News

For a limited time only this summer, you can get a complete 36 channel version of LightFactory, Enttec's unique PC-based Lighting Control Software, along with a DMX to USB interface and a 5-pin Male to 5-pin Male XLR gender changer for only $147.40 inc GST!

LightFactory is a fully functional lighting desk on your PC, suitable for controlling conventional and moving fixtures alike. The 36 channel version includes all of LightFactory's popular features like the moving light libraries, effects engines, midi/timecode triggering and audio input. The only difference is it will only output 36 channels of DMX. Upgrades can be purchased to expand the output to up to 10 complete DMX universes.

Stocks are limited of this Special pack, so get in early. You can download a demo version of LightFactory from our website to try out for yourself today!
And when you're designing that Holiday show this year, don't forget Enttec have a great range of DMX recording and playback devices that are perfect for automatically running light shows.
Contact us for more information

Enttec are offering great trade-ins for your old DMX splitters from now until December 1st 2004.
Sorry, this offer is now closed.

Simply purchase any of the models in the Datagate range and send Enttec your old splitter to be eligible for the trade-in offer. As long as your DMX Splitter works, you can get up to $500 back on the purchase price of your Datagate.

The Datagate is the most versatile DMX/Ethernet tool available today, and is available in three models. The Datagate D is a DMX Splitter with one dedicated input and eight outputs, however the outputs can also be used as inputs, making it the most flexible DMX Splitter around. All the ports are opto-isolated up to 1500V, protecting your equipment from dangerous voltages, and the Datagate D is RDM/Talkback compatible. With a simple software upgrade, the Datagate D can be upgraded to the next model up, the Datagate DM.

The DM is a DMX Splitter and Merger, with the same flexibility in number of inputs and outputs as the Datagate D, but with the added functionality of an HTP/LTP merger. This is where the ability to configure the ports as either inputs or outputs starts to pay off, as you can take DMX streams from two or more control desks and merge them to the other ports on the Datagate, providing isolated splits of your new signal. You can configure the merge to be either HTP or LTP, change the mark time, adjust the refresh rate - just about anything you would ever need to do to get the DMX to behave the way you want it to!

The Datagate DM can also be upgraded to the full-blown model - the Datagate DME. The DME offers all the features outlined above with the added benefit of being a fully configurable Ethernet in/out node. You could send 8 universes of DMX from a Grand MA console, for example, via its Ethernet port to the Datagate DME and have 8 Opto-Isolated 5-pin outputs ready to go. You can even add a Rigger's Remote to the input connector on Port 8 and merge it with the signal coming from the desk!

Or, you could take two control desks with standard DMX outputs, merge their signals and send the combined DMX data through the Datagate's Ethernet port to a WLAN (wireless local area network) point and broadcast it to wherever you need DMX data. See our Enttec products pages for further details on using the Datagate and other Enttec Ethernet equipment for wireless DMX, and for advice on using the Datagate with the Grand MA range of consoles.

The Datagate is compatible with the Art-Net and ESP DMX-over-Ethernet protocols, as well as being compliant with RDM/Talkback bi-directional DMX.

The trade-in offer is only available until December 1 st, 2004. Trade-in amount varies dependent upon the model of Datagate that is purchased.

One week's notice to replicate one of the biggest television lighting rigs in Australia in a completely bare studio? No problem.

That was Resolution X's Managing Director, Tim Hall's reaction when Channel 7 threw him the challenge of getting the massive Deal or No Deal rig installed at Dockland's Central City Studios in Melbourne for a week of special shoots. "Actually, we only got 6 day's notice," points out Tim, "and it wasn't until we realised we would be replicating Channel 7's batten pipe grid on a bare RSJ grid that we realized exactly how big this job really was".

Big is an understatement. Deal or No Deal utilises more than 145 intelligent lights, on top of just over 100 conventional fixtures, run from two Grand MA consoles, making it probably the largest lighting rig in use on a daily television show in the country. The decision to shoot in Central City's Studio 5 meant creating a detailed truss grid to cover the 8000-foot space. The Studios have only recently opened, and Studio 5 is intended to be a dedicated television studio space with a motorised, programmable batten grid, but unfortunately for Tim, this is yet to be installed.

The 6 days notice Tim received had to include site surveys, adapting the existing design to suit the space, sourcing the extra equipment and staff required, installation, focus and programming. Channel Seven's own crew operate the show for the shoots.

Due to the scale of the installation, Showtech Rigging were called in to rig the grid and supply motors and extra truss. Showtech and Resolution X both have large stocks of Brown's Precision Welding's trusses, and they combined to supply the close to 500 metres of truss required.

Brown's new 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss was used to provide a 'mothergrid' of sorts, supporting the long spans of 300mm Tri Truss that made up the bulk of the grid. Over the main set, the high concentration of moving lights called for a heavier-duty truss. The high-grade aluminium couplers that Brown's use for their 400mm Box give it a great strength advantage over standard box trusses, making it ideal for this area.

In all, 320 metres of 300mm Tri Truss, 112 metres of 400mm Box Truss, and 66 metres of 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss was installed, hung from 50 Chain motors and blocks. Almost 3 Kilometres of power and data cables were used, along with 18 power distribution boards, 84 channels of dimmers, 10 data splitters (8 x 8-way, 2 x Matrix splitters), 67m of white cycs, and 2 MSR 1200 followspots.

Resolution X had 12 staff on site for two full days to assist Showtech's riggers with getting the truss in the air, and to rig and focus the lights. "It was a lot of work, but everyone pulled together really well," says Tim "and it actually ended up going a lot smoother than we had expected, especially given the timeframe".

Channel 7 were thrilled with the results, and will be airing the episodes shot at Central City later this year.

Enttec's new DMXPlayBack Remote makes controlling DMX light shows as simple as pressing a button.
You can even change the show with a TV remote!

Long-time Enttec users will be already be familiar with the DMXPlayBack Remote, which as the name suggests, is a Remote controller for Enttec's DMXPlayBack and DMXStreamer DMX show recorders. The PlayBackRemote gives one-touch control of up to 12 separate light shows, not just lighting states, stored in either the DMXPlayBack or the DMXStreamer.

The simple interface allows unskilled operators to change the light show to suit the occasion, simply by pressing the button that corresponds with the desired show. Buttons 1 - 6 will start light shows 1 - 6, and by holding down the shift key, shows 7 - 12 can be started. Pressing any of the keys will interrupt the currently running show and trigger the new show.

The new and improved version of this popular remote makes this process even simpler. The DMXPlayBack Remote now features a learning mode and an IR port, allowing it to be used with an Infra Red remote control. Simply program the buttons on the DMXPlayBack Remote to correspond with the desired buttons on your TV remote and changing light shows is as simple as changing a channel!

This makes the DMXPlayBack and DMXPlayBack Remote the perfect team for bars, cafes, trade show booths and retail environments, where some lighting control is required but a lighting operator is not justified.

Other features include front panel error/OK indicators, screw terminals on the rear for switch closure triggers of up to 6 light shows, rear mounted DB-9 connector for RS-232 interface to DMXPlayBack and DMXStreamer, and it does not require an external power source.

Enttec are proud to launch the DATAGATE, the latest in their range of DMX over Ethernet equipment, and possibly the most versatile DMX/Ethernet tool on the market today.

The Datagate is essentially a DMX Splitter, a DMX Merger, and a DMX to Ethernet node all wrapped up into one package. It has an Ethernet port, which acts as an input or an output, as well as 8 DMX ports, any of which can be configured as an input or an output.

This allows the Datagate to be configured to distribute up to 8 DMX Universes from its Ethernet input, or, to take a common application, accept 4 Universes via Ethernet and distribute each to 2 optically isolated DMX outputs.

The Datagate can also accept standard DMX inputs and merge or copy them to the other 5-pin DMX outputs, or the Ethernet port. Merging can be configured as HTP or LTP, and the configuration can vary from port to port.

To ensure you don't pay for features you don't need yet, the Datagate is available in 3 models. The first (Datagate D) allows it to operate like a standard DMX splitter. If you want merging, you can purchase a software upgrade to the Datagate DM. Then, when you need the Ethernet capabilities, you can upgrade to the Datagate DME.

Some of the other features of the Datagate are easy wireless DMX links (using 3rd party wireless LAN access points), opto-isolation between DMX ports, and it is ArtNet compliant and RDM (talkback) ready.

Brown's Precision Welding Launch New Stacking Truss

Brown's Precision Welding are proud to announce the launch of a brand new product for 2004, the 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss. Designed to save space and support high loads, the new 500mm Stacking Truss will prove to be a favourite amongst venues, hire companies, production houses - anywhere space or transport costs are an issue!

Truss stacked on dolly Brown's 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss is 500mm centre to centre on the bottom chords, and only 250mm centre to centre on the top chords. The bottom chords are braced using removable snap-lock bracing bars, allowing truss sections to be stacked one on top of the other, saving huge amounts of truck and storage space.

For example, 8 x 3 metre sections of the truss can be stacked on a dolly, with the total height being only 2050mm, and the width approximately 550mm (including dolly). In standard trucks, this would allow 4 dollys to be stored side-by-side, putting 32 sections of 500mm truss into only 3m of truck space!

Braces stowed for transport Because it is so easy to transport, Brown's 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss is perfect for small shows, but is also designed with large shows in mind. It can support a massive 6,096 Kilograms point-load over a 3m span, and 7,706 Kilograms uniform distributed load over 3m! That's actually more than the standard 500mm Box Truss! This enormous weight loading allows the Stacking Truss to be used for 18 metre spans while still supporting useful loads. Full engineering specifications are available upon request.

Setting up the 500mm Alloy Stacking Truss is a breeze. One person can wheel 8 sections of 3m truss into the venue, thanks to the dolly, saving time and your loader's backs! Once it is in position, the bracing bars (stored in the top of the truss) can be quickly accessed and put into place. At the end of the night, the braces are stored in the top of the truss for transport.

The coupler system used to connect the truss makes setting up quick and easy, and no spanners are required. A full range of accessories including corners, gates, bases and dollies are also available.

A lot of stacking truss in a moderate sized van

Resolution X and Enttec Bring Christmas to Melbourne

December saw Resolution X install a record NINE separate Christmas lighting displays in various locations all over Melbourne.

Resolution X have been designing and installing Christmas lighting displays since Tim Hall started the company, back in 1998. Over the years their reputation for delivering innovative displays on-time and on-budget has seen the number of Christmas clients steadily grow, with many commissioning multiple installations in separate locations. 2003's bumper crop of nine installations ranged from the kilometre-long Burke Road, Camberwell display to a single tree in Victoria Gardens, Prahran.

Many of these shows were run from Enttec's DMXPlayBack , a compact DMX show recorder, which can be configured to either start a particular show on power-up, and loop through until the power is turned off again, or up to 26 different shows can be triggered via RS232.

By far the largest installation, the Burke Road, Camberwell show featured giant custom-built panels depicting various Christmas scenes and characters, built by Russell Brebner, one of Resolution X's Production Managers, and painted by Vicky Pratt, a freelance artist Resolution X have relied upon for many years. The lighting ranged from Clay Paky Golden Scan HPE's in weatherproof enclosures and Studio Due City Colors, to over three Kilometres of 'Stargazer', a 24 volt decorative festoon. Three Enttec DMXPlaybacks were used in various locations to control the enormous display. In all, over 350 hours were spent installing the display, and more than 150 hours were spent in planning, preparation and manufacture by the Resolution X staff.

One of the simpler installations was the Melbourne City Square Christmas Tree. By adding six Par 64 cans, a dimmer and an Enttec DMXPlayback to the existing decorative lighting, the tree was brought to life with a simple, elegant and effective show.

Tim Hall, Managing Director and founder of Resolution X, says "The DMXPlaybacks are invaluable for this type of work. The ability to pre-program the shows in our factory saved us hours of on-site work which could only have been carried out late at night, which saves a lot of overtime payments! They also free up our consoles, which means they are free to do the corporate functions that make up our core business."

All up, eight Enttec DMXPlaybacks were used, along with 6 x Clay Paky Goldenscan HPEs, 4 x Studio Due City Colors, 93 x Par cans (64s, 56s, 46s, 16s & Rays), 46 x QIs, 72 channels of dimmers, 85 x strobes, over 3,700 metres of low-voltage festoon, more than 5,000 metres of 240v cabling and a multitude of transformers, gobos, weatherproof enclosures and other accessories were installed across the nine sites.

Melbourne's Crown Casino Atrium has been transformed into a massive automated Christmas spectacular.

Stage One Promotions, Bytecraft and Lightmoves have worked together to put in place the largest animatronic Christmas display in the world, with Production Manager Sam Redston co-ordinating their efforts.

Using the well-known Atrium at Melbourne's Crown Casino, Crown's Creative Services Manager, Christian Wagner, worked with John Kerr of Stage One Promotions to design the annual display, while Bytecraft's Special Effects department were charged with overseeing the lightshow, which was programmed by Megafun's Keith Tucker.

The centrepiece of this year's display is the giant clock (pictured), which is suspended below the Atrium's crystals, and is lowered and raised during the show. The clock face also tells patrons when the next show is due to start, so it had to attract attention.

Martin's Cyclo colour-changing fluorescent fittings backlight the clock face, with control via DMX from one of Crown's Wholehog consoles. Getting DMX cabling to the centre piece, as well as the stand-alone carousel, would be difficult so George Nejtek, from Bytecraft Special Effects, decided to investigate the possibility of using wireless DMX links to overcome the cabling issues.

Martin Cyclos change the colour of the clock face

Joe Casamento and Andrew Sherar from Lightmoves worked closely with the Bytecraft Special Effects department to determine the best way of achieving the DMX link. 8 of Enttec's DMX Ethergate Mark 2 were chosen, due to their ability to interact with off-the-shelf wireless Ethernet equipment, which keeps the overall cost to a minimum and provides a reliable wireless link. The fact that the units can be re-configured as either inputs or outputs quickly and easily made them even more attractive for Bytecraft, as they could be re-used throughout the Casino for other events during the year.

Sam Redston describes the DMX Ethergates as "wonderful boxes" whose plug-and-play operation made the wireless links very simple to implement. He says the initial concerns held by some of the team, such as interference from existing networks within Crown and the four elevator shafts with data and power risers in the core of the building, have proven unfounded as the DMX Ethergates have worked flawlessly since their installation.

The Christmas Spectacular at Crown runs every fifteen minutes from 9am until Midnight daily, until January 4th, 2004.

Balanced Technology is proud to add to our accessories collection new Australian-made one-piece 5- pin to 3-pin DMX Adaptors.

Many different manufacturers have produced fixtures that utilise a 3-pin XLR connector for DMX connections, despite the standard being 5-pin XLR's. This has led to many man-hours being spent soldering and stripping cables to make adaptors of various descriptions. But now, in the interests of reducing the national intake of solder fumes, Balanced Technology are now offering a ready-made solution.

Made in Melbourne, these adaptors are available as 3-pin Male to 5-pin Female or 5- pin Male to 3-pin Female. The standard configuration is wired as a "straight through" connection, allowing for use with most major brands that utilise 3-pin DMX connectors, such as High End Systems and Martin. Phase-reversed adaptors are available upon request, and are compatible with early Martin equipment and others that utilise pin 3 as the positive signal connector.

The single piece construction is custom made for these fittings, making them sleek and unobtrusive. And Balanced Technology can ship to most destinations overnight, so why bother pulling out the cable strippers and solder?

Enttec's DMXEthergates have been available for around 4 years, and have proven to be robust and reliable DMX to Ethernet converters. With the release of the new DMXEthergate Mk2, the versatility of this fantastic unit has increased even further.

One of the biggest changes is that the DMXEthergate Mk2 can be used as either an INPUT (DMX to Ethernet) or an OUTPUT (Ethernet to DMX), almost at the flick of a switch. The front panel dip switches allow you to configure the unit as an INPUT or an OUTPUT, and the DMX connectors on the back can be swapped with the handy Connector Modules - no soldering required!

As with the Mark 1, the DMXEthergate Mk2 operates in two modes - plug & play, and configured. However, both modes have been significantly improved on the new model. Plug & Play operation gives you access to up to 6 universes of DMX straight out of the box - just by setting the dipswitches on the front.

Configured mode gives you access to up to 256 Universes of DMX in a single Ethernet network. By dialling in through any web browser, you can access the DMXEthergate Mk2's in-built webpage to set IP addresses, change universes, configure the DMX connectors - all from your notebook or PC! The in-built webpage means you no longer need to download the GateConfig software before you can get started.

Littlite LED, the coolest Littlite yet, has finally arrived in Australia. The latest addition to the well-known Littlite range, the Littlite LED utilizes a combination of white and red LED's to deliver a soft white glow over a wide area, without the usual cold LED look.

Some of the many features of the new LED version include low heat, low power consumption (less than 100 milliamps at 12 volts), long life (LED module rated at over 5000 hours) shock and vibration resistant, and selectable red-only output on lampsets, for unobtrusive use.

Fully compatible with all standard lighting and audio consoles, the Littlite LED simply plugs in where your old Littlite used to go, with no adjustments required. And because the hoods are permanently fixed in place, replacement O-rings and lost hoods are a thing of the past.

LED's draw little power and generate very little heat, making the Littlite LED perfect for use on Lecturns and other equipment that is accessed by clients and the public. With a two-year warranty on the LED module, and a lifetime warranty on the mechanicals, the Littlite LED will keep on keeping on through scores of shows or hires to come.

Of course, the standard Littlite range will continue to be available. With its wide range of models and connectors, and a full line of spare parts, it's no wonder that Littlite gooseneck lamps have been the industry standard for so long!