Strand Lighting Specification
I.Premiere Control System
A.System Overview
1.System shall be a microprocessor based fully integrated lighting control system, utilizing digital communications between remote stations, the central processor and the load control devices (dimmers, relays, and DMX-512 controlled equipment) as required.
B.Central processor:
1.General
a.The processor shall be responsible for the configuration, supervision and operation of the lighting control system. Control local area networks (C-LAN’s) connecting remote control stations shall originate from the central processor.
b.C-LAN’s shall provide a communication and low voltage power path between the central processor and the control stations.
c.All control functions, stored dimmer intensity levels (presets) and label information shall be resident in the processor unit.
d.All data including current operational status shall be protected from power disruption by battery back-up for a period of 30 days.
e.Off-line storage shall be via a 3.5” MS-DOS compatible disk drive which is integral to the central processor.
f.The disk drive shall also be used for transferring the system configuration to and from a PC based configuration program which operates in Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or Windows 95. (Windows and Windows 95 are registered Trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation).
2.Capacities
a.The central processor shall allow a maximum of 128 control channels, which can be soft patched to a maximum of 512 dimmers, relays, or DMX-512 controlled equipment. The control signal to the dimmers shall be multiplexed in either AMX-192 or DMX-512. The processor shall have two separate AMX-192 outputs each supporting 192 dimmers giving a maximum 384. The DMX-512 output shall support the full complement of 512 devices. The multiplex format shall be switch selectable at the processor. The dimming system must include appropriate demultiplexers if required.
b.Each C-LAN shall support up to 16 control stations.
c.A maximum of 4 C-LAN’s shall be connected to a central processor giving a maximum total of 64 control stations.
3.Interconnection
a.Each C-LAN shall be connected to the control stations as a “daisy chain” using Belden 9773 cable. It shall be permissible to “star” configure up to 4 cables per C-LAN at the processor only, providing the total amount of cable connected on each C-LAN does not exceed 1000ft (300 m).
b.It shall be possible to change control stations at any location on a C-LAN without requiring additional wiring or alterations to the wiring specification, except when more than two LCD Display Stations are required. When more than two of these stations are required on a C-LAN, an additional run of Belden 9740 cable shall be required for power from that location to the processor. The data line shall be common to all control stations on the C-LAN.
4.External Control
a.The processor shall have a DMX-512 input to enable connection of a lighting control console to control processor channels on a “pile on” or “replace” basis (determined for each channel during the configuration procedure). When recording a preset, the combination of control from the processor and any remote console will be recorded.
b.It shall be possible to patch each processor channel to correspond to one of the first 128 dimmer channels of the incoming DMX 512 signal.
5.Mechanical
a.The central processor shall be mounted in a stand alone enclosure or supplied for mounting in a 19” electronics rack by others. The processor stand alone enclosure shall be 21” (534mm) wide x 17.75” (451mm) high x 10” (254mm) deep, constructed of 16 gauge (1.63mm) steel finished in powder coat grey paint.
b.The enclosure shall have a rolled edge lockable door. The enclosure shall be convection cooled, with ventilation provided by louvers on each side of the enclosure. Cable access shall be through the top of the enclosure only.
6.Electrical
a.The central processor shall incorporate a power supply with voltage tappings to allow for a mains supply of: 110/120, 220, 230/240 Volts ac, 47 to 63 Hertz line frequency.
b.The system clock shall operate independent of line frequency.
7.Network Manager Interface
a.The Central Processor shall have a digital communications link, patch selectable between RS232 or RS485 protocols, for communication with the Network Manager Computer.
b.RS232 shall be used for connecting a single Processor to the RS232 port of the Network Manager Computer over limited cable distances. (A cable fitted with 9 way D-type connectors shall be supplied with the Network Manager software for this purpose). The Processor shall have a panel mounted 9 way D-type connector for local RS232 connection with the PC.
c.RS485 shall be used for applications requiring simultaneous control of more than one central processor, more than one computer, or distributed control points throughout the building. Under these conditions the computer shall require an RS232 to RS485 converter and appropriate cabling to connect with the distributed RS485 Receptacle Stations fitted with six-pin XLR female connectors.
d.The central processor shall have a panel mounted six-pin XLR connector for local RS485 connection with the PC.
e.The maximum cable run between the Network Manager Computer(s) and the Processor(s) shall be 1000ft (300m) for RS485 using Belden 9841, and approximately 50ft (15m) for RS232 using Belden 8777.Cable must be daisy chained only, no star configurations shall be permitted.
C.Configuration Software
1.General
a.Completely flexible system configuration. It shall be possible to alter the existing system configuration via floppy disk transfer.
b.An astronomical clock, capable of being programmed to any location in the world. The clock shall be able to execute up to 600 daily, weekly or date specific events at fixed times, or offset relative to sunset and sunrise.
c.The 128 control channels shall be divided across a number of rooms up to a maximum of 32.
d.Each room shall be capable of having any combination or quantity of control stations.
e.It shall be possible to change stations at any location by replacing it with a different station type, and modifying the processor’s configuration file accordingly.
f.Each room shall be able to have two active presets or loops fading at a time. This shall enable an area to have an effect running on selected circuits while a preset level is maintained on the remainder, or two effects running simultaneously.
g.Each room shall have 128 presets available, regardless of the number of rooms or number of channels within each room. Presets shall be selected from control stations, or shall be “played back” automatically by time clock events. Each preset shall have its own programmable fade, delay and hold time and may be linked for sequential playback in a single sequence, or in a continuous loop if required.
h.Programmable delay, fade and hold times shall be either in the range 0.1 second to 30 minutes with 0.1 second resolution; or from 30 minutes to 9 hours with 1 second resolution.
i.It shall be possible to allocate a name or label to every channel, room, dimmer, preset and group in the system. Such labels shall be of 11 alpha numeric characters (7 characters for channel names), and shall appear on the PC configuration screen, on control stations with LCD displays or on a PC running the Network Manager software.
j.During system configuration, 256 pre-programmed labels shall be available for assignment. In addition, up to 256 custom labels may be created and assigned.
k.It shall be possible during system configuration to create Macros that carry out a sequence of standard system commands. It shall be possible to execute these Macros from any control station pushbutton or remote input or, automatically, using the astronomical time clock. Up to 800 Macro steps can be written and shall allow system wide control from the point of execution.
l.It shall be possible to assign any of the system commands to any station pushbutton, external device interface input, timeclock event, or Macro step.
m.In cases where an area is to be divisible for separate or combined control, it shall be possible to combine the constituent rooms either manually or with automatic partition switches in 2 modes depending on how channels are configured to link. In the “Join” mode, each room shall maintain its own presets, levels and channels. “Joining” simply coordinates the selection of presets within the combined rooms from any control station within those rooms. The “link” mode shall allow channels to be linked together, with preset levels being those of the designated master room.
n.The system shall have 16 Groups to which any or all control channels can be allocated. It shall be possible to assign any pushbutton or remote input to control any one of these groups, in a full ‘On’ or ‘Off’ fashion.
o.The processor shall support a fully flexible patch with the ability to assign multiple dimmers for control from a single channel, or a single dimmer for control from multiple channels.
p.Each dimmer channel shall be assigned one of 9 pre-programmed dimmer curves. It shall be possible to assign a dimmer channel as a non-dim for controlling contactors or relays.
q.Each dimmer channel shall have a dimmer curve Scaling Factor and an Upper and Lower Level setting defined during configuration.
D.Control Stations
1.Mechanical
a.The control station face plates shall be free of visible fasteners and shall be of aesthetic appearance.
b.Station face plates shall be fabricated of 0.025” (0.64mm) aluminum with an aluminum die cast trim frame.
c.Control stations shall be supplied in a off-white powder coat paint finish. Control station legends shall be printed in grey.
d.On control stations with sliders, the sliders shall have 1.75” (45mm) travel with grey slider knobs.
e.Control station push buttons shall have grey button caps with long life red LED linear array indicators.
2.Operation
a.All control stations shall have a unique address between 1 and 16 set via a rotary switch mounted on the back of the station.
b.The type of station and its address shall be identified in the system configuration software to match the physical layout of the C-LAN’s, except the Audio Visual Interface which resides at a specific address (17) on a C-LAN. Each C-LAN will support a maximum of one Audio Visual Interface.
c.A control station may consist of up to 16 LED’s, 16 push-buttons and 16 sliders. Over 30 different control functions shall be available for allocation during configuration to each pushbutton, slider or remote input.
d.Control functions for each station shall be assigned to the pushbuttons and sliders on templates. There shall be 16 of these templates per control station which can be recalled via the appropriate control function, Macro or automatically using the astronomical time clock.
e.It shall be possible for a station to be assigned to a different room on each template.
3.Installation
a.2 gang and larger control stations require flush mounted masonry (“ears-in”) back boxes, with a minimum depth of 3.5” (90mm). Back boxes must be grounded/earthed in accordance with local wiring practices to provide a discharge path to ground for static electricity.
b.Single gang control stations require a standard 4” square J-box (i.e. Raco #231), a 4” square extension (i.e. Raco #203) of sufficient depth to increase the overall mounting depth to a minimum 3.5” (90mm), and a 1 gang reducer ring with an inside opening of at least 2.94”H (76mm) x 1.98”W (51mm)
c.Control stations shall be supplied complete with a sub-plate which is screwed to the flush mounting back box with the screws provided. The sub-plate allows the control station to be hinged into position and secured with hexagonal set screws on the bottom edge of the trim ring.
d.1/16" (1.6mm) Allen key shall be provided with each station.
e.It shall not be necessary to remove button caps or sliders, or to disassemble the control station for installation
f.C-LAN terminations shall be via a screw-terminal plug and socket to facilitate removing a control station while maintaining the continuity of the C-LAN.
E.Command Station
1.Specific Features
a.It shall be possible to record and recall up to 128 presets per room. Up to 32 rooms can be addressed. It shall be possible to play back presets on 2 separate faders simultaneously in each room. The active preset number and label shall appear in the 16 character LCD display.
b.A channel or group of channels may be called up on the numerical keypad and set using the RAISE and LOWER buttons, or set digitally using the keypad.
c.The LCD display shall show channel number, label and channel level on a scale of 00% -99%.
d.Grouping of channels may be accomplished using the AND and THRU commands.
e.The Command Station shall be capable of setting fade, delay and hold times for each displayed in 24 hour notation.
f.The Command Station shall be able to lockout the record facility and/or all functions of individual stations. It shall be possible to preview the current lockout status of any station.
g.The Command Station shall enable programming of the astronomical time clock for current time, date, sunrise and latitude for use within the events programming facilities within the Configuration Software or Network Manager
F.LCD Display Station
1.Specific Features
a.The 2200 Display Station shall have a 16 line, 16 character backlit LCD display which shall display menu options for preset recall and preset modification.
b.The LCD display shall label the current function assignments of 8 adjacent pushbuttons. Preset and channel labels entered during the configuration process will be displayed when in the Preset and Channel menus.
c.Four pushbuttons shall provide cursor control, increment and decrement functions to enable fade, delay and hold times to be entered and channel levels to be raised and lowered prior to recording.
G.Slider with Pushbutton Stations
1.Specific Features
a.Each station shall have a MANUAL (Take Control) button which shall give control to the manually operated channel sliders.
b.An OFF button shall also be provided where OFF represents one of the 128 presets in the room to which the station is assigned. The preset recalled by the OFF button shall be programmed using the configuration software.
c.Stations shall be available with 3, 6, 9, 12 or 15 sliders plus a proportional master. It shall be possible to allocate several channels within a room to a single slider.
d.Channels not allocated to a slider shall either go out or remain at the previously selected preset level when MANUAL is selected according to the configuration software.
e.A maximum of 48 channels can be allocated to a single slider or in total across a slider station.
f.Each station shall have a RECORD button which will allow the current slider settings to be recorded into one of the presets available from the local pushbuttons. Fade, Hold and Delay times for these presets will remain unchanged by this record action.
g.Each slider station shall have 16 templates. It shall be possible to have different pushbutton control assignments, a different assignment of channels to sliders, and a different room under control in each template.
h.Within each room, MANUAL buttons can be configured to operate on a “last action takes precedence basis” where recalling a preset or pressing another MANUAL or TAKE CONTROL button will cancel the current selection. During the configuration procedure it shall be possible to select “Override” mode for each room. In this mode an active MANUAL button can be canceled by toggle action. It shall be possible to define whether channels fade to the OFF preset or return to the previously selected preset when TAKE CONTROL is canceled.
H.Slider with take-control stations
1.Specific Features
a.Each station shall have a TAKE CONTROL button which shall give control to the manually operated channel sliders.
b.ON and OFF buttons shall also be provided where ON and OFF each represent one of the 128 presets in the room to which the station is assigned. The presets recalled by the ON and OFF buttons shall be programmed using the configuration software.
c.Each station may have up to 15 sliders plus a proportional master. It shall be possible to allocate several channels within a room to a single slider. Channels not allocated to a slider shall either go out or remain at the previously selected preset level when “Take Control” is selected according to the configuration software.
d.A maximum of 48 channels can be allocated to a single slider or in total across a slider station.
e.Each slider station shall have 16 templates. It shall be possible to have a different channel to slider assignment, and control different rooms in each template.
f.Within each room, TAKE CONTROL buttons can be configured to operate on a “last action takes precedence basis” where recalling a preset or pressing another TAKE CONTROL will cancel the current selection. During the configuration procedure it shall be possible to select “Override” mode for each room. In this mode an active TAKE CONTROL button can only be canceled by toggle action. It shall be possible to define whether channels fade to the OFF preset or return to the previously selected preset when TAKE CONTROL is canceled.
I.pushbutton stations
1.Specific Features
a.The standard configuration for all pushbutton stations shall be entrance stations with a combination of ON, OFF and preset recall pushbuttons.
b.Each station shall have up to 16 templates. It shall be possible to have different pushbutton assignments in each template.
J.Programmable Preset Station
1.Specific Features
a.The station shall have 8 pushbuttons for preset recall. PRESET RAISE and PRESET LOWER buttons shall be provided for increasing or decreasing the level of all channels recorded at levels above zero in the selected preset.
b.A SET LEVEL button shall be provided to change the function of the station from preset to channel selection. Channels can be individually selected for level modification using the RAISE and LOWER buttons. Pressing SET LEVEL a second time shall record the current lighting levels in the selected preset, and return the station to preset mode.
K.‘Smart Jack’ Receptacle Station
1.Specific Features
a.The Smart Jack Station shall have a communications-quality 5-pin XLR socket for connecting a portable station.
b.When using a portable Command Station, the Smart Jack shall have the ability to identify the location of the portable station to eliminate the need for the operator to enter the local room number.
c.A Smart Jack shall be configured to represent the station that is to be plugged into it. Thus it shall not be possible to plug different models of station into a single Jack.
d.The Smart Jack shall inhibit the function of the rotary address switch on the portable station such that a single portable station can be connected to correspondingly configured jacks.