028 INTERVIEW
Niclas with colleague Shelly Li
“We were the first company on the market to take a different approach to making a product that was easy to use, cost effective and using advanced technology to ensure safe transmission.”
and Igloo fixtures is Clay Paky, with the transceiver card operating in a master / slave scenario, broadcasting to all other fixtures in receiver mode. One of the big mistakes made by other companies, Arvidsson believes, is that they are concentrating first and foremost on being a wireless technology company. “But we are a lighting company which happens to focus on radio. The bulk of our feedback comes from manufacturers, distributors and rental companies - such as PRG in Belgium and rental and theatres in Sweden, with whom we work and support directly.” How does this support manifest itself? “Sometimes customers need help with different antennas but one of the most common challenges is distance. A standard box with European output will cover 500 metres line of sight, and if you have units three metres from the ground then you will have 95% signal strength.” The new G4 has built-in redundancy whereby all the data is sent twice. “This back-up feature we call ‘Data-Safe’,” said Arvidsson. “Even if we lose a DMX package, in a crowded situation the system will still accept a 50% drop as the re- send is so fast. This improved function provides the user with greater security and reassurance.” Look at Arvidsson’s LinkedIn profile and you will see a mass of affiliations to different boards, standards, associations and advisory groups. Wireless Solution is a voting member of the RDM Task Group and the new protocol, commonly called “streaming ACN”, which details DMX-style control over TCP / IP networks. Wireless Solution is also a participant at the PLASA Plugfest (previously RDM Plugfest) held most recently in July in Texas.
www.mondodr.com
So what of RDM, the protocol enhancement to DMX512, that allows bi-directional communication between a lighting controller and RDM compliant device over a standard DMX line? Arvidsson believes RDM has more relevance for installation use, while remote addressing is more important for touring. “RDM can save a lot of cost. You can run a manual diagnostic and get it up on a PC screen and implement your own unique PID. There is also a lot of ‘on the fly’ stuff you can do with RDM. On the PC screen I can see how good the signal strength is, while there are a lot of small functions which are useful for wireless RDM; any controller supporting it will be able to show these functions by listing all the RDM commands.” With so much weird science in the ether education becomes a byword, and Arvidsson’s mission is that by undertaking constant seminars, he will help to expand the size of the wireless DMX universe. For the last four years he has conducted a one hour training session at PLASA, and has gone further, sponsoring initiatives such as a youth enterprise scheme. “This year at PLASA we talked about wireless RDM but it’s still very early days, and there are still companies that don’t put it into their fixtures. In fact one of the biggest problems with wireless generally is when our distributors say their clients don’t want wireless DMX. I say, ‘have you bothered to ask them?’. “A lot of manufacturers are saying they are RDM ready, but aside from a few European and American companies, it is the Chinese who are adopting it most quickly, as they see it not only as a useful technical feature, but also a sales pitch. In fact our biggest clients in volume for the DMX cards are also the Chinese - and we now have all the major Chinese manufacturers using wireless.” Knowing Arvidsson’s predilection for developing the Asia and Chinese markets don’t bet against him opening up a facility there anytime soon to meet customer requests in the local market, with a view of simplifying import duties. At the end of 2009 the company entered negotiations with City Theatrical about licensing the wireless RDM patent that is valid in USA. After a couple of months an agreement was reached which was formalised at LDI 2010. “This is an important co-operation between two companies using wireless technology as the USA is an important market for us, as well as our OEM clients,” said Arvidsson. With this agreement Wireless Solution Sweden is currently the only European producer of wireless DMX / RDM, selling in USA, that is fully covered by the City Theatrical patent. “We at Wireless Solution see this as an important agreement, as this protects all our clients - end-users, dealers, distributors and OEM partners - from the risk of any legal problems,” he said. One major American-based project starting next year is construction of a new 550ft high roller ferris wheel. This will be the highest in the world and follows
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