ETC Unison User manual

Station user manual
Architectural
lighting
control system

2 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

Unison Station User Manual 3
Limited Warranty
Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. (ETC)
warrants to the original owner or retail
customer that for a period of two years from
date of delivery of a portable system or
energization of a permanently installed
system its products will be free from
defects in materials and workmanship under
normal use and service. Warranty is limited
to 90 days for rental equipment.
Warranty does not cover any product or part
of a product subject to accident, negligence,
alteration, abuse or misuse, or any
accessories or parts not supplied by ETC.
Warranty does not cover “consumable”
parts such as fuses, lamps, color media or
components warranted directly to the
owner by the original manufacturer. ETC’s
warranty does not extend to items not
manufactured by us. Freight terms on
warranty repairs are FOB ETC factory or
designated repair facility. Collect shipments
or freight allowances will not be accepted.
ETC’s sole responsibility under this warranty
shall be to repair or replace at ETC’s option
such parts as shall be determined to be
defective on ETC’s inspection. ETC will not
assume any responsibility for any labor
expended or materials used to repair any
equipment without ETC’s prior written
authorization. ETC shall not be responsible
for any incidental, general or consequential
damages, damages to property, damages
for loss of use, time, profits or income, or
any other damages.
The owner's obligations during the warranty
period under this warranty are to notify ETC
at ETC's address within one week of any
suspected defect, and to return the goods
prepaid to ETC at their factory or authorized
service center.
THIS WARRANTY IS CONTINGENT ON THE
CUSTOMER’S FULL AND TIMELY
COMPLIANCE WITH THE TERMS OF
PAYMENT SET FORTH IN THE “TERMS
AND CONDITIONS.” THIS WARRANTY IS
EXPRESSLY IN LIEU OF ANY AND ALL
OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND OF OTHER
OBLIGATIONS AND LIABILITIES ON OUR
PART. THE OWNER ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT NO OTHER REPRESENTATIONS
WERE MADE TO HIM OR RELIED UPON
HIM WITH RESPECT TO THE QUALITY
AND FUNCTION OF THE GOODS SOLD.
This written warranty is intended as a
complete and exclusive statement of the
terms thereof. Prior dealings or trade usage
shall not be relevant to modify, explain or
vary this warranty. Acceptance of, or
acquiescing in, a course of performance
under this warranty shall not modify the
meaning of this agreement even though
either party has knowledge of the
performance and a chance to object.

4 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
Chapter 1
Introduction
........................................................................................ 7
Unison overview............................................................................. 8
Chapter 2
Basic operation
................................................................................. 6
Control station overview................................................................. 9
Fader station operation ................................................................ 11
To adjust intensities using faders ......................................... 12
To record a Preset .................................................................. 12
To take a “snapshot” from a DMX512 device........................ 12
To select a Preset .................................................................. 13
To temporarily adjust Preset zone levels .............................. 13
To temporarily adjust (master) all Preset levels .................... 13
Preset Recall station operation .................................................... 15
To select a Preset .................................................................. 15
To master (raise or lower) a Preset ....................................... 15
LCD station operation ................................................................... 16
To find and select a desired control page ............................. 17
LCD station Preset page ............................................................... 18
To select a preset .................................................................. 18
To record a preset .................................................................. 18
To master (raise and lower) a Preset .................................... 18
To take a “snapshot” from a DMX512 device........................ 19
LCD station Zones page ............................................................... 20
To select the Zones page ...................................................... 20
To gradually adjust zone lighting intensities ........................ 20
To quickly adjust zone lighting intensities ............................ 20
Controlling partitioned spaces ..................................................... 21
To change a wall between open and closed ......................... 21
Wireless Transmitter operation ................................................... 22
To select a Preset .................................................................. 22
To master (raise or lower) a Preset ....................................... 22
Portable Control Connector station .............................................. 23
PC Connector station .................................................................... 23
DMX512 Connector station .......................................................... 23
Link Power Supply......................................................................... 23
Contents...

Unison Station User Manual 5
Chapter 3
System maintenance
...................................................................... 24
Cleaning dimmer dust filters ........................................................ 24
Vacuuming out dimmer racks ....................................................... 25
Cleaning control station faceplates ............................................. 26
All control faceplates (except the LCD control) ..................... 26
LCD control faceplate (including touchscreen) ...................... 26
Replacing batteries in the Wireless Transmitter ......................... 27
Chapter 4
Contacting Technical Service
....................................................... 28
ETC Technical Service Phone number........................................... 28
Problem Report form ..................................................................... 28
Problem Report Form instructions................................................ 29
Glossary
............................................................................................ 33

6 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

Unison Station User Manual 7
This manual is designed to assist you in basic operation of the Unison lighting
control system.
This manual covers three areas of Unison operation and maintenance:
▼
Basic operation
▼
System maintenance
▼
Contacting ETC Technical Service
Throughout the manual, button labels appear in brackets (i.e., [Enter]), italics
identify parts of the manual (i.e., Chapter 2, Basic operation ), and bold type
indicates words that appear on a display (i.e., Record ). If any of the terms you
encounter are unfamiliar, please refer to the Glossary on page 33.
Because each Unison system can be customized for special functions, some
of the illustrations and examples in the Station User Manual may not exactly
match your system. However, the manual provides a good overview of the
functions common to all Unison systems.
To familiarize yourself with the structure of a lighting control system, please
read the Unison overview section, on the next page.
Chapter 1
introduction

8 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
Unison overview
Welcome to the Unison Architectural Lighting Control System. Unison gives
you professional power to control lighting – but you don’t have to be an expert
to use it.
Because architectural lighting is used for a variety of purposes, it requires
flexible control. Unison provides flexibility by grouping similar architectural
lighting fixtures into light zones. A light zone is one or more light fixtures that
are controlled together. Unison controls light zone intensity, or brightness, in
several ways.
For fast, convenient control, Unison uses Presets; recorded sets of light zone
intensities. Presets activate with the touch of a button and recall a specific
lighting look. All standard Unison control stations can recall Presets.
Presets are adaptable. Most Unison control stations let you choose between
several Presets. Some can also raise and lower overall Preset light intensities.
With Unison Fader and LCD stations, you can raise and lower overall Preset
light intensities, adjust intensity in individual light zones, or set your own
lighting look manually using faders. If your lighting needs change, these
stations make setting and recording new Presets simple.
Unison systems can also record Presets by taking a “snapshot” of a lighting
look set by a lighting console or other DMX512 device connected to a
DMX512 Connector Station. After the look is set, the snapshot is recorded in
the same fashion as a regular Unison Preset.
If your facility has rooms that can be split into sections by movable walls or
partitions, a Unison system can separate lighting control in each section when
the walls are closed, or combine control of all sections when the walls are
open.
Unison systems are designed to take care of themselves. Except for
occasionally cleaning dimmer rack air filters, and changing batteries in the
optional handheld Wireless Transmitter, Unison is maintenance-free.
If a problem does occur, Unison systems are designed for fast troubleshooting
and quick repair. All components are easy to replace, and Unison systems are
covered by Electronic Theatre Controls’ two-year limited warranty and backed
by 24 hour technical service.

Unison Station User Manual 9
Unison controls offer options to satisfy the needs of any user, whether novice
or professional. This chapter explains how to use the basic functions of the
standard Unison control stations.
Preset 2
Preset 1
Preset 3
Preset 4
Off Master Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3
Off
Preset 2
Preset 1
Preset3
Preset 4
Manual
Record
WallsZonesPresets
Preset 4
Off
Preset 2
Preset 1 Preset 3
Chapter 2
Basic
operation

10 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

Unison Station User Manual 11
Control station overview
Unison control stations include Fader stations, Preset Recall stations, LCD
stations, Wireless Transmitters and several types of connector stations.
Portable versions of Fader, Preset Recall and LCD stations are also available.
Button and Fader functions
Control stations are operated with buttons and faders. Below is a list of
standard button and fader functions.
[Record]
Press [Record] to toggle the station in and out of Record mode. The [Record]
LED illuminates when Record mode is active.
Record mode also works with lighting control consoles using the DMX512
connector station. After setting the lighting look with the console, pressing
[Record] and a Preset button “snapshots” the look as a Preset.
[Manual]
Press [Manual] to activate the faders on a Fader station. The LEDs in the
[Manual] button and the Master and Zone faders illuminate when they are
active. The LCD station does not require a Manual button.
Zone fader
Move an active Zone fader up or down to adjust the light intensity in its
assigned light zone. The Zone fader’s LED illuminates when it is active.
Master fader
Slide the Master fader up or down when it is active to proportionally adjust all
light zone intensities. The Master fader LED illuminates when it is active. The
LCD station does not have a Master fader.
Preset buttons (including [Off])
Press a Preset button to recall a recorded set of light zone intensities. Light
zone intensities adjust to the new levels within a set interval (the standard is
one second.) The [Off] Preset sets zone intensities to zero, or to other security
or walkthrough settings. A Preset button’s LED illuminates when it is active.
[Raise]
Press and hold [Raise] to proportionally increase Preset light zone intensities.
The [Raise] LED illuminates when zone intensities are higher than their original
Preset levels.
[Lower]
Press and hold [Lower] to proportionally decrease Preset light zone intensities.
The [Lower] LED illuminates when zone intensities are lower than their original
Preset levels.
Preset Fade times
Many control station functions involve activating and changing Presets,
recorded sets of light zone intensities. Unison assigns a standard fade time of
one second to Preset activations. Your system may have customized fade
times assigned to some Presets.

12 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
Fader station operation
A Unison Fader station adjusts lighting using Zone and Master faders or recalls
recorded lighting looks with Presets. You can use the faders to temporarily
adjust an active Preset, or set and record new Preset intensities to recall later.
To adjust intensities using faders
1. Press [Manual]. Intensities fade to levels that reflect the position of the
faders. The [Manual], Master fader and Zone fader LEDs illuminate.
2. Slide the faders up or down to adjust levels. Each Zone fader controls light
intensity in its assigned zone. The Master fader proportionally adjusts light
intensity for all zones.
To record a Preset
1. Set light intensities to create the desired lighting look using the faders as
described above.
2. Press [Record]. The [Record] LED illuminates.
3. Press a Preset button. Current light intensities are recorded to the
button’s Preset, replacing previously recorded Preset intensities. The
Preset button LED illuminates when recording is complete.
To take a “snapshot” from a DMX512 lighting control device
1. Set light intensities to create the desired lighting look using a DMX512
lighting control device connected to the DMX512 Connector Station.
2. Press [Record]. The [Record] LED illuminates.
3. Press a Preset button. Current light intensities are recorded to the
button’s Preset, replacing previously recorded Preset intensities. The
Preset button LED illuminates when recording is complete.
Master Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3
Off
Preset 2
Preset 1
Preset 3
Preset 4
Manual
Record
➄Typical Preset buttons
➁[Record]
➀[Manual]
➂Master fader
➂
➁
➄
➀➃Zone faders
➃

Unison Station User Manual 13
To select a Preset
1. Press the desired Preset button. The button recalls the set of light zone
intensities recorded to its Preset. The button’s LED illuminates when the
Preset is active.
To temporarily adjust Preset zone levels
1. Slide that zone’s fader up or down until its position matches the current
lighting level. As it matches the zone level, the fader takes control from
the Preset. The fader LED illuminates and the Preset LED turns off.
2. Adjust zone intensity with the fader. To make the new levels permanent,
record them to a Preset.
To temporarily adjust (master) all Preset levels
1. Slide the Master fader all the way up. When it reaches the top of the slot,
the Master fader activates and its LED illuminates.
2. Adjust intensities with the Master fader. To make the new levels
permanent, record them to a Preset.

14 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.

Unison Station User Manual 15
Preset Recall station operation
The Unison Preset Recall station recalls recorded lighting looks with Preset
buttons. Standard Preset Recall stations have one, two, five, seven, or ten
buttons. In addition to Preset buttons, seven button Preset Recall stations
include [Raise] and [Lower] buttons to temporarily adjust the active Preset. For
a description of button functions, see Control stations overview on page 11.
To select a Preset
1. Press the desired Preset button. The button recalls the set of light zone
intensities recorded to its Preset. The button’s LED illuminates when the
Preset is active.
To master (raise or lower) a Preset
1. Press and hold [Raise] to proportionally increase Preset light zone
intensities.
2. Press and hold [Lower] to proportionally decrease Preset light zone
intensities.
Preset 1
Raise
Lower
Preset 2
Preset 3
Preset 4
Off
➂Typical Preset buttons
➀[Raise]
➁ [Lower]
➀
➁
➂

16 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
LCD station operation
The Unison LCD station represents buttons and faders with graphics. Use
these buttons and faders by touching their images on the LCD station’s
touchscreen.
The button and fader images are organized on individual control pages. A
single LCD station can have up to 30 control pages, displayed one at a time.
To display the page you want to use, touch its page tab.
Page tabs are located on the top edge of each control page. Each tab is labeled
with the name of its control page. Up to five page tabs can be displayed along
the top edge of the LCD screen at one time. When you touch a tab, the LCD
station displays the associated control page.
LCD stations with more than five control pages put the extra tabs in stacks in
the top corners of the display. Touching a stack hides the current set of tabs
and displays the next set on that side.
Zone WallsPresets 2Zones Presets
Preset 4
Off
Preset 2
Preset 1 Preset 3
➀ Page tab stack
➁ Typical page tabs
➂ Active page tab
➂➁➀ ➁ ➀

Unison Station User Manual 17
To find and select a desired control page
1. If the LCD faceplate is dark, touch the screen to turn on the backlight.
2. Read the labels on the page tabs. If you see the tab for your desired page,
go to step 4.
3. To display the next set of page tabs touch either of the stacks. If you see
your desired page, go to step 4. If not, touch the stack again to display
another set of five tabs until you see your desired page. You can scroll
back and forth through the page tabs by touching the stacks on either side.
4. Select your desired page by touching its page tab. The desired control
page will appear.
The next five pages in the manual describe how to use the three standard LCD
control pages.
▼
Preset pages – Let you recall, record and adjust Presets.
▼
Zone pages – Let you adjust individual light zone intensities.
▼
Wall pages – Let you inform Unison of the current status of movable
partitions that divide rooms into smaller sections.
Custom pages provide customized combinations of all the available controls.
The appearance of a custom page will vary according to its function.

18 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
LCD station Preset page
The Preset page displays up to five Preset buttons (including [Off]) you use to
recall recorded light levels. It also contains [Raise] and [Lower] buttons to
adjust Preset light levels, and a [Record] button to record new Preset settings.
To select a Preset
1. Touch the Presets tab. The Preset control page appears.
2. Press the desired Preset button. The button recalls the set of light zone
intensities recorded to its Preset. The active Preset button is highlighted.
To record a preset
1. Touch the Zones tab. The Zones page appears.
2. Adjust the zone faders to set the desired lighting look.
3. Touch the Presets tab to return to the Preset page.
4. Touch the Record button. Record appears over the button, indicating the
station is in Record mode. (Record mode deactivates after seven
seconds.)
5. Touch the desired Preset button. Current light zone intensities are
recorded to the button’s Preset, replacing previously recorded Preset
intensities. The button is highlighted when recording is complete.
To master (raise and lower) an active Preset
1. Touch the Presets tab. The Preset page appears.
2. Touch and hold [Raise] to proportionally increase Preset light zone
intensities.
3. Touch and hold [Lower] to proportionally decrease Preset light zone
intensities.
WallsZonesPresets
Preset 4
Off
Preset 2
Preset 1 Preset 3
➀ Presets page tab
➁ Typical Preset buttons
➃ [Lower]
➂ [Raise]
➄ [Record]
➀
➁
➂
➃
➄

Unison Station User Manual 19
To take a “snapshot” from a DMX512 lighting control device
1. Set light zone zone intensities to create the desired lighting look using a
DMX512 lighting control device connected to the DMX512 connector
station.
2. Touch the [Record] button. Record appears over the button, indicating the
station is in Record mode. (Record mode deactivates after seven
seconds.)
3. Touch the desired Preset button. Current light zone intensities are
recorded to the button’s Preset, replacing previously recorded Preset
intensities. The button is highlighted when recording is complete.

20 Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
LCD station Zones page
The Zones page displays up to four Zone faders you can use to adjust
individual light zone intensities directly.
To select the Zones page
1. Touch the Zones tab. The Zones page displays up to four zone faders.
To gradually adjust light zone intensities
1. Touch the Raise or Lower arrow of the desired fader. The bar and
percentage displays change to reflect intensity adjustments.
To quickly adjust light zone intensities
1. Touch the intensity bar of the desired fader. Touching the intensity bar
instantly sets light zone intensity to 0, 25, 50, 75, or 100 percent,
depending where on the bar you touch. The bar and percentage displays
change to reflect intensity adjustments.
WallsPresets
75
Zone 4
Zones
50
Zone 3
100
Zone 2
25
Zone 1
➀ Zones page tab
➃ Raise arrow
➄Lower arrow
➁ Intensity bar
➂ Intensity percent
➀
➁
➂
➃
➄