thomann Stairville LED-Commander 16/2 User manual

LED-Commander 16/2
DMX controller
user manual

Musikhaus Thomann
Thomann GmbH
Hans-Thomann-Straße 1
96138 Burgebrach
Germany
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.thomann.de
03.08.2021, ID: 251852 | SW V1.5 (V6)

Table of contents
1 General notes............................................................................................................................ 4
2 Safety instructions................................................................................................................. 5
3 Features....................................................................................................................................... 6
4 Installation................................................................................................................................. 7
5 Starting up................................................................................................................................. 8
6 Connections and operating elements.......................................................................... 9
7 Operating................................................................................................................................. 13
8 Technical specications.................................................................................................... 22
9 Protecting the environment........................................................................................... 23
Table of contents
LED-Commander 16/2
3

1 General notes
This user manual contains important information on safe operation of the device.
Read and follow all safety notes and all instructions. Save this manual for future refer‐
ence. Make sure that it is available to all persons using this device. If you sell the
device, include the manual for the next owner.
Our products are subject to a process of continuous development. We therefore
reserve the right to make changes without notice.
This section provides an overview of the symbols and signal words used in this user
manual.
Signal word Meaning
DANGER! This combination of symbol and signal word indicates
an immediate dangerous situation that will result in
death or serious injury if it is not avoided.
NOTICE! This combination of symbol and signal word indicates
a possible dangerous situation that can result in mate‐
rial and environmental damage if it is not avoided.
Warning signs Type of danger
Warning – danger zone.
Symbols and signal words
General notes
DMX controller
4

2 Safety instructions
This device is intended to be used to control spot lights, dimmers, light eects,
moving heads or other DMX-controlled devices. Use the device only as described in
this user manual. Any other use or use under other operating conditions is consid‐
ered to be improper and may result in personal injury or property damage. No lia‐
bility will be assumed for damages resulting from improper use.
This device may be used only by persons with sucient physical, sensorial, and intel‐
lectual abilities and having corresponding knowledge and experience. Other persons
may use this device only if they are supervised or instructed by a person who is
responsible for their safety.
Safety
DANGER!
Danger for children
Ensure that plastic bags, packaging, etc. are disposed of properly and are not within reach of babies and young children. Choking
hazard! Ensure that children do not detach any small parts (e.g. knobs or the like) from the unit. They could swallow the pieces
and choke! Never let children unattended use electrical devices.
NOTICE!
External power supply
The device is powered by an external power supply. Before connecting the external power supply, ensure that the input voltage
(AC outlet) matches the voltage rating of the device and that the AC outlet is protected by a residual current circuit breaker.
Failure to do so could result in damage to the device and possibly the user. Unplug the external power supply before electrical
storms occur and when the device is unused for long periods of time to reduce the risk of electric shock or re.
NOTICE!
Risk of re
Do not block areas of ventilation. Do not install the device near any direct heat source. Keep the device away from naked ames.
NOTICE!
Operating conditions
This device has been designed for indoor use only. To prevent damage, never expose the device to any liquid or moisture. Avoid
direct sunlight, heavy dirt, and strong vibrations. Only operate the device within the ambient conditions specied in the chapter
‘Technical specications’ of this user manual. Avoid heavy temperature uctuations and do not switch the device on immediately
after it was exposed to temperature uctuations (for example after transport at low outside temperatures). Dust and dirt inside
can damage the unit. When operated in harmful ambient conditions (dust, smoke, nicotine, fog, etc.), the unit should be main‐
tained by qualied service personnel at regular intervals to prevent overheating and other malfunction.
Intended use
Safety instructions
LED-Commander 16/2
5

3 Features
n16 devices controllable via DMX-512
n2 × 8 memory slots each for scenes and chases
nFaders for fade and scene time and speed, dimmer etc.
nOperation modes: automatic, sound controlled and manual
nBlackout and Full-on-function
nSeparate channel assignment
nBackup and rmware update via USB
nUSB port for desk light
n19" housing, 4 RU
Features
DMX controller
6

4 Installation
Unpack and check carefully there is no transportation damage before using the unit.
Keep the equipment packaging. To fully protect the product against vibration, dust
and moisture during transportation or storage use the original packaging or your
own packaging material suitable for transport or storage, respectively.
The unit has been designed for rack mounting in a standard 19-inch rack. It occupies
four rack units (RU).
A 3-pin XLR socket is used as DMX output. The following diagram and table show the
pin assignment of the XLR socket.
1 Ground
2 DMX data (–)
3 DMX data (+)
Rack mounting
DMX connection
Installation
LED-Commander 16/2
7

5 Starting up
Create all connections while the device is o. Use the shortest possible high-quality
cables for all connections. Take care when running the cables to prevent tripping
hazards.
Connect the included power adapter to the 9V connector of the unit and then plug
the power adapter into a wall outlet.
Turn on the device using the main switch on the rear panel. After turning the device
on, the display shows the operating mode and the related display LED lights up.
Connecting the power adapter
Turning the unit on
Starting up
DMX controller
8

6 Connections and operating elements
FUNCTION
1
RED
2
GREEN
3
BLUE
4
SPEED
5
SCENE
6
STROBE
7
DIMMER
8
PAN TILT
AUX1 AUX2 PROGRAM
RECORD
BLACK OUT
SCENE
9-16
1-8
8/16
4/12
7/15
3/11
6/14
2/10
5/13
1/9
15 16
13 14
11 12
9 10
7 8
5 6
3 4
1 2
SC EN EFI XT UR E
CHASE
9-16
1-8
8/16
4/12
7/15
3/11
6/14
2/10
5/13
1/9
CH AS E
MIDI
IN SET
FULL ON
TAP
DEL
PATCH
CLEAR
FADESPEED
0.1S
10M
30S
0.0S
AUTO
MUSIC
MANUAL
MOD E
LED-Commander 16/2
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1[FIXTURE]
Buttons 1 to 16 to select the control channels. The associated indicator LED shows whether the respective channel
is switched (LED on) or deactivated (LED o).
2[SCENE]
Eight buttons with double assignment for switching on / o up to 16 scenes. The indicator LEDs show which
scenes are switched on (LED lights up). Switching between the button groups (banks) 1…8 and 9…16 is done via
the shift button (3).
3 Shift button [SCENE]
Button to switch the SCENE buttons. The two indicator LEDs show which button group (banks) 1…8 (red) or 9…16
(green) is currently active.
4[CHASE]
Eight buttons with double assignment for switching on / o up to 16 chasers. The indicator LEDs show which
chasers are switched on (LED lights up). Switching between the button groups (banks) 1…8 and 9…16 is done via
the shift button (5).
5 Shift button [CHASE]
Button to switch the CHASE buttons. The two indicator LEDs show which button group (banks) 1…8 (red) or 9…16
(green) is currently active.
6 Device display
7and
Navigation buttons to scroll within the display and to select options.
Front panel
Connections and operating elements
LED-Commander 16/2
9

8[MODE]
Button to switch the operating mode. The associated LED indicates the active operating mode: Auto, music or
manual.
9[SPEED]
Slider to manually adjust the chase speed during playback.
10 [FADE]
Slider to manually adjust the fade speed during playback.
11 [BLACKOUT]
Button to turn the BLACKOUT function on and o. The associated indicator LED shows whether the respective
channel is active (LED ashes) or deactivated (LED o).
12 [FULL ON]
Button to turn the FULL ON function on and o. The associated indicator LED shows whether the respective
channel is active (LED ashes) or deactivated (LED o).
13 [PATCH | CLEAR]
Press this button for three seconds to change the channel assignments. As soon as the associated indicator LED
lights up, the channels can be reassigned. Press the button again for three seconds to exit the mode. Press this
button briey to zero all applied DMX values.
14 [PROGRAM | RECORD]
Press this button for three seconds to enable the Programme mode. The associated indicator LED shows whether
the mode is active (LED ashes) or deactivated (LED o). Press the button again for three seconds to exit the mode.
15 [MIDI | IN SET]
Press this button for three seconds to open the menu for assigning the MIDI inputs. As soon as the associated indi‐
cator LED lights up, the MIDI inputs can be assigned using the SPEED control or the and buttons. Press the
button again for three seconds to exit the mode.
16 [TAP | DEL]
With this key you can delete and undo entries.
17 [TILT]
Press this button to control the inclination of assigned moving heads with the joystick (18). The associated indi‐
cator LED ashes as long as the TILT mode is active.
18 Joystick for controlling the connected moving heads. To activate the joystick function, either the TILT (18) or the
PAN mode (19) must be activated.
19 [PAN]
Press this button to control the rotation of assigned moving heads with the joystick (18). The associated indicator
LED ashes as long as the PAN mode is active.
20 [AUX1 | AUX2]
These buttons let you switch the AUX channels on (associated LED lights up) or o (LED o).
21 [DIMMER]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the virtual DIMMER function (if activated), or
channel control for the assigned DMX channel.
Connections and operating elements
DMX controller
10

22 [STROBE]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the STROBE function (if assigned), or channel
control for the assigned DMX channel.
23 [SCENE]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the SCENE function (if assigned), or channel
control for the assigned DMX channel.
24 [SPEED]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the SPEED function (if assigned), or channel
control for the assigned DMX channel.
25 [BLUE]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the colour intensity BLUE (if assigned), or
channel control for the assigned DMX channel.
26 [GREEN]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the colour intensity GREEN (if assigned), or
channel control for the assigned DMX channel.
27 [RED]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the colour intensity RED (if assigned), or
channel control for the assigned DMX channel.
28 [FUNCTION]
Slider with associated ash or selection button for manual setting of the function channel (if assigned), or channel
control for the assigned DMX channel.
PUSH
>? A B C D E FG
Rear panel
Connections and operating elements
LED-Commander 16/2
11

29 Lockable DMX output socket
30 DMX polarity switch
31 USB connection
32 Audio input (line level, 100 mV to 1 Vpp)
33 Output socket MIDI OUT
34 Through socket MIDI THRU
35 Input socket MIDI IN
36 Connection socket for the 9 V power supply unit.
37 Main switch to turn the device on and o.
Connections and operating elements
DMX controller
12

7 Operating
After switching on, the device performs a short self test. The device then automati‐
cally switches to ‘Manual’ operating mode and is ready for use.
The LED Commander 16/2 works in three dierent operating modes. Press [MODE]
until the required operating mode appears in the display and the associated display
LED lights up.
n‘Auto’
In this operating mode, [FADE] and [SPEED] can be used to control the fade-in
and fade-out time and speed, and and can be used to control the chaser
light speed (setting range: 1 to 200 s).
n‘Music’
In this operating mode, and can be used to set the sound sensitivity (setting
range: 0 to 100 %). [FADE] can be used to set the fade-in and fade-out time.
n‘Manual’
In this operating mode, and can be used to call up every program step of a
chaser sequence (Chase). [FADE] can be used to set the fade-in and fade-out
time.
In factory state the device is pre-congured with a virtual dimmer for every
[FIXTURE]. This is useful if you have LED spotlights without their own master dimmer
channel and wish to control them. In this case, fader 8 [DIMMER] controls the overall
intensity of the [RED], [GREEN] and [BLUE] channels.
There are two modes for devices with dierent colour mixture:
nLibrary1: ‘Dimmer control R, G, B’
nLibrary2: ‘Dimmer control R, G, B, W, A, UV’
Use and to select the desired mode for the selected device.
You can deactivate this function for every [FIXTURE] and use the fader for channel 8
as a normal channel fader for a DMX channel of your choice. It is also possible to
change the channel that the virtual dimmer on channel 8 accesses and inuences
accordingly.
To deactivate the virtual dimmer, proceed as follows:
1. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds.
2. Select the [FIXTURE] button for xtures 1 to 8 that you want to deactivate the
dimmer for.
3. Press and hold the button for fader 8 [DIMMER] for three seconds. To be able to
use channel 8 of this xture as a regular channel fader, you must now assign it
to a DMX channel. To do this, proceed as described in ‘Assigning device chan‐
nels’.
ðIn the display, as an example, next to the [FIXTURE] button, the following
appears: ‘Fixture01 dimmer Clear ok’ . If the display shows ‘Fixture01 dimmer
Set ok’ , the virtual dimmer for this xture has already been deactivated. In
this case, press and hold [DIMMER] again for three seconds.
4. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit this mode.
Operating mode selection
Virtual dimmer
Operating
LED-Commander 16/2
13

1. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds.
2. Press [FIXTURE] (1 to 16) to select the required FIXTURE channel on which you
wish to change the assignment of the virtual dimmer.
3. Hold the button of the required channel controller down for 3 seconds to
assign it to the virtual dimmer of the selected [FIXTURES] (display: ‘Set dimmer
ok’ ) or to remove the assignment (display: ‘Clear dimmer ok’ ).
4. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit this mode.
During assignment, one or more DMX channels (1 to 512) can be assigned to a x‐
ture's specic fader. As an example, DMX channel 3, 13 and 23 can be assigned to the
second channel fader of xture 2.
1. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds.
2. Press [FIXTURE] (1 to 16) to select the required FIXTURE channel.
3. Select the required channel range with [SPEED].
4. Select the required DMX channel with [FADE].
5. Press the Flash button of the function you wish to assign.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 in order to assign functions to the remaining sliders.
7. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit this mode.
Example: If the RED function (Flash button 2) is stored to DMX channel 21, the display
shows the following values:
1. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds.
2. De-select all active FIXTURE channels (all blue FIXTURE LEDs o).
3. Use [FADE] and [SPEED] to select the DMX channel whose assignment you wish
to clear.
4. Press the relevant Flash button (1) to clear the channel assignment.
5. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit this mode.
The channel assignment has been removed.
Setting the dimmer channel
Assigning device channels
Clear channel assignment
Operating
DMX controller
14

1. De-select all active FIXTURE channels.
2. Press [PATCH
½ CLEAR] briey to delete the starting values of the fader function.
3. Use [SCENE] to select the required scene. To do this, switch between the two
memory banks using the toggle button if need be.
You can link multiple scenes so that they run in parallel. Use [FADE] to con‐
trol the fade-in and fade-out time for all scenes. The LEDs of all selected
scenes light up blue.
1. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to switch to Program/
Record mode.
2. Use [FIXTURE] to select the channel you wish to program.
3. Use the Flash controllers 1 to 8 to set the required values.
4. Press [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] and then for around one second the button of the
scene you wish to overwrite.
ðAll device LEDs ash briey.
5. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
Scenes that are already allocated are indicated by the LED lighting up blue
next to the relevant scene button. These can also be overwritten if required.
1. De-select all active FIXTURE channels (all blue FIXTURE LEDs o).
2. Press [PATCH
½ CLEAR] briey to delete the starting values of the fader function.
3. Use [CHASE] to select the required sequence. To do this, switch between the
two memory banks using the toggle button if need be.
You can activate multiple chasers simultaneously which are then played in
sequence. The output value of scenes that may be active always has pri‐
ority.
Playing scenes
Programming scenes
Playing chaser sequences
Operating
LED-Commander 16/2
15

1. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to switch to Program/
Record mode.
2. Use [CHASE] to select the required sequence. To do this, switch between the
two memory banks using the toggle button if need be.
ðThe associated CHASE LED lights up.
3. Use [FIXTURE] to select the channel you wish to program.
4. Use the Flash controllers 1 to 8 to set the required values.
5. Press [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] to save the new values.
ðAll of the device LEDs ash briey and the following values appear on the
display:
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 to add further program steps.
7. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
1. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to switch to Program/
Record mode.
2. Use [CHASE] to select the sequence you wish to expand. To do this, switch
between the two memory banks using the toggle button if need be.
3. Briey press [MIDI
½ IN SET].
ðThe associated display LED ashes.
4. If necessary, use and to select the step number under which you wish to
insert the program step.
5. Use [FIXTURE] to select the channel you wish to program.
6. Use the Flash controllers 1 to 8 to set the required values.
7. Press [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] to save the new values.
ðAll display LEDs ash three times.
8. Repeat steps 4 to 7 to add further program steps. The 16 memory locations can
be assigned a total of 250 program steps.
9. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
Programming chaser sequences
Inserting a program step
Operating
DMX controller
16

1. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to switch to Program/
Record mode.
2. Use [CHASE] to select the sequence you wish to delete a program step from. To
do this, switch between the two memory banks using the toggle button if
need be.
3. Press [MIDI
½ IN SET] and then use and to select the step number you wish
to delete.
4. Press [TAP
½ DEL] to delete the program step.
ðAll LEDs ash three times.
5. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
1. De-select all active FIXTURE, SCENE and CHASE channels (all blue LEDs o).
2. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to switch to Program/
Record mode.
3. Switch between the two memory banks ‘CHASE’ and ‘SCENE’ using the toggle
button if need be.
4. Press [TAP
½ DEL] and simultaneously the chase button of the sequence or
scene you wish to delete.
Wait a few seconds until the LEDs have gone out.
5. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
1. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to switch to Program/Record
mode.
2. Use [FADE] and [SPEED] to select the DMX channel you wish to assign.
3. Press [AUX1] or [AUX2] assign the DMX channel to the corresponding AUX
channel.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to assign as many other DMX channels as you wish.
5. Hold [PATCH
½ CLEAR] down for three seconds to exit recording mode.
As soon as DMX channels are assigned to an [AUX] button, the value of the
assigned channels is set to 255 whenever this button is activated.
Deleting a program step
Deleting chaser sequences or a scene
Assigning DMX channels to AUX chan‐
nels
Operating
LED-Commander 16/2
17

1. Switch o the device.
2. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD], [DIMMER] and [PATCH ½ CLEAR] down simultane‐
ously and switch the device back on.
ðAfter two seconds, the following message appears on the display:
3. Press the Flash button of the function you wish to rename.
4. On the display, the name can now be changed using the joystick (move to the
right/left moves the cursor, move up/down changes the relevant letters of the
alphabet).
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to rename any other Flash functions.
6. Conrm the new designation(s) with [PROGRAM
½ RECORD].
7. Switch the device o and back on again to work with the new settings.
The MIDI function allows you to connect two DMX controllers or to control the con‐
troller via a MIDI keyboard.
1. Hold [MIDI
½ IN SET] down for three seconds to switch to MIDI mode.
2. Use and to select a MIDI channel (1 to 16).
3. Hold [MIDI
½ IN SET] down for three seconds to exit MIDI mode.
MIDI value Function Explanation
0-15 SCENE1-16 Switch scenes 1-16 on/o
16-31 CHASE1-16 Switch chaser sequences 1-16
on/o
32 MANUAL Manual sequence control
33 MUSIC Music-controlled sequence
34 AUTO Automatic sequence control
35 AUX1 Switch AUX1 on/o
36 AUX2 Switch AUX2 on/o
37 Manual sequence control
38 Manual sequence control
39 TAP Automatic sequence control
Renaming Flash functions
MIDI functions
Operating
DMX controller
18

MIDI value Function Explanation
… … …
126 BLACK OUT BLACK OUT function active
You can save various device settings to a USB drive.
1. Connect your USB drive to the device's USB port.
2. Hold [MODE] and down for two seconds until the display shows ‘Press xture
½ key save le’.
3. Press the button of the FIXTURE channel whose settings you wish to save.
ðThe progress of the saving operation is shown on the display.
All channel settings are stored together in the le ‘led-commander 16-2’ on
the USB drive.
You can load saved device settings from a USB drive to the device memory.
1. Connect your USB drive containing the saved settings values to the device's
USB port.
2. Hold [MODE] and down for two seconds until the display shows ‘Press xture
½ key loader le’.
ðThe LEDs of the channels for which settings were found on the USB drive
light up.
3. Press the button of the FIXTURE channel whose settings you wish to load.
ðThe progress of the loading operation is shown on the display. The display
then returns to its previous state.
Saving settings externally
Loading saved settings
Operating
LED-Commander 16/2
19

1. Turn the device o using the main switch.
2. Hold [PROGRAM
½ RECORD], [TAP ½ DEL] and [PATCH ½ CLEAR] down simultane‐
ously and switch the device back on.
ðAfter two seconds, the following message appears on the display:
After resetting to the factory defaults, the FIXTURE channels are set up as follows:
FIXTURE 1 FIXTURE 2 FIXTURE 3 … FIXTURE 16
FUN CH1 FUN CH11 FUN CH21 FUN CH151
Red CH2 Red CH12 Red CH22 Red CH152
Green CH3 Green CH13 Green CH23 Green CH153
Blue CH4 Blue CH14 Blue CH24 Blue CH154
SPEED CH5 SPEED CH15 SPEED CH25 SPEED CH155
COLOUR CH6 COLOUR CH16 COLOUR CH26 COLOUR CH156
STROBE CH7 STROBE CH17 STROBE CH27 STROBE CH157
DIMMER CH8…CH158: Acts as a virtual dimmer for the red, green and blue channel.
PAN CH9 PAN CH19 PAN CH29 PAN CH159
TILT CH10 TILT CH20 TILT CH30 TILT CH160
Reset to factory defaults
Operating
DMX controller
20