Connecting consoles to a network
All Avolites consoles may be connected to an Ethernet network to allow control of fixtures by Art-Net or sACN, for multi-user setups and remote control, or to connect to a visualisation system.
For T1, T2 and T3 which are used with a laptop or PC, the network connection of the laptop or PC is used. (WiFi connections should not be used for control of fixtures as you will not get reliable and smooth operation.)
Consoles other than D9, D7 and Arena have one or two direct Ethernet connections which may be used for network setup.
The D9, D7 and Arena consoles are different to the other Titan consoles because they have a built-in network switch and (for D9 and Arena) an optical network connection. The rest of this section applies only to the Diamond 9, Diamond 7 and Arena consoles.
See the next section for details of how to configure the console for network operation, including how to set up IP addresses and how to patch network-connected fixtures.
Optical Connections (D9 and Arena)
The optical network connector is a Neutrik opticalCON which uses multimode fibre. On the Arena the connector is a Duo, a single connector is fitted as standard, but a second can be fitted on request. On the Diamond 9 the connector is a Quad with one of the two pairs populated as standard - if the optional 10GbE Ethernet is fitted then the second pair is populated with a 10GbE fibre.
The stage end of the connection normally plugs into the Avolites TitanNet Switch (TNS) rack unit which provides standard wired Ethernet connections. If you want to connect to a different optical switch you should contact Avolites for advice.
Wired Ethernet Outputs
The Diamond 9 console has an in-built 1Gb Luminex network switch; the Diamond 7 and Arena consoles have an in-built 1Gb TitanNet switch (TNS). These are directly connected to the console Main board on network connection 1. The network switch has 4 ports available on the back of the console.
The mainboard Network Connection 2 is available on a separate etherCON connector at the back of the console and marked as "secondary Ethernet" on the back. We recommend that this should only be used if you need to connect to two different networks, for example the show network and a media network or WiFi for the remote. Make sure that this port is not set to the same IP range as the switch, because this will cause problems.
The Diamond 9 can be fitted with a 10GbE port as an optional extra.
Changing settings on the D9 Luminex switch
In normal use you will not need to change the settings on the Luminex switch, but if you have a complex network setup you can use Luminex's Araneo software to connect to the switch and configure it. (External link) https://luminex.be/products/software/araneo/
On the D9 you can reset the Luminex switch to its default settings by holding the Reset button next to the four etherCON sockets for 5 seconds. The lights will flash red and the switch will be reset to its default IP address (which is printed on a sticker on the switch inside the console).
Changing the IP address of the D7 or Arena's Titan Network Switch (TNS)
For Arena the network switch and the controller for the switch both use an IP
address. When the controller IP address is set, the network switch will
use the next one (for example controller 10.19.0.50, network switch
becomes 10.19.0.51).
For D7 the network switch has a single IP address.
In normal use you will not need to change these IP addresses
unless they are already used by other devices on the network. The factory default is
10.19.aa.bb where aa.bb is the serial number of the console (e.g. 10.19.01.124 is
serial number 379 or 255+124).
To change the IP address of the network switch in the console:
- Open USB Expert Console from the Tools menu.
- Select the TNS panel
- In the IP Address Dialog, set the new IP address.
Power and UPS behaviour
The network switch in the console runs from the same UPS as the console itself, so if power fails the switch will continue working.
When you power down the console, the UPS will continue to power the internal switch for about 5 minutes, or until mains power is removed. This is to allow you to restart the console without interrupting the network (for example if you have connected a backup console via the inbuilt switch).