RC4 Wireless Launches RC4MagicPC

RC4MagicPC, new from RC4 Wireless, is a handy add-on for any RC4Magic Series 2 system. Via the wireless dongle, the software provides on-screen PC access to all settings and parameters in RC4Magic Series 2 devices. VirtualTX mode turns your PC into a simple RC4Magic transmitter with faders and a chase sequencer. The dongle easily connects to your PC via USB. Drivers for WinXP, Vista, and Windows7 install automatically and effortlessly through Microsoft Windows Update.

Power up an RC4Magic device within radio range, click the Read button, and RC4MagicPC will discover its device type (DMXio, DMX2dim, or DMX4dim), serial number, and programmed IDs. From there you can set RF power, channel assignments, dimmer curves, and more.

If you've had trouble ensuring all channels on your DMX console are off when configuring RC4Magic dimmers, RC4MagicPC is helpful in two ways. For troubleshooting, RC4MagicPC reads the internal settings of your dimmer, letting you see which channels it selected when you pressed the set buttons. You can also bypass console-based setup entirely, setting dimmer channels and curves directly from RC4MagicPC. Keeping track of your units is easier, too: not only do you see unit serial numbers; you can give each device a unique 20-character name that means something in your facility or production.

The VirtualTX screen provides six on-screen faders and a simple chase sequencer. Each fader can be assigned to any DMX channel -- and changed on the fly -- making it easy to test and configure RC4Magic devices without a separate DMX controller or DMXio transceiver. This is particularly useful for testing props in the shop, troubleshooting, and more.

Assign any combination of faders to the chase sequencer, and set the chase speed. Manually operate faders with or without the sequencer running.

RC4MagicPC could even be used as the main controller for simple applications. The all-off button provides a blackout, and double-clicking any fader level will flip it between full on and full off. Response is smooth and quick enough for live performance, the company says.

This application presents a relatively light load to your PC processor, and works fine even on netbook PCs. Requires Microsoft Windows XP or later.