Contest pilot-8 User Manual - User Manual

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USER GUIDE

10126 - December 2013 Version 1.0

8-CHANNEL DMX CONTROLLER

RED

GREEN

BLUE

WHITE

AMBER

DIMMER

CHASE /

STROBE

SPEED

FADE

SPEED

GREEN

BLUE

YELLOW

RECORD

INSERT

TAP

DELETE

CLEAR

MANUAL

AUTO

MUSIC

CYAN

ORANGE

PURPLE

WHITE

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

Page 2

English

1 - Safety information

This symbol signals an important safety
precaution.

The CAUTION symbol signals a risk of product deterioration.

The WARNING symbol signals a risk to the user’s physical integrity.
The product may also be damaged.

Important safety information

Symbols used

Any maintenance procedure must be performed by a CONTEST
authorised technical service. Basic cleaning operations must tho-
roughly follow our safety instructions.

This product contains non-isolated electrical components. Do not
undertake any maintenance operation when it is switched on as
it may result in electric shock.

This unit is intended for indoor use only. Do not use it in a wet,
or extremely cold/hot locations. Failure to follow these safety ins-
tructions could result in fire, electric shock, injury, or damage to
this product or other property.

WARNING

This unit contains no user-serviceable parts. Do not open the

housing or attempt any maintenance by yourself. In the unlikely even your unit
may require service, please contact your nearest dealer.
In order to avoid any electrical malfunction, please do not use any multi-socket,
power cord extension or connecting system without making sure they are
perfectly isolated and present no defect.

Risk of electrocution

To prevent the hazard of electric shocks, do not use
extension cords, multi-socket or any other connection
system without making sure metal parts completely are
out of reach.

Recycling your device

• As HITMUSIC is really involved in the environmental cause, we only commercialise clean, ROHS compliant products.
• When this product reaches its end of life, take it to a collection point designated by local authorities. The separate collection and recycling of your
product at the time of disposal will help conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the
environment.

Note : The legislation requires that every device set up in a public space features a double
fixation bracket. This security system must hold 10 times the weight of the device.

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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1 - Please read carefully :

We strongly recommend to read carefully and understand
the safety instructions before attempting to operate this unit.

2 - Please keep this manual :

We strongly recommend to keep this manual with the unit for
future reference.

3 - Operate carefully this product :

We strongly recommend to take into consideration every
safety instruction.

4 - Follow the instructions:

Please carefully follow each safety instruction to avoid any
physical harm or property damage.

5 - Avoid water and wet locations :

Do not use this product in rain, or near washbasins or other
wet locations.

6 - Installation :

We strongly encourage you to only use a
fixation system or support recommended by
the manufacturer or supplied with this product.
Carefully follow the installation instructions and
use the adequate tools.
Always ensure this unit is firmly fixed to avoid

vibration and slipping while operating as it may result in
physical injury.

7 - Ceiling or wall installation :

Please contact your local dealer before attempting any ceiling
or wall installation.

8 - Ventilation :

The cooling vents ensure a safe use of this product, and avoid
any overheating risk.
Do not obstruct or cover these vents as it may result in
overheating and potential physical injury or product damage.
This product should never been operated in a closed non-
ventilated area such as a flight case or a rack, unless cooling
vents are provided for the purpose .

9 - Heat exposure :

Sustained contact or proximity with warm surfaces may cause
overheating and product damages. Please keep this product
away from any heat source such as a heaters, amplifiers, hot
plates, etc...

10 - Electric power supply :

This product can only be operated according to
a very specific voltage. These information are
specified on the label located at the rear of the
product.

11 - Power cords protection:

Power-supply cords should be routed so that they
are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items
placed upon or against them, paying particular
attention to cords at lugs, convenience receptacles

and the point where they exit from the fixture.

Instructions and recommendations

12 - Cleaning precautions :

Unplug the product before attempting any cleaning
operation. This product should be cleaned only with
accessories recommended by the manufacturer.
Use a damp cloth to clean the surface. Do not
wash this product.

13 - Long periods of non use :

Disconnect the unit’s main power during long
periods of non use.

14 - Liquids or objects penetration :

Do not let any object penetrate this product as it
may result in electric shock or fire.
Never spill any liquid on this product as it may
infiltrate the electronic components and result in
electric shock or fire.

15 - This product should be serviced when :

Please contact the qualified service personnel if :
- The power cord or the plug has been damaged.
- Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled into
the appliance.
- The appliance has been exposed to rain or water.
- The product does not appear to operate normally.
- The product has been damaged.

16 - Inspection/maintenance :

Please do not attempt any inspection or maintenance by
yourself. Refer all servicing to qualified personnel.

17 - Operating environment :

Ambient temperature and humidity: +5 - +35°C,
relative humidity must be less than 85% (when
cooling vents are not obstructed).
Do not operate this product in a non-ventilated,
very humid or warm place..

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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2 - Description

RED

GREEN

BLUE

WHITE

AMBER

DIMMER

CHASE / STROBE SPEED

FADE SPEED

GREEN

BLUE

YELLO

RECORD

INSER

DELETE CLEAR

MANU

MUSIC

ORANGE

PURPLE

WHITE

3 2

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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2.1 - Description of the front panel

2.2 - Description of the rear panel

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

Allows you to select the projectors to control.

AUTO CHASE

Allows you to launch programs in step mode.

SOUND CHASE

Allows you to launch programs in music-sensitive
mode.

AUTO FADE

Allows you to launch programs in auto fade mode.

MANUAL CONTROL

Allows you to switch to manual mode.

CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT

Assigns a DMX channel to each fader.

USB Port

Allows you to connect a small USB lamp (supplied)

PRESET COLORS

Groupe of 8 non-editable preset colours.

SAVED COLORS

Group of 6 buttons allowing you to save 24 colours. User
colours are saved across 4 banks of 6 colours.

Display

Indicates information about the console status. The
different displays and their meaning are available further
in this guide.

RECORD

Allows you to access the record mode for colours and
sequences.

INSERT/TAP

Allows you to insert step into sequences or define the
speed of sequences.

Power switch

Power input socket

DC9V-12V - 300mA minimum.

DMX output 1

3-pin female XLR socket:
1 = ground / 2 = negative signal / 3 = positive signal

DMX output 2

5-pin XLR socket:
1 = ground / 2 = negative signal / 3 = positive signal
/ 4 = not connected / 5 = not connected.

UP/DOWN Buttons

Allows you to select a bank, manually browse through
sequences, configure the sound sensitivity and adjust
the AUTO CHASE mode speed.

DELETE/CLEAR

Allows you to delete user colours or sequences and
clear the DMX output.

SAVED CHASES

Group of 8 user sequences.

Faders 1 to 6

Allows you to adjust the levels of channels 1 to 6.

Faders 7 to 8

Programmable faders allowing the user to assign
functions of its choice.

MANUAL/MUSIC/AUTO

Allows you to switch from manual, to music-sensitive or
automatic mode.

BLACK-OUT/REMOTE

Allows you to switch to black-out mode or use the
console via an optional remote control.

STROBOSCOPE

Allows you to activate the strobe function. The projectors
will start flashing white.

CHASE/STROBE SPEED

Allows you to adjust the sequences or strobe speed.

FADE SPEED

Allows you to adjust the fade speed, this speed is
determined by a percentage of the duration of each step
(configured with the CHASE SPEED button).

DMX output 3

RJ45 socket.
1 = not connected / 2 = not connected / 3 = not
connected / 4 = not connected / 5 = not connected /
6 = positive signal / 7 = negative signal / 8 = ground

Socket for optional EASY-2 remote control

Stereo Jack 6.35 socket.
Caution: this socket is for the
optional EASY-2 remote control only.
Any other kind of signal might damage the internal
circuitry.

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- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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2.3 - The various display status

Displays user colour banks.
4 banks containing 6 colours each, 24 colours total.

Displays user colours.
The number preceding the dot indicates the bank number, whereas the
number right after the dot refers to the colour number. The display will
indicate

nuLL

if no colour has been assigned to a button.

Displays sequences (chaser) 1 to 8.
The display will indicate

nuLL

if the sequence assigned to a button is

empty.

Displays the steps contained by sequences.
32 steps total.

Displays the DMX values of channels.

Displays the duration of each step. When a single number appears
after the dot, the number before the dot represents seconds while the
number after the dot refers to tenths of a second.
When two numbers appear after the dot, the number preceding the
dot represents minutes while the number following the dot refers to
seconds.

Displays the fade time value.
This value represents a percentage of the duration of a step.

Displays the sound sensitivity.
The device will not react to sound if the value is set to M000.

Displays the number of loops per sequence once launched.

Indicates empty colours or sequences.

Program mode locking.
In order to prevent unwanted modifications of the programmation, you
must enter a password before activating the programmation mode.

Displays the channels assignation mode.

Indicates the «full power» mode has been activated via the optional
remote control (EASY-2).

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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2.4 - Assigning PROJECTOR SELECTOR buttons to DMX channels

Each PROJECTOR SELECTOR button affects 8 DMX channels. When addressing the projectors, you must
consider the button to which you want to link your projector.
The table below indicates the DMX channels affected by each button.

Button

Channels affected

Button

Channels affected

1 to 8

33 to 40

9 to 16

41 to 48

17 to 24

49 to 56

25 to 32

57 to 64

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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3 - Setting up your device

3.1 - Assigning channels

3.2 - Saving user colours

First of all, connect the voltage transformer to an electrical outlet, then to your console via the power input socket.
Use the power switch to turn the console on.
The first part of this guide will describe how to operate the console when there is no remote control connected.
More information about the remote control will be found at the end of this guide.

Assigning channels is an important feature of your console. Its goal is to match the colours written on the console
to the channels of your projectors.
It also allows you to position the function of your choice onto the two last channels (7 and 8).
You can, for instance, position the Flash function of your projectors onto channel 8.

1 -

Press the

RECORD

button to switch to program mode. The display indicates

LOCK

2 -

To unlock the program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

3 -

The RECORD LED and LEDs for which colours and sequences have already been preset will flash.

4 -

Use one of the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons to select one or several projectors you want to

assign.

5 -

Press the

CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT

button for more than 3 seconds until the LED lights up.

6 -

Use the fader corresponding to the colour of your projector until the channel number matches the
channel of your projector.

For instance: if the blue colour is assigned to the channel 1 of your projector, use the

BLUE

fader

until the display indicates 1. Repeat the same process for each channel.

7 -

Press the

RECORD

button, all the LEDs will flash to confirm your choice.

8 -

Press the

CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT

button or the

RECORD

button for 3 seconds to leave the

channel assignation mode.

1 -

Switch to program mode by pressing for 3 seconds the

RECORD

button. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

Use the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button or buttons to select the projector or projector to which

you want to assign a colour.

3 -

Adjust the level of channels with the faders corresponding to the desired colours.

4 -

Press the

RECORD

button.

5 -

Choose one of the 4 banks with the

and

DOWN

buttons. Bank 1 is the default bank.

6 -

Press one of the

SAVED COLORS

button to assign your colour to it. If the button was already

assigned to a colour, this colour will be erased. The buttons already assigned to a colour flash. All
the LEDs will flash to confirm your choice.

7 -

Repeat steps 2 to 6 to save more colours.

8 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

PILOT-8

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3.3 - Erasing user colours

3.4 - Saving sequences (chases)

1 -

Press the

RECORD

button to switch to program mode. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the

program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

Choose one of the 4 banks containing the colour you want to erase with the

and

DOWN

buttons.

3 -

Simultaneously press the

DELETE/CLEAR

and the button refering to the colour you want to erase.

4 -

All the LEDs will flash to confirm your choice and the LED of the colour you erase will light off.

5 -

Repeat steps 2 to 4 to erase more colours.

6 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

1 -

Press the

RECORD

button to switch to program mode. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the

program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

use one of

SAVED CHASES

the buttons to select a sequence (chaser). Buttons for which a

sequence as already been saved will flash. The LED corresponding the sequence you are about to
modify will light up.

3 -

Use the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons to select the projector for which you want to save your

sequence.

4 -

Create a colour via the faders or use one of the user colours.

Note : You cannot insert a preset colour into your sequence.

5 -

Press the

RECORD

button, all the LEDs will flash to indicate that the step has been added to your

sequence.

Note : The display will indicate nuLL and no step will be added to the sequence if no user colour has
been used and all faders are set on 0.

6 -

Repeat steps 3 to 5 to add more steps to your sequence. You can add up to 32 steps per sequence.
The display will indicate FuLL when a sequence has reached its maximum number of steps.

7 -

You can then select another sequence and add more steps.

8 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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3.5 - Inserting steps into your sequence (chaser)

3.6 - Deleting steps from a sequence

3.7 - Deleting a sequence

1 -

Switch to program mode by pressing for 3 seconds the

RECORD

button. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

Use the

SAVED CHASES

buttons to choose the sequence you want to modify.

3 -

Press the

INSERT/TAP

button, the LED will light up.

4 -

Use the

and

DOWN

buttons to select the step before which you want to insert a new step.

5 -

Select the projector for which you want to modify the sequence with the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons.

6 -

Use the faders to create a colour or use one of the user colour.

7 -

Press the

RECORD

button, all LEDs will flash to confirm your choice.

8 -

Repeat step 4 to 7 to add more steps to your sequence. You can add up to 32 steps per sequence.
The display will indicate FuLL when a sequence has reached its maximum number of steps.

9 -

You can then select another sequence and add more steps.

10 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

1 -

Switch to program mode by pressing for 3 seconds the

RECORD

button. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

Use the

SAVED CHASES

buttons to choose the sequence you want to modify.

3 -

Press the

INSERT/TAP

button, the LED will light up.

4 -

Use the

and

DOWN

buttons to select the step you want to erase.

5 -

Press the

DELETE/CLEAR

button, all LEDs will flash to confirm the suppression.

6 -

Repeat steps 4 to 5 to delete more steps from your sequence. The display will indicate nuLL if
there is no step left.

7 -

You can then select another sequence and delete more steps.

8 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

1 -

Switch to program mode by pressing for 3 seconds the

RECORD

button. The display indicates

LOCK

. To unlock the program mode, press 6 times the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

button no. 6.

2 -

Use the

SAVED CHASES

buttons to choose the sequence you want to erase.

3 -

Simultaneously press the

DELETE/CLEAR

button and the sequence button you want to erase.

4 -

Repeat steps 2 to 3 to delete more sequences.

5 -

Press the

RECORD

button for more than 3 seconds to leave the programmation mode.

PILOT-8

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3.9 - Displaying a user colour

3.10 - Launching one or several sequences (chases)

3.10.1 - Retrieving sequences

3.10.2 - The various sequences playback mode

A - Manual mode

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Use the

and

DOWN

buttons to select a bank.

3 -

Press one of the

SAVED COLOR

buttons to display a colour.

Note: The display will indicate nuLL if no colour is assigned to the button you press.

1 -

Use the

SAVED CHASES

buttons to retrieve sequences. The corresponding LED will light up.

2 -

Once selected, use the

and

DOWN

buttons to configure the number of loops. The display will

then indicate L001, L002, L003, ... etc. The number of loops goes from 1 to 200.

3 -

You can now move on to the next sequence.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select one or several sequences.

3 -

Switch to manual mode via the

MANUAL/MUSIC/AUTO

button.

4 -

Browse through the steps of your sequence via the

and

DOWN

buttons.

First of all, make sure at least one sequence has been saved.
Launching sequences can be done via the

SAVED CHASES

buttons.

Several sequences can be launched at the same time.
The number of loops for each sequence can be set via the

LOOP

function.

The LED corresponding to the current sequence will remain lit whereas other LEDs flash at a 1 Hz frequency.

3.8 - Resetting to factory settings

1 -

Turn off the console.

2 -

Simultaneously press the

RECORD

and

DELETE/CLEAR

buttons.

3 -

Without releasing these buttons, turn on the console.

4 -

All LEDs will flash to confirm the reset.

CAUTION: ALL SETTINGS AND PROGRAMS WILL BE ERASED

PILOT-8

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3.11 - Sequencing preset colours

B - Music-sensitive mode

C - Automatic mode

A - Automatic mode

B - Music-sensitive mode

C - Auto fade

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select one or several sequences.

3 -

Switch to music-sensitive mode via the

MANUAL/MUSIC/AUTO

button.

4 -

Adjust the microphone sensitivity via the

and

DOWN

buttons.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select one or several sequences.

3 -

Switch to automatic mode via the

MANUAL/MUSIC/AUTO

button.

4 -

Adjust the sequence speed via the

CHASE SPEED

fader.

5 -

You can also adjust the speed via the

INSERT/TAP

button. To do so, press it twice

in succession, the speed being determined by the time lapse between the two
pressures.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select a projector via the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons.

3 -

Press the

AUTO CHASE

button, the corresponding LED will light up.

4 -

Use the

CHASE SPEED

fader to adjust the sequencing speed.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select a projector via the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons.

3 -

Press the

SOUND CHASE

button, the corresponding LED will light up.

4 -

Adjust the microphone sensitivity via the

and

DOWN

buttons.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Select a projector via the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons.

3 -

Press the

AUTO FADE

button, the corresponding LED will light up.

4 -

Use the

FADE

fader to adjust the sequencing speed.

Before browsing through preset colours, please make sure the channels assignation process has been done
properly, otherwise the console colours will not match your projector colours.
The colours located in the PRESET COLORS area will be sequenced in a loop.
There are 3 modes: Automatic (AUTO CHASE), Music-sensitive (SOUND CHASE) and AUTO FADE.

PILOT-8

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3.12 - Overloading the output

3.13 - Stroboscobe

3.14 - Using the BLACKOUT / REMOTE button

You can modify colours via channels faders when using preset colours or sequences.

You can use the strobe function at any time, without necessarily selecting projectors.

The

BLACKOUT / REMOTE

button has two functions:

1 -

It allows you to zero out all of the console DMX outputs. The
BLACKOUT LED remains lit when the console is in blackout mode.

2 -

Pressing this button for more than 3 seconds allows you to activate
the console remote pilot via the optional EASY-2 remote control.

This mode deactivates all functions except for channels faders.

1 -

Make sure the BLACKOUT LED is off.

2 -

Launch user colours or preset colours sequence.

3 -

Select projectors via the

PROJECTOR SELECTOR

buttons.

4 -

Use the channels faders to adjust colours.

5 -

Press

DELETE/CLEAR

to go back to normal.

1 -

Press the

STROBE

button.

2 -

Without releasing this button, adjust the strobe speed via the

CHASE/STROBE SPEED

fader.

Important notes:

The strobe function only allows your projectors to flash white. In order to combine colours to the strobe, you will
be required to assign one of the available channels to the strobe function of your projectors.

The sequencing speed will be saved during the strobe speed configuration. However, if you stop the strobe
function and modify its settings, the most recent value will be saved.

PILOT-8

- 8-channel intelligent DMX controller

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3.15 - Using the optional EASY-2 remote control

1 -

Press the

BLACKOUT/REMOTE

button for 3 seconds or the

STANDBY

button of your remote

control for 2 seconds to activate the remote control function. The MODE LED of your remote
control will light up while the

BLACKOUT/REMOTE

button of your console will flash.

2 -

The

FUNCTION

button allows you to select sequences when the MODE LED is light up (not

flashing).

3 -

Pressing the

MODE

button until the corresponding LED flashes will give you access to step mode.

The

FUNCTION

button allows you to browse manually through the selected sequence steps.

4 -

Press the

MODE

button until the corresponding LED lights off will allow the

FUNCTION

button to

activate the full power mode. The console display will then indicate

5 -

In order to activate the music-sensitive mode, press the

MODE

button until the MUSIC LED lights

up. The selected sequence will then be music-sensitive.

6 -

The main dimmer will be the only active function of the console while the remote control is activated.

PILOT-8

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Because CONTEST® takes the utmost care in its products to make sure you only get the best possible quality, our products are subjects to modifications without prior notice. That is
why technical specifications and the products physical configuration might differ from the illustrations.
Make sure you get the latest news and updates about the CONTEST® products on www.contest-lighting.com
CONTEST® is a trademark of HITMUSIC S.A. - Zone Cahors sud - 46230 FONTANES - FRANCE