Alcorn Mcbride LightCue User manual

LightCue
With Ethernet
DMX Recorder
User Guide

LightCue
DMX Recorder
User Guide
7/20/2012
With Ethernet

Preface
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this
manual. If you find an error or typo, please bring it to our attention so that we can cor-
rect it for others. You may even get a coffee mug for your trouble. Alcorn McBride wel-
comes 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 rep-
resentation 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.
Hardware Design: Jim Carstensen, Scott Harkless, Steve Alcorn
Firmware Design: Joy Burke, Adam Rosenberg
Mechanical Design: Martin Chaney
Documentation: Joy Burke, Jim Carstensen
Alcorn McBride Inc.
3300 S. Hiawassee, Suite 105
Orlando, Florida 32835
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
Internet: http://www.alcorn.com
E-mail: [e-mail]
LightCue™ is a trademark of Alcorn McBride Inc., all rights reserved.
Copyright © 2012 Alcorn McBride, Inc. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents
Preface ii
Table of Contents iii
LightCue at a Glance 1
About this Guide 1
Features 1
LightCue Overview 1
Front Panel 1
Rear Panel 4
Front Panel LCD 5
Front Panel Menu 8
Getting Started 11
LightCue Manager Software 11
Connecting the Unit 11
Recording a Cue 11
Playing a Cue 11
LightCue Manager 13
Edit Window 14
LightCue Connection 15
Cue Names Window 18
DMX Files Window 19
Play Window 23
Record Window 26
DMXStatus Window 28
Control Protocols 29
ASCIIProtocol 29
Control Commands 29
Command Details 29
Arm Recording 29
Play 30
Chase Play 30
Record Now 31
Record with SMPTE 32
Arm Recording with SMPTE 32
Pile-On Cue 33
Pile-On Cue and Loop at end 33
Clear Cue 34
Feedthrough 34
Force Value 34
Force DMX 35
Clear Forces 35
SMPTE Status 35
DMX File Query 35

Reset 36
Pile-On Priority 36
Longitude 36
Latitude 37
Reboot 37
IP address 37
Subnet Mask number 37
Gateway IP Address 37
Date 38
Time 38
User Name 38
Get/Set Password 38
DST Enable 39
DST Type 39
Time Zone 39
NTP IP Address 39
NTP Enable 40
40
Ethernet Port for NTP 40
40
DHCP Enable 40
40
HTTP Ethernet Port 40
HTTP WEB Page 41
MIDI Control 42
Start a Cue with SYSEX “GO CUE” 42
Pile on a Cue with "NOTE ON" 42
Clear Cue with "NOTE OFF" 42
Specifications 43
Overview 43
Serial Pins 44
Parallel (DB37) Pins 45
Inputs 45
Outputs 45
DMX Input Pins 46
DMX Output Pins 46
SMPTE Input 46
Accessories 46
Troubleshooting Tips 47
Glossary 49
Index 51

LightCue at a Glance
About this Guide
This guide describes the features of the single universe LightCue recorder and
4 universe LightCue Pro recorder.
Features
The Light Cue offers a wide range of features including:
lRecords the Output of Any DMX-512 Lighting Board.
lStores 100 hours of Continuous DMX Data
lStand-Alone or PC-Driven Operation
lParallel Input, Ethernet or RS-232 Serial Control.
lCan “Pile-On” up to 40 simultaneous cues
lSwitch between “live” DMX input and recorded material
lLightCue Manager software included
LightCue Overview
The LightCue standard is a single universe recorder and playback unit in 1U.
Front Panel
- 1 -

Chapter 1
USB Port
USBPort used for control of LightCue
Control Knob
Used to control on screen menu system. Push in to bring up menu and make
selections.
LCDScreen
The menu system for the LightCue as well as System information. See "LightCue
at a Glance"
Compact Flash Compartment
Secured with a screw, the metal cover can be removed to reveal the compact
flash card. LightCue ships with a 4GB flash card. All data with the exception of the
IPaddress is stored on this card.
Power LED
Secured with a screw, the metal cover can be removed to reveal the compact
flash card.
- 2 -

LightCue at a Glance
Programmable Push Buttons
The 8 buttons on the front are fully configurable to play, record, stop, or pause a
cue. They can also be configured to feed-through incoming DMX.
The configuration for all 8 buttons is done usingLightCue Manager software. The
resulting data is stored in an xml file on the flash card.
Status LEDs
Two status LEDs are provided. The LTC LED will illuminate Green whenever
valid SMPTE timecode is present. The DMX-LED will indicate status with the fol-
lowing color code:
DMX LED Color Indication
Solid Red Recording
Amber Recording Armed
Green Playing
Blinking Red Error
- 3 -

Chapter 1
Rear Panel
Power Jack
12V, 1A Max Captive Power Jack
DMX Out
Female 5-Pin XLR
Signal: Fully DMX-512/1990 Compliant
DMX In
Female 5-Pin XLR. Used for record and feedthrough.
- 4 -

LightCue at a Glance
Parallel I/O
37-pin female connector for inputs and outputs.
Inputs: 8 opto isolated inputs can be configured to be either Voltage or Contact
Closure inputs. Just like the buttons, the inputs are fully configurable using the
LightCue Manager software.
Ouputs: 2 contact closure "Fault"and "Running"outputs automatically toggle dur-
ing cue playback or on error.
For complete Pinout, See "Parallel (DB37) Pins".
SMPTE / LTC In
Female 3-Pin XLR. Ttransformer coupled 600 ohm Balanced -10 dbu to +4 dbu
Supported Frame Rates:
24,25,29.97,29.97drop,30
Serial RS-232 Control
RS-232C at 9600 Baud, N, 8, 1
Ethernet Control
UDPcontrol on port 2639 is used by LightCue Manager. FTPfile transfer and
HTTPwebpage view is also available. See "Control Protocol"for more detail on
UDPstrings.
Front Panel LCD
- 5 -

Chapter 1
View SMPTE status, playback status, and access the menu from the front panel LCD.
A typical front panel when not reading SMPTE reads:
Awaiting SMPTE
Playing: Cue1
The cue(s) playing are listed and will scroll if needed.
When SMPTE is being fed into the LightCue, the front panel will display the current
time in the form:
01:00:00.21
Playing: Cue1
If the LightCue is feeding through the incoming DMXto the DMXoutput, the display
will show a * in the upper right corner.
If the LightCue is looping a Cue, a '+' sign will appear after the Cue name.
01:00:00.21
Playing: Cue1+,Cue2
In the above box, Cue1 is looping and Cue2 is playing without looping.
- 6 -

Chapter 1
Front Panel Menu
The front panel knob can be used to access the LightCue menu system. The Main
menu consists of:Play, Record, Still, Stop, Feedthrough, Inputs, Network, System and
Date Time. More detail on each main menu item is shown in the diagrams.
- 8 -

LightCue at a Glance
- 9 -

Chapter 1
- 10 -

Getting Started
Getting Started
This section will teach you how to begin using your LightCue. More detailed infor-
mation is contained in the rest of this manual.
LightCue Manager Software
Free software to control/monitor/edit lighting cues can be downloaded from our web-
site (www.alcorn.com) under the "software" page. This software is the preferred
method for recording and playback of lighting cues.
See the section "LightCue Manager" for more detail on it's use.
Connecting the Unit
1. Connect the DMX Out from your Lighting Console to the DMX In on the rear of
the LightCue.
2. Connect the DMX Out from the LightCue to the DMX Input of your Dimmer Rack.
3. Optionally, connect the SMPTE Out from your SMPTE generator (e.g. Alcorn
McBride SMPTE Machine) to the SMPTE In on the rear of the LightCue.
Note: SMPTE is only required if it is necessary to synchronize lighting cues to other SMPTE equipment
Recording a Cue
After connecting the unit, use the front panel or LightCue Manager to record a cue.
Playing a Cue
After recording a cue, use the front panel or LightCue Manager. To configure front
panel buttons or inputs to start a particular cue, use LigthCue Manager
"Inputs"screen.
- 11 -