3rd Edition

Automated Lighting The Art and Science of Moving and Color-Changing Lights

By Richard Cadena Copyright 2018
    554 Pages
    by Routledge

    554 Pages
    by Routledge

    Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving and Color-Changing Lights, Third Edition (formerly Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Light) continues to be the most trusted text for working and aspiring lighting professionals. Now in its third edition, it has been fully updated to reflect the vast changes in stage and studio luminairies—including LEDs, switch-mode power supplies, optics, networking, Ethernet-based protocols like Art-Net and sACN, wireless DMX, and much more. Its written in clear, easy-to-understand language and includes enough detailed information to benefit for the most experienced technicians, programmers, and designers. Additional content and resources are provided at the author's website www.automatedlighting.pro.

    Acknowledgements

    Preface

    Section 1: Introduction

    Chapter 1 Stage Lighting in the Third Millennium

    Stage lighting Technology

    Wait, What Just Happened?

    Chapter 2 Foundations

    The Genesis of the Automated Lighting Industry

    Synchronicity

    "If We Can Make It Change Color . . ."

    The Black Hole

    For Sale: Automated Lighting

    Sue Me, Sue You Blues

    The Future of Stage Lighting

    Chapter 3 Stage Lighting Systems Overview

    Systems Overview

    Rigging Systems

    Aluminum Structures

    Theatrical Rigging

    Rigging Hardware

    Power Distribution Systems

    The Supply

    Disconnect Switch

    Feeder Cable

    Distribution Panels and Portable Power Distribution Units (PPDUs)

    Overcurrent Protection

    Dimmers

    Branch Circuits or Final Circuits

    Connectors

    Worldwide Electrical Safety and Wiring Codes

    Compliance

    Wire Gauges

    Data Distribution Systems

    Data Cables

    Data Splitters

    Data Amplifiers

    Gateways

    Data Terminators

    Ring Protection

    DMX Connectors

    Control Systems

    Lighting Controllers

    PC-Based Controllers

    Dedicated Controllers

    Playback Units

    Remote Focus Units

    Preset Stations

    Media Servers

    Redundant Backup and Automatic Failover Systems

    Luminaires

    Electrical Systems

    Electronic Systems

    Electromechanical Systems

    Mechanical Systems

    Optical Systems

    Communications Systems

    SECTION 2 Electricity and Electronics

    Chapter 4 Circuits

    Electrical Current, Voltage, Resistance, Power, and Energy

    Circuits

    Current Convention

    Water and Electricity—Bad Mix, Good Analogy

    Ohm’s Law

    Practice Problems

    Reactance

    Impedance

    DC Power

    Practice Problems

    Power Factor

    AC Power

    Apparent Power

    Practice Problems

    Answers to Practice Problems

    Chapter 5 Electrical Planning and Preparation

    Laying Out the Lighting System

    Circuiting

    Connectors

    Chapter 6 Power Supplies

    Arc Lamp Power Supplies

    Switch-Mode Power Supplies

    Rectification and Filtering

    Pulse-Width Modulation

    Voltage Transformation

    Transformer Taps

    High Frequency Filtering

    Feedback

    Power Factor

    Pros and Cons of SMPSs

    Magnetic Ballast Power Supplies

    LED Drivers

    LED Connections

    Lamp Control

    EMI Filtering

    Lamp Cutoff Switch

    Chapter 7 Overcurrent, Overvoltage, and Overtemperature Protection

    Electric Fuses

    Fuse Ratings

    Voltage Rating

    Speed of Operation

    Temperature Sensing and Thermal Protection

    Surge Suppression

    Voltage Clamping Devices

    Chapter 8 Digital Electronics

    Binary Numbering

    Practice Problems

    Offsets

    DIP-Switch Conventions

    Practice Problems

    Hexadecimal Numbers

    Practice Problems

    Digital Electronics

    The First Computer Bug

    Electronic Switching

    Data Transmission

    Chapter 9 Digital Hardware and Software

    The Central Processing Unit

    Memory

    Firmware

    Firmware Updates

    Section 3 Electro-Mechanical and Mechanical Systems

    Chapter 10 Electro-Mechanical Systems

    Stepper Motors

    Hybrid Stepper Motors

    Single Phase Excitation Mode

    Dual-Phase Excitation Mode

    Half Step Excitation

    Microstepping

    Resonance

    Stepper Motor Control Systems

    Position Sensing and Encoding

    Mechanical Stops

    Optical Sensing

    Hall Effect Sensors

    Position Encoding

    Quadrature Encoding

    Absolute Encoding

    Chapter 11 Mechanical Systems

    Materials

    Aluminum

    Stainless Steel

    Plastics

    Glass

    Fused Quartz

    Optical glass

    Metal Finishes

    Fasteners

    Thread Standards

    Preventing Vibrational Loosening

    Gears

    Belts

    Section 4 Optical Systems

    Chapter 12 Light Sources

    The Visible Spectrum

    Color Temperature

    Green/Magenta Balance

    Color Rendering

    Color Quality Scale

    TM-30

    Luminous Efficacy

    Lumen Depreciation

    Lamp Life Ratings

    LED Operation

    Color LEDs

    White Light LEDs

    Multi-Color LEDs

    LED Light Engines

    LED Binning

    Gas Arc Lamps

    Arc Lamp Anatomy

    Starting an arc Lamp

    Hot Restrike Lamps

    The Effects of Lamp Strikes

    Testing Arc Lamps

    Arc Lamp Spectral Distribution

    Arc Lamp Hazards

    Proper Disposal of Arc Lamps

    Mercury Spills

    Incandescent Lamps

    Incandescence

    Gas Fill

    Halogen Lamps

    Dimming Incandescent Lamps

    Lamp Handling Precautions

    Lamp Cooling

    Heat Sinks

    Fans

    Active Cooling

    Chapter 13 The Optical Path

    Specular Reflection

    LED Primary Optics

    Conventional Reflector Geometry

    Parabolic Reflectors

    Elliptical Reflectors

    Spherical Reflectors

    Reflector Materials

    Ultraviolet and Infrared Filters

    Optical Thin-Film Filters

    The Deposition Process

    Thin-Film Interference

    Filter Types

    Color Wheels

    Subtractive Color Mixing

    Additive Color Mixing

    Color Temperature Correction

    Gobos

    Metal Gobos

    Glass Gobos

    Diffusion

    Iris

    Animation Effects

    Beam Shapers

    Framing Shutters

    Effects

    Secondary Lenses

    Spherical Aberrations

    Chromatic Aberration

    Anti-Reflective Coatings

    First Surface Mirrors

    Section 5 Communications

    Chapter 14 DMX

    The DMX Physical Layer

    The Transceiver

    Data Cable

    DMX Over CAT 5

    DMX Connectors

    Building a DMX Data Network

    Data Termination

    Self-Terminating Fixtures

    Wireless DMX

    DMX512-A Data Protocol

    Bidirectional Communication

    Chapter 15 Remote Device Management (RDM)

    RDM Overview

    The RDM Physical Layer

    RDM Discovery

    RDM Get and Set Commands

    Practical RDM

    Chapter 16 Ethernet-Based Lighting Control

    Ethernet

    Types of Ethernet

    Ethernet Cabling

    Transmission Distances

    Network Switches

    IP Addresses

    Routable Versus Non-Routable IP Addresses

    Subnet Masks

    DHCP

    Art-Net

    Streaming ACN (sACN)

    DMX Universe Capability

    Troubleshooting Ethernet-Based Protocols

    Section 6 Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair

    Chapter 17 Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair

    Precautions and Hazards

    Shock Protection

    Eye and Skin Protection

    Common Sources of Failure: Heat, Shock, Age

    Fixture Test

    Error Logs

    Lamp Replacement and Alignment

    Calibration

    Updating Software

    Preventive Maintenance

    Visual Inspection

    Internal Cleaning

    Cleaning Fans and Filters

    Cleaning the Optics

    Housekeeping

    Lubrication

    Spare Parts

    Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting Procedures

    Fixture Won’t Power Up

    Fixture Won’t Respond to DMX Control Signal

    Fixture Won’t Respond to Ethernet-based Control Signal (Art-Net or sACN)

    Lamp Won’t Strike

    General Troubleshooting Procedures

    Common Failures

    Printed Circuits Boards

    Motor Drive Chips

    Power Supplies

    Power Factor Correction Capacitors

    Fasteners

    Sensors

    Section 7 Lighting Console Setup and Programming

    Chapter 18 Lighting Console and FOH Setup

    Power Requirements

    Uninterruptable Power Supplies

    Physical Configuration

    Console Configuration Settings

    Setting Up a DMX System

    Setting Up the Network

    Configuring the Console

    Setting Up an Ethernet Network

    Testing the Network

    Setting Up a Console for Art-Net Output

    Port-Address

    Casting

    Setting Up a Console to Output sACN

    Port Monitoring

    Backup and Tracking

    MIDI and MSC

    Timecode

    Chapter 19 Lighting Console Programming

    Important Concepts

    DMX Universes

    Tracking Versus Preset

    Move Fade Versus State

    Precedence

    Priority and Assert

    User Input

    Syntax

    The Programmer

    Looks, Scenes, and Cues

    Basic Programming

    Patch the fixtures

    Create fixture groups

    Create presets and palettes

    Record cues

    Play back cues

    Highlight

    Timing

    Fade Time or Crossfade Time

    Fade In Time

    Fade Out Time

    Wait Time

    Delay Time

    Follow-on Time

    Part Cues

    Point Cues

    Blocking Cues

    Mark Cues

    Storing Specific Parameters or Fixtures

    Backing Up

    Pre-visualization and Off-Line Editing

    Program Blocking

    Pre-show Preparation

    Rig Check

    Busking

    Perfecting the Craft

    Chapter 20 Lighting Design Software

    CAD

    CAD Workflow

    File Formats

    CAD Libraries

    Data and Attributes

    Instrument type

    Power consumption in watts

    Purpose

    Position

    Unit number

    Color

    Dimmer

    Channel

    DMX universe

    DMX address

    Circuit number

    Circuit name

    Number of channels

    Frame size

    Field angles

    Beam angles

    Luminous Flux

    Center beam luminous intensity

    Weight

    Accessories

    Protocol

    DMX Mode or Personality

    IP address

    Subnet mask

    Art-Net net

    Art-Net subnet

    Lighting Paperwork

    Fixture or instrument schedules

    Panel schedules

    Dimmer schedules

    Shop order

    Software Applications

    Rendering

    Off-line Editors

    Visualization

    Fly-Throughs

    Workflow

    Section 8 Convergence of Lighting and Video

    Chapter 21 Media Servers and Pixel Mapping

    Media Server Hardware

    Layers

    Content Library

    Resolution of Media

    File Formats and Codecs

    Codecs

    Scaling

    Frame Rate

    Interlacing

    Aspect Ratio

    Bitrate

    Parameters

    File Folder

    File Selection

    Play

    In Point, Out Point

    Playback Speed

    Rotate (X, Y, Z)

    Position (X, Y, Z)

    Intensity

    Opacity

    Crossfade

    Blend

    Color (hue, saturation, contrast)

    Crop

    Mask

    Tiling

    Audio

    Strobe

    Edge Blending

    Keystone

    Pixel Mapping

    CITP

    Off-Line Editors

    Index

    Biography

    Richard Cadena is an ETCP-recognized trainer and an ETCP-certified entertainment electrician. As a freelance technician, designer, and consultant he has worked on concert tours, in television and theatre and he has designed dozens of lighting systems for permanent installations. He is also currently the technical editor for PLASA Media.