How to use Heads and RGB Matrix

[Brian Ely]

Hi Massimo

I watched tutorial 3 last night (well done by the way) and thought I'd try the final bit you mentioned about 'Heads' and 'RGB Martix' on the KAM Party Bar definition I upload for you some time back.

If you remember you'll see that it's a 4 head LED bar with 15 channels;
CH1 - Sound / Effects
CH2 - Dimmer / Intensity
CH3 - Strobe / Shutter
CH4 - Head 1 / Intensity - Red
CH5 - Head 1 / Intensity - Green
CH6 - Head 1 / Intensity - Blue
CH7 - Head 2 / Intensity - Red
CH8 - Head 2 / Intensity - Green
CH9 - Head 2 / Intensity - Blue
CH10 - Head 3 / Intensity - Red
CH11 - Head 3 / Intensity - Green
CH12 - Head 3 / Intensity - Blue
CH13 - Head 4 / Intensity - Red
CH14 - Head 4 / Intensity - Green
CH15 - Head 4 / Intensity - Blue

It has one mode called 'Normal' and I have now defined 4 heads in that mode;

Head 1 = CH4 + CH5 + CH6
Head 2 = CH7 + CH8 + CH9
Head 3 = CH10 + CH11 + CH12
Head 4 = CH13 + CH14 + CH15

They actual show on screen (for some reason - maybe a bug?) as;

Head 1 (3,4,5)
Head 2 (6,7,8)
Head 3 (9,10,11)
Head 4 (12,13,14)

Anyway, I've set up a new/blank workspace, added in this Fixture, created a Fixture Group for it (4 wide / 1 high) and then set up an RGB Matrix function using Red as the colour (and having to select 'text' for some reason).

Having done this I don't get any output on my lights when I choose "Test Run" !

BUT, if I go into the 'Simple Desk' tab and bring up the slider for CH2 (Dimmer / Intensity) I have output !

This can't be by design so is it a 'bug'? (or have I misunderstood how it works?)

Cheers

Brian

[Jano Svitok]

Hi,

it's probable the RGB Matrix just sets the colors, not intensity. Sometimes it's convenient
to control the intensity separately, and sometimes it's convenient to have the matrix adjust intensity automatically.

I will check the source tonight if Massimo doesn't answer your question faster.

[Massimo Callegari]

@Brian: Yeah, you need to raise the dimmer channel. Nothing wrong about it.
@Jano: not sure but there might be bars with no dimmer channel, so in the RGB matrix terminology, "intensity" corresponds to RGB channels and not to the dimmer channel.
At least right now...

[George Qualley]

@Massimo

There are bars (well, fixtures at least) that have multiple heads with no master dimmer. I have one and it's quite a pain.

[Brian Ely]

Hi ya,

Thanks for the quick replies..

I kinda guessed that the way to do it (if using a virtual console) was to assign a button to the RGB matrix and then a separate slider control (or maybe a button) to control the intensity channel (CH2 in this case).

BTW. There's a small cosmetic display bug in the fixture editor

I guess you're using a zero based array in your logic/XML and so when showing channels by 'name' you're adding an offset of 1 to the stored channel so for example stored channel 0 is shown in the editor as "Channel 1".

However, in the heads section you choose the channels by name "Channel 4, Channel 5 and Channel 6" for example but the screen then shows the head as (3,4,5) rather than (4,5,6).

See attached screen shot.

Cheers

Brian

[Massimo Callegari]

Exactly Brian, one button for the Matrix and one slider for the dimmer.
Yeah, I noticed that display issue and it can be confusing. I'll add the +1 on the code.
In any case the important thing is that the heads work anyway

[Brian Ely]

Cool - Here's my new definition file with the Heads defined.

Thx for you help - Like the new version BTW!