We’ve introduced RDM tools in Express 1.2 and later to help make patching, status monitoring and fixture management a breeze.
On this page
Perform RDM discovery
With Express Control connected to your network, you can use Express to discover RDM devices on the controller’s local DMX ports, the DMX ports on a RIO G4, or on an Art-Net universe.
- Navigate to the Patch tab and select the device and universe to perform RDM discovery on
- Open the RDM Discovery helper by clicking the Discover icon
- Start RDM Discovery to prompt Express Control to scan for RDM fixtures on the currently selected universe
- Choose whether you would like to automatically patch discovered fixtures into your project
- Close the helper and drag and drop fixtures from the patch table onto the canvas in an appropriate position
Manage RDM UIDs for fixtures
Fixtures added to a project using the RDM discovery process explained above are automatically associated with their corresponding RDM UID. These identifying codes help the controller match real-world devices to fixtures in the project’s patch.
To view the RDM UID(s) associated with a fixture, select the fixture on the canvas and look for the RDM UID field shown in the property editor.
If your project uses RDM fixtures but you can’t add them to your project using RDM discovery, use the RDM UID field to manually assign RMD UIDs to the fixture.
💡 Tip: It’s possible to add more than one RDM UID to each fixture, useful for luminaires with multiple RDM devices.
Monitor device status in the controller’s web interface
Once your project has been uploaded, Express Control’s web interface contains information relating to connected RDM devices.
Use a web browser to navigate to the IP address of your controller and open the Fixtures tab.
This page presents an overview of the project’s fixtures. Clicking Refresh All performs RDM discovery and updates the page.
At the top of the page, the summary section shows:
- Time and date of the last refresh
- Number of RDM devices discovered at the last refresh
- Number of unpatched devices discovered at the last refresh
The fixtures table shows the RDM status of each fixture in the project. This can be:
All RDM UIDs associated with the device have been discovered at the last refresh
No RDM UIDs associated with the device were discovered at the last refresh
Some, but not all, RDM UIDs associated with the device were discovered at the last refresh
There are no RDM UIDs associated with the device, or a refresh has not been performed since the controller was last rebooted
A refresh is in progress
From the Fixtures page, click Unpatched Devices to see devices discovered at the last refresh which are not associated with a fixture in the project. From here, it’s possible to identify each unpatched device.
Manage device settings using RDM in the controller’s web interface
From the Fixtures page, click the three dots next to a fixture to open a fixture’s detail page. This page shows a table with rows for the fixture’s associated RDM device(s) and the status of each device. Clicking Refresh Fixture will refresh just the devices on this page.
From this page, it’s possible to edit each device’s mode, start address and curve. It’s also possible to identify each device from this page. Changes made will be sent to RDM devices but will not modify the controller’s project file.
Note: Changes made here will be sent to RDM devices but will not modify the controller’s project file.
To learn more about patching and RDM in Pharos Express, take a look at our dedicated online help documentation.
