# Raspberry Pi ideas for theater.



## TheTheaterGeek (Jul 11, 2016)

I'm getting into Raspberri Pi and have hit a moment of, what can you use that for?

Anyone use them in theater or have any ideas on stuff to do with them. 

I'm particularly interested in whether you can get one to take DMX. 




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## StradivariusBone (Jul 11, 2016)

Download RetroPi, play NES games while waiting for cues. 

In all seriousness- I think there is a module you can adapt to DMX, but I never found any reason to go down that rabbit hole since we've got controllers that do it already in the theatre. It seemed like nothing more than something experimental to goof around with in that sense.


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## TheTheaterGeek (Jul 11, 2016)

That's sort of where I am. I would like to use it to automate some lights in some candles on a table and such. Also, would be cool to use the Pi as a media server with the available touch screen and potentially have another Pi control it over wifi, so do some video playback in a performer's hands.


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## Mac Hosehead (Jul 11, 2016)

Here is a developer that is working on Pi-related DMX projects:
https://sites.google.com/site/rpidmx512/raspberry-pi-art-net-dmx-out

Here is another site that uses a Pi to playback lighting sequences and can output DMX / pixels:
http://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php/board,8.0.html


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## TheTheaterGeek (Jul 11, 2016)

Sweet. I'll check them out. Anyone ever use one for automation? Servos and such, nothing big.


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## TheTheaterGeek (Jul 11, 2016)

Mac Hosehead said:


> Here is a developer that is working on Pi-related DMX projects:
> https://sites.google.com/site/rpidmx512/raspberry-pi-art-net-dmx-out
> 
> Here is another site that uses a Pi to playback lighting sequences and can output DMX / pixels:
> http://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php/board,8.0.html



The first one is over my head for 5 min of browsing, I'll have to look at it harder.

Falcon player seems to be a pretty awesome application. I'll have to flash my second Pi to that to see what it can do.


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## techwiz24 (Jul 11, 2016)

I know you can get OLA (https://www.openlighting.org/ola/) running on an rpi, useful for LED walls / artnet/sACN endpoints maybe? Never tried it though. 

Also, I believe QLC+ (http://www.qlcplus.org/raspberry.html) runs on the rpi, if you're looking to control a few lights on their own. 

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## TheTheaterGeek (Jul 11, 2016)

techwiz24 said:


> I know you can get OLA (https://www.openlighting.org/ola/) running on an rpi, useful for LED walls / artnet/sACN endpoints maybe? Never tried it though.
> 
> Also, I believe QLC+ (http://www.qlcplus.org/raspberry.html) runs on the rpi, if you're looking to control a few lights on their own.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk



Awesome


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## urban79 (Jul 11, 2016)

@Mark Neisser Don't you use a Pi for various things?


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## soundman (Jul 12, 2016)

TheTheaterGeek said:


> Sweet. I'll check them out. Anyone ever use one for automation? Servos and such, nothing big.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I have an Arduino with an ethernet shield speaking modbus to Navigator. You can communicate directly with most drives over modbus. Nothing in the arduino is safety rated so I would be careful with how you use it but as a teaching tool or for small effects it is a solution.


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## ruinexplorer (Jul 12, 2016)

Check out back issues of Protocol. Last summer there was a project for building a DMX tester. There was also some experimenting with video in another issue.


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## themuzicman (Jul 12, 2016)

TheTheaterGeek said:


> Sweet. I'll check them out. Anyone ever use one for automation? Servos and such, nothing big.



You won't want any automation that has to be people-safe on a consumer PLC. I would generally go with an Arduino for controlling servos and basic automation tasks, and even your basic DMX stuff. I would also suggest to most folks who want to get into programming PLC's to start with an Arduino, learn the ins and outs of coding some basic projects/sketches and then try to learn how to work on a Raspberry Pi. On a Pi, in addition to coding your software, you have to learn how to work in a Linux environment. When it comes to making embedded electronics you'll probably be running a Pi in a GUI-less manner which can be daunting for those not used to it.

As far as projects on a Pi: I've been attempting to make a Raspberry Pi function as a standalone UDP/IP MIDI node. The idea is that you run a single ethercon cable to a location that transfers data and POE, and it has MIDI In/Out to whatever thing needs it. You make sure everyone is talking discrete device ID's so the RPI Nodes are strictly plug and play.

I have gotten a few basic UDP/IP MIDI programs running, but haven't been able to get MIDI In or Out of the physical RPI, using both the UART GPIO or a generic driverless MIDI USB Interface.

One of my Pi's now functions as a wonderful remote media server, streaming media to my TV and functioning as a makeshift fake Time Machine for my computer (my computer sees its connected drive as a Time Machine and backs up to it whenever I'm on the network, or connected via VPN)


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## Drew Schmidt (Jul 13, 2016)

Going the other way, I've used a RPi for sensors (which sends signals to QLab or our Gio via OSC). 
Step on a tile, execute a lighting cue. 
Open a window, execute a volume boost.
Push a door bell, execute a sound cue.

Sometimes I do it in my office too to mess with my students.
Sit on my couch, play Katy Perry. 

We've also used it for lobby displays wiring up buttons and proximity sensors to control the slideshow run by QLab.


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## Leo Mauler (Jun 15, 2018)

TheTheaterGeek said:


> That's sort of where I am. I would like to use it to automate some lights in some candles on a table and such.



Simple light automation controls can be done with just an Arduino. Possibly better than trying to link them into a DMX control board, since Arduino allows the actors some control over the lighting. The AND rule is generally how you determine whether a project needs an Arduino or a Raspberry PI: if you can describe what you want with 2 ANDs or less, use an Arduino; otherwise, you need a Raspberry PI. For example, I created an Arduino controlled birthday cake with flickering LED flame lights for a "Crimes of the Heart" show. One character has a birthday cake with candles, and the theatre had chosen the play and then realized--too late--that their own rules forbid fire on stage. I needed a LED lighting system where the actor could turn on the candles, and turn off the candles: less than 2 ANDs, Arduino.

The Arduino controlled a set of relays, of which each one controlled either a candle or a series of candles. When the actor "lighting" the cake pressed the black button (hidden to the audience), there was a brief pause, then the first LED in the front lit up, followed by each one in turn for the next 13 candles, and then each of the last two rows lit up in sequence. This gave the actress time to get to the first candle with the unlit match, but the effect was that she was lighting the candles. She would light the last two rows quickly, so they would come up in sequence with the Arduino and the relays.

When the actress whose character was having the birthday went to blow out the candles, she would press the red button, and then lean down to blow. The relays were then set up to put out the back two rows of candles right away, and then put out the front two rows in varying order, to simulate missing a few candles on the first blowing. There was an actual sensor to blow on to accomplish the same objective as pressing the red button, but the sensor burnt out and there wasn't time or budget to get a new sensor in time.

Having a character be able to hold a candelabra with flickering candles that then can be blown out, and relit later with a button, could still be accomplished with a small Arduino, such as the Arduino Mini, and three CR2032 batteries for the power.

I vaguely remember seeing an Ardunio board for connecting Arduino to DMX as well.


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## Leo Mauler (Jun 15, 2018)

techwiz24 said:


> Also, I believe QLC+ (http://www.qlcplus.org/raspberry.html) runs on the rpi, if you're looking to control a few lights on their own.



While QLC+ runs on Raspberry Pi, the folks who created QLC+ have decided to charge a 15 Euro "donation" for the Raspberry Pi binaries. The source code is still free. So if you plan on using QLC+, but don't have the budget for the binaries, you will have to compile it yourself.


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## icewolf08 (Jun 26, 2018)

We wrote an rPi program that takes sACN in and spits out Sony VISCA so that you can control Sony PTZ cameras like a moving light. I am happy to share the program.


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## vman (Jul 17, 2018)

Have you ever wanted a cheap, customize able shotbox? With Elgato Stream Deck this is possible now. I have developed a little software that integrates the Stream Deck into V-Control.

V-Control is an open source show control system that is running on 64 Bit Windows, 64 Bit Linux and 32 Bit Linux on Raspberry Pi (Raspian)

It controls Barco E2, Ascender, Projectors via PJLink, Art-Net, DMX, MIDI and many other devices. It can be used freely, whether as a professional or not.

In the upcomming Version 4.0.7 we wil olso have full timeline support. This is broken at the moment.
download at https://v-control.com


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## vman (Jul 17, 2018)

TheTheaterGeek said:


> I'm getting into Raspberri Pi and have hit a moment of, what can you use that for?
> 
> Anyone use them in theater or have any ideas on stuff to do with them.
> 
> I'm particularly interested in whether you can get one to take DMX.



You can use V-Control on Raspberry Pi. It's free and open source. We provide an image for download at https://v-control.com. The image has everything you need to send Art-Net, so all you need is an Art-Net node that send DMX. MIDI is working as well, even with a 15$ USB Midi Interface. You can also use it to Read Art-Net and use Art-Net to trigger tasks such as MIDI commands, Control players or projectors or whatever.


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