COBRA Firmware Version 6.1.0 Stable Release

The 6.1.0 stable release candidate includes the following minor improvements and bug fixes. Note that all improvements and bug fixes are also included within the 7.0 release.

Total Events in COBRA Show Creator and Control Panel Consistency

There were some inconsistencies in how COBRA Show Creator and the Control Panel calculated the total number of events. We now display the following information in COBRA Show Creator:

• Total Rows - The total number of rows appearing in COBRA show creator. This includes pyro, dmx, and comment rows.
• Pyro Events - The unique number of pyro events including STEP events. A unique event is where the channel, cue and time are unique. Any rows with the same channel, cue, and time are considered a single pyro event.
• DMX Events - The total number of DMX event rows in the script including STEP events.
• STEP Events - The total number of STEP events in the script.
• Alternate Events - The total number of Alternate events in the script including alternate 1 and alternate 2.
• Total Events - The total number of Pyro events and DMX events. Total Events = Pyro Events + DMX Events.

Also note that the Control Panel total events will match the total events in COBRA Show Creator.

Audio Box Always Plays Single Audio File

If you have only one audio file on your USB drive, this file will always play regardless if the audio filename in the script does not match the audio filename on the USB drive. This will reduce the risk of audio files not playing that were not dry ran prior to the show.

Audio Box Feature to Not Pause Audio with STEP Events

If you place "=np" at the end of your audio filename (e.g. audiobox=np.mp3), the Audio Box won't stop playing audio while paused on a STEP event. This is a helpful feature for individuals firing manual STEP shows with audio where you want the audio to begin on the first event, but then manually STEP fire the show while audio is playing.

Double Tapping TEST or ARM Displays Device Count

If you quickly double tap and release the TEST or ARM button on the 18R2, the current device count will appear. This is a helpful feature to allow users to know the current device count at any time.

Modules Indicating Communication Status

The modules now blink their TEST or ARM LED when in the process of acknowledging communications with the 18R2. This occurs in both TEST and ARM mode. In ARM mode, the red LED will stop blinking when the module has successfully downloaded the script and is armed. This is a helpful feature to determine from the module if it's successfully armed.

Blank Lines in Script Now Ignored

The 18R2 now ignores any blank lines, or lines with only commas in the cobra.csv script file. This improves usability and reduces errors for lines that can be ignored.

Script Loading Event Line Indicator on 18R2

When loading scripts into the 18R2 using the USB drive, we now display an event counter which helps to provide an indication of the remaining time for the script to load, assuming you are aware of the total number of event lines in your script. This is helpful compared to the spinning LEDs only which existed in earlier versions.

Jumping Forward and Backward in SMPTE Scripts Now Supported

You can now seamlessly jump forward and backward in SMPTE scripts using the SMPTE feed. This is common for performances that have set events at varying times and the SMPTE feed is used to automatically trigger these sequences.

Hidden Files in Mac Now Ignored in on 18R2, Previously Displayed Er1

18R2 now ignores script files with a ._ prefix - Select versions of Mac OS were generating hidden duplicate COBRA script files when the CSV was placed onto the usb. These files had a ._ prefix. The 18R2 will now ignore these files.

Bug Fixes

Please also find a listing of bug fixes within 6.1.0. These same bug fixes are applied and patched to the 7.0.1 or higher release.

• Audio Box Not Recognizing USB Drive - If the audio box was powered on without a USB drive for several minutes, in some cases the USB drive may not be recognized if inserted at this time. The user was required to power the Audio Box off and on to fix the issue. This issue is now resolved as you can insert the USB drive at any time.
• 18M and 6M Not Firing Script if Power Cycled Mid-Show - The 18M and 6M would not properly download a script if power cycled mid-show. Instead, the user was required to disarm and rearm the 18R2 in order for the script to properly download. This issue has been resolved as you can power cycle an 18M or 6M mid-show. This was only an issue on the 18M and 6M and not on the 36M or 72M.
• Module Powered On Mid-Script may Fire Previous STEP Event - In rare cases if a module was powered on mid-show, it could fire a previous STEP event inadvertently. This issue has been resolved and was only reported by a single customer during testing.
• Script Error 16 Incorrectly Displayed as Error 54 on 18R2 - In some cases, error 16 (Invalid event cue format) was incorrectly displayed as Error 54 (Maximum Events On One Channel). This issue has been resolved as the error codes are now displaying correctly.
• Control Panel Not Displaying Modules - In some cases, a module may not appear as recognized in the Control Panel. This was a benign reporting issue and has been resolved.
• Events Between 0 and 1 second Not Appearing as Fired in Control Panel using SMPTE - When using SMPTE, in some cases, events with an event time between 0 and 1 second would not show as fired in the Control Panel. This issue has been resolved.
• Quickplug 6-Cue Tester Now Works on 36M/72M for Showing Continuity - The quickplug 6-cue tester (https://www.ignitefiringsystems.com/accessories) sold by IGNITE Firing Systems now works on the 36M/72M in showing continuity. This was previously not working due to the resistance range measured. This has been corrected and is now working properly to display continuity.
• Auto-Fire LEDs Displaying on 36M/72M in TEST Mode - Hardware version B of the 36M and 72M would display the red cue LEDs as on when an auto-fire is executed while the key was in the TEST position. This was a benign issue as the modules were not firing, but rather just displaying the LED. This issue has been resolved.
• Modules Not Displaying in ARM Count on 18R2 - In rare cases, the 18R2 would not recognize a module and the red LED would continuously blink. The user would be required to disarm and rearm the 18R2 in order for the module to appear in the device count. This was a benign issue as the module was arming and has successfully downloaded the script. This issue is now resolved as all modules will appear properly.
• 18M May Not Turn Off Red Cue LED if Cue is Shorted and Fires - In some cases, if a cue is shorted with low resistance, the red cue LED may not turn off when fired and additional cue LEDs may turn on inadvertently. This issue has been resolved as a shorted cue does not cause any abnormal LED behaviour.
• Updating Firmware on 36M/72M May Change Voltage Mode - In some cases, upgrading the firmware on the 36M or 72M may inadvertently change the voltage mode. This issue has been resolved.
• Space Between Filename and .mp3 Extension Causing Playback Issues - If there was a space between the filename and the .mp3 extension, the Audio Box would experience playback issues. For example, "audiobox .mp3" vs. "audiobox.mp3". This issue has been resolved.
• Module Not Firing Script - In very rare cases, a module may not fire a script entirely. This issue has been resolved as it was due to a rare race condition where the 18R2 thought the script was uploaded into the module, but this had not occurred. This issue has been resolved.
• Minor DMX Issues - Several minor DMX issues were resolved with STEP events and in rare cases a module not downloading the updated DMX script.
• Manually Clearing Scripts Not Blinking SYNC LED or Displaying 00 - When manually clearing scripts by pressing TEST and SYNC for 10 seconds, the 18R2 did not indicate the scripts were cleared by flickering the SYNC LED and displaying 00. This is now resolved.
• Changing Firing Mode (0.1s vs. 2.0s) While Module is Armed is Disabled on 36M/72M - The firing mode can no longer be changed on the 36M or 72M when the module is armed both by the key position in ARM and when the synced 18R2 is also armed.
• SMPTE Timecode Quality Displays 0 with Large DMX Scripts - In large several thousand event DMX scripts, in rare cases the SMPTE Timecode may display a value of 0 temporarily. This issue has been resolved.
• Last Event in SMPTE Driven Scripts May Not Fire - In rare cases, a script may not fire the last event when receiving a SMPTE feed. This occurred with both timecode1 and timecode2 options and is now resolved.