Special Effects Automation

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To activate a special effect, two cue lines are required. Follow these two steps:

 
1. Set the Dubhe bank number corresponding to the desired effect.
    
   • See the Configuration List for a list of bank numbers, showing which bank number to use for each special effect.
   • Example (clouds): DB1

   Cmd	Name	Description
   DB#	Dubhe Bank #	¥1 ² # ² 4) ¥Sets a designated Dubhe to bank # corresponding to desired special effect in preparation for lamp command.

    

2. Send any lamp command (see above list) to the Dubhe which controls the desired effect.
    
   • For a list of Dubhes and their abbreviations see the Configuration List.
   • For example, one could send 2N (Two seconds dissolve on) to NFX (the Dubhe which controls the North Special Effects).

The two-lines of script to turn on a clouds special effect would look like this in the Hercules program window:

The above command turns on the north wall CLOUDS projector. See the configuration list for the bank # and Dubhe of each special effect. The commands to turn it off would look like this:

If the clouds were to brought up again, the DB1 command would not be necessary unless the Dubhe Bank number was changed in the interim. However, for reliable editing, please enter the Dubhe Bank number command line prior to every lamp on special effect command. This way a new SFX may be added to a show without interfering with later effects.

NOTA BENE
Multiple special effects must be controlled by different Dubhe units in order to be turned on simultaneously. For example, the two cloud SFX projectors could not both be operated by the same Dubhe. (However, they need not be assigned to the corresponding bank numbers of their different Dubhe's.)

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