Infogate
InfoGate is comprised of software that resides on a technician's computer interfaced to the Gateway IT box through a network router. The software will not work without the Gateway IT and the Gateway IT will not work without the software. Major functional areas of the InfoGate system are discussed below:
Discovery
The Discovery function provides the ability to automatically identify RDM devices in the installation. When the Perform Discovery button is selected, InfoGate polls the DMX addresses and logs responses from RDM compatible devices. Each RDM compatible device is assigned a Unique Identifier (UID) by its manufacturer, which InfoGate translates into product information in the Device Parameter Spreadsheet. Discovery takes a few seconds per device.
Device Parameter Spreadsheet
The Device Parameter Spreadsheet is the heart of the InfoGate GUI and from this single spreadsheet you can perform any of the functions available in InfoGate. Each row in the spreadsheet contains a database entry for an individual device. The parameters, sensors, labels and functions contained within a device can be examined and modified right on the spreadsheet and the devices will automatically update themselves. A powerful sorting algorithm allows you to group devices according to any of their characteristics quickly.
Remote Addressing
This is a huge improvement over manually addressing a device with the proper DMX address. There is no manual setting of DIP switches and no need for ladders or truss climbing to change a DMX address once the units are up. During Discovery the device cycles which allows the electrician to visually identify the unit being captured.
DMX Map
The DMX map is graphic representation of the installation organized by the DMX address. The map allows the electrician to very quickly understand the show setup. A device DMX address can be changed on this screen by dragging and dropping the device to a new DMX address. Overlapping DMX addresses are quickly identified by a red square and unresponsive units display a yellow square. Device parameter summary can be seen by hovering the mouse pointer over a DMX address box.
Status Message Reporting
This is the area where errors are logged with a date and time stamp. A yellow warning banner appears at the top of the screen if a fault is detected. Clicking on the banner takes you to the detail screen.
Test, Setup & Fixtures
This tab allows for the following:
- Test Equipment
- Auto Fixture Creator
- Fixture Browser
- Add non-RDM devices
- Device model creation
- Communicate status
- Setup
