VIRTUOSOÃ‚Â® NODE PLUS - PRG

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VIRTUOSO ® NODE PLUS 

USER MANUAL

AutoPar ® , Bad Boy ® , PRG Series 400 ® , Mbox Extreme ® , V676 ® , Virtuoso ® , Virtuoso ® DX, Virtuoso ® DX2, and VL6C+ 

are trademarks of Production Resource Group, LLC, registered in the U.S. and other countries. 

All other brand names which may be mentioned in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. 

This manual is for informational use only and is subject to change without notice. Please check www.prg.com for the latest version. 

PRG assumes no responsibility or liability for any claims resulting from errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual. 

Virtuoso® Node Plus User Manual 

Version as of: November 15, 2010 

PRG part number: 02.9801.0301 C 

Production Resource Group 

Dallas Office 

8617 Ambassador Row, Suite 120 

Dallas, Texas 75247 

www.prg.com 


©2007-2010 Production Resource Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

INTRODUCTION 

About This Guide 

This guide provides necessary information regarding product safety, installation, and operation for the following PRG 

equipment: 

+ Virtuoso® Node Plus (20.9801.0300) 

Familiarizing yourself with this information will help you get the most out of your PRG product. 

WARNING: It is important to read ALL accompanying safety and installation instructions to avoid damage to 

the product and potential injury to yourself or others. 

Additional Documentation 

For more information on the Virtuoso® and PRG Series 400® systems, refer to the following PRG manuals: 

+ Virtuoso® Series Control Console User Manual (02.9651.0001.xx) 

+ PRG Series 400® Power and Data Distribution System User Manual (02.9680.0001.xx) 

+ PRG Lighting Systems Networking Guide (02.3004.1000.0) 

For extended service information, refer to the following PRG manual: 

+ Virtuoso® Node Plus Service Manual (02.9801.0310) 

For more information regarding DMX512 systems, refer to the DMX512/1990 & AMX 192 Standards publication 

available from United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. (USITT). 

USITT 

6443 Ridings Road 

Syracuse, NY 13206-1111 USA 

1-800-93USITT 

www.usitt.org 

For more information regarding Art-Net protocol, refer to the specification for Art-Net II Ethernet Communication 

Standard available from Artistic Licence Ltd. 

Artistic Licence (UK) Ltd (Registered Office) 

24 Forward Drive, Christchurch Avenue, 

Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 8NT, United Kingdom 

+44 (0)20 88 63 45 15 (phone) 

+44 (0)20 84 26 05 51 (fax) 

www.artisticlicence.com 

For additional documentation, please visit our support tech center at: www.prg.com/support 

VIRTUOSO ® NODE PLUS USER MANUAL 1

Customer Service 

Our comprehensive technical services department ensures you get the full benefit of being a PRG customer. Whether 

your needs are simple or complex, our full-time staff of experienced professionals are on-hand to provide support. For 

assistance, contact your nearest PRG office: 

PRG Dallas (International Service) 



Ph: 214.630.1963 

Fx: 214.630.5867 

Service Fx: 214.638.2125 

Service Email: orders@prg.com 

PRG Chicago 

90 Rawls Rd. 

Des Plaines, Illinois 60018 

Ph: 847.227.5171 

Fx: 847.557.9033 

PRG Los Angeles 

9111 Sunland Blvd. 

Sun Valley, California 91352 

Ph: 818.252.2600 

Fx: 818.252.2620 

PRG New Jersey 

915 Secaucus Rd. 

Secaucus, New Jersey 07094 

Ph: 201.758.4000 

Fx: 201.758.4312 

PRG Canada 

2480 Tedlo Street 

Mississauga, Ontario L5A 3V3 Canada 

Ph: 905.270.9050 

Fx: 905.270.2590 

PRG Europe 

The Cofton Centre 

Grovely Lane 

Longbridge, Birmingham 

B31 4PT, England 

Ph: +44 (0) 845.470.6400 

Fx: +44 (0) 845.470.6401 

For additional resources and documentation, please visit our website at: www.prg.com 

2 VIRTUOSO ® NODE PLUS USER MANUAL 

PRG Atlanta 

1053 Willingham Dr. 

Atlanta, Georgia 30344 

Ph: 404.214.4800 

Fx: 404.214.4801 

PRG Las Vegas 

6050 South Valley View Blvd. 

Las Vegas, Nevada 89118 

Ph: 702.942.4774 

Fx: 702.942.4775 

PRG Nashville 

8351 Eastgate Blvd. 

Mount Juliet, Tennessee 37122 

Ph: 615.834.3190 

Fx: 615.834.3192 

PRG Orlando 

1902 Cypress Lake Dr. 

Orlando, Florida 32837 

Ph: 407.855.8060 

Fx: 407.855.8059 

PRG Asia 

KI Building, 2nd Floor 

6-4-2 Kiba, Koto-ku 

Tokyo, 135-0042, Japan 

Ph: 81 3 5665 3377 

Fx: 81 3 5665 3517 

Essential Lighting 

Unit E 

Imber Court Trading Estate 

Orchard Lane 

East Molesey, Surrey 

KT8 0BY, England 

Ph: +44 (0) 208.335.6000 

Fx: +44 (0) 208.398.7205

OVERVIEW 

Description 

The Virtuoso Node Plus provides a powerful and convenient interface 

between Virtuoso or Art-Net compatible control consoles, pixel mapping 

from media servers, and subsequent control equipment which require 

either Art-Net or DMX512 control signals. The unit accepts high level 

commands in either Virtuoso or Art-Net protocol and converts the data 

into six universes of DMX512. 

The Virtuoso Node Plus unit operates in one of two primary modes: 

Virtuoso Mode or Series 400 Mode. The operating mode is automatically 

configured by the unit according to the input signal type. 

+ In Virtuoso Mode, the unit will accept Virtuoso protocol and generate 

both Art-Net and DMX512 outputs. 

+ In Series 400 Mode, the unit will accept Art-Net protocol and convert it to DMX512. 

Note: If used in a Series 400 distribution system, the Node Plus will follow the selected A, B, or C system. 

CAUTION: The Node Plus unit can only be used with Virtuoso consoles running software version 5.6 or 

greater. 

Features 

+ Accepts both Virtuoso and Art-Net control protocols. 

+ Compatible with 10Base-T or 100Base-TX standard signals. 

+ Automatic detection and mode configuration according to input signal type. 

+ One Ethernet (Art-Net) output port supporting up to six DMX512 universes. 

+ Six DMX512 serial output ports supporting one DMX512 universe each. 

+ LEDs indicating Link, TX data, and RX data status for all Ethernet ports. 

+ LEDs indicating DMX Tx, RDM Tx, and RDM Rx data status for all DMX ports. 

+ Display support for configuration of Virtuoso address, configuration of Art-Net outputs in Series 400 Mode, realtime 

monitoring of DMX512 data on each output, display of network error information, and display of current 

software version. 

+ Neutrik® PowerCon® connector for input AC supply. 

+ Front panel DC power status LED. 

+ Standard 1U 19" rack mount chassis. 


Included Items 

The following illustration shows all items included with the Virtuoso Node Plus unit. 

Controls and Indicators 


Virtuoso® Node Plus 

(20.9801.0300) 

Figure 1: Included Items 

The Virtuoso Node Plus provides the following connections and LED indicators. 

DC Power 

Input LED 

ON 

DMX Tx 

RDM Tx 

RDM Rx 

DMX512 Output 

Ports (6) 

1 2 3 

4 

5 

6 

DMX OUTPUTS 

DMX Tx, RDM Tx and 

RDM Rx Status LEDs 

(for each DMX port) 

MODEL 20-9801-0300 

Figure 2: Controls and Indicators 

LINK 

Tx 

Rx 

AC Line Cord 208V 

PowerCon® Cable Assembly 

(25.9801.0214) 

RJ-45 Ethernet Connector 

(V676/Virtuoso protocol or Art-Net Input only) 

RJ-45 Ethernet Connector 

(Art-Net Output only) 

Reset Button 

DMX OUT VIRTUOSO 

ETHERNET 

Link, Tx Data, and Rx 

Data Status LEDs 

(for each Ethernet port) 

Menu Display and 

Software Control 

Push Push to to Select 

Select 

FRONT PANEL 

REAR PANEL 

Neutrik Connector - 

Allows connection of AC Line Cord 

208V PowerCon Cable (supplied).

INSTALLATION 

AC Input 

Connect the AC Line Cord power cable assembly to the rear panel Neutrik® PowerCon® connector. 

Figure 3: Connecting AC Input Cable 

Neutrik Connector 

REAR PANEL 


System Configurations 

Virtuoso Standard Ethernet 

In the Virtuoso Standard Ethernet configuration, one or two Virtuoso 

control consoles may be connected to one or more Virtuoso Node 

Plus units. The Virtuoso Mode of operation should be used in this 

configuration. Refer to "Operating Modes" on page 10. 

The Virtuoso Mode can be setup using the menu system. Refer to 

"Virtuoso Menu (default)" on page 11 for menu operating instructions. 

Options: 

+ When connecting one Virtuoso console and one Virtuoso Node 

Plus unit, an Ethernet Crossover cable (25.9651.0566) must be used instead of an Ethernet switch or hub. 

+ When connecting two Virtuoso consoles and multiple Virtuoso Node Plus units, a 100Mb Ethernet switch or hub 

must be used. Standard CAT5e Ethernet cables should be used in this configuration. Refer to the illustration 

below: 

VIRTUOSO CONSOLE "A" 

* PRG Belden Ethernet cable or equivalent. 


CAT5e Ethernet Cables 

100 Meter 

Maximum 

VIRTUOSO CONSOLE "B" 

PRG 10-PORT (FIBER) ETHERNET SWITCH 

or 

PRG 7-PORT (COPPER) ETHERNET SWITCH 

Virtuoso Protocol CAT5e * 


Figure 4: Virtuoso Standard Ethernet Configuration 

Virtuoso Node 

101 

I J K L M N 

DmxMon Virt NetSta 

Art-Net DMX 

(to S400 Rack) 

VIRTUOSO NODE PLUS 

6x XLR DMX512 Data Cable 

Art-Net DMX 



6x XLR DMX512 Data Cable

Virtuoso NIF 

In the Virtuoso NIF configuration, one or two Virtuoso control consoles 

may be connected to one or more Virtuoso Node Plus units through a 

NIF. The Virtuoso Mode of operation should be used in this 


The Virtuoso Mode can be setup using the menu system. Refer to 

"Virtuoso Menu (default)" on page 11 for menu operating instructions. 

Options: 

+ When connecting one Virtuoso console/NIF and one Virtuoso 

Node Plus unit, an Ethernet Crossover cable (25.9651.0566) must be used instead of an Ethernet switch or hub. 

+ When connecting two Virtuoso consoles/NIFs and up to three Virtuoso Node Plus units, a 100Mb Ethernet switch 

or hub must be used. Standard CAT5e Ethernet cables should be used in this configuration. Refer to the 

illustration below: 

Fiber Optic Cable ** 

VIRTUOSO CONSOLE "A" 

NIF UNIT + 

A 

B 

CAT5e 



or 


Fiber Optic Cable ** 

VIRTUOSO CONSOLE "B" 


Figure 5: Virtuoso NIF Configuration 

Virtuoso Node 

101 

I J K L M N 


Art-Net DMX 




Art-Net DMX 




* PRG Belden Ethernet cable or equivalent. 

** Console may be connected by CAT5e Ethernet 

Cable instead of Fiber Optic Cable. 

+ Each NIF has a limit of 3 Node Plus connections. 


Series 400 (Art-Net) 

In the Series 400 (Art-Net) configuration, an Art-Net compatible 

control console may be connected to one or more Virtuoso Node Plus 

Series 400 Setup 

units. The Series 400 Mode of operation should be used in this 


A B C D E F 

The Series 400 Mode can be setup using the menu system. Refer to 

"Series 400" on page 12 for menu operating instructions. 

Info Ser400 DmxMon 

When connecting an Art-Net compatible console and multiple 

Virtuoso Node Plus units, a 100Mb Ethernet switch or hub must be 

used. Standard CAT5e Ethernet cables should be used in this configuration. Refer to the illustration below: 

DMX512-OVER-ETHERNET 

(ARTNET) CONSOLE 

Power Up Procedure 


CAT5e 

CAT5e Ethernet Cable * 

* PRG Belden Ethernet cable or equivalent 

Art-Net Protocol 


or 


Figure 6: Series 400 (Art-Net) Configuration 





To power up the Node Plus unit and set its address: 

Step 1. Once the AC input cable is connected and power is applied, the unit will receive power. (It does not have a 

power on/off switch.) 

Step 2. Using Menu Display controls, set Node Plus thumbwheel starting address (refer to "Operation" on page 10). 

Ensure that addresses are unique among all Nodes in system.

Virtuoso Console Setup 

When using the Virtuoso Node Plus unit with a Virtuoso Series console, the Node Plus can be set up using the DMX 

Setup window. 

Note: Refer to Virtuoso Series Console User Manual (02.9651.0001.xx) for more detailed instructions regarding 

console operation. 

Step 1. At Virtuoso console, patch DMX fixtures and assign a DMX universe. 

Step 2. At Setup menu, select DMX Setup. (DMX Setup window will open.) 

Step 3. Select desired DMX universe. 

Step 4. Enter Node thumbwheel address in "Thumb" field and select Node output (1-6) in 

pop-up menu. 

Step 5. Click Set button to assign universe to selected Node output. 

Step 6. If patching sequential Nodes and outputs, pressing the [Return] button on the keyboard will auto increment 

the patch. If not sequential, repeat Steps 3 through 5. 

Troubleshooting 

Symptom Indication Remedy 

Node Plus online, 

but no control. 

Console Selection 

Virtuoso Node 

output port choices 

DMX Host 

Popup Menu 

Appears in Virtuoso configuration 

window, but channels are not online. 

Incorrect patch: verify Node Plus address and that universes 

are set to ‘Node’ not ‘Con’ in DMX Setup window. 


OPERATION 

Operating Modes 

The Virtuoso Node Plus unit operates in one of two primary modes: Virtuoso Mode or Series 400 Mode. The operating 

mode is automatically configured by the unit according to the input signal type. 

+ In Virtuoso Mode, the unit will accept Virtuoso protocol and generate both Art-Net and DMX512 outputs. 

Virtuoso 

Protocol 

+ In Series 400 Mode, the unit will accept Art-Net protocol and convert it to DMX512. 

Art-Net 

Protocol 

Menu Display 


[ Virtuoso Mode ] 


[ Series 400 Mode ] 

The Virtuoso Node Plus includes a display menu for configuring the unit and checking system status. The menu 

system can be navigated using the joystick controller, which can be moved left, right, up, and down, and pushed in. In 

general, left and right movements navigate the top level menus at the bottom of the display. Pushing in the joystick 

enables editing for the current mode. Pushing in while editing, saves changes and exits. 


Art-Net and DMX512 

DMX512 


Select 

Display Joystick Navigation Control 

Figure 7: Menu Display and Joystick

Virtuoso Menu (default) 

The Virtuoso menu displays thumbwheel and mapped DMX512 universes (as patched from the console). In the 

sample image below, this unit has been set to thumbwheel 101, and Virtuoso universes I-N have been patched to 

outputs 1-6 of this Node. 

Virtuoso Node 

101 

I J K L M N 


To edit the thumbwheel, press the joystick. The first digit will be highlighted. 

Use up/down to change the digit, left/right to move to another digit, and press down to save and exit. 

Information 

The Information menu displays software version date/time, verification of valid Boot module, and programmed 

Network ID. 

Information 

Vers: 02/22/07 12:36 

Boot: OK 

NetID: 00C0 5E02 03EC 

NetSta Info Ser400 

To edit the thumbwheel, press the joystick. 

The first digit will be highlighted. 

Use up/down to change the digit, left/right 

to move to another digit, and press down to 

save and exit. 

Network Stats 

The Network Stats menu displays Ethernet transmit and receive statistics since power-up. 

Network Stats 

TX # 467 fail 0 

T/O 0 HwEr 0 

Mem 0 Apn 0 

RX # 1262 HwEr 0 

Flag 0 Cksm 0 

Buf 0 Msg 0 

Virt NetSta Info 

TX #: successful transmits fail: transmit failures 

T/O: transmit time-outs HwEr: transmit hardware errors 

Mem: transmit memory errors Apn: transmit buffer errors 

RX #: successful receives HwEr: receive hardware errors 

Flag: receive invalid flag error Cksm: receive checksum error 

Buf: receive buffer shortage Msg: receive message item shortage 


Series 400 

The Virtuoso Node Plus can also be used as a DMX512 output device in a Series 400 Power and Data Distribution 

System (when it sees Art-Net on the Virtuoso port instead of Virtuoso protocol). The Series 400 menu displays the 

current configuration of the output ports. In the sample image below, Art-Net universes A-F (0-5) are mapped to DMX 

outputs 1-6 of the Node. 

To change the configuration, press the joystick. The first output will be highlighted. 

Use up/down to change the universe, left/right to move to another universe, and press down to save and exit. 

DMX Monitor 

The DMX Monitor menu displays data that is being transmitted on one of the Node’s DMX512 outputs. 

Use up/down to scroll the DMX512 channels being displayed, or press down to go to the next DMX512 output. 

(Left/right go to the neighboring menus as usual.) 

Reset 

Series 400 Setup 

A B C D E F 

Info Ser400 DmxMon 

DMX Monitor 1 

001: 000 127 255 127 255 

006: 000 000 255 080 000 

011: 178 000 000 000 000 

016: 000 000 000 000 000 

Ser400 DmxMon Virt 

In the event a software reset is necessary, the Reset button may be pressed. The Reset button is recessed into the 

front panel as shown. 

ON 

DMX Tx 

RDM Tx 

RDM Rx 

1 2 3 

4 

5 

6 

DMX OUTPUTS 


MODEL 20-9801-0300 

Reset Button 

Figure 8: Reset Button Location 

LINK 

Tx 

Rx 

DMX OUT VIRTUOSO 

ETHERNET 


Select

SPECIFICATIONS 

Technical Specifications 

POWER REQUIREMENT: 90 to 264 VAC, 47 to 63 Hz 

Draws less than 60 watts continuously. 

COOLING: Convection. 

OPERATING TEMP: -20°C to 50°C (-4°F to 122°F). 

INPUT: One control signal input which is fed from a console providing either Virtuoso or DMXover-Ethernet 

(Art-Net) protocol. 

OUTPUT: One Art-Net output carrying up to six DMX512 universes. 

Six (non-isolated) standard DMX512 serial outputs, each carrying one DMX512 universe. 

(Both output protocols are simultaneously active in Virtuoso mode.) 

COMM INDICATORS: Input and output status LEDs indicating DMX Tx, RDM Tx and RDM Rx data (DMX ports), 

and Link, Tx data and Rx data (Ethernet ports). 

POWER INDICATOR: Green LED indicating that DC power has been applied. 

CONTROL: Built-in Menu Display with joystick and button controls. 

HOUSING: Standard 1U 19" rack mount chassis. 

WEIGHT: 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) 

COMPLIANCE: ETL and CSA Standards in CE and DENAN category B, Circle PSE. 

1.72" 

(44 mm) 

11" 

(279 mm) 

12" 

(305 mm) 

19" 

(483 mm) 


Notes 

14 VIRTUOSO ® NODE PLUS USER MANUAL


Version as of: November 15, 2010 

PRG part number: 02.9801.0301 C

Production Resource Group 

Dallas Office 



www.prg.com

VIRTUOSOÃ‚Â® NODE PLUS - PRG

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