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How To Set Up Your Insta Party 51 5-in-1 Dance Floor DJ Effect Light:

Ira - Zendesk Admin
Updated

Introduction

This article walks you through setting up your Rockville InstaParty 51, including what comes in the box, how to mount the light, how to use the onboard controls and remote, and how to connect and control the light using DMX.

The steps are simple and easy to follow, even if you have no technical experience.

Requirements

  • Rockville InstaParty 51 light
  • Included mounting hardware (mounting bracket and knob screws)
  • Included mounting option (C-clamp or magnet clamp)
  • Included power cable and access to a wall outlet
  • Included wireless remote (optional)
  • DMX cables and a DMX controller (optional, for DMX control)
  • A truss, speaker stand, or a magnetizable surface (optional, depending on how you mount the light)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1) Unbox and identify the included parts

  1. Confirm you have the following items:
    • InstaParty 51 light
    • Mounting bracket
    • Knob screws (to attach the bracket to the light)
    • C-clamp (for traditional mounting on a truss or stand)
    • Magnet clamp (for mounting on a magnetizable surface)
    • Power cable
    • Wireless remote

2) Connect power

  1. Plug the power cable into the light.
  2. Plug the other end into a wall outlet.

Note: The remote’s On/Off buttons control the light output, but they do not fully remove power from the unit. To fully power the light off, unplug it.

3) Attach the mounting bracket to the light

  1. Hold the mounting bracket up to the mounting holes on the sides of the light.
  2. Line up the bracket with the holes on both sides.
  3. Insert the knob screws into each side.
  4. Tighten the knob screws until the bracket is secure.

4) Choose a mounting method (C-clamp or magnet clamp)

You have two options to mount the light:

  • C-clamp: For mounting on a truss or speaker stand
  • Magnet clamp: For mounting on any magnetizable surface

Option A: Mount using the C-clamp

  1. Remove the nut and washers from the C-clamp bolt.
  2. Attach the C-clamp to the bracket by feeding the bolt through the bracket mounting point.
  3. Reinstall the washers and nut on the bolt.
  4. Tighten the nut so the clamp is secure on the bracket.
  5. Loosen the clamp bolt to open the clamp wide enough to fit your truss or stand.
  6. Position the clamp on the truss or stand.
  7. Tighten the clamp bolt to secure the light in place.

Option B: Mount using the magnet clamp

  1. Loosen and remove the nut and washers from the magnet clamp bolt.
  2. Feed the bolt through the hole in the middle of the bracket.
  3. Reinstall the washers and nut.
  4. Tighten everything to secure the magnet clamp to the bracket.
  5. Attach the light to a magnetizable surface.

5) Learn the onboard controls and DMX ports

Onboard buttons

  • Menu: Cycles through modes/menus
  • Enter: Opens submenus and saves changes
  • Up/Down: Changes settings and values

DMX ports

  • DMX In: Connect a DMX controller or receive signal from another light
  • DMX Out: Send DMX signal to another light

6) Use the onboard menu to select a mode

Use the Menu button to cycle through the available modes. Use Up/Down to adjust values, and press Enter to access submenus or save settings.

DMX Address Mode

  • Use this to set a DMX address for the light.
  • This mode is also used when setting up DMX control or using the primary/secondary (master/slave) feature.

Auto Modes (A1 to A6)

Auto modes let the light run automatic programs with adjustable speed.

  • A1: Adjusts the speed of gobo, derby, laser, and blinder effects
    • Press Enter to adjust color change speed in a submenu
  • A2: Similar to A1, with speed control and an Enter submenu for color change speed
  • A3: Adjusts gobo effect speed
    • Press Enter to adjust the gobo color change speed
  • A4: Adjusts derby effect speed
    • Press Enter to adjust the derby color change speed
  • A5: Adjusts laser effect speed
    • Press Enter to adjust the laser color change speed
  • A6: Adjusts blinder speed
    • No submenu; use Up/Down to adjust speed

Sound Modes (S1 to S6)

Sound modes react to music or sound picked up by the built-in mic.

  • S1: Includes gobo, derby, laser, and blinder
    • Use Up/Down to adjust mic sensitivity
    • Lower sensitivity (for example, 1) reacts mainly to loud sound
    • Higher sensitivity reacts more easily and changes quicker
  • S2: Includes gobo, derby, and laser
  • S3: Gobo only
  • S4: Derby only
  • S5: Laser only
  • S6: Blinder or strobe only

Remote Mode (On/Off)

This mode turns remote control functionality on or off.

  1. Navigate to Remote mode in the menu.
  2. Press Enter.
  3. Toggle to On (to use the remote) or Off (to disable remote control).
  4. Press Enter to save.

7) Use the wireless remote

Remote power buttons

  • On/Off at the top control the light output.
  • To fully shut the light off, unplug it.

Brightness buttons

  • Use these to adjust overall brightness.

Effect buttons

You can select different effect groupings, such as:

  • Derby
  • Gobo/laser
  • Blinder
  • All effects
  • Derby + gobo
  • Derby + laser

Recommended way to adjust an effect

  1. Press Off on the remote to start from a clean state.
  2. Select the effect you want to adjust (for example, Laser).
  3. Choose a color (for example, Red).
  4. Change colors as needed (for example, switch to Green).
  5. If you want to adjust a different effect, press Off again, then select the new effect and choose a color.

Color selection

  • You can select colors from the color buttons on the remote.
  • You can also use the color wheel button, then use the remote’s Up/Down controls to cycle through color options.

Strobe mode

  1. Press the Strobe button to make the selected effect strobe.
  2. Use the strobe speed buttons to adjust strobe speed.

Auto mode and sound mode from the remote

  • Use the Auto Mode section to put the light into an auto mode and adjust the auto speed.
  • Use the Sound Mode button to enable sound mode and adjust the motor speed using the related buttons.

8) Set up DMX control (optional)

You can control the InstaParty 51 using a DMX controller by daisy chaining lights.

Connect a DMX controller to the first light

  1. Plug the male end of a DMX cable into the DMX Out port on your controller.
  2. Plug the other end into the DMX In port on the first light.

Daisy chain additional lights

  1. Plug a DMX cable from DMX Out on the first light to DMX In on the second light.
  2. Repeat for additional lights as needed.

Put each light into DMX Address Mode

  1. On each light, press Menu until you reach the DMX address mode.
  2. Do this on every light in your setup.
  3. When you see the dot blinking at the end of the display, the light is ready to be used with your controller.

Use your controller (example overview)

After setting up the lights and enabling the correct fixture/scanner on your controller, you can use faders to control different parts of the light. The video references this general behavior:

  • A master dimmer fader may be required to see any output.
  • Some faders control strobe.
  • Groups of faders control the derby colors and derby motor.
  • Groups of faders control gobo output and gobo speed.
  • Groups of faders control laser output and laser speed.
  • A dedicated fader range can activate auto modes or sound modes based on the fader value.

Tip: For exact DMX channel values and behavior, refer to the DMX guide included with the light.

9) Set up primary/secondary (master/slave) mode (optional)

This allows one light to act as the primary unit, and other lights follow it.

  1. Choose one light as the primary light.
  2. Connect a DMX cable from DMX Out on the primary light to DMX In on the secondary light.
  3. If you have additional secondary lights, continue daisy chaining them the same way.
  4. On each secondary light, set it to the DMX address mode.
  5. Set the primary light to any auto mode; the secondary light(s) will follow.

Using the remote with primary/secondary setups

If you plan to use the remote:

  1. On each secondary light, go to Remote mode.
  2. Make sure Remote mode is set to Off on the secondary lights.

This helps you control only the primary light with the remote, without the secondary lights getting out of sync.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

The remote turns the light output off, but the unit still has power

This is normal. The remote On/Off does not fully cut power. Unplug the light to fully turn it off.

The light is not responding to the remote

  • Make sure Remote mode is set to On in the light’s menu.
  • If you are using multiple lights in a primary/secondary setup, make sure Remote mode is Off on the secondary lights.

My lights are not responding to the DMX controller

  • Confirm the controller is connected to DMX In on the first light.
  • Confirm the lights are in DMX address mode.
  • Look for the blinking dot indicator that shows the light is ready.
  • Check that each DMX cable is connected from DMX Out to DMX In in the correct direction.

I am not seeing any light output when using DMX

  • Make sure the controller’s master dimmer (or the correct dimmer channel) is raised; without it, you may not see output.

Conclusion

You can set up your InstaParty 51 by attaching the mounting bracket, choosing a mounting method, powering the unit, and selecting a mode using the onboard menu or the remote. For advanced control, you can connect the light using DMX or set up a primary/secondary configuration.

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