How to Set Up Your Rockville MV-400 Moving Head Light

Introduction

This article walks you through the complete setup process for the Rockville  MV-400 moving head light, including mounting, powering on, navigating the control menus, connecting via DMX to a controller, and configuring primary-secondary mode. These steps are simple and easy to follow, even if you have no prior experience with stage lighting. No additional tools are required beyond the items included in the box.

What's in the Box

•  MV-400 moving head light (with built-in feet)
• PowerCon cable (for powering the light)
• DMX cable (for controller connection or primary/secondary mode)
• Two mounting brackets (for truss mounting)
• User manual (includes DMX channel guides)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Section 1: Mounting the Light to a Truss

The  MV-400 can rest on its built-in feet or be mounted to a truss using the included brackets and your own lighting clamps.

1. Place the light on its side to access the mounting holes on the bottom.
2. Take one bracket and line up the pegs on the bracket with the holes on the bottom of the light.
3. Press the bracket in so the pegs fully seat into the holes.
4. Turn the knobs on the bracket until you hear them click into place.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 with the second bracket.
6. To attach a lighting clamp, loosen and remove the bolt from your clamp.
7. Run the bolt through the hole on the mounted bracket.
8. Screw the clamp back onto the bolt until it is fully secure.
9. Repeat for the second clamp.
10. Open the clamps, position the light on the truss where desired, and close the clamps to lock it in place.

Section 2: Powering On the Light

1. Locate the power in socket on the back of the light.
2. Line up the grooves of the PowerCon cable connector with the grooves on the power in port.
3. Insert and twist the connector until you hear it click.
4. Flip the power switch to turn on the light.
5. Wait for the loading bar on the LCD display to fill completely before operating the light.

Note: The power out socket allows you to send power from the first light out to a second light using an additional PowerCon cable.

Section 3: Navigating the Control Menus

Once the light has finished loading, the LCD display shows the current mode, DMX address, and temperature. Press the left button to access the main menu. The available menus are:

Setup Menu

• Set the DMX address
• Turn the encoder on or off
• Invert the pan or tilt
• Set blackout behavior: "Clear" returns to default; "Keep" holds the last active mode

Mode Menu

• Choose the run mode: DMX, Auto, or Sound
• Set the DMX channel mode (11, 19, 44, or 115 channels)
• Select which auto mode or sound mode the light will use

Manual Menu

• X: Control the pan (head moves left or right)
• X Fine: Fine-tune the pan position
• Y: Control the tilt (head moves up or down)
• Y Fine: Fine-tune the tilt position
• Speed: Adjust pan/tilt motor speed
• Focus: Modify the beam focus
• Dimmer: Set brightness (max value is 255)
• Strobe: Set strobe speed (0 = no strobe)
• Color (RGBW): Set custom color by adjusting Red, Green, Blue, and White values individually
• Color Preset: Layer a preset color pattern on top of your custom color
• Mode: Set a built-in mode (e.g., color change)
• Mode Speed: Adjust the speed of the selected mode
• Direction: Control movement direction
• Background Color: Set a background color
• Back Dimmer: Control brightness of the background
• Reset: Revert all settings

Show Menu

• Change display language
• Adjust backlight settings
• Flip the display (useful when the light is mounted upside down)

Info Menu

• View information about the light

Plant Menu

• Intended for manufacturer use; refer to the manual for details

Section 4: Setting Up with a DMX Controller

1. Take the included DMX cable.
2. Plug the male end into the DMX out port on your controller.
3. Plug the female end into the DMX in port on the light.
4. On the light, press the left button and navigate to the Mode menu.
5. Set the run mode to DMX (press the center button and cycle until DMX appears).
6. Set your preferred DMX channel mode (11, 19, 44, or 115).
7. Navigate to the Setup menu and select DMX Address.
8. Set the address to your desired value (e.g., 001).
9. Activate the corresponding scanner on your controller.

To daisy-chain additional lights: Take another DMX cable, plug the male end into the DMX out on the first light, and plug the female end into the DMX in on the next light. Repeat as needed.

DMX Fader Reference (11-Channel Mode)

• Channel 1: Pan
• Channel 2: Tilt
• Channel 3: Motor speed (higher value = slower, finer movement)
• Channel 4: Focus
• Channel 5: Master dimmer (brightness)
• Channel 6: Strobe (requires a color to be set first)
• Channel 7: Red
• Channel 8: Green
• Channel 9: Blue
• Channel 10: White
• Channel 11: Reset (values 200 to 209 trigger a reset)

For 19, 44, or 115 channel mode fader assignments, refer to the DMX guide in your manual.

Section 5: Setting Up Primary-Secondary Mode

This mode (formerly called master-slave) allows one light to control the behavior of all connected lights.

1. Connect the lights together using DMX cables: plug the male end into the DMX out on the primary light and the female end into the DMX in on the first secondary light. Repeat for additional lights.
2. On every light, go to the Setup menu and set them all to the same DMX address.
3. On every light, go to the Mode menu and set the run mode to DMX.
4. Set the primary light to any mode or color. All secondary lights will automatically sync and follow the primary light's behavior.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

The display is upside down after mounting.

Go to the Show menu and use the flip display option to correct the orientation.

The light is not responding to my DMX controller.

• Confirm the run mode is set to DMX in the Mode menu.
• Verify the DMX address on the light matches the scanner/channel you activated on the controller.
• Check that the DMX cable is connected from the controller's DMX out to the light's DMX in.

The light moves too fast when using pan/tilt via DMX.

Raise the value on fader 3 (motor speed) to slow down the movement for finer control.

The strobe is not working.

A color must be set before the strobe effect becomes visible. Set a color using the RGBW faders or the manual menu first.

Secondary lights are not following the primary light.

• Ensure all lights are set to the same DMX address.
• Ensure all lights are set to DMX run mode.
• Verify DMX cables are connected correctly (out from primary to in on secondary).

What does the "Clear" vs. "Keep" blackout setting do?

"Clear" resets the light to its default state after a blackout. "Keep" resumes the last active mode after a blackout.

Conclusion

Setting up the  MV-400 is straightforward whether you are resting it on a surface, mounting it to a truss, or integrating it into a full DMX lighting rig. The key steps are mounting, connecting power, selecting your run mode, and setting the DMX address. For more advanced channel modes and detailed fader assignments, consult the included manual.