Key Articles
Stardraw Control - More Enhancements
In line with our strategy of continually improving and enhancing
even our latest products and in response to end-user feedback, a
wealth of new features have been added to Stardraw Control in recent
weeks.
Enhanced IR Code Management - new features that make it
easier to manage infrared instruction codes in the drivers you
create or edit.
Report Window - accessed through the Actions dialog, the
Report window displays a summary of all the actions and events that
have been defined in the project. This greatly aids testing
and debugging.
Unlock Codes - you can now generate an unlocked executable
by entering an Unlock Code. Codes can be pre-purchased, or
might be distributed by manufacturers and other Stardraw Control
affiliates. This means that creation of a control program,
normally charged at $500, can be even more cost effective.
Enhanced Graphic Button - many features have been added to
the Graphic Button which is intended to be the principle UI
component. The graphic button supports multiple images which can
respond to mouse and click events (e.g. different images for
'default', 'hover', 'pressed' and 'disabled' states).
Behaviour of the graphic button has been augmented to include
Autorepeat (repetitions of any action or chain of actions at a
user-defined interval), Pressed State (allowing you to define
whether a button is pressed or not when the form loads) and overall
performance is much faster for forms containing multiple or large
images as backgrounds.
New driver - Xantech MRC88 eight zone - eight source
audio/video controller/amplifier system.
Stardraw Control is freely available and can be downloaded by
following the link below:
Stardraw Controls EtherSound at Radisson
TSK Communication Environments, the standalone proAV arm of the
TSK Group in Manchester, has just completed its first implementation
of Stardraw Control
at the Radisson Hotel in Birmingham, England. TSK has installed a
comprehensive and sophisticated background music and presentation
source routing system utilising an
EtherSound network controlled by Stardraw Control.
System Topology in Stardraw Control
The
background music system is implemented across all five floors of the
installation which comprises two floors of bars and restaurants, two
floors of meeting rooms and business facilities, and the eighteenth
floor which plays host to the gym and the presidential suite. The
corridors and lifts to all floors concerned are also covered. The
presentation source routing system is concentrated on the two floors
that form the Radisson Hotel business centre. Level two offers five
meeting rooms, three of which are combinable to make a larger space.
Level three provides a further five meeting rooms, four of which are
also combinable into two groups of two. A NetCIRA MS-8 8-channel
EtherSound input device takes eight sources of background music (two
feeds of DMX pre-programmed music, two 5-disc multi-CD changers, two
FM radio tuners and two digital radio tuners) and distributes the
signals across the EtherSound network. A second MS-8 handles the
presentation sources (three DVD players, three VCR machines and a
microphone). Controlling the entire system is a standalone,
customised control program generated by Stardraw Control.
According to TSK's Ric Burdge, the project manager responsible
for the Birmingham Radisson installation, not only did Stardraw
Control offer a fast and simple solution, but there was nothing else
available on the market that would do the job. "We needed a control
solution that would interface between RS232 and the EtherSound
network. Stardraw Control was the only product available that could
do it."
"I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to create the control
application and get it up and running," continued Burdge. "The
entire program was written from scratch, tested, and commissioned on
site in less than half a day. Although it wasn't required for this
particular application, we even created a custom graphical interface
to help in the system testing process and monitor signal routing and
volume levels across all zones. It was all breathtakingly and
refreshingly simple. What's more, it cost us next to nothing - $500
to create and implement the control program and that was it! To
achieve the same result using the other solutions currently
available on the market would run into many thousands, if not more
for a complex system, assuming, of course, that they can actually do
what we need them to do. Stardraw Control offers a simple, flexible
and highly cost-effective alternative, and one that we shall be
using a lot more in the future."
Stardraw.com CEO, David Snipp, is characteristically
enthusiastic; "TSK's implementation is a superb example of how
integrators can exploit Stardraw Control to offer sophisticated
system control at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional
methods. It's also a result that validates the whole approach of
Stardraw Control, namely, an open-architecture system that supports
multiple protocols and creates customised control programs without
requiring the user to write any code. This is a winner at every
level."
Support of Calypso Control Systems
We are pleased to announce that support for Calypso Control
products has been incorporated into Stardraw Control by virtue of a
driver that supports all Calypso Control device controllers.
Calypso Control Systems offers control and monitoring products
for professional AV applications. In combination, Calypso and
Stardraw products provide system integrators with the tools needed
to develop reliable, intuitive and cost-effective control solutions.
Pro I/O Controller
Calypso Control products, including the Pro I/O and ION Series of
device controllers, are built upon a unique event-database
architecture that simplifies solution development. The event
database acts as a type of translation table, converting any
incoming event (e.g., serial, IR, input or network command) into any
sequence of outbound control commands. Developers simply need the
network address of the controller and an event number in order to
trigger a control sequence. As a result, Calypso products deliver
faster development, less complexity and greater reliability.
“Stardraw Control plays a very important role in the overall
solution”, noted David Parish, President of Calypso. "With Stardraw,
our customers can develop easy or sophisticated graphical control
interfaces, while remaining true to our 'no code-writing' and
value-driven philosophies."
For more information please follow the links below:
Mode Lighting Supported in Stardraw Control
 Mode Lighting (UK) Ltd is part of the Mode Group of companies
dedicated to the design and manufacture of electronic products
principally for the lighting industry, including Architectural
Dimming Systems, Electronic Transformers for low voltage lighting,
Electronic Convertors for neon and cold cathode lighting,
colour-changing lighting and control systems and LED lighting
systems. We are pleased to announce that support for Mode Lighting's
Evolution system of architectural lighting control products has been
incorporated into Stardraw Control.
Mode Lighting's Sales Director, James King, described Stardraw
Control as "a flexible, customisable and manageable graphical front
end application which can meet the diverse requirements of even the
most demanding users whilst being able to offer absolute simplicity
in its user interfacing. The Custom Installer and AV market is an
ideal showground for Stardraw Control. We are also seeing it being
used with our lighting systems in projects such as Art Galleries
where a simple, low cost, non technical PC interface is required
that can not only operate the lighting but also provide HVAC
integration and control of other devices using the existing computer
networks. Our Evolution System provides control over lighting,
blinds & screens, colour changing, DMX devices and more using
our own keypads. It brings all of these protocols into a single
system and dramatically simplifies the design and specification.
Integration with external controls such as Stardraw Control
increases the options and features available to the end client
without huge increases in associated costs."
For more information please follow the links below:
Stardraw Audio / Stardraw A/V Training in Houston
 Seats can now be booked for the Stardraw Audio/Stardraw A/V
training seminar to be held in Houston on February 7th, 9am to
4pm.
Key Benefits
- Improve your productivity
- Maximize Stardraw's powerful features
- Exploit linkage to applications like Word & Excel
- Save time
- Reduce costs
- Maximize your IT investment
What to Bring to Class
- Laptop Computer with Stardraw Audio or Stardraw A/V already installed
- Yourself, ready to have a fun time and learn a lot
Costs
- $299.00 Per Person (single attendee)
- $200.00 Per Person (for 2 or more attendees from the same company)
Course Details
- Venue: Deerpark Meeting Room, Houston Hobby Airport Marriott, 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX 77017, 713.943.7979 Ph.
- Date: Tuesday, February 7th 2006
- Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Doors open 8:00 am
To reserve your seat please
email trainingusa@stardraw.com, or call Lee Carpenter on 1 866 978 0906
(toll-free)
Free Registration at Integrated Systems Europe
 The
three leading international systems industry associations - The
Custom Electronic Design Industry Association ® (CEDIA ®), the
International Communications Industries Association, Inc.® (ICIA/InfoComm®)
and the National Systems Contractors Association® (NSCA®) are again
jointly producing the Integrated Systems Europe Exhibition and
Conference, to be held February 1-3, 2006 at Brussels Expo in
Belgium.
ISE is the only European umbrella platform for the professional
systems integration market covering both residential and commercial
solutions. The event remains a business to business trade show
reflecting the need within the European marketplace for a dedicated
professional platform for the industry.
Stardraw.com, exhibiting on booth C29, is pleased to offer you
the chance to save up to €40 with free registration for this
important European event. For free registration simply click on the
link and enter code 483834 when asked for your invitation code.
Stardraw Forums are a Hit
Stardraw's online forums have seen a huge growth in traffic,
particularly since the release of Stardraw Control. The forums
have established themselves as the principle source for discussion
and support, and have become an important tool for new and
established Stardraw Control users whether they seek basic advice or
have advanced technical questions. Suggestions received on the
forums have been instrumental in driving the ongoing development of
Stardraw Control and many newly introduced features began life as an
online post.
When you register on the forums page, be sure to subscribe to any
forums in which you are interested - this will send you an email
alert when new posts are made, ensuring you will always have the
most up-to-date information. To subscribe, click on "Forum
Options" at the top right of the forum page and select
"Subscribe to Forum"
Please check out the forums yourself by following
the link below:
Upcoming Events
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Show: |
ISE |
Venue: |
Brussels, Belgium |
Dates: |
February 1-3 |
Stand #: |
C29 |
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Show: |
Systems Integration Expo (NSCA) |
Venue: |
Las Vegas, NV, USA |
Dates: |
March 16-18 |
Stand #: |
2829 |
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Show: |
EHExpo |
Venue: |
Orlando, FL, USA |
Dates: |
March 30 - April 1 |
Stand #: |
TBA |
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Show: |
PALME |
Venue: |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Dates: |
April 23-25 |
Stand #: |
2B21 |
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Symbols Updates
In December the following libraries were updated. Click
on a manufacturer name to see full details of that library, or click on a
link at the bottom of the page to update your application
with the latest symbols.
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