Cobra Lighting Colour Control8 User manual

Colour Control8
Order Code: Control8
www.cobrainternational.com

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User Manual
COBRA Colour Control 8
Dear Customer,
T ank you for purc asing t e COBRA Colour Control 8. Cobra is one of t e leading manufacturers of
professional equipment and as decades of experience in design and production.
To meet all your requirements, t is unit as been designed and built to t e ig est standards so you can be
assured you ave made a good investment.
Please read t is manual fully for your safety and to take full advantage of t e COBRA Colour Control 8
features.
Product Descriptio :
T e COBRA Colour Control 8 is a DMX controller suitable for up to 8 LED par cans wit up to 8 DMX c annels
eac . T e Colour Control 8 will allow scenes and c ases to be stored.
Ge eral Advice:
1. Read manual completely before using t is product.
2. Keep manual for future reference.
3. Carry and transport t is product wit care as ard knocks or dropping it may result in mec anical or
electrical damage.
4. T e manufacturer takes no responsibility for injury or damage caused as a result of not following t e
manual provided.
Protectio from Electric Shock:
1. Do not connect t e AC power plug to t e unit before connecting your lig ts.
2. Only connect t is unit to a mains socket wit suitable trip protection and RCD protection.
3. Never pull t e mains cable to disconnect from t e mains socket – always pull by t e mains plug.
4. Always disconnect t e unit from t e mains before cleaning. Cleaning s ould be carried out wit a soft,
dry clot .
5. Do not expose t is unit to any liquids. Do not operate near exposed water or ig umidity.
6. C oose a suitable route for mains cables, ensuring t e mains lead is not a trip azard or at risk from
being crus ed.
7. Do not open unit to service. T ere are no user serviceable parts inside t e unit and t is will void your
warranty.
Protectio from Fire:
1. Do not place near sources of eat.
2. Do not block any ventilation oles.
3. C eck your AC wall socket will take t e load you are applying to avoid any overloading.
4. Make sure you are using t e correct voltage DC power supply, set to t e correct polarity.

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Protectio from I jury & Damage:
1. Never try to modify t is unit.
2. Always install t e unit in a suitable location w ere vibrations to t e unit are avoided.
3. C eck t is unit matc es t e mains voltage and frequency before plugging it in to your mains socket.
4. If any liquids or objects ave entered t e unit, switc it off immediately and consult a qualified engineer.
5. If t e unit malfunctions or t ere is damage to t e mains cable disconnect immediately and consult a
qualified engineer.
6. All parts s ould be replaced wit genuine spare parts and carried out by a qualified engineer.
U packi g:
1. T e box s ould contain Colour Control 8, DC power supply and user manual.
2. If t ere is any damage or missing parts, please contact your dealer immediately.
Specificatio s:
Name: Colour Control 8
Code: Control 8
Power Supply: DC12v 800mA
Power Consumption: 20 watt
Output: DMX 512 (3 pin XLR)
Size: 482 x 156 x 75mm
Weig t: 2.48kg
Features:
T e Colour Control 8 is a DMX controller suitable for independent control of 8 LED par cans wit up to 8 DMX
c annels eac .
Features I clude:
1. Control of up to 8 LED fixtures.
2. Eac fixture can ave up to 8 c annels of control.
3. Up to 16 scenes can be stored.
4. Up to 16 c ases can be stored.
5. 16 c ases can contain a maximum of 1740 steps.
6. C ases can be run wit adjustable speed.
7. C ases can be run wit adjustable fade.
8. C ases can be run to t e beat of t e music.
9. Fade in and out control of scenes.
10. Equipped wit 2 aux DMX switc es for DMX fog mac ine or strobe.
Note: An understanding of DMX is required to fully use all of the controller’s features.

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Co troller Fro t:
1. Fixture buttons and LED indicators 1-8: Use fixture button 1-8 to select a fixture.
2. Scenes buttons and LED indicators 1-8: Pus a scene button to activate a scene.
3. C ase buttons and LED indicators 1-8: Pus a c ase button to activate a c ase.
4. Aux buttons: AUX 1 and AUX 2.
5. Red Fader: Use t e fader to manually set t e intensity of t e colour red.
6. Green fader: Use t e fader to manually set t e intensity of t e colour green.
7. Blue fader: Use t e fader to manually set t e intensity of t e colour blue.
8. Colour fader.
9. Strobe fader.
10. Sound fader.
11. Dimmer fader.
12. MASTER fader: Use t e Master fader to manually control over all intensity.
13. Flas buttons 1-8.
14. Page button + Page 1 & 2 indicators: W en t e Page 1 indicator is lit, scenes 1-8 and c ases 1-8 are
active. W en t e Page 2 indicator is lit, scenes 9-16 and c ases 9-16 are active.
15. Record button: Use t e record button to enter Record Mode.
16. TAP SYNC button: Allows you to manually move t roug scenes/steps in a c ase.
17. LCD display.
18. Blackout button: Press t e Blackout button to cut all output.
19. Mode/Up button includes Auto/Music/Manual LED.
20. Midi button.
21. Patc /Down button.
22. AUDIO Fader: Use t e Audio fader to set t e audio sensitivity in Music Mode.
23. SPEED Fader: Use t e Speed fader to manually set t e c ase speed during playback of c ases.
24. FADE TIME Fader: Use t e Fade Time fader to manually set t e Fade Time during playback of scenes and
c ases.
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Co troller Rear:
25. DMX OUT.
26. DMX Polarity Switc .
27. USB Lig t.
28. Audio Input: T is RCA accepts a line level audio input signal ranged from 100mV to 1Vpp.
29. MIDI T ru: MIDI port for connection to a sequencer or MIDI device.
30. MIDI Out: MIDI port for connection to a sequencer or MIDI device.
31. MIDI In: MIDI port for connection to a sequencer or MIDI device.
32. DC power DC 9-12V 800mA.
33. ON/OFF.
First Time Operatio :
1. Remove all packaging materials.
2. Connect a DMX cable from t e controller to t e first lig t t en from t e first lig t to t e second. Do t is
until all 8 lig ts are connected to t e controller.
3. Plug t e controller in to t e mains using t e supplied AC/DC power supply t en plug your 8 LED lig ts in
to t e mains.
4. A DMX address will need to be set on eac lig t. T e first lig t goes to DMX address 1, t e second to
DMX address 9, t e T ird to DMX address 17, t e 4t to DMX address 25, t e fift to DMX address 33,
t e sixt to DMX address 41, t e sevent to DMX address 49 and t e eig t to DMX address 57. (Some
LED lig ts will ave digital displays and some will ave small dip switc es).
5. C eck Blackout lig t is not lit. If it is press t e Blackout button.
6. Make sure t e Fade slider is to t e bottom.
7. If your DMX lig ts are 4-c annel and ave t e DMX layout as red, green, blue and dimmer, you can
press fixture buttons 1-8 t en slide faders red, green, blue & colour up t en all 8 lig ts s ould lig t up. If
you wis to keep t ings simple you can ignore strobe, sound, dimmer & master faders and use
colour fader as your dimmer slider.
8. Follow t e rest of t e manual for all programming options plus advanced settings.
E ter Program Mode:
1. Press and old t e Record button for 3 seconds. T e LED next to t e button will lig t up red.
Exit Program Mode:
1. Press and old t e Record button for 3 seconds. T e LED next to t e button will switc off.
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

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Record a Sce e:
1. Press and old t e Record button for 3 seconds to enter Program Mode.
2. Select t e fixture you want to program by pressing t e desired Fixture button.
3. Set t e faders to t e desired values.
4. Decide w at page of scenes you are going to save on. You can select Page 1 or 2.
5. Press t e Record button and t en press t e desired Scene button you want to save to. All LEDs will flas .
6. Press and old t e Record button for 3 seconds to exit Program Mode.
Warning any existing scenes will be overwritten
Play a Sce e:
1. Deselect all fixtures. All LEDs next to t e 8 fixture buttons must be off.
2. Select t e page wit t e scene you wis to play by pressing t e Page button.
3. To select t e desired scenes press t e Scene button.
4. Scenes can be stored on 2 pages. Eac page contains 8 scenes.
**Multiple scenes can be mixed toget er. Scenes will react to t e Fade Time fader**
You can press t e page button to go between page 1 and 2, by doing t is you can see w ic scenes are still
active on w ic page. T e LEDs will be lit on active scenes.
Delete a Sce e/Overwrite a Sce e:
1. Press & old t e Record button for 3 seconds to enter Record Mode.
2. Select t e fixture you want to program by pressing t e desired Fixture button.
3. Set t e faders to t e desired values.
4. Select t e correct page wit t e scene you want to delete. You can select Page 1 or Page 2.
5. Press t e Record button t en press t e desired Scene button you want to overwrite. All LEDs will flas .
6. Press and old t e Record button for 3 seconds to exit Program Mode.
Record a Chase:
1. Enter Record Mode by pressing t e Record button.
2. Select t e correct page by pressing t e Page button.
3. Select t e desired c ase by pressing t e C ase button.
4. Select t e desired fixture by pressing Fixture 1-8.
5. Set t e faders to t e desired values.
6. Press t e record button. All LEDs will flas 3 times, indicating your step as been saved.
7. T e display will say: ‘Program Scene C ase 01 Step 001’ meaning step 1 in your c ase as been recorded.
8. For furt er steps repeat 5, 6 & 7 until you ave completed all t e desired steps in your entire c ase
9. Exit Record Mode.
**More t an 1 fixture can be programmed/selected w en creating steps in c ases**
Play a Chase:
1. Deselect all fixtures. All LEDs next to t e 8 fixture buttons must be off
2. Select your desired c ase by pressing t e C ase button.
3. By using t e Mode/Up button you can select Auto Mode, Music or Manual. In Auto you can use t e
speed & fade slider. In Music mode you can use t e audio fader. In Manual mode you can use t e Tap
Sync button and fade slider.
Auto/Music/Ma ual Mode:
Auto:
1. Press t e Mode button until t e LED in front of Auto lig ts up green.
2. You can control t e speed and fade time by adjusting t e Speed and Fade Time fader.
Music:
1. Press t e Music button until t e LED in front of Music lig ts up green.
2. You can control t e audio sensitivity by adjusting t e Audio fader.

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Ma ual:
1. Press t e Mode button until t e LED in front of Manual lig ts up green.
2. Wit Tap Sync you can manually go t roug t e c ase steps.
Delete a chase:
1. Deselect all fixtures, scenes and c ases.
2. Enter Record Mode by pressing t e Record button for about 3 seconds.
3. Select t e correct Page by pressing t e Page button.
4. Press and old t e Tap Sync button. Now press t e corresponding C ase button t at you want to delete.
5. Exit Record Mode by pressing t e Record button.
Add a Extra Step to a Existi g Chase:
1. Enter Record Mode by pressing t e Record button for about 3 seconds.
2. Select t e C ase you want to add a step to.
3. Use t e Mode/Up and Patc /Down buttons to scroll t roug t e C ase. T e display will s ow t e current step.
4. Select t e fixture you want to program by pressing t e desired Fixture button.
5. Set t e faders to t e desired values.
6. Press t e Record button to save a new step. All LEDs will flas 3 times, indicating your step as been
saved. T e new step will be added after t e selected one.
7. If you want to add additional steps repeat 4, 5 & 6, until you ave added all t e desired steps in your
entire c ase.
8. Exit Record Mode by pressing t e Record button for about 3 seconds.
**One C ase can contain a maximum of 1740 steps. 16 c ases can contain a total maximum of 1740 steps**
Delete a Step from a Existi g Chase:
1. Enter Record Mode by pressing t e Record button.
2. Select t e c ase from w ic you want to delete a step.
3. Use t e Mode/Up and Patc /Down buttons to scroll t roug t e c ase and select t e step you want to
delete.
4. Pus t e Tap/Sync button to delete t e step. All LEDs will flas 3 times, indicating t e step as
successfully been deleted.
5. Continue t is procedure (steps 2, 3 and 4) if you want to delete multiple steps. If you are finis ed
deleting t e steps, press t e Record button for about 3 seconds to exit Record Mode.
Adva ced Setti gs:
Fixture c annel sliders are patc able to different DMX addresses. T ey are also unpatc able to suit t e
needs of t e fixtures you are using. See below on ow to carry t ese out:
U patch Cha els:
1. Press and old t e Patc /Down button for 3 seconds. T e Patc LED will lig t up red.
2. Deselect t e fixture. No LEDs s ould be lit.
3. Use t e Speed and Fade faders to select t e DMX c annel you want to unpatc .
4. Press t e flas button corresponding to t e c annel name to unpatc t e c annel.
5. Hold Patc /Down button for 3 seconds to exit.
Example:
If you want to unpatc DMX address 17 on t e red slider, fixture 03
1. Enter patc mode
2. Use t e Speed and Fade sliders to find DMX address 17 and t e display
will look like t is picture
3. T en press t e flas button Red
4. T e display will now look like t is:
5. Exit patc mode.
6. Now t e red slider on fixture 3 will not send a DMX signal.
Patch DMX:017
Fixture03 Red
Patch DMX:017
No assig
Flas button

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Cha el Assig me t:
1. Press and old t e Patc /Down button for 3 seconds. T e Patc LED will lig t up red.
2. C oose c annel range wit t e SPEED fader. Example: 1, 17, 33, 49 etc. Range 17: Start at 17 and stop at 32.
3. C oose a DMX c annel wit t e FADE fader.
4. Press t e fixture button you desire. T e Fixture LED will lig t up blue. You can c oose 8 different fixtures.
5. Now press and release t e flas button from t e fader you want to patc t e DMX c annel to. Example:
T is figure s ows t at DMX c annel 49 is patc ed to t e RED fader of fixture 1
6. Press Patc button for 3 seconds to exit Patc Mode.
Factory Reset:
1. First turn off t e device.
2. Now press and old t e Record button and Tap Sync button toget er.
3. Now switc on t e device.
4. T e display will s ow: LED Commander V1.0
Welcome to Use
5. After 2 seconds t e fixture LEDs 4 and 8 will flas once, indicating t e LED Commander is back to factory
default settings.
**Saved scenes and c ases will be lost**
After the factory reset, the fixture is auto patched:
Fixture 1 Fixture 2 Fixture 3 Fixture 4
Red CH1 Red CH9 Red CH17 Red CH57
Green CH2 Green CH10 Green CH18 Green CH58
Blue CH3 Blue CH11 Blue CH19 Blue CH59
Colour CH4 Colour CH12 Colour CH20 Colour CH60
Strobe CH5 Strobe CH13 Strobe CH21 Strobe CH61
Sound CH6 Sound CH14 Sound CH22 Sound CH62
Dimmer CH7 Dimmer CH15 Dimmer CH23 Dimmer CH63
Master CH8 Master CH16 Master CH24 Master CH64
AUX Butto s:
T e AUX button can be used for fog mac ines and strobes. AUX 1 is for DMX address 65 and AUX 2 is for
DMX address 66. W en pressed t ey will put t at DMX c annel fully on.
Patch More tha O e Cha el to AUX:
1. Press and old t e Patc /Down button for 3 seconds. T e Patc LED will lig t up red.
2. Use t e Speed and Fade faders to select t e DMX c annel you want to patc .
3. Assign t e DMX c annel by pressing t e AUX1 or AUX2 button.
4. Press and old Patc /Down button for 3 seconds to exit Patc Mode. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as muc as
you desire.
**AUX c annels will fade w en t e Fade time is set on t e Fade slider. T e Speed fader will ave no effect
on t e AUX c annels **
Patch More tha 1 DMX Cha el to a Fixture Slider:
1. Press and old Patc /Down button for 3 seconds. T e Patc LED will lig t up red.
2. Press t e fixture button wit t e DMX c annel you wis to patc .
3. By using t e Fade slider & Speed slider, scroll to t e DMX address you wis to patc to a slider.
4. Press t e c annel button you wis to patc . i.e. red.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 as muc as you desire.
6. Hold Patc /Down for 3 seconds to exit Patc Mode.
Patch DMX:049
Fixture 01 Red

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MIDI Fu ctio :
1. Press and old t e MIDI button for 3 seconds to enter MIDI Mode.
2. Use t e Speed fader to set t e MIDI c annel. You can c oose CH1-16.
3. Press and old t e MIDI button for 3 seconds to exit Midi Mode.
T e MIDI function can be used to link 2 LED commanders toget er or use a MIDI keyboard to control t e
playback of t e LED commander.
AUX Butto :
1. In Patc Mode t e AUX button can be patc ed to any DMX value from 1-66.
2. T e AUX button can be used in scenes and c ases.
3. To override t e program setting you can press one of t e AUX buttons.
4. T is will stay overridden unless you press t e MIDI button to revert back to t e original program.
Speed a d Fade Fu ctio :
You can set t e speed and fade time w ilst running c ase.
You can override your manual settings of t e fade slider by pressing t e Record button. (T is simply sets t e
fade slider to 0).
Mai te a ce:
T e COBRA Colour Control 8 requires almost no maintenance. However you s ould keep t e unit clean.
Disconnect t e mains power supply and t en wipe t e cover wit a dry clot . Do not immerse in liquid. Do
not use alco ol or solvents.
Keep connections clean. Disconnect electric power and t en wipe t e DMX and audio connections wit a dry
clot .
Troubleshooti g for the COBRA Colour Co trol 8:
T is troubles ooting guide is meant to elp solve simple problems. If a problem occurs, carry out t e steps
below in sequence until a solution is found. Once t e unit operates properly, do not carry out t e
following steps:
1. Fixture does not respond to controller: C eck t e DMX address of t e fixture and t e controller. Make
sure t ey are correct. Make sure t e connections are correct.
2. Interference between c ases: If t e same c annel is assigned to different running c ases, t e one wit
t e ig est c annel value will be put out.
3. If t e device does not operate properly disconnect t e mains power.
4. C eck all power connections and ot er cables.
5. If all of t e above appear to be okay plug t e unit in again.
6. If not ing appens after 30 seconds unplug t e device.
7. If none of t e above work consult your dealer.

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