newbie: patching Hog3 PC

New to Hog3, decent @ Hog2. Patching fixtures, as soon as I hit the @ button to assign DMX start address the Fixture Patch window pops up and automatically assigns the fixture the next available DMX channel. How can I manually enter a different start address?
  • fixture X + @ + Y(dmx address) + enter

    it is just like on the H2, it justs opens a window(where you can choose witch universe you want to patch to) but you can just enter the address you want, and press enter..
  • I figured it out. For some reason the "virtual" 10 key pad on the PC app becomes disabled as soon as the @ button is pressed; it works only when entering the numbers on your keyboard, not the mouse. A bug perhaps?
  • Brooke,

    There was an issue at one point where some dialog boxes would steal all focus from the application and the virtual front panel wouldn't function, but this problem was fixed in our current release software, version 2.1 build 1618.

    I've just tested this and it seems to be working fine. I'd suggest that you check what version you're running on the splash screen or the control panel. If you're running an earlier version, you should download v2.1 from www.flyingpig.com and install it.

    If you are running v2.1, please let me know so we can figure out what's going on here.

    Thanks.
  • I'll check the version when I get home to my PC (Mac laptop here at the gig) but it was only installed a few weeks ago; is v.2.1 very new?
    Speaking of the splash screen, when I launch the app the splash screen stays in front of the show launch dialogue box, which I have to drag around to the sides to see and use. Once the show is launched, everything returns to normal.
    Another thing are the virtual touchscreens; my monitor is small, so the front panel covers most of them. When I click on the primary touch screen behind the front panel to access its toolbars and soft keys, it won't move to the front. I have to click on its button in the botton toolbar in Windows. But even then, I have to click twice, since the secondary touchscreen pops up first! Not a huge deal, but since I have to click between the two views every couple of keystrokes due to my tiny monitor, it makes getting anywhere take 3 times as long. Is my best solution to get a bigger monitor? Could I get two monitors happening?
  • Brooke,

    Version 2.1 software was released on March 5th of this year.

    After your most recent post, I'm convinced that you're running an older version. With version 2.1, the splash screen is no longer "always on top" and you can bring the start screen in front of it.

    As far as the fronting of screens is concerned, this is an issue that we're aware of and the problem is a bit of a battle with trying to force MS Windows to treat our application windows the way we need. You could certainly use a larger monitor or dual monitors. There's also one other option. I hate to sound like a sales guy, but if you use our USB programming and / or playback wings you can either reduce the size of the virtual front panel or remove the need for it completely. I also really like the convenience of having the physical buttons and not having to use the mouse.

    I hope this helps.
  • Thanks Tom- I could very well have downloaded prior to March 5, that is probably it.
    As for your other suggestion regarding the usb devices, I'm not actually running shows on Hog III PC; I'm still on the Hog II OS, and just playing with Hog III as I know I need to move on to a newer platform and am trying to decide between Hog III and MA. I certainly prefer the user interface of Hog III, but I still have some qualms about reliability; I had a disastrous experience a few weeks ago with an iPC.
    Perhaps you aren't at liberty to say honestly, but my theory is that since the Wholehog III is Linux based, maybe it has fewer "compatibility issues" than the Windows based Hog III products?
  • Brooke,

    I know the HES/FPS guys are always disappointed to hear about negative experiences with any of the Hog3 family of products.

    As far as the Windows/Linux thing goes, the truth may actually be slightly skewed in the opposite direction from what you think (if I'm reading your note correctly - please accept my advance apology if not).

    The 'full-size' Hog 3, which was the first product in the family, runs on top of a linux platform. (I believe it is a highly customized version of the kernel used in the Debian linux distribution.)

    The DP2000 DMX processor also runs on a linux kernel of some sort.

    The Hog iPC and the brand new Road Hog products are both built on top of Windows XP embedded platforms.

    However, as of the newest software release (2.1), the console software on all of these products is derived from the exact same source code.

    While I am a huge fan of the entire line of products, my personal experiences have possibly been even better with the XPe products than with the original console.

    It has appeared over the past year or two - from the outside - that the developers have been able to implement the hardware and system level features much more easily on the windows platform than on the linux kernel that happened to be chosen by the original development team. Things like USB implementation have been easier for them to deal with on the PC and iPC versions.

    That being said, there are strong clues around that there could be some monumental leaps in the area of the linux kernel and other such things over, say, the next eight months or so.

    The guys at HES/FPS have put themselves on an agressive - but not TOO agressive - schedule for both new product releases and new software releases, and the 2.1 software is going to allow the developers to track down issues and develop new features at a faster pace now that they only have one set of code to work on for all the products.

    As a former WH2 user, I certainly encourage you to peruse these forums some more and take a look at how open the development staff is with their users.

    It's been an incredible experience for me to take a small part in a forum that has contributed so much to the direction of this console, and I don't know of another platform out there that is so strongly influenced and guided by real-world users.

    The grandMA family of products is a great platform. I don't think anyone can refute that, given its track record and the current events it is being used for.

    That being said, I continue to feel that HES/FPS are making the right moves for the Hog 3 family to be the best available lighting console, period, now and even more so in the future.

    I hope that (rather long-winded) message has answered a question or two.

    Regards,

    Phil
  • Brooke,

    I'd be glad to give you my honest, personal opinion, but this isn't a company line and may very well not be the opinion of everyone here.

    It upsets me for a number of reasons to see the platform wars that regularly take place regarding the operating systems used on lighting consoles.

    • All of the major operating systems have some advantages and some disadvantages.

    • What operating system a console runs should be as transparent as possible. You shouldn't be able to tell what's "under the covers" if the system is well engineered.

    • Users experience *far* more application crashes and problems than operating system crashes and problems. I'm almost always running 10+ consoles in my test lab and I rarely see operating system crashes. When I do, they are often caused by hardware problems and not operating system instability. The Windows XPe and linux distributions are running only the processes and services absolutely necessary for our application to function.

    I've tried to leave specific OS references out of this post so far, but I want to make an example and I'm going to use Windows; not because it's easy to pick on, but because it's widely in use and clearly illustrates my point. I like Windows and think it's a good OS on our products that use it. I make some generalizations here, so please don't nit pick the details and try to just get the overall concept.

    There are plenty of people that complain about Windows being slow and unstable. These people are often talking about running Windows on their personal PC. These situations may involve huge registries, lots of background applications running in the system tray, and many running applications. I will gladly admit to being a violator. As I write this, I have 9 apps in my system tray, 14 applications on my taskbar (includnig a big Adobe app and MS Visual Studio), I'm connected to my VPN, my registry is well over 100 MB, and I'm almost embarassed to say that my start menu contains a whopping 28,498 files at 38.4 GB. Yeah, thats GigaBytes. Luckily, this story has a happy ending. With the embedded systems we run on the consoles, all of these factors are completely controllable and much less likely to cause issues or inconsistencies than on a stand-alone PC.

    So, my request to those people who fervently praise one operating system and attack others is to calm down and try to keep things in perspective and my advice to those of you hearing these battles is that you use your good judgement and honestly address each individual problem before blaming your operating system.

    :soapbox:
  • I certainly didn't mean to attack any particular OS, and I agree that horse has already been flogged to death, ad-nauseum, on this and other forums. I'm really just seaching for a way to make myself comfortable with the idea of going the Hog III route, which I would really prefer for a number of reasons, not least of which is the regular attention given to users by people like yourself. That really does mean a lot.
    I guess I made the assumption my experience with the iPC crash was a Windows problem since I was running the HogII OS, recording a simple routine effect like I have done a thousand times on a Hog II without issue, and had a color window pop up telling me something to the effect of "Windows needs to quit, to terminate the application, press OK." Doing so essentially shut down the console, causing me to lose my entire show 30 minutes AFTER doors on a video shoot. My fault I hadn't saved yet I know, but still. Whether that was an application problem or Windows doesn't seem to matter at that point, you know? Then, frantically trying to put something back into the board before the band went on, it did it again, doing exactly the same thing. (But this time I'd saved!)
    My point is, whether it was the application or the OS is moot, (for an end user like myself at any rate) but it certainly seems it was the integration of the two causing instability. And this was an iPC, not a PC, so other applications weren't an issue.
    Again, I WANT to be convinced Hog III is the way for me to go. But if I go out and get a bank loan to buy a board that costs more than my wife's car and mine put together, I'd like to feel comfortable about renting it out without TOO much risk of getting a phone call screaming for a replacement when I don't think there are any other Wholehog III's for rent at any price in San Francisco.
  • I as well do not want to get into one of THOSE discussions.

    Anyhow. If you're looking for feedback on whether or not other people think you should stick with hogs, I for one give the Hog 3 family two thumbs up. It's my console of choice.

    Cheers,

    PG

    (Tom. It's Saturday. Don't you ever stop working?)
  • Saturday? IS it Saturday? I hadn't noticed. There isn't such a thing as weekends in my world.
    And yes, feedback is important. If it wasn't for the fact that it seems many more designers and programmers are getting back on the Hog bandwagon after a MAhitus, I probably wouldn't have given it a second look. That says a lot about the progress that has been made on the reliability and usability fronts.
    By the way, enjoyed your discourse on figure 8 theory!
  • Brooke,

    My apologies. I didn't mean to accuse you of attacking any specific operating systems, this discussion just tends to happen a lot and some people take it a bit too far, IMHO. Take a look at this thread at on the LightNetwork if you want to see an example of this: www.lightnetwork.com/messages.php?msg=21408.1.

    Saturday? Does the work stop then? rarely. Hey, wait! Today is Easter. Happy Easter everybody! Now, get back to work.
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