Leprecon LM-850 User manual

LEPRECON®
PRO LIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Leprecon LM-850 MIDI Lighting Console
Sixth Revision
September 1991
ROM Version 1.5A
Leprecon/CAE, Inc.
P.O. Box 430, 10087 Industrial Drive, Hamburg, MI 48139-0430 USA
810-231-9373 FAX [phone], e-mail [email protected]

LEPRECON LM-850 LIGHTING CONSOLE, ROM Version 1.5A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FCC PART 15 POTENTIAL RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE WARNING 4
PRODUCT FEATURES 5
GLOSSARY OF TERMS 6
INTRODUCTION 7
GETTING STARTED 8
Power Supply 8
Basic System Hook-up 8
MIDI Dimmers 8
Digital Dimmers (DMX-512) 9
Analog Dimmers 9
Basic Scene Functions 10
CONSOLE LAYOUT AND CONTROLS 12
Console Modes 12
Pages and Parameters 12
HELP Button 13
Control Channels and Banks 13
Channel LEDs 14
Slider Operation 14
BUMP Buttons 14
CLEAR Button 15
CROSSFADE Slider 15
SUBMASTERS 15
MASTER Level Control 16
BLACKout Button 16
BUMP ALL Button 16
GO Button 17
STORE Button 17
MANUAL Button 17
Using a Footswitch 17
SCENES AND SCENE MODE 18
Selecting Scenes 18
Editing the Current Scene 19
Current Chase 19
Crossfade Time and Scene Name 19
Submaster Assignment 20
Bump Brightness Level 20
Manual Scenes 20
Clearing Scenes 21
Storing a Scene 21
SONGS AND SONG MODE 23
Setting Up a Song 23
Selecting Scenes for Song Steps, Naming Songs 23

Selecting the End Step and Next Song 23
Deleting a Song Step 24
Adding a Song Step 24
Storing a Song 24
CHASES AND CHASE MODE 25
Setting Up a Chase 25
Programming a “Normal” Chase Step 25
Programming a “Scene” Chase Step 26
Looping a Chase 26
Chase Style 26
Chase Clock 26
Deleting a Chase Step 27
Adding a Chase Step 28
Storing a Chase 28
Chase Controls 28
Chase LEVEL 29
Chase BUMP 29
TEMPO Button 29
RATE Slider 29
CHASE On/Off 29
SENSE Fader 29
Stepping Through a Chase 29
CONSOLE MODE 31
Channel-to-Dimmer Assignment – Custom or Default 31
Custom Channel-to-Dimmer Assignment 31
Pedal Assignment 32
Bump Controls 32
Chase Controls 32
Blackout Fade Rate 33
Bump All Fade-In Rate 33
Bump All and Blackout Modes 33
MIDI System Channels 33
MIDI Dimmer Channels 34
MIDI Data Dumps 34
MIDI or DMX-512 Output 35
MIDI Dimmer Output Protocol 35
Audio Trigger Mask Time 36
Memory Protect 36
Preheat 36
MIDI FUNCTIONS AND OPERATION 37
MIDI Basics 37
MIDI Dimmer Interface 38
MIDI System Interface 38
Controlling the Chase Rate Through MIDI 39
Controlling the LM-850 From a Sequencer 40
Recording “GO” Commands Only (Song Mode) 40
Recording All Commands (Scene Mode) 41
Combining Sequencing and Live Control 42
Step-Time Sequencing of Lighting Cues 43
Playing Sequenced Cues Without the LM-850 43

MIDI System Exclusive Data Dump Format 43
Triggering MIDI Devices From the LM-850’s Dimmer Output 44
Controlling MIDI Dimmers From the MIDI System Out 45
APPENDIX 1: MIDI Continuous Controllers and LM-850 Functions 46
APPENDIX 2: Built-in Tests 49
Power-Up Communications Test 49
Service Tests 49
Battery 50
Hard Reset 50
Default Settings 50
APPENDIX 3: LM-850 MIDI Implementation Chart 50
LM-850 PANEL LAYOUT DIAGRAM 53
LM-850 SCREEN MESSAGES DIAGRAM 54
©Copyright 1993 CAE, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document is the property of CAE, Inc. and is provided for service and instructional purposes only. Possession
does not imply or convey rights to use any information herein. This information is proprietary, and may relate to
patents or patents pending that are the property of CAE, Inc. other than the use of products manufactured by CAE, Inc.

FCC Part 15 Potential Radio Frequency Interface Warning
Warning: This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause interference to radio communications. As
temporarily permitted by regulation, it has not been tested for compliance with the limits for Class A
computing devices pursuant to Sub-part J of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide
reasonable protection against such interference. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely
to cause interference in which case the user at his own expense will be required to take whatever measures
may be required to correct the interference.

LM-850 PRODUCT FEATURES
CONTROL CHANNELS: 54 control channels controlled by 3 banks of 18 faders, bump buttons, and
proportional LED displays.
CROSSFADER auto-sequences between current and next scenes.
SUBMASTERS (A & B) each control any grouping of channels.
BLACKOUT button, with instantaneous or programmed fade time.
BUMP ALL button, latching or momentary, with instantaneous or programmed fade-in time.
BUMP BUTTONS for channels and chase can be momentary or latching, add or solo, with configuration
storable as part of each scene. Submaster and master bump buttons can be momentary or latching.
SCENES: 100 programmable preset scenes, each with its own user-assignable name, fade rate, and
chase.
CROSSFADE TIME: Programmable from 0-99.9 seconds, or manual crossfade between scenes.
TITLES: Each scene, song, and chase can be given a nine-character name.
SONG MODE: 50 programmable songs of up to 50 steps each. Songs can be automatically linked one
after another. Each song can be named.
CHASES: 50 programmable chases of up to 32 steps each. Each step can be a user-selected group of
channels or a selected preset scene. Each chase can be named.
CHASE RATE: Adjustable chase rate from internal clock, manual tempo tap, MIDI clock, or audio sync.
MIDI: Full implementation for synchronization, archiving, and control from sequencers. MIDI In, Out, and
Thru jacks.
SOFT PATCH: Any of 54 control channels assignable to any of 108 dimmer channels.
DIMMER OUTPUTS:
Three dedicated MIDI Out jacks for MIDI dimmer control.
DMX-512 digital output.
Analog outputs (0-10 volts) for 48 or 96 channels (optional).
DISPLAY: Easily-readable 2 X 16 character backlit LCD screen for console display and HELP messages.
FOOTSWITCH jack for controlling Go, Black, Bump All, Chase Bump, Chase Start/Stop, or Tempo Tap
functions (Leprecon FCP footswitch optional).

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
BLACKOUT – To simultaneously turn all lights completely off, by means of a momentary or latching
Blackout button. This allows a complete darkening of the stage without altering any slider settings.
BUMP – To flash a light channel to a certain (usually full) intensity, by pressing a switch known as a Bump
Button.
CHASE – A usually rapid automatic flashing of lights in a specific sequence.
CROSSFADE – A smooth transition from one scene into another.
CURRENT SCENE – The scene which is actually controlling the lighting at a given time. Note that this is
not necessarily the scene that corresponds to the setting of the channel faders on the LM-850, such as
when the console is used in the Manual scene mode.
DMS-512 – A digital control interface to connect a lighting console to dimmers by means of a single 5-pin
cable.
EDIT – To change a scene, chase, or other setting which is stored in memory. The edited setting can then
either replace the old version, be saved as a completely different version, or not be retained at all.
FADE – A smooth transition, usually done with the Master fader, from the current scene to darkness.
MASTER – A fader that controls the overall level of all channels and submasters, and therefore the overall
lighting level.
MIDI – An acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a serial communications interface that can
connect many types of musical, computer, and lighting equipment together into an integrated system.
SCENE – A particular setting of channel levels to achieve the desired brightness’ and colors of lights on
stage.
SMPTE – An acronym for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. “SMPTE” commonly
refers, however, to the time code used by that group for synchronizing film, video, and audio equipment.
SOFT PATCH – The assignment of console channels to dimmer channels in any desired configuration,
done with software in the console rather than with actual hardwiring at the dimmers.
SONG – A predesignated string of numerous scenes, which can be stepped through sequentially during the
performance of a song.
SUBMASTER – A fader that controls only those console channels which have been assigned to it, allowing
specific groups of lamps to be operated with a single fader. Submasters are under the control of the Master
fader.
SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE – A MIDI feature which allows one device to store the memory content of another, or
to control the individual parameters of the other.

INTRODUCTION
The LM-850 is a lighting console that is extremely well suited for musical, theatrical, or just about any
lighting application. It is very easy to use once a few basic concepts have been learned. The “Getting
Started” section of this manual will get the LM-850 up and running, and will allow you to do some hands-on
experimenting for a bit. But soon, you will want to read through the rest of the manual and learn the
specifics about each of the console’s many functions.
In setting up a lighting system, once the stage layout and the available equipment have been surveyed, a
plot of lamp layout, focus (aiming), colors, and channel numbers can be made. At this point, the LM-850
can be used to compose scenes by combining different groups of lights, and adjusting their brightness’ for a
desired effect. A chase may be associated with the scene if desired. Then, each scene can be given an
appropriate title and recorded into memory.
Songs can be created in advance, calling any of the 100 scenes in a desired sequence to fit each musical
passage or portion of a production, or scenes can be called up “ad lib” – and even composed – during the
performance. The LM-850 gives you the power and versatility to create and to use the available lamps to
the fullest potential – now the creation is up to you.
The LM-850 is a software-based device, using computer commands to perform many of the functions for
which hardware had previously been required. This allows for a tremendous number of features to be
combined into a small but extremely versatile system. In addition, future software enhancements could
even expand the functions of the console, adding new features with just the replacement of a ROM chip.
But because the LM-850 is essentially a computer, it operates differently in some ways from a normal
lighting console.
For one thing, the LM-850 has a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen which communicates to the user how
the console is set up and what it is doing at any given moment. There are lots of different board functions
going on at once, and hence there are lots of different pages of the display screen to tell about them. Be
sure and familiarize yourself with these screens so that you can get around easily through the LM-850’s
operations.
Like most computer-based devices, the LM-850 uses what is known as an “edit buffer” for temporary
memory storage. Whenever a scene, song, or chase is altered from the way it is stored in memory, a new
edited version is created and stored temporarily in the edit buffer. In this way, both versions – edited and
original – are available, and if you don’t like the changes, the original is still intact. But if you edit a scene,
for example, and do want to keep the new edited version, it must then be stored in memory in order to be
retained and available for use. It can be stored either in place of or in addition to the original scene. (In the
former instance, it would be stored in the same memory location, or scene number, as the original, thus
over-writing it. In the latter case, the edited scene would be stored to a new memory location, and would
have a different scene number from the original.) The edited scene (or song or chase) is always “live” on
the console. For instance, even though an original scene is still intact within the board’s memory, any
edited version of that scene would actually be controlling the lights.
Another thing to keep in mind about the LM-850 is that it uses two completely separate MIDI networks
simultaneously. The MIDI System Interface provides the normal MIDI In, Out, and Thru jacks that can tie
the LM-850 in with the rest of the MIDI world. At the same time, the MIDI Dimmer Interface provides three
MIDI Out jacks only, which are used for driving MIDI-controlled dimmers. Both of these networks use
standard MIDI protocol, but they operate completely independently of each other.
Throughout this manual, whenever a specific parameter of the LM-850 is mentioned, the word will be
Capitalized, and whenever a specific control on the LM-850’s panel is mentioned, the entire word will be
written in UPPER CASE. For example, “To change manually from the Current Scene to the Next Scene,
simply move the CROSSFADE slider from its current position to the opposite extreme of its travel.” Current
Scene and Next Scene exist only as software in the LM-850’s memory. The CROSSFADE slider, however,
is a physical control – labeled “CROSSFADE” – on the console’s front panel.

GETTING STARTED
POWER SUPPLY
The LM-850 receives its power from an external 12-volt AC transformer. This transformer is provided with a
screw, which can be inserted in place of the wall-plate screw, to securely fasten the transformer to the
electrical outlet, eliminating the possibility of an accidental power interrupt. Other voltage adapters may not
work with the LM-850, and could damage its circuitry. Consult your Leprecon dealer before making any
substitutions.
BASIC SYSTEM HOOK-UP
Integrating the LM-850 into a standard lighting system is a fairly simple process. (MIDI control of the
console from a sequencer or computer is more involved; this is covered in the section, “MIDI Functions and
Operation,” on page 37.) There are some variables, however, depending on the type of dimmers you will be
using. The LM-850 can accommodate three different dimmer types.
MIDI Dimmers. A simple and convenient system can be set up using MIDI-controlled dimmers, such as
Leprecon’s LD-360M and LD-360M-HD. In this situation, the three MIDI Dimmer Interface outputs are used
to send data to the dimmers (see Figure 1). Any number of dimmers can be used, and all should be set to
the same MIDI channel as the console’s MIDI Dimmer output (see page 34). Each dimmer does need to be
assigned a specific “starting address” (see the dimmer’s manual for setting this value) so that its channels
are assigned to the correct control channels. Dimmers having the same starting address will be controlled
simultaneously by the same console faders.
FIGURE 1
Figure 1. A typical setup using the LM-850 and numerous MIDI-controlled dimmers.
Multiple MIDI dimmers can be connected either to the three Dimmer outputs on the LM-850’s rear panel (all
three work in parallel – it does not matter which is used), or the dimmers can be daisy-chained. In this
situation, the console’s MIDI Out To Dimmers is connected, via a normal MIDI cable, to the MIDI In of the
first dimmer. Then, a second MIDI cable is run from the MIDI Thru of that dimmer to the MIDI In of the next
dimmer, and so on. So, a MIDI dimmer can be plugged into either a Dimmer MIDI Out from the LM-850, or
into the MIDI Thru of any other connected dimmer.

You will need to make sure that the console’s Dimmer Output is assigned to “MIDI” (see page 35), and –
once again – that both the console and the dimmers are all on the same MIDI channel. At this point, you
should be able to plug lamps into the dimmers, and begin operating the board.
Digital Dimmers (DMX-512). Dimmers, which receive a DMX-512 digital control signal (via a 5-pin XLR
connector), are daisy-chained much in the same way that MIDI dimmers are. A single DMX-512 output on
the LM-850’s rear panel is used to drive one dimmer, and that dimmer then feeds the next, and so on (see
Figure 2). With this setup, as many dimmers can be hooked up as desired.
FIGURE 2
Figure 2. A typical setup using the LM-850 and digitally-controlled dimmers.
You will need to set the LM-850’s Dimmer Output to “DMX-512,” by pressing first the CONSOLE button to
get into Console mode, and then the NEXT button until the Dimmer Output page appears (see page 35).
After setting the output mode, press the SCENE button, and you will be ready to plug in lights and begin
operations. You will not need to worry about setting MIDI channels at this point.
Analog Dimmers. If your LM-850 is equipped with the optional analog interface, it can be used to control
either 48 or 96 channels of analog dimmers. The 25-pin connectors on the console’s rear panel output 0-10
volt DC signals, with pins 1-24 the hot connections for the corresponding dimmers and pin 25 the ground
(common). Two trim pots and a dip switch for each group of 48 channels are also provided. The “MIN” trim
pot adjusts the minimum (pre-heat) level of the lamps, while the “MAX” trim sets the maximum brightness of
the lamps. The dip switch is used to set the MIDI channel that the analog interface responds to; this is
necessary because the analog interface “reads” the MIDI dimmer output, and converts that data into analog
voltages. This switch should be set to the same MIDI channel as the MIDI Dimmer Out, or more simply, set
to Omni so that it responds to any MIDI channel, and thus is always active.
It may be necessary to purchase or construct adapters to connect the analog cable to your dimmers; even
though most analog dimmers use 0-10 volt control signals, there are many “standard” connectors in use and
a simple adapter may be needed to convert one type of connector to another. Figure 3 shows the pin
diagram for the LM-850’s D-type connector, and how it should be wired to control dimmers, such as the
Leprecon LD-360, which use 8-pin Jones connectors. Consult the owner’s manual for the pin wiring
diagram of your dimmers. In most instances, the pin number corresponds to the channel number, with the
highest pin number wired to ground. A typical analog setup is shown in Figure 4.

FIGURE 3
Figure 3. Wiring diagram for the analog D-type connector (optional), and an adapter to control four
six-channel dimmers using 8-pin Jones plugs.
Since the analog interface reads the output from the MIDI Dimmer Out, in order for it to function, the LM-
850’s Dimmer Output must be set to “MIDI.” (Your new board should already be set to this; page 35
describes how to change this setting.) Then, once all control connections are made, you should be ready to
plug lamps in and begin operating. Set the rear-panel dip switch(es) to Omni, and you will not need to
worry about setting any other MIDI parameters at this point.
FIGURE 4
Figure 4. A typical setup using the LM-850 and analog dimmers.
BASIC SCENE FUNCTIONS
Once you have gotten your dimmers connected to the LM-850, and gotten everything powered up, it’s easy
to start operating the console in a basically “manual” fashion. When the console is first turned on, it will be
in “Scene mode,” and the LED next to the SCENE button (to the right of the display screen) will be
illuminated. While in Scene mode, the channel faders and the MASTER fader will work just as they do on
most lighting consoles. You should be able to bring up the individual channels, and as long as the
MASTER is up, the channel faders should control their corresponding lamps. If you do not get any
illumination from the lamps, make sure that:

a) The LM-850 and your dimmers are turned on.
b) Lamps (in working order!) are plugged in correctly to the dimmers.
c) The control cable (MIDI, DMX-512, or analog) from the LM-850 to the dimmers is not damaged
and is hooked up correctly.
d) The Dimmer Output (see page 35) is correctly assigned. When you first use the LM-850, this will
be set to “MIDI,” the correct setting for MIDI or analog dimmers. For digital dimmers, it will have
to be set to “DMX-512.”
After first moving any of the channel faders, the screen will flash an “Edited” message repeatedly, but you
can ignore the screen for now.
You should have control, at this point, of the channels and the MASTER fader, and of the BUMP, BUMP
ALL, and BLACKout buttons. The SUBMASTERS should have no effect, nor should any of the CHASER
functions. Note that to access channels 19 through 36, you will have to press the BANK 2 button, to the
right of the channel faders, and to access channels 37 through 54, you will have to press BANK 3.
Play around, and get a feel for the console. And do not be afraid to experiment – there is nothing you can
erase from memory at this point, and the console can be easily reinitialized to its “factory” state if necessary
(see “Hard Reset,” page 50). All of the board controls, along with brief descriptions, are diagrammed on
page 53. But whenever you are ready to learn more about the specific controls of the LM-850, and how to
use them, go on to the next section of the manual.

CONSOLE LAYOUT AND CONTROLS
CONSOLE MODES
At all times, the LM-850 is in one of the following modes:
SCENE for normal scene to scene and manual operation,
SONG for programming or running predesignated sequences of scenes,
CHASE for programming or running chases, and
CONSOLE for setting various console parameters.
The desired mode is accessed by simply pressing the corresponding button to the right of the display
screen. LEDs next to these buttons indicate which mode the console is currently in.
PAGES AND PARAMETERS
Each console mode has numerous screens, or “pages” of parameters, which can be stepped through with
the NEXT and LAST buttons. (These are diagrammed on page 54.) Each parameter on a page can be
altered by first positioning the cursor underneath it with the CURSOR left and right arrow buttons
(henceforth referred to simply as LEFT and RIGHT), and then adjusting the parameter with the numeric
keypad, the VALUE UP and DOWN buttons (henceforth referred to as just UP and DOWN), or the related
control (RATE fader for chase rate, etc.). The UP and DOWN buttons will increment or decrement a value
by 1; if a button is held down for longer than one second, it will scroll rapidly through the available values.
FIGURE 5
Figure 5. The LCD display screen of the LM-850, and the buttons used to access its pages and
parameters.

Alphabetics and punctuation for writing names of scenes, songs, and chases can be entered by pressing
the keypad keys repetitively, or by using the UP and DOWN buttons. The keypad is arranged similar to that
of a telephone, with a section of the alphabet grouped with each digit. The first button is labeled “1 ABC”; to
enter a “1,” simply press the button once, to enter “A,” press it twice, etc. When entering numeric values
from the keypad, all the digits of a value must be typed in to complete the entry. For example, on the
Dimmer control (soft patch) page of the Console mode, the dimmer channel is displayed as a three-digit
number. So to access dimmer 49, you must type in “049.” If more than 2.5 seconds elapse between digit
entries, the originally displayed value will be automatically re-selected.
To simplify programming, the most frequently used parameters are situated in the first page of each mode,
and at the first position of the cursor.
Note that on pages which display only one adjustable parameter, it is unnecessary to position the cursor (in
fact, the cursor will not move). Simply use the UP and DOWN buttons to make the appropriate selection. In
short, a specific parameter or function is accessed and set in four steps:
1) Select the mode containing the desired parameter by pressing the Scene, Song, Chase, or
Console buttons,
2) Select the page displaying the desired parameter by using the NEXT and LAST buttons,
3) Position the cursor under the desired parameter (if necessary), by using the LEFT and RIGHT
buttons,
4) Enter the desired value from the keypad, the UP/DOWN buttons, or the appropriate fader.
HELP BUTTON
For every page of the LM-850’s display, pressing the HELP button will display information relevant to the
currently selected mode and function. This can be a quick “prompt” for the user if a particular command
function is forgotten. (See page 54 for an illustration of these Help messages.)
CONTROL CHANNELS AND BANKS
The LM-850 provides 54 control channels, grouped into three banks of 18 each; Bank 1 consists of
channels 1 through 18, Bank 2 consists of channels 19 through 36, and Bank 3 is made up of channels 37
through 54. Each bank is selected with the corresponding BANK switch (1, 2, or 3), and an LED next to
each indicates which bank is “active,” or controllable by the channel faders at that time. (Banks that are not
active can still be controlling lamps; they just cannot be altered from the faders.) Each of the 18 active
channels has a level control (a slider potentiometer), a Channel LED, and a BUMP button. The level fader
sets the brightness of the light(s) associated with the channel, with a resolution of 128 steps ranging from
off to full brightness.

CHANNEL LEDs
The brightness of the Channel LEDs gives a coarse but useful indication of the levels of each channel;
these LEDs have a resolution of 8 steps from off to full, so they are not as smooth as the actual lighting
levels. The LEDs do not reflect the setting of the MASTER fader; if a channel is up full, the LED will be lit
accordingly, even if the Master is down and no stage lamps are actually on. These LEDs indicate channel
levels while in the Scene and Song Modes only, and are used for other indications in other modes.
SLIDER OPERATION
Because the setting of a channel’s level can also be recalled from memory, and can additionally be
controlled by MIDI commands, the position of a fader does not necessarily reflect the value of the actual
lamp brightness. A fader will have no effect until it is moved through its preset value (the value stored in
memory at the time), at which point the fader smoothly takes control. If a channel’s level is stored as 50%
in a scene, for instance, that channel’s fader will have no effect on the level until the fader is moved through
the half-way point of its travel; at that point, an “Edited” message will flash on the screen to indicate that the
stored level has been changed.
This situation is identical for the SUBMASTERS, and for the Chase LEVEL and RATE faders.
BUMP BUTTONS
During normal operation, the BUMP buttons allow the user to instantaneously bring the level of any
Channel, Master, Submaster, or Chase to the Bump Brightness Level programmed within each scene.
While this level is typically used at 100%, note that it can be set to any desired value, all the way down to
0%. If a channel’s level is higher than the bump brightness level, that channel will decrease in brightness
when bumped. With the bump level set at 0%, the BUMP buttons function as blackout buttons for each
channel.
The BUMP buttons have four modes of operation, set by the LATCH/MOM and SOLO/ADD switches; both
these switches have LED indicators to display which mode they are in.
ADD: In this mode, a bumped channel will go to its preset bump brightness level; other channels will
be unaffected.
SOLO: A bumped channel will go to its preset bump level, as above, but all other non-bumped
channels will be blacked out so that only the bumped channel is illuminated. Solo is not just
restricted to a single channel; as many channels as is desired can be solo bumped at once.
MOMentary: A channel will go to its bump level for as long as the BUMP button is held down.
LATCH: A channel will go to its bump level when the BUMP button is pressed, and will latch,
remaining at that level until the BUMP button is pressed again (to release), or until the CLEAR
button is pressed.
Any of the four possible combinations, ADD MOM, ADD LATCH, SOLO MOM, or SOLO LATCH, can be
configured by setting the switches accordingly. Whenever a scene is stored, the settings of these switches
can be stored as well, if desired (see “Bump Controls,” page 32), so that the configurations can be recalled
with each scene change. The LATCH/MOM setting also configures the SUBMASTER and MASTER BUMP
buttons (these are always in ADD mode).
Whenever any channel (or submaster, master, or chase) is bumped, its LED will flash on and off for as long
as the bump is active.

CLEAR BUTTON
The CLEAR button simply unlatches any bumped channel; this allows numerous channels to be cleared
simultaneously with a single keystroke. The CLEAR button is used in the Chase mode as well, to clear a
chase step (see page 25).
CROSSFADE SLIDER
Just like on a simple two-scene lighting board, the CROSSFADE slider allows the user to manually
crossfade from one scene to another. On the LM-850, however, the crossfade does not alternate between
“X” and “Y” banks of actual faders, it instead crossfades between any two scenes stored in the console’s
memory. These scenes are temporarily called the Current Scene and the Next Scene (each scene has its
own permanent name and number), and they can be used in any order desired. For instance, scene 39,
called “red wash,” could be the Current Scene, which could crossfade into scene 73 (the Next Scene),
called “sax solo.” Because of this, the CROSSFADE slider does not have a “set” position, such as all the
way up for the “X” scene, or all the way down for the “Y” scene. Instead, to crossfade to the Next Scene,
the slider is simply moved to the opposite extreme of its travel, whether it is currently all the way up or all
the way down.
When the CROSSFADE slider reaches this opposite extreme, the Next Scene becomes the Current Scene,
and a new Next Scene is displayed on the screen. Note, however, that this does not occur until the slider
arrives fully at this destination – the slider can be moved halfway through its travel, for instance, creating a
mix of the Current and Next Scenes, and then reversed to its original position. In this instance, the scenes
will not have changed, and the Current Scene will still be active.
Whenever an automatic crossfade is in progress, the CROSSFADE slider can be used to override the
automatic fade, thus manually making the crossfade quicker or slower. The LED over the slider lights up
fully when a fade is begun (either with the slider or automatically), and gradually fades out as the crossfade
is completed.
SUBMASTERS
Each SUBMASTER fader (A and B) controls the overall level of the channels assigned to it. Any of the 54
channels can be assigned to either of the submasters, but a single channel cannot be assigned to both A
and B simultaneously. A channel can, however, not be assigned to either submaster. This channel
assignment is recorded as part of each scene (see Submaster Assignment, page 20), so that each
submaster can have a different function in each scene. SUBMASTER A might control a blue stage wash of
eight channels in one scene, for instance, and in the next scene it could control a group of six rear-truss
vocal specials.
Like the individual channels, the submasters are under the control of the MASTER fader.
Each submaster has its own BUMP button and LED indicator. These work exactly as they do for the
individual channels, except that the SUBMASTER BUMP buttons are always in the ADD mode.

MASTER LEVEL CONTROL
The MASTER level fader controls the overall level of all channels and submasters (though it does not affect
the brightness of the Channel and Submaster LEDs), and therefore controls the overall level of the lighting.
The MASTER doe not control the levels of the chase or the bumps – these each have their own
independent settings.
The setting of the MASTER fader is not a programmable function; it cannot be stored as part of a scene.
The movements of the MASTER fader can, however, be recorded (and played back) by a MIDI sequencer.
Like the SUBMASTER BUMP buttons, the MASTER BUMP button is always in the ADD mode.
BLACKOUT BUTTON
Pressing the BLACKout button turns off the running chase, and turns off all channels either instantaneously
or at the designated Blackout Fade Rate (specified in Console mode). The BLACKout button functions
differently depending upon its mode; when in LATCH mode, a short tap of the button starts a timed fade out,
while a press and hold of the button causes an instantaneous blackout (after the short time required for the
LM-850 to recognize that the button is held down). While a blackout fade is in progress, re-pressing and
holding the BLACK out button will produce an instant blackout.
While fading into a blackout, the BLACK out LED flashes; when the scene is completely blacked out, the
LED remains on. Pressing the BLACK out button again returns the scene to its previous level, and returns
the chase to its former status.
A blackout fade can be cancelled by recalling a scene with the GO button. In this case, the Current Scene
will be recalled once again instead of the Next Scene. This allows for going back to a scene from a fading
blackout without have to push the BLACKout button twice (once to complete the fade, and again to restore
the scene). But be careful – once a blackout has completed its fade (and the LED stays on instead of
blinking), a press of the GO button will cancel the blackout and bring up the Next Scene. While a latched
blackout is active, any channel edit (motion of a channel slider or a BUMP button) will cancel the blackout
as well, and edit the Current Scene to reflect the new fader levels. Master and Submaster edits (done with
either the faders or with BUMP buttons) affect the blacked-out Current Scene, and the effects won’t be seen
until the scene is un-blacked.
When the BLACKout button is in MOMentary mode, a blackout is only active while the button is held down.
The fade time is ignored and blackouts are instantaneous.
The function of the BLACKout button can be duplicated by a footswitch set accordingly (see page 32).
BUMP ALL BUTTON
The BUMP ALL button turns off the running chase, and bumps all 54 channels simultaneously. The BUMP
ALL button has two modes of operation, which it shares with the BLACKout button. When in LATCH mode,
the button will bump all channels instantaneously if held down, or it will initiate an automatic fade-in if
tapped. (The fade-in rate is adjusted while in Console mode – see page 33.) The Bump All fade-in can be
cancelled, restoring the Current Scene and chase, by pressing the GO button while the fade-in is in
progress (while the channel LEDs are still blinking).
When in MOMentary mode, the Bump All is only active while the BUMP ALL button is held down – the fade-
in time is ignored and the bump is instantaneous.
Note that the blackout and bump all features are mutually exclusive; only one can be active at any given
time (i.e. a blackout cancels a bump all and vice-versa).

The function of the BUMP ALL button can be duplicated by a footswitch set accordingly (see page 32).
GO BUTTON
The green GO button, at the bottom right of the console, is used to step from one scene to another, either in
Scene or Song modes. When the button is tapped, the Next Scene will crossfade in at its programmed
crossfade rate. The GO button can override this crossfade in two manners. First, if the GO button is held
down instead of tapped, any timed crossfade will be negated and the scene change will be instantaneous.
Alternatively, once the GO button has been tapped to initiate a timed crossfade, it can be tapped once more
while the fade is in progress, and the scene change will then be completed instantaneously.
By plugging in a footswitch to the LM-850 and setting the Pedal Assignment to “GO” (in the Console mode –
see page 32), the footswitch can duplicate the function of the GO button, allowing for hands-off scene
changes during live performances.
As can any control on the LM-850’s panel, the GO button can be mimicked by a specific MIDI command. It
is in this manner that the LM-850 is most easily put under MIDI control, as from a sequencer. Scenes,
songs, chases, etc. can be programmed normally in the console’s memory, then, by simply recording GO
commands into the sequencer, the entire light show can be effectively automated.
STORE BUTTON
The STORE button is used for storing to memory any song, scene, or chase that has been edited. By
pressing the button once, the Store parameters are displayed on the screen, allowing the user to select the
memory location in which the new information will be saved. A second press of the STORE button
completes the actual writing of the information into memory. For specific Store functions (storing scenes,
storing songs, or storing chases), refer to the appropriate sections of this manual.
MANUAL BUTTON
The MANUAL button is used for selecting a “Manual” scene as the Next Scene (this button functions in
Scene mode only). When “Manual” is selected, channel faders, bump buttons, etc. no longer control the
Current Scene, instead they are used to set the up-coming Manual scene. For specific applications of this,
refer to “Manual Scenes,” on page 20.
USING A FOOTSWITCH
A Leprecon FCP footswitch (optional) can be plugged into the FOOTSWITCH jack on the LM-850’s rear
panel, and with the Pedal Assignment set accordingly (see page 32), it can be used to duplication the
function of either the GO button, the BLACKout button, the BUMP ALL button, the Chase BUMP button, the
CHASE On/Off switch, or the TEMPO button. The footswitch can thus be used to operate the board in a
hands-off manner, for example from the stage while performing. The footswitch is a momentary on
(normally open) switch, terminating in a ¼-inch phone plug.

SCENES AND SCENE MODE
SELECTING SCENES
In Scene mode, any of the LM-850’s 100 stored scenes can be called up, cleared to zero, “played live” and
abandoned or carefully edited and saved. Any scene can be crossfaded into any other. When the SCENE
button is first pressed, the LM-850 enters the Scene mode, and a display appears similar to this one:
The upper line of the display show the number of the currently active scene, 00, along with its name, “scene
00.” The second line of the display shows the number (scene 01) and name (“blue wash”) of the Next
Scene to be recalled. The Next scene automatically defaults to the next highest scene number (with 00
following 99), but any scene can be chosen and entered here. The blinking cursor under the Next Scene
number prompts the user to enter the number (from 00 to 99) of the desired Next Scene, using the numeric
keypad or the UP/DOWN buttons.
The Next Scene can be the same as the Current Scene; this is useful if a scene has been edited and it is
desired to return to its original settings.
The Next Scene can be brought up in four different ways:
1) Instantaneously, by pressing the GO button and holding it down for at least ¼ second,
2) At the crossfade rate programmed into the Next Scene, by briefly tapping the GO button (after a
crossfade has started, re-tapping the GO button will complete the fade instantaneously),
3) With a foot pedal (optional) set to duplicate the function of the GO button, or
4) Manually, by moving the CROSSFADE slider from its current position to the other extreme of its
travel. The GO button can be used after a manual crossfade has been started, to complete the
fade either instantaneously or at the Next Scene’s programmed crossfade rate.
When a crossfade starts, the LED above the CROSSFADE slider turns on at full intensity. As the crossfade
progresses, the LED fades out. This LED is used to verify that a short tap on the GO button or foot pedal
effectively started the crossfade even if the crossfade time is very long and difficult to perceive at first. The
CROSSFADE slider can always take over an automatic crossfade, allowing the user to speed up or slow
down the crossfade with the motion of the fader.
When a crossfade is completed, the Current Scene number and name are replaced by the Next Scene
number and name. The following Next Scene number is again defaulted to the new Current Scene plus
one.
Whenever a new scene is called up it can bring with it new settings for all 54 channel levels, the scene
crossfade time and name, the submaster A & B assignments and levels, the bump mode and brightness
level, the blackout mode, and the currently active chase number.
SCN 00 scene 00
NXT 01 blu wash

EDITING THE CURRENT SCENE
The Current Scene can be edited in real time with the channel and submaster sliders, and any such
changes will be reflected both in the LEDs and in the actual level of the lamp(s) controlled by that fader.
When any of the Current Scene’s parameters is changed (channel slider, associated chase number,
crossfade time, etc.), the word “Edited” will alternate with the Current Scene’s name in the display, until
either the edited scene is stored, or until another scene is called up.
Current Chase. The second page of the Scene mode shows the following display:
The upper line of this display show the number of the chase associated with the Current Scene, and the
second line shows its name; in the above example, Chase number 05 is current, and it is named “verse 2.”
A new chase number from 00 to 49 can be selected with the numeric keypad, or with the UP/DOWN
buttons, and this will cause the current scene to be edited. This newly selected chase will immediately
become the active chase, but will not be stored as the new associated chase unless the edited Current
Scene is stored. If the chase is started while in Scene mode, the chase will run on top of the Current
Scene.
Each chase step can either be a group of individual channels, each turned either fully on or fully off, or it can
be an individual scene; a “scene” chase step will replace the Current Scene for its step duration, and a
“normal” channel-by-channel chase step will overlay the Current Scene. So, each chase step can either
raise or lower the levels of the channels in a scene, depending on how the chase was programmed.
Crossfade Time and Scene Name. The next page brings up the following display:
Upon entering this page, the cursor is positioned under the crossfade time value. This value can range
from 00.0 to 99.9 seconds, and can be entered from the keypad directly, or incremented/decremented with
the UP/DOWN buttons. Note that three digits must be entered from the keypad; if the desired crossfade
time is 2.0 seconds, you must type in “020” (the decimal is automatically inserted).
Pressing the LEFT and RIGHT buttons moves the cursor to the “NAME:” field; this is where the name of the
Current Scene can be specified. The LEFT and RIGHT buttons will position the cursor underneath each
space, and then the appropriate letter or number can be entered with the keypad. Each of the ten keypad
buttons can enter one digit or one of several letters (or symbols and blank space in the case of the “0”
button). Simply press the button repeatedly until the desired character is shown, then go to the next space.
The UP and DOWN buttons can also be used to enter characters, and they control a different character set
than that of a keypad. Upper-case letters and many symbols are available here (the keypad only enters
lower-case letters). When the complete name has been entered (nine characters maximum), the scene can
be saved with the new name.
CHASE 05
Verse 2
FADE TIME 01.0 S
NAME: guit solo