Creative Conners Spikemark Pendant User manual

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Spikemark Pendant
User Manual V1.0
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Rev 12-31-2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
GETTING STARTED 4
FEATURES 4
SETUP 4
MAKING THE CONNECTIONS 4
NETWORK SETTINGS 5
PENDANT SETTINGS 5
SPIKEMARK SETTINGS 5
Confirm the computer IP Address 6
Pendant Configuration 7
OPERATION 11
STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN 11
UNDERSTANDING THE DISPLAY 13
STATUS ICONS AND AXIS DETAILS 13
MANUAL JOG 16
JOG WITH THE PADDLE 16
JOG WITH THE JOG WHEEL 17
GROUP JOGGING 17
JOG TO A SPIKE 18
TECHNICAL SUPPORT 18
TROUBLESHOOTING 18
OPERATIONAL ISSUES 18
WILL NOT MOVE TO A SPIKE 19
UNABLE TO MANUALLY JOG 19
TOUCHSCREEN 19
CASE, BUTTONS AND SWITCHES 19
CONNECTION ISSUES 19
SPECIFICATIONS 23
ELECTRICAL 23
PHYSICAL 24
Weight 24
DRAWINGS 25
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GETTING STARTED
The Pendant works in conjunction with Spikemark and the Showstopper 3 Base to bring the power of
Spikemark to anywhere in the theater. Once connected to Spikemark, you are no longer tied to the
automation table!
Although the Pendant is portable, it is not indestructible - it’s a little computer after all. Take care to
avoid dropping the Pendant, spilling liquids on it and scratching the touch screen.
FEATURES
●7” Touchscreen
●Network connected device
●Rugged locking cable connectors
●Self terminating Remote E-Stop button
●Factory set with Hold To Run (HTR) functionality
●Jog any motor manually or to a Spike
●Jog motor groups manually
●Use the jog wheel for fine tuning position
●Adjust Spikes on the fly
●Bluetooth keyboard for adjusting default settings
SETUP
The Pendant communicates with Spikemark through the same network the Stagehands use. It is not
a stand alone controller, but an arm of Spikemark. Setting up the Pendant is straightforward, with
only two cable connections and a few IP Addresses you’ll be up and running in no time.
MAKING THE CONNECTIONS
The Pendant has two physical connections:
●Showstopper 3 Accessory input
●Network input
The Accessory input provides power to the Pendant as well as the Remote E-Stop capability. This
connection is a standard Showstopper 3 Accessory cable connector, a male Harting style 6B locking
connector. The Pendant is self terminating, meaning it will be the final accessory in that line. It can
be connected to the system through the Stage Manager or any open Accessory port on a
Showstopper 3 Base or Hub. 
Network connectivity is provided through a Neutrik EtherCon receptacle. We like these connectors
due to their ruggedness but don’t worry if you only have a standard RJ45 cable - they plug right in as
well. Once the physical connections are complete, it’s time to set up the network properties.
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NETWORK SETTINGS
Because the Pendant is a networked device, it needs to have a unique IP address. This address
needs to be set on both the Pendant and Spikemark in order to allow communication.
PENDANT SETTINGS
Once the connections are made and there is power to the Showstopper 3 Base the Pendant will be
powered on.
Once the boot up process is complete the Pendant will be at the IP Address screen.
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The default IP Address values will already be filled in for both the computer running Spikemark as
well as the Pendant:
●Spikemark IP: 192.168.10.245
○This is the IP Address of the computer running Spikemark
●Pendant IP: 192.168.10.250
○This is the IP Address of the Pendant
●Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
●Port: 8080
You can use the jog wheel or the Bluetooth keyboard, which shipped with the Pendant, to adjust any
of these values. Any changes to the IP Addresses, Subnet or Port will be saved to the Pendant once
the Connect button is pressed.
SPIKEMARK SETTINGS
If you have set up a Stagehand in the past, setting up the Pendant IP Address will feel familiar though
a bit more involved.
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Confirm the computer IP Address
Before moving forward you will need to confirm the Spikemark computer IP Address matches what is
entered on the Pendant. To find your network settings in Windows 10:
●Press the Start button, type Network Status  then press Enter
●On the Network Status window click on “View your network properties”
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●Find your network adapter (if you have more than one) and find the IPv4 address
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In this case I am using the Surface Ethernet Adapter and the IP address is 192.168.10.245
●If you need to adjust your IP address, click the back arrow in the upper left corner, then click
“Change adapter options”
○Double click on your adapter from the list
○Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
○Click “Use the following IP address” radio button
○Adjust the IP address
○Confirm the Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0
○Click OK to close the settings window
○Click OK to close the adapter properties window
○Close the Network Connections window
○Close any additional windows
Pendant Configuration
1. Confirm Enable Pendant is unchecked
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2. Select Configure from the Pendant menu
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3. In the Pendant Configuration window, enter the computer and pendant IP Addresses (if
different from the default) and click OK
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4. Select Enable Pendant from the Pendant menu
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5. Select Connect on the Pendant menu
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6. Once the Pendant is connected the display will change from the set-up screen to the
operation interface.
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OPERATION
Once the Pendant and Spikemark are communicating you are ready to go. Before you Make It Move!
let's take a look at the Pendant buttons, levers and knobs:
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STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN
The Pendant will power up as soon as it is plugged into an active Showstopper 3 Accessory port.
However it must be enabled every time Spikemark is started before it will be able to connect.
The Pendant menu within Spikemark has several options:
➔Configure
◆IP Address and Port configuration
➔Get Pendant Log
◆Downloads the log to your PC - great for
troubleshooting!
➔Update Pendant Firmware
◆Firmware updates are executed from here
➔Reboot Pendant
◆The preferred reboot method
➔Shutdown Pendant
◆The preferred shut down method
➔Enable Pendant
◆Enabling the Pendant in Spikemark
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To shut down the Pendant, select Shutdown Pendant from Spikemark. Once the Pendant display is
blank it is safe to unplug the Pendant.
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Occasionally the Pendant will need to be rebooted. Select Reboot Pendant from Spikemark, once
rebooted reconnect from the Pendant display.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: If the Pendant is unresponsive you will need to pull the accessory cable to
restart. This method requires the Pendant to be unplugged for approximately 45 seconds before it
will restart
When updated firmware is released, it can be installed to the Pendant from Spikemark by clicking
Update Pendant Firmware.
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If you encounter issues while using the Pendant select Get Pendant Log and follow the prompts.
Once downloaded to your computer email the Pendant log, along with the current show file and the
last three Spikemark logs to [email protected].
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UNDERSTANDING THE DISPLAY
The Pendant screen displays a wealth of information to the operator and is easy to navigate with the
touch of your finger. Let’s take a look at the typical screen layout.
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The Axis Selection area will be populated with any Stagehands in your show file. If your show only
has one axis, you will only see one motor displayed. If you are working with more than six axes you
can scroll down with the scroll bar or slide the axes up to see additional units.
Each axis is populated in the order which Spikemark connects to the Stagehand. This means that
each time you connect the Pendant, the display order of axes could be different.
STATUS ICONS AND AXIS DETAILS
Each Axis has several status icons which identify the connection state as well as the primary and
ultimate limit conditions.
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AXIS STATUS ICONS
AXIS LIMIT STATES
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The Spikes section displays the state of the spikes.
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SPIKES DISPLAY PARTS
SPIKES HIGHLIGHT COLORS
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Jogging to a Spike outside the soft limits will
only jog to the programmed soft limit.
Spikes can be updated from the Pendant or in
Spikemark
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MANUAL JOG
With Spikemark and the Pendant communicating and an understanding of the interface under your
belt, it’s time to Make It Move!  The Pendant is able to manually jog any single or grouped axis with
the Paddle or the Jog Wheel. You can also dive into a Group to manually nudge a single motor as
needed. See the images below for details. 
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MANUAL JOG SELECTION OPTIONS
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No matter the manual jog method, the ENABLE button must be pressed and held in order to allow
motion.
JOG WITH THE PADDLE
Jogging with the Paddle is the quickest way to move the selected axis or group. The Paddle offers
proportional control of the selected axis - the further you move the paddle the faster the axis will go.
This is really helpful when moving scenery on stage for spacing and placement. As with the
Showstopper 3 Consolette and the Spikemark on-screen jog slider, the Paddle has a non-linear jog
profile, making jog moves smooth through the full range of motion. Here’s how to jog with the
paddle:
●Select the axis or group
●Select Jog Mode then select Paddle
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●Press and hold the green Enable Button
●Move the jog paddle forward or reverse to move the selected axis in that direction
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JOG WITH THE JOG WHEEL
Jogging with the Jog Wheel works the same way on the Pendant as it does with the Showstopper 3
Consolette. Depending on the setting, one click of the wheel will move the selected axis one scaled
unit or 1/10th of one scaled unit. This means if you are jogging a Pushstick with a scaled position in
Inches, one click of the jog wheel will move the Pushstick 1” when Coarse is selected or 0.1” when
Fine is selected. Here’s how to jog with the Jog Wheel:
●Select the axis or group
●Select Jog Mode then select Coarse or Fine
●Press and hold the green Enable Button
●Turn the jog wheel Clockwise to move forward and Counterclockwise to move reverse
●The status will show the move distance
GROUP JOGGING
Jogging a group works the same as jogging an individual axis. To manually jog a group, simply
select the group in the axis selection area and follow the instructions above. If you need to jog an
individual motor in a group you can do that as well. Click on the arrow icon to drill down into the
group. Once the group is open, select the axis to move and jog with the paddle or wheel.
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Expand Group
Jogging individual motors in a group
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JOG TO A SPIKE
In addition to manual jog capabilities, the Pendant allows jogging to a specified Spike. These are the
same Spikes as in Spikemark. If the selected axis doesn't have any spikes set or if you have a Group
selected no spikes will be available. Keep in mind that jogging to a Spike utilizes the Default Speed
and Acel values in Spikemark for that axis. To jog to a Spike:
●Select the axis
●Select the Spike to move to - it will highlight RED
●Press and hold the Enable button. The selected Spike will highlight GREEN
●When the move is complete the Spike will highlight BLUE
●Jogging to a Spike is only supported on individual axes
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT
We strive to provide all the details required to operate and troubleshoot issues here. But if you are
stuck and getting frustrated have no fear, we are here to help! The best and quickest way to reach
us is via email: [email protected]. Someone is on call,
weekdays/evenings/showcall/weekends to get back to you quickly. We are also here to talk - call us
at 401-289-2942 x2. If we don't answer we'll call you back.
TROUBLESHOOTING
OPERATIONAL ISSUES
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WILL NOT MOVE TO A SPIKE
Occasionally you may not be able to jog to a Spike, yet will still be able to manually jog. This is a
communication issue between the Pendant and Spikemark. Rebooting Spikemark and reconnecting
the Pendant will restore full functionality.
UNABLE TO MANUALLY JOG
●Confirm jogging functionality from a Showstopper 3 Consollette or from the manual jog
controls in Spikemark
●Confirm the green ENABLE button is engaging.
●Restart Pendant
●Restart Spikemark
TOUCHSCREEN
1. Screen unresponsive
a. Reboot Pendant from Spikemark
b. Hard reset (remove power, wait three minutes)
c. Email [email protected]
2. Screen damaged/broken
a. Email [email protected]
CASE, BUTTONS AND SWITCHES
1. Case is broken
a. Email [email protected]
2. Broken switch, knob or lever
a. Email [email protected]
CONNECTION ISSUES
1. Pendant connects but is not functioning properly
a. No machine selection
b. No jogging, manually or to a Spike
i. There is a Router acting as a DHCP server on the automation network and is
causing communication issues. Solution:
1. Remove the Router from the system and try again
2. Showstopper Accessory connector is damaged
a. Email [email protected] for instructions
3. EtherCon connector is damaged
a. Email [email protected] for instructions
4. Pendant will not connect.
a. Confirm the Pendant is enabled in Spikemark
b. Confirm IP Address and Port settings match on Pendant and in Spikemark
c. Confirm Ethernet Cable is connected
d. Attempt reconnecting
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5. Pendant screen displays “Enable Pendant in Spikemark”
a. Follow all steps in steps in section 1 above
b. Confirm the port is available and open thru Windows Defender Firewall
i. See section 3 below for details
c. Disable all 3rd party firewall programs
i. Macfee and Norton firewalls are both known to block the Pendant
communication
6. Pendant screen displays “Network error”
a. Pendant screen will initially flash when attempting to connect, then displays “Network
Error”.
i. On subsequent attempts to connect, status will switch to “Connecting” for
approximately 1 second or less, then switch back to “Network Error.”
b. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
i. Press the Start key and enter Windows Defender Firewall  and press Enter
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ii. Select Inbound Rules  on the left and scroll through the Inbound Rules list to
find“Spikemark_Pendant_Port”
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1. If there are multiples, delete all but two of them.
2. If there is only one, right click on “Spikemark_Pendant_Port” and select
“Copy”, then right click on it again, and select “Paste”. Can also left click
to select and use Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste. It will paste at the
top of the list, so either scroll up to find it, or resort via Name or Group by
clicking on the corresponding column header.
iii. Double click the second “Spikemark_Pendant_Port” to open the Properties
panel and select the “Protocols and Ports” tab at the top.
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