We frequently have customers who lose the programming for their Colortran Viewpoint system. This is not a problem if the site has an EEprom Memory Card with a back-up copy of the memory – but many sites have lost their card and have no backup available. In this situation, there are three different options – you can set up a field service visit where we will come to your facility and reprogram your system, we can program a replacement EEprom Memory Card for you and ship it to you with instructions on how to use it to restore your system, or we can provide you with software you can you to program your system, with a specific type of computer.

We are always happy to arrange for field service, please feel free to contact us any time at 866-457-5937. However, depending on how far we have to travel to get to your site, field service visits can be expensive.

We can also provide you with software that you can use to program your system.  The catch here is that the software is DOS-based, and requires a computer running Windows 95, 98, or XP 32-bit.  The computer also needs to have a serial port built in.  Feel free to contact us for more information on this option.

On the other hand, if you choose to have us program an EEprom Memory Card for you, you will only be on the line for the cost of a EEprom Memory Card and of the cost of the bench labor time for us to program and test everything (usually 1-2 hours).

Here’s the catch – your programming is gone! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place! If we have visited your site before, there is a good chance that we have a copy of your programming and can load it onto a memory card. Please contact us for details on this option.

If we haven’t visited you before, then you will need to tell us exactly how your system should be programmed, with everything from A to Z. Don’t worry, we’ve got a list of what we need to know, along with a handy form or spreadsheet to fill in! Ready? Let’s do this:

INSTRUCTIONS: To make this easier, we’ve created a form you can fill out with all of your information. You can find it HERE, and follow along with this article as you work through (please email us if you'd prefer a Microsoft Excel version of this form).

• 1.Dimmer Rack Types & Quantities: How many and what type of dimmer rack(s) are in your system? Example: (1) ENR96 rack and (1) ENR24 rack.
• 2.Spaces in the System: Is there more than one space using the dimming and control system? If so, what are the spaces? Example: Main Theatre, Black Box, Lobby.
• 3.Dimmer Purposes: What does each dimmer control in your system? We need to link a name to each dimmer number. Typically, there are numbers on the front door of each dimmer rack that identify the circuit numbers. We will need to know these, and what they are controlling in your space. Example: Dimmer 1 controls the first row of house lights, Dimmers 42-52 are Onstage Electric 1, Dimmers 78-88 are in the orchestra pit.
• 4.Control Stations: How many control stations are on your network, what kind(s) are they, and what are their address(es)? The Viewpoint system can have up to four (4) runs of Viewpoint control stations, which can add up quickly. To identify which kind(s) of control stations you have, and how to find their addresses, see our handy article about Viewpoint control stations HERE. Example: Qty. 1 LCD Station in the Box Office at address 15; Qty. 1 LED Station at Backstage Left at address 26; Qty. 1 Entry Station at Auditorium Entrance at address 10.
• 5.Which control station(s) are in which space? Earlier we gave them basic names, but let’s break it down a little further with both the name of the SPACE and the EXACT LOCATION within that space. Example: (Match to above) 15-LCD Station-Box Office-Lobby Space, 26-LED Station-Backstage Left-Main Theatre, 10-Entry Station-Black Box Entrance Front Left.
• 6.Dimmers in Each Space: Which dimmers are in which space? Example: Dimmers 1-10 – Main Theatre, Dimmers 11-20 – Black Box, Dimmers 21-25 – Lobby.
• 7.Presets: What do you want your presets to do? There can be up to 14 presets on an LCD control station. Let’s give them a name, and where they belong. Example: Main Auditorium: Preset 1-House Full, Preset 2-House Half, Preset 3-House Out, Black Box: Preset 1-House Full, Preset 2-House Out, Preset 3-Blue Lights On.
• 8.For each preset, what should happen with the dimmers? Example: Preset 1-Dimmers 1-5 at 100%, Preset 2-Dimmers 6-10 at 75%.
• 9.Pictures are incredibly helpful! When in doubt, just take pictures and send them to us (at info@goknight.com) and we’ll be happy to review them and advise.
• 10.  Just hit "submit" when you are done with the form!

Phew! You made it! Once we have all of this information, we’ll be able to create a Viewpoint Configuration for your system and write it to an EEprom Memory Card fairly quickly. The length of time that it takes to create this programming is dependent on how large and/or complex your system is. Small systems take around half an hour, while larger systems can take several hours to complete. Once we have this information, we’ll be happy to create a no-strings-attached quote for you.

This process is bound to raise some questions. We’re always happy to answer them! Feel free to contact us any time at info@goknight.com, or 866-457-5937 and we’ll be glad to help you out.