Author Topic: conductor software interface?  (Read 2155 times)

Offline Steve Gase

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conductor software interface?
« on: November 08, 2012, »
has there been any information yet on the software interface used to drive the conductor?
if we wanted to coordinate animitronics, video, etc. what tools exist to perform synchronization?
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Offline rrowan

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2012, »
Not that I am aware of.

RJ is the only one that can answer that and he is busy with other things at the moment

Rick R.
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Offline tbone321

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2012, »
I would say that the answer to that would currently be NONE.  The Conductor was designed to be the driver, not be driven.  If you are using a PC to drive and coordinate the show, then you might as well just use the EtherDongle in stock mode. 
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Offline rdebolt

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2012, »
If I am not mistaken, that is some of what the Slave was designed to do. Firmware is still in Beta mode. But I have been wrong about a lot of things lately!  <fp.  ;D

Offline chrisatpsu

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2012, »
it would be nice to have a software piece on the computer also listening for a "synch" signal from the Conductor so that the pc could then run other items, like non-dmx, or pixelnet devices...
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Offline rdebolt

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2012, »
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it would be nice to have a software piece on the computer also listening for a "synch" signal from the Conductor so that the pc could then run other items, like non-dmx, or pixelnet devices...

Would not surprise me to see something like that in the future, just not going to happen right away.....

Offline mykroft

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2012, »
Have PC software in the works, will support unlimited number of events, just waiting for specs to be posted to create the listen section of the program.

It will be a free util

Myk


Offline tbone321

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2012, »
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If I am not mistaken, that is some of what the Slave was designed to do. Firmware is still in Beta mode. But I have been wrong about a lot of things lately!  <fp.  ;D

I was thinking of that myself.  Instead of controlling the conductor or have software listening for signals from the conductor, it would probably be better to have the software control the show and send the control signals to a slave unit or two along with controlling the animitronics and other items that Steve was talking about. 
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Offline mkozik1

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2012, »
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If I am not mistaken, that is some of what the Slave was designed to do. Firmware is still in Beta mode. But I have been wrong about a lot of things lately!  <fp.  ;D

I was thinking of that myself.  Instead of controlling the conductor or have software listening for signals from the conductor, it would probably be better to have the software control the show and send the control signals to a slave unit or two along with controlling the animitronics and other items that Steve was talking about.

So that is what the difference is in the Conductor and the Slave?  I just finished putting them both together and took a look around but could not find a definitive answer as to what the purpose of the slave was.
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Offline rrowan

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2012, »
The slave doesn't have audio or clock on it. You load the show on your CF card and the slave waits for a timing signal from the conductor to play the show

Rick R.
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Offline chrisatpsu

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2012, »
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So that is what the difference is in the Conductor and the Slave?  I just finished putting them both together and took a look around but could not find a definitive answer as to what the purpose of the slave was.
I made a new post for the use of the two...
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Offline tbone321

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2012, »
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So that is what the difference is in the Conductor and the Slave?  I just finished putting them both together and took a look around but could not find a definitive answer as to what the purpose of the slave was.

Yes, the slave as Rick said doesn't have a clock so it doesn't have the ability to run its own schedule or audio output.  Instead, it listens for something (the Conductor) to tell it what show to play and when to start.  The Conductor then sends a timing (heartbeat) signal every second to make sure that the slave(s) stay in sync with the Conductor.  It is also called a heartbeat signal because if the slave misses 6 or more of these heartbeats, it takes that as the Condcutor stopped and stops it's show as well. 

Since it depends on simple control signals for operation, it would work well for what Steve wants to do and would also work very well with the software mykroft is working on.  And as with the Conductor, if the PC locks up and stops sending control signals, the slave unit(s) will also shut down in about 6 seconds.
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Offline chrisatpsu

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2012, »
it sounds like mykroft's working on a listener utility for the heartbeat.  kinda like a software slave.
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Offline mykroft

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2012, »
ya, it will be a software slave...

prime example would be someone playing video thru a projector etc, it would wait for what time signal/show you have that event set for and then execute a program with cmd line params or a .bat file

it does not send anything out, it will just listen for the "heartbeat" etc like a slave does.

this way the software can perty much interface with anything you can crontrol from a pc or laptop that the conductor can not.

I have a X10 pc interface that i can run a util with params to turn stuff on/off - is my initial reason for writing the software.

Hopefully RJ will get some time to release the sync specs and I can get it finished. 

Myk


Offline chrisatpsu

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Re: conductor software interface?
« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2012, »
you'd have to find a way to sequence it as well, so it knows which "heartbeat" to trigger
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