Faye's Blog

What do you get, when you have Network PDU’s, DMX controlled lights, OSC Audio controlled mixers, Led signs and a serial controlled HDMI switcher?

A complex machine.

Using the Linux controlled systems, that I have previously made for my PBX control and Twitch Streamer ex-roommate. I can control the Network PDUs via the TCL/TK Expect scripting language. Send scripted commands to the telnet server on Light Factory (DMX control system),

Also,I have written scripts to Mute and un-mute the X-AIR 16 mixers, that control my desk audio and Theatre sound system.

With that, what do you do when your room mate moves out, leaving behind a custom lighting infrastructure for streaming?

Re-purpose it. Also add a projector to the mix. Then make a venue for my meetup friends.

With some re-configuring of lighting positions. I now have a wall wash, that looks pretty.

With that I can send my DMX console to change the lights and reposition the RCL’s to other points of the room.

With that, done, I created scripts that can be called from a secure web interface.

I login to my web server that is public facing on my phone. I click a link to start up the system. That server will ssh over my WAN, to trigger everything on the network in my Austin apartment.

The flow of the process is this. on clicking on the Theatre-GO Link

1. Turn on power to the Projector and HDMI switcher.
2. Mute all inputs on the Main Mixer
3. Turn on power to the RCL’s
4. Tell the DMX control system to go in to the “wall wash preshow”
5. Turn on the Speakers.
6. Tell the Switcher to go to input 4. then turn on the output to the projector.
7. Tell the LED sign to display the logon info for the guest network.

The flow of the off process is mostly the same.

1. Mute all inputs on the main mixer.
2. Turn off projector and Speakers
3. Turn off the power to the RCL’s
4. Tell the DMX control system to go to the “off look”

Side bar. The led sign.

My guests that come to my Meetups, can connect to the wifi. I am using a PFsense captive portal, to secure my fire walled off stub “simple” network. upon login they are redirected to the Anime LED sign control system. The goal of this sign is to let them spam memes and silliness during the show.

Okay Back to the Processes. How do you control the HDMI switcher?

I am clicking a link that calls a shell script to spam the serial link. To tell it what input to select. or to turn on or off the output.

The next phase of this system is to make a better audio remote control system. Currently I have to use the X-air remote control apps, to adjust auto levels, and EQ. I would like to be able to control it from the same web ui. I will be replacing the LED sign with a one that can control each pixel. So my friends can draw on it.

How do you control the lights?

Using the same Web UI, it ssh’s to a local machine in Austin, to send the Light factory server, commands to switch looks.

Currently I have presets for Show, House lights. Panic, and “off”.

the show look is dim look with most lights off.

the House light look, use some color wash lights and dim-able LED lights to illuminate the room .

The Panic look turns on all my DMX controlled lights to a “white” color and at full.