Third Party Devices

Please refer to the documentation supplied with the units for hardware details and installation instructions.

Project vs real third-party devices

The Network section is split into two sections: At the top is the list of project devices which may or may not be associated with real devices. Underneath is a list of all the unused real devices found on the network that have not been associated with project devices.

Managing Third Party Devices

To add and set the type of a third party device:

Before adding a third party remote device, ensure the corresponding project feature has been enabled.

Press the New Device button in the toolbar.
Select the manufacturer of the device you wish to add.
In the New Device dialog, select the manufacturer and device type.
Choose a number for the device.
Select the serial number of the device. Choose 'None' to configure as an unassociated project device.
Choose the device's parent controller.
Press Add, the third-party device will be added to the project (and associated to a real device if the chosen serial number is found on the network).

To delete a third party device:

Select the third-party device by clicking its row, the row will be highlighted.
Press the Delete button in the toolbar.
The third party device will be removed from the project and, if no longer associated at all, the real device will move to the bottom of the device table.

Third Party Device firmware

IMPORTANT: Third party device firmware The embedded operating system, stored in internal flash memory or on the memory card. may need to be updated if a new version of Designer software has been installed. Devices with incompatible firmware will be highlighted in red.

Consult the third party device's manual to find out how its firmware is updated.

Associating Third Party Devices

Third party devices must be associated with a controller in the project.

To associate a project third party device with a real device):

Note the third party device's serial number / MAC address, usually found on a label on the device.
Select the project third party device by clicking the left hand button, the row will highlight.
Select the correct device type and the desired number.
Select the third-party device's serial number from the pull-down menu of devices found on the network.
The real device will move from the unused list and fuse with the project device so completing the row details.

Once all your project third party devices have been associated with real devices you can configure them and upload to the Controllers for stand-alone operation.

Advatek PixLite Mk3 device properties

Select an Advatek PixLite Mk3 device in the Network table to view its properties. Hold Ctrl (Cmd) or Shift to select multiple devices and modify their common properties together.

Changes to these properties take effect following an Upload.

Device Properties

Configure the device's data source, pixel type, colour type, pixel frequency and resolution here. There are also controls to toggleExpanded mode and Hold last frame.

Port Properties

The section on the left lists each of the device's pixel ports. Select a port to view and configure its properties on the right. Hold Ctrl (Cmd) or Shift to select multiple ports and modify their properties together.

Patch Range displays the universe(s) and channel(s) required according the configuration set. If the required universes don't already exist, click Create Universes to add the required universes to the project's Patch.

From Patch, it's possible to automatically add fixtures according to the device's configuration.

Aux Port Properties

Configure the device's aux port, including its mode. DMX In enables Aux in as a Data source under Device Properties. DMX Out reveals properties including Source universe.

Actions

This section lists actions that can be performed with the selected device. These include configuration import / export and download. The selected device must be online for its configuration to be downloaded.