Once the Fast Clock Server is enabled and running, it multicasts time messages containing the current fast clock time and the current “day zone.” See Layout Time for more information about LCOS Fast Clock time. Layout time is an advanced feature of LCOS that can be activated at any time.
CLIENT nodes can respond to layout time messages in two ways:
- Time Triggers can cause a CLIENT to perform specific actions at a specific layout time; and
- Day Zones allow a CLIENT to set and change scenic elements for different periods of the day.
Layout Time Tool #
To access layout time functions, navigate to a CLIENT and, in the main window, click Layout Time to invoke the Client Layout Time tool.
The top section has a row of buttons with Day Zone labels. Clicking one of those buttons invokes the Day Zone Settings window. See below.
Time Triggers #
To create a new Time Trigger, click 
. A new trigger at default time 06:00 will be created and loaded into the edit area.
Use the Hour and Minute drop-down lists to set the time for this trigger.
A Time Trigger can manipulate 1 or 2 objects. An object can be one of four types:
- Port — any single digital output port.
- Relay — any single relay object.
- Scene — any Scene Object*.
- Control — any Control Object bound to virtual port 128.
After you select an object type, the selector on the right will auto-populate with appropriate objects, if any are available. To the right of the selector is a state slider with two positions:
- Activate — on a port or scene object, this option means turn the object ON. On a Control, this will trigger the ON event. On a Relay, this option means the relay will be set to its ALTERNATE state.
- Deactivate — this option turns a port or scene object OFF, triggers the OFF event for a control, or resets a relay to its default state.
Day Zone Settings #
Day Zones manipulate output ports and Scene Objects to help replicate the passage of time on a layout. Use them to have lighting and other scenic elements change as a fast clock day progresses.
To set objects for a particular day zone, click on the zone button at the top of the Layout Time tool. The Day Zone Settings dialog will come up, showing the zone name and current settings, if any.
You can select up to 4 objects/ports to activate or deactivate for a day zone. Day Zone Settings are applied by a CLIENT when it detects that the current day zone has changed. Accordingly, the settings are applied only once at each Day Zone change.
Notes #
- * Scene Objects are available with the Scene Client firmware variant.
- Objects activated by Time Triggers or Day Zones will remain activated until explicitly deactivated, either by later Day Zone / Time Trigger, or by a separate process.
- Day Zone and Time Trigger settings are not “sticky”; other processes can change the same Objects after being set by a Day Zone or Time Trigger.
