PRG Controlling VARI-LITE Equipment Using DMX 512 - Manual (Page 168)

DMX512 R EFERENCE G UIDE
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Glossary of Terms
Active An intensity value greater than zero (1-100%).
Address A numerical "name" given to a device on a DMX512 line indicating which of 512 possible channels it will
respond to.
Align (lamp) The process of adjusting the lamp within the reflector to obtain the desired output quality of the beam.
APS6
Module The lamp power supply (ballast) for the arc lamps found in the VL6 and VL7 spot luminaires, and in the
VL5Arc wash luminaire.
APS6 Trunk
Cable Multi-conductor cable used to provide six circuits of arc lamp power to VARI ❋ LITE Series 300 luminaires.
Differs from industry standard six circuit Socopex cable by using pin 19 as a shield to eliminate RF noise,
which can interfere with sound systems. Can be used with incandescent lamps.
Arc Lamp A type of lamp which creates light by forming an arc of electricity. Brightness is achieved by including
gasses and metals within the envelope of the lamp which dissolve and give off a bright light. Arc lamps must
be dimmed mechanically because electrical dimming will extinguish the arc. Arc lamps used in Series 300
luminaires will not strike when hot.
Attribute An individual controllable aspect of a luminaire: pan, tilt, color, etc. Also known as "parameter."
Beam 1)The size, shape and sharpness of image of the light beam as projected on stage. 2)A function of the
luminaire related to the size, shape, and sharpness of the light beam, specified by beam and edge data, and
use of gobos (patterns) as required.
Broadcast Digital data signals transmitted from the control console to the luminaires and interface devices. The signal is
received by all luminaire simultaneously and interpreted by each individually.
Channel A control reference which collects a device’s associated thumbwheel address(es) (device, lamp power, etc.)
and maps them to a single selectable number. Channels are assigned via the patch setup. (Also referred to as a
"Control Channel")
Console
Timing Time value in seconds or minutes applied to an entire cue.
C3 Dimmer A current sensing dimmer that can be installed in a Modular Rack SixPack Chassis to control the intensity of
a VL5 or VL5B wash luminaires.
Cue A programmed event that can be played back on any submaster. A cue can be a crossfade or effect. 10,000
cues can be recorded, numbered from .01 to 9999.99.
Dimmer Device used to control the relative output (or intensity) of an incandescent lamp.
DMX/
DMX512 The universally accepted lighting control protocol in the entertainment industry. A console uses this protocol
to control specific devices in a lighting system. A DMX512 data channel is eight bits of absolute parameter
data. A DMX512 data packet is a group of 512 data channels, over a value range of 256 steps.