American Cinematographer - October 2016 - 79

the event to answer questions from the
attendees, who were able to get their hands
on the SkyPanel fixtures and test the new
firmware's capabilities for themselves.
Already able to create an array of
colors, the SkyPanel with Firmware 2.0 can
now emulate a wide variety of well-known
lighting gels, enabling users to select familiar
gels in seconds via the onboard controls or
through a new DMX protocol. SkyPanel gel
libraries comprise Rosco and Lee filter categories that include color corrections, party
colors, Rosco CalColor and Storaro Selection.
Low End Mode enables SkyPanel to
generate accurate CCTs with high color
rendition and smooth dimming at very low
light levels. In Tungsten Mode, SkyPanel can
mimic the dimming curve and strike-on and
-off effects of a traditional tungsten lamp;
the CCT warms as the light is dimmed, and
when the intensity drops quickly to zero
there is a short afterglow of warm light.
For added control and to eliminate
any sound issues for delicate installations,
the SkyPanel's cooling fans can now be set
to different modes or even turned off for
short periods of time, directly via DMX. The
SkyPanel will always protect itself from
damage by turning the fans back on at a
very low level if the LEDs get too hot.

Firmware 2.0 increases the number
of SkyPanel dimming curves from one to
four. The exponential curve provides fine
control at the low end of the dimming scale,
while the logarithmic curve allows for better
control at the high end. The "S" curve
provides both high- and low-end dimming
fidelity with limited control in the middle,
and the linear curve gives a one-to-one
translation of the output-to-intensity level.
Remote Device Management (RDM)
is now fully implemented in the SkyPanel,
enabling two-way communication between
the fixture and the console, and saving time
by facilitating control of many SkyPanel
functions from the ground, including DMX
address and protocol, fan mode, temperature sensor readings, display settings, IP
address and special modes. Art-Net has also
been fully implemented in SkyPanel
Firmware 2.0, providing DMX-512A and
RDM functionality over Ethernet network
protocols, and allowing an expanded range
of network devices to be used in building a
complex lighting rig.
If an error should ever occur, SkyPanels are easy to diagnose and service with the
automatically generated error log, which
can now be exported to a USB stick, bypassing the need to connect the fixture to a
computer. With the SkyPanel it is possible to
store and recall up to 10 different user
presets, and it is now possible to save these
presets to a USB stick and transfer them to
another SkyPanel. Firmware 2.0 also speeds
up the process of configuring individual
fixtures on large SkyPanel rigs by allowing all
settings to be exported to a USB stick and
transferred to another fixture.
The Firmware 2.0 update is available
free of charge at www.arri.com/lightingsoft
ware. For additional information, visit
www.arri.com and www.maccam.tv
➣
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http://www.chroma-q.com https://www.arri.com/lightingsoftware https://www.arri.com/lightingsoftware http://www.arri.com http://www.maccam.tv http://www.aclighting.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2016
