Mac Viper Pan/Tilt Speed Settings

Did you know that you can assign the default movement abilities of the Mac Viper products by making a change in the menu system or via DMX?  There are three options: Normal, Fast, and Slow.

The Normal setting is the default and the one that most people will use as it works well for most shows with combinations of fast and slow moves.  However, there may be specific cues or sequences where you choose to change the pan/tilt speed.  The Slow setting is optimized for smooth movement and is best when performing slow movements at a long throw.  The Fast setting is optimized for speed and is handy when building fast chases and ballyhoos.

Using the control channel, you can change the pan/tilt speed setting as needed, just remember to restore it back after the required instance.  Otherwise you might find subsequent cues reacting differently.  Also note that the pan/tilt speed will revert back to the Normal speed setting after a power cycle (when changed via DMX).  To lock the pan/tilt speed to a particular setting, make the change directly in the Speed section of the fixture menu instead of via DMX.

 It is also a good idea to confirm that all your fixtures are set to the same pan/tilt speed setting before starting a programming session.  Otherwise you might find some fixtures moving differently from others!


To make pan/tilt speed changes via DMX use the following values on the control channel.  Note that the value needs to be held for 1 second for the change to take affect.

DMX 80-84 - Normal pan/tilt speed

DMX 85-89 - Fast pan/tilt speed

DMX 90-94 - Slow pan/tilt speed

Have fun with the settings and experiment with how you can optimize your Vipers for whatever movement task you give them!