will use the Alcorn McBride DVM7400 Digital
Video Machine. The DVM7400 can be controlled via serial or optionally via Ethernet. You can configure
the V16Pro to control the unit using either of these two interfaces.
Under the Resources tab click on Devices to open up the Devices form…
Follow these steps to add the DVM7400 as a device…
1. Double Click on first box under the Name column and enter "DVM7400" as the name of the first
device. This name is arbitrary and you can use anything you want, just try to make it something
obvious and descriptive. For example, if you have more than one DVM7400 in your show you
might want to name them DVM7400_1 and DVM7400_2, or DVM7400_Preshow and
DVM7400_Mainshow. Do not use spaces in naming system resources.
2. Move to the Device Type column and double click in the box. A series of dialog boxes will open
asking for the following information.
3. The first dialog form asks for the Manufacturer, Model, and Version of the equipment to be
connected to the show controller. Here we choose “Alcorn McBride, Inc.” as the Manufacturer
and “DVM7400” as the Model. The Version refers to the current version of the Product File,
which is the file used by WinScript to tell it how to communicate with the Device. Here it comes
up as Version 1.6.

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WinScript
Tutorial
4. Click “Next” to advance to the next dialog to set up the connection type. The default is serial, and
if selected, the user will be prompted for the V16Pro serial port number, protocol format, baud rate
and other serial control information. Any or all of the serial ports may be configured for RS232 or
RS422. If Ethernet is selected, the user will be prompted for the network port A or B, protocol
format, IP address and Ethernet port number. We’ll use Ethernet on Port B for this interface, with
an IP Address of 192.168.0.254. Leave the Port and Ethernet Type as their default values.
5. Click Next to advance to the next dialog, where you can assign Device Variables. These are
variables that can be controlled by the Device itself and are useful for error detection and
unsolicited device status indications. We won’t be using them in this example, so just click Next
again to advance to the next dialog.
6. The last dialog allows you to include some comments about the Device. Here is where you could
describe where the device is located, or what it is used for (i.e. “Preshow main video”, or
something like that). Click Finish to and you will have added the DVM 7400 to your list of
Devices…

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Writing The Script
At some point it’s often a good idea to map out what the show is going to do - something like a storyboard
with the scenes and actions needed for each step. There are countless ways to construct this in a Script, but
in all cases the operational modes that control the show and make up a scene are executed by the Events
contained within each Sequence.
“Writing the Script” involves adding Sequences, and subsequently adding Events to the Sequences which
control the flow and operation of your show. The following sections will describe this process in detail.
Sequences
Scripts are made up of sequences that contain a list of actions that control the operation of the V16Pro, the
operation of attached Devices and ultimately, the operation of your show. Sequences (and corresponding
show elements) can be started (or stopped) by external parallel inputs, front panel buttons, variables
(including Date/Time), started on boot-up, or started by other sequences. All Sequences are run
simultaneously and are continuously evaluated to determine whether or not they should be started,
stopped, paused, or looped. Let’s open up the Sequences list in WinScript and get started…
From the main menu select Resources…Sequences… to open up a list of Sequences.
The Sequence list is always populated with a Default Sequence just to get you started.
Notice the columns labeled D, A, L and Status just before the Sequence Name column. Clicking on the
box places a check mark in the column for that sequence.
Dis Disable, the sequence will not be compiled for download. This allows you to remove that line
from the show without deleting it from your script.
Ais Autostart and will run the sequence on boot-up.
Lis for Looping the sequence continuously for repetitive operations such as polling or cycling an
output off and on.
Status/Control is a real time event indication of what is running in the show controller when in
"Live" mode. You can also take over control of the normal flow of the sequence by using these
controls in “Live” mode. Refer to the WinScript Live Mode Chapter in this manual for complete
details of the “Live” mode of operation. Here’s what the symbols mean:
Sequence is stopped if highlighted, will stop it the sequence if it is running
Sequence is paused if highlighted, will pause the sequence if it is running.
Sequence is running when highlighted, will start the sequence if it is stopped.