Spikemark

It is hard to believe that Spikemark 4 was released 19 months ago – and more mind numbing that in that same time we have released 19 updates!  (plus a few new machines, controllers and custom projects along the way…) As of this writing Spikemark 4.4.0 is current and out in the world.  Although we have been releasing new features and bug fixes more than monthly, we have missed the boat a little on the paperwork front.  As we are toiling away in front of screens writing manual updates and super cool screenshots, we thought taking a few minutes to get all the features and bug fixes into writing.

NEW FEATURES

Below are the features added to Spikemark 4

FEATURE DETAILS

Let’s take a look at the new key features, broken down by version, in bit more detail.

SPIKEMARK 4.0.0

GROUP MOTION

A group is a collection of two or more motors that monitor each others faults and stop if something is wrong. Each motor in a group creates a special connection to Spikemark that allows it to know if another motor in its group has experienced an issue so it can stop itself. This results in small position deltas between the grouped motors when one faults, making it ideal for multi-motor lifts.  Additional Group Motion features and fixes have been introduced after 4.0.0, but this is the big change.

You can read all the details here: cci.fyi/groups

DRIVE COMMUNICATION

Drive communication is an RS-485 serial link between the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and the Stagehand Control Card (SCC) inside a Stagehand. The VFD and SCC communicate by the Modbus protocol allowing the SCC to gather information and send it to Spikemark. With this modbus link Spikemark can view detailed drive faults, reset the VFD, auto tune and analyze the current and frequency for a given movement.  

You can read all the details here: cci.fyi/drivecomm

The serial link allows opens up the following features for any Stagehand Pro or Stagehand Apprentice controller:

AUTO-TUNE WIZARD

The auto-tune wizard for pro and apprentice allows for auto-tune parameters to be set via spikemark, and run the auto-tune sequence

ANALYZE MOTION

Movement analysis for pro and apprentice allows for graphing of current and frequency over the travel distance. 

DRIVE RESET

No more need to dive under the table or to another room when a drive fault occurs.  Any Stagehand Pro and Apprentice can now reset drive faults via spikemark.

SPIKEMARK 4.0.2

MOVE TO POSITION

You can now move to an arbitrary position by right-clicking on a motor header and selecting “Load Position” and then “Run To Position”.  This feature allows the operator to move any motor (or group) to any position, reducing the need to have “burner” cues in the grid for independent moves.

SPIKEMARK 4.1.0

USER AUTHORIZATION

User Authorization allows Spikemark editing to be restricted through user permissions.

PRESETS

Presets link to a specific cue, and are a super cool way to recall a cue.  The Preset displays the name of the Preset, what movements are executing and if there are multiple steps (linked cues). In addition there is also a mini stage model view displaying only the axes moving in the specific Preset. 

PENDANT

The Pendant puts the power of Spikemark in your hand – you are no longer chained to the automation station and computer.

DEFAULT SHOW FILE

You can now point Spikemark to open a specific show file each time it starts.

SPIKEMARK 4.1.4

POSITION LAG

Position Lag is another way for Spikemark to detect encoder loss and halt motion.  You can read all about it here: cci.fyi/mpe

SPIKEMARK 4.2.0

POSISTAGENET

Spikemark now supports PSN position output to expand on integration with a wider range of media server platforms.  You can read more about it here: cci.fyi/psn

SPIKEMARK 4.3.0

OSC (OPEN SOUND CONTROL) 

Open Sound Control (OSC) is an open protocol for transmitting data between computers. Spikemark can send these OSC messages to any device that supports UDP OSC such as QLab, ISADORA or ETC EOS.  Additionally Spikemark can send real time motor position data using the OSC protocol like it does with Watchout (cci.fyi/watchout) and PosiStageNet (cci.fyi/psn). 

SPIKEMARK 4.3.1

Add to Position

By right clicking on the movement position box you are now able to “Add to Position”.  Let’s say you have a wagon at position on stage and someone would like it moved onstage a specific distance from the current position.  You can add and subtract to the current position with a positive or negative value, taking the guesswork out of “bumps”.

SPIKEMARK 4.4.0

Pendant Updates

We spent some quality time behind the scenes making several large changes to the Pendant UI as well as adding features to help those running grouped movements and large shows.  Key features are listed below.

• Updated Pendant Firmware (v3)
  • Ability to activate/deactivate motors in a group
  • Ability to see individual motors in a group
  • Axis details screen
  • Improved group jogging
  • Reset Position from Pendant
  • Pendant Jog Paddle follows jog curve
  • Motor status icons are now the same on the Pendant as in Spikemark
• Calibrate Pendant jog paddle

Miscellaneous Updates

Along with the work on the Pendant and all those super features, we also spent time changing features and addressing bugs:

• Streaming position data via OSC now supports negative values
• OSC scale factor is saved with the show
• OSC Libraries are now installed properly when installing Spikemark with authentication
• Pendant config screen now stays on top of Spikemark window
• New From Show feature now not overwriting existing show and being connected in Simulator 
• Copy to Group while cue is loaded now reloads values

RELEASE NOTES

Below is the complete release notes for Spikemark 4 thru 4.4.0.  This list includes all feature updates, bug fixes and changes included.  You can find updated info when you update Spikemark or at any time by looking here: https://creativeconners.com/files/spikemark/Release_Notes.txt

07-30-2019 V4.4.0

*ADDED* Feature P1 – Calibrate pendant joystick
*ADDED* Feature 491 – Ability to activate/deactivate motors in a group
*ADDED* Feature P4 – Axis details screen on Pendant
*ADDED* Feature P3 – Use status icons from Spikemark on the Pendant

*CHANGED* Feature P2 – Pendants group details screen
*CHANGED* Feature P5 – Redesigned main Pendant screen
*CHANGED* Issue 490 – Improved group jog reliability
*CHANGED* Issue 471 – OSC streaming scale to allowing negative values
*CHANGED* Issue 478 – Trickline machine direction labels
*CHANGED* Issue 458 – Floorpocket default settings
*CHANGED* Issue 475 & 476 – Modbus Coil header in the cue grid
*CHANGED* Issue 470 – Pendant config screen not staying on top of Spikemark
*CHANGED* Issue 469 – Spikemark version in print show

*FIXED* Issue 442 – Group paddle jog at zero creeping forward
*FIXED* Issue 484 – Cue time not updating
*FIXED* Issue 485 – Occasional freeze when updating cue numbers
*FIXED* Issue 472 – Saving OSC scaling factor
*FIXED* Issue 483 – Revolver & Periaktos spikes being shifted
*FIXED* Issue 481 – New from show being connected in simulator
*FIXED* Issue 477 – OSC libraries not installing with Spikemark authentication
*FIXED* Issue 482 – New from show saving over old show on first save
*FIXED* Issue 456 – Default speed being set higher than max speed
*FIXED* Issue 507 – Disallowing jogging a group while its moving in a cue
*FIXED* Issue 492 – Copy to group while cue is loaded not reloading values
*FIXED* Issue 523 – Drive fault status going away after a failed group jog
*FIXED* Issue 493 – Group paddle jog not following jog curve

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V3

03-08-2019 V4.3.2
*FIXED* Issue 467 – Position links not switching motors
*FIXED* Position links linking to unavailable motors
*UPDATED* Installer to include changes

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

03-01-2019 V4.3.1
*ADDED* Ability to increment a target position

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

02-26-2019 V4.3.0
*ADDED* Ability to send OSC messages
*ADDED* Ability to send motor position data over OSC
*ADDED* Pushstick Mini to motor library

*CHANGED* Issue 446 – Motor group’s default speeds to lowest of children
*CHANGED* Issue 381 – Added motor name to which position error was loaded

*FIXED* Issue 371 – Grammar error in installation window
*FIXED* Issue 445 – Pendant coarse/fine jog transitioning to idle instead of faulted
*FIXED* Issue 443 – Group jog faulting when enable released
*FIXED* Issue 460 – Cue selection manager crash
*FIXED* Isseu 461 – Showstopper connection threading crash

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

02-08-19 V4.2.1
*FIXED* Redetect drive
*FIXED* Aux 2 drive reset

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

01-09-19 V4.2
*ADDED* PosiStageNet motor output

*FIXED* Fx not reconnecting after leaving simulator mode
*FIXED* Encoder counts not updating in point scale dialog

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

12-26-18 V4.1.9
*FIXED* Group motors in pop out stage model viewer
*FIXED* Pendant jog to be more reliable
*FIXED* Motor min position change not updating cues below new minimum
*FIXED* Abort on position error defaulting to off for add motor command
*FIXED* RS485 drive communication to be more reliable

*CHANGED* Major internal refactorings
*CHANGED* Instead of showing drive model number it now shows either pro or apprentice
*CHANGED* Instead of auto filling in drive values in auto tune window it now defaults to all 0’s so user has to input values
*CHANGED* Next/Prev button to move to the next/prev cue if cues are displayed or the next/prev preset if presets are displayed
*CHANGED* Default Revolver V2 max speed
*CHANGED* Default Revolver V2 P-Gain
*CHANGED* CM Chain Hoist default parameters

*ADDED* Drive parameter numbers to auto tune window
*ADDED* Drive error numbers to drive faults
*ADDED* Group fault icon
*ADDED* Group terminate swichboard timeout

*FIRMWARE* Classic V19
*FIRMWARE* Bipolar V31
*FIRMWARE* Unipolar V50
*FIRMWARE* Pendant V2

10-15-18 V4.1.8
*FIXED* Pendant jogging now follows the nonlinear curve and obeys min and max jog percent

9-25-18 V4.1.7
*NEW* Pendant firmware with battery monitoring fix

9-6-18 V4.1.6
*FIXED* Connecting to stagehands that don’t exsist.
*FIXED* Firmware not being installed when authorization was used.

*CHANGED* Firmware is now sotred where ever spikemark is installed. It is no longer installed in the users AppData folder.

8-17-18 V4.1.5
*FIXED* Issue 359 – Save open tab to show file
*FIXED* Issue 367 – MTP dialog stays on top of Spikemark
*FIXED* Issue 333 – Log old position when motor is rehomed
*FIXED* Issue 368 – Add group movement to preset paragraph
*FIXED* Issue 360 – Install wizard spelling
*FIXED* Issue 361 – Installer DPI cropping
*FIXED* Issue 358 – Add lag time to motor library
*FIXED* Issue 345 – Lock stage model into place
*FIXED* Issue 44 & 339 – Save cue expanded or collapsed to show file
*FIXED* Save lag time to show file

*CHANGED* Pendant config GUI

7-30-18 V4.1.4
*ADDED* Position lag time

*UPDATED* Pro and Apprentice firmware to reflect the type of card inside either Bipolar or Unipolar

*CHANGED* Moved abort on position error to advanced tab

7-23-18 v4.1.3
*FIXED* Presets touch scrolling
*FIXED* When you press enter on the authentication login screen it now logs you in
*FIXED* Keyboard shortcuts working during run only mode

6-12-18 v4.1.2
*FIXED* The static preset views not being static

6-1-18 v4.1.1
*FIXED* Threading bug introduced by presets

5-25-18 v4.1.0
*ADDED* User authorization
*ADDED* Presets
*ADDED* Pendant
*ADDED* The ability to load a default show
*ADDED* The ability to load a motor list from a different show file
*ADDED* IP addresses to log file
*ADDED* Read parameter button to auto tune window

*FIXED* Logging drive analyze move on drivefault, brakefault, and estop
*FIXED* Writing 3 digit values to auto tune parameters

4-19-18 v4.0.3
*CHANGED* Default polling interval for motors has been reduced to 60ms from 125ms for smoother stage model viewer and tighter cue links.

*ADDED* Firmware 19 (Classic), 30 (Pro), 49 (Apprentice) for group jogging opcodes.
*ADDED* New motors to default library.

*FIXED* Analyze movement screen too large for small screens.
*FIXED* Crashed sometimes while trying to read drive fault errors.
*FIXED* Sometimes crashed when attempting to open a showfile and a backup at the same time.

*CHANGED* Revolver V2 default point scale.

3-12-18 v4.0.2
*CHANGED* The machine library will now safely merge additions into existing library files.

*ADDED* Firmware 18 (Classic), 29 (Pro), 48 (Apprentice) for group jogging opcodes.

*FIXED* Jogging on-screen with the slider sporadically, but frequently caused crashes.
*FIXED* Crasher when sorting drive fault log.
*FIXED* Crasher sometimes when trying to read drive faults via Modbus.

*ADDED* Grouped movements can now take advantage of Analyze Movement.
*ADDED* Grouped motors can now jog as a group with group-fault protection.  This is easier said than done. Jogging within a group must be goverened by a PID loop to enforce position error abort.  Jogging behavior is therefore necessarily different when jogging solo vs jogging in a group.
*ADDED* You can now move to an arbitrary position by right-clicking on a motor header and selecting “Load Position” and then “Run To Position”

*CHANGED* You can now use individual “Load Movement” and “Run Movement” commands in Run-only mode.

2-6-18 v4.0.1
*FIXED* NBug had a permissions issue that would not allow crash report zip files to be saved to the desktop.  Rejoice, this should now work fine even when run without admin privileges.

*ADDED* Motors now include a MIN JOG parameter that controls the slowest a motor may move when jogged manually.  This helps with the Apprentice Stagehand (and machines based on the Apprentice Card) that can get a little jumpy when jogging super-slow.  This doesn’t not affect cue movement which runs silky even in super-slow mode.

1-19-18 v4.0.0
*ADDED* Motors can be grouped together for synchronous operation and cross-fault detection.
*ADDED* Stagehand Pro and Stagehand Apprentice updated firmware to rev 28 & 47 respectively.
*ADDED* Auto-Tune wizard for Pro and Apprentice allows for Auto-Tune parameters to be set via Spikemark, and run the Auto-Tune sequence.
*ADDED* Movement analysis for Pro and Apprentice allows for graphing of current and frequency over the travel distance.
*ADDED* Pro and Apprentice can now reset drive faults via Spikemark.
*ADDED* Stagehand Pro and Stagehand Apprentice updated firmware to rev 27 & 46 respectively.