The Pharos Designer RIO 80, 44 and 08 and the new Pharos RIO 84 (Remote Input Output) provide a convenient and scalable way to add inputs and outputs to a Pharos Designer system for show control and integration.
In Pharos Designer 2.16.5 and later, RIO devices also support DMX input for triggering via their onboard serial port.
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Add a RIO to your project
Before using RIO devices in Designer, you must first add the device to your project.
You can do this by navigating to Network > New Device… and selecting the type of RIO you wish to use.
Take a note of your RIO’s number as it’s needed for triggering later.
Configure RIO for DMX input
Once added to your project, the RIO’s built-in serial port must be configured to receive DMX input.
In Network, with your RIO selected, navigate to Remote Device Properties > Serial Port and change Mode to DMX In.
Once the project is uploaded to the controller, the RIO’s serial port will be ready to receive DMX data.
Creating a DMX input trigger
DMX input on RIO devices can be used in conjunction with Designer 2’s powerful trigger engine, allowing you to use a conditional logic to create exactly the behaviour you want, when you want it.
To act on DMX input from your RIO, go to Trigger > New… > DMX Input to create a DMX Input trigger.
On the right hand side of the window you’ll see trigger properties for this new trigger. From here, select the RIO device to trigger from. You’ll want to select the type of RIO you added in the previous steps under Device. Next, select your RIO’s number, or leave at Any if you won’t be adding more RIO devices to your project.
💡 Tip: Use Any to act on DMX Input from any matching RIO in a project using multiple devices.
Use Channel to select the DMX channel the trigger should monitor. This can be any channel in the DMX universe, from 1 to 512.
Next, configure the DMX Input trigger’s properties. Available behaviours are:
- Changes in range – the trigger fires every time the value changes within the specified range
- Enters range – only fires the trigger when the value enters the specified range
“Enters range” is generally more useful when you are using DMX to trigger behavioural changes like starting a timeline or releasing a scene, whereas “Changes in range” should be used if you were using a DMX channel as a variable passed to an action, as covered in the next section.
Using trigger variables
Designer 2’s trigger engine can capture and analyse data in a trigger in the form of variables which can be used as parameters in an action. This powerful concept can be used to quickly build complex behaviour, for example, using a DMX input channel to master the intensity of a group of fixtures.
Unless they have been enabled under Project > Project Features > Trigger, options for variables will not be displayed in Trigger. You can enable them using the 
Advanced Feature button at the top of an action’s properties.
Advanced Feature button at the top of an action’s properties.When a DMX Input trigger fires, it immediately stores the selected channel’s value in variable number 1. You can then use that value in any action that supports variables (a full list of which is available here).
For example, using a Master Intensity action to control the intensity for a group of fixtures based on DMX Input. With your DMX Input trigger selected, select Action > New > Master Intensity and use Target to select a group of fixtures in your project. Next, set Intensity to Variable and select variable number 1.
💡 Tip: If you don’t see Variable as an option, go to Project > Project Features > Trigger and enable Trigger variables.
Now the chosen group of fixtures will have their intensity adjusted according to the value of the DMX channel selected in our DMX Input trigger.
Further possibilities
Now that you’re familiar with your RIO’s DMX input capabilities, including device configuration and simple triggering, you’re ready to explore what’s possible with Designer’s sophisticated trigger engine.
For example, you might add a DMX Input condition to your project to determine whether or not a trigger fires an action based on the value of a DMX channel. You can even add multiple conditions to each trigger, enabling complex logic to be built.
For more information about using RIO devices in Pharos Designer, consult the following pages of our dedicated online help:
