Rockville ROCKFORCE W2

192-Channel Light/Fog DMX Lighting Controller

The ROCKFORCE 192 is a universal DMX Controller with 192 DMX channels. This controller is easy to use and is designed to work seamlessly with lights from the leading brands. Our DMX controller is top quality and includes easy to understand instructions. This controller functions the same as controllers that other leading brands have made over the years.

With the ROCKFORCE 192 you can control 12 lights with up to 16 channels per light. In addition there is a 4 bit LED display and built in microphone which can be used to used to trigger automatic modes. A great function we would like to mention is that you can take the program from any light and easily assign it to another light. This added feature provides flexibility and will saves you a ton of time at your next gig!

Although this controller has complex features we were able to design it with users of all experience levels in mind. Please read this guide carefully for proper use of your Rockville ROCKFORCE 192.

Important Safety Instructions

A standard electrical safety warning label enclosed in a rounded rectangular border: Left Icon: A black triangle containing a white lightning bolt symbol indicating high-voltage electrical hazard. Center Text Box: A central box with a black top banner reading "CAUTION" in white uppercase text. The white lower box reads "RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK. DO NOT OPEN" in black uppercase text. Right Icon: A black triangle containing a white exclamation point symbol indicating a general safety hazard alert.

To reduce risk of electric shock, never open the unit. There are no user serviceable parts; refer service to an authorized Rockville service center.
Do not expose this unit to any kind of moisture.
Please ensure that the unit is situated in a properly ventilated area.
Make sure the unit is placed on a level and stable surface.

Functions

Front Panel

SCANNERS (Fixture) Selector: Used to select one or more of the 12 fixtures. Each one is a block of 16 DMX channels. These selectors are used in programming mode and manual mode.
SCENES Selector Buttons: These buttons allow you to select a scene in the scene bank for programming or playback. The current scene is shown on the display.
Channel PAGE SELECT A/B: Switches between page A or page B. Page A is for channels 1-8, page B is for channels 9 - 16.
LED Display: Shows the active scene and bank number, current chase and step number, fader level settings, and shows the status for various other functions. When adjusting faders (item 15) the display shows the current level setting. You can select how the level settings are shown (0-255 or 0% – 100%) by pushing TAPSYNC/DISPLAY.
BANK UP/BANK DOWN Buttons: Selects a scene bank. The third and fourth display digits show the currently active bank number (01-30). Also used for some chase programming operations.
CHASE Selectors: Selects a chase for programming or playback.
PROGRAM Button: Used to place the unit in programming mode to create/record scenes and chases. Press and hold for 3 seconds to turn programming mode on/off. An indicator on the display shows when program mode is active. The unit will go into blackout mode when exiting program mode. Push the blackout button (item 12) to turn it off.
MIDI/ADD Button: In program mode pushing the MIDI/ADD button will record a chase step or scene setting.
AUTO/DEL Button:
- AUTO: Activates Auto-Run triggering for chases or scenes. The display has an indicator that shows when Auto-Mode is active.
- DEL: In program mode this button will delete scenes, complete banks of scenes, chase steps, or complete chases.
MUSIC/BANK Copy:
- MUSIC: Turns on Music Auto-Run. An internal microphone is used to synchronize chases or scenes to music. There is an indicator on the display showing when music trigger mode is active.
- BANK: In program mode pushing this button will copy the contents of one scene bank to another bank.
TAPSYNC/DISPLAY:
- TAPSYNC: Controls the speed of scenes or chases. Press the button at the rate you want the chase or scenes to run at. This is as an alternative to using the SPEED fader (item 14). The display will show the result in seconds.
- DISPLAY: Switches the display between STEP and BANK. In other modes it switches the output level display to show 0-255 or 0% - 100%.
BLACKOUT: Disables all DMX channel output and turns blackout mode on/off.
FADE TIME Fader: Adjusts the fade time for scenes and chases. The display will show the setting in seconds.
SPEED Fader: Will adjust the speed of auto triggered scenes or chases. The display will show the setting in seconds.
Channel Faders: These adjust the output level of the corresponding DMX channel.
Active Page Indicators: Shows which page is active. Use the Page Select A/B button (item 3) to select the appropriate page.

Rear Panel

Power Switch: Turns the unit on/off and can be used with other buttons to erase scenes and chases.
DMX OUT: Outputs main control signal to fixtures and other DMX devices.
DC Input Connector: plug in the external power supply here. DC 9V - 12V, 300mA minimum.

Fixture Channel Assignments

The controller is programmed to control 16 channels of DMX per fixture, therefore the fixtures you wish to control with the corresponding SCANNER buttons (Front Panel: item 1) on the unit, must be spaced 16 channels apart.

Scanner / Fixture	DMX Address
1	1
2	17
3	33
4	49
5	65
6	81
7	97
8	113
9	129
10	145
11	161
12	177

Fixture Functions

You will need to know which channel within a fixture is assigned to each fixture function (pan, tilt, color, dimming, etc.). This information is normally given in the fixture's owner's manual.

There are 512 channels in a DMX-512 connection. Channels may be assigned in any manner. A fixture capable of receiving DMX-512 will require one or a number of sequential channels. The user must assign a starting address on the fixture that indicates the first channel reserved in the controller. There are many different types of DMX controllable fixtures and they will all vary in the total number of channels required. Choosing a start address should be planned in advance.

Channels should never overlap. If they do, this will result in erratic operation of the fixtures whose starting address is set incorrectly. You can however, control multiple fixtures of the same type using the same starting address as long as the intended result is that of uniform movement or operation. In other words, the fixtures will be slaved together and all respond exactly the same.

Operating Fixtures Manually

To manually control a fixture push the corresponding fixture /scanner button in the SCANNERS section (Front Panel: item 15).
- Multiple fixtures can be selected and controlled together.
- To de-select a fixture, press the corresponding button again.
This will activate the LED indicator and enable the channel faders.
The faders can be used to control the light(s) assigned to the scanner(s) selected.
- If you are using a fixture with more than 8 channels, press the PAGE A/B button (Front Panel: item 3) to access the other channels.
Check the owner's manual / available support material for the light(s) being controlled to see what each DMX channel controls.

Programming Scenes

There are a total of 30 scene banks, each containing 8 scenes which are programmable. Only one bank may be selected at any time. Program Mode is used for all scene record, edit, delete and copy functions.

Activate Program Mode: Press and hold PROGRAM button (Front Panel: item 7) for 3 seconds
The display PROGRAM indicator will continuously flash while in program mode.

Recording a Scene

Press a SCANNER button (Front Panel: item 1) to select the desired fixture. You can select more than one to control several at once.
Adjust the appropriate faders (Front Panel: item 15) to set the desired output level for each channel.
De-select the current fixture and select another. Your settings for the previously selected fixture will remain active and you can now adjust output levels for a different fixture.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all the desired fixtures have been set.
Press MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8).
Select desired bank to store the scene using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Press a SCENE button, 1-8, to complete the recording. Once the recording is complete, the display will flash briefly.
De-select fixtures by pressing the appropriate SCANNER buttons.
Exit program mode by pressing and holding down PROGRAM (Front Panel: item 7) for 3 seconds.

Edit a Scene

Select the bank to which the scene will be stored using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Select desired scene within the bank by pushing the corresponding SCENES button (Front Panel: item 2).
Select the fixture(s) to be affected by pushing the associated SCANNERS buttons (Front Panel: item 1).
Adjust the appropriate faders (Front Panel: item 15) to set the desired output level for each channel.
Push ADD (Front Panel: item 8).
Push the SCENES button used in step 2 to store the edited scene. When recording is complete, the display will flash briefly.
De-select any fixtures you have used during editing and exit PROGRAM mode.

Copy Fixture Settings

You can copy the settings of a fixture to another while programming a scene.

Hold down the SCANNERS button (Front Panel: item 1) of the selected fixture.
Now push the SCANNERS button of the fixture to which the settings will be copied.

Copy a Scene

You can copy the contents of a scene to another scene in the same or different bank.

Use BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5) to select the bank from which you wish to copy a scene.
Select desired scene within the bank by pushing it's SCENES button (Front Panel: item 2).
Push MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8).
Select the bank which you want to copy to using BANK UP or BANK DOWN.
Push the SCENES button to complete the operation. The display will flash briefly indicating that the copy has been completed.

Copy a Bank of Scenes

Copy the entire contents of a scene bank to another bank.

Select the bank from which you wish to copy by using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Push MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8).
Select the bank to which you wish to copy by using BANK UP or BANK DOWN.
Push MUSIC/BANK COPY (Front Panel: item 10) to complete the operation. The display will flash briefly indicating that the copy has been completed.

Delete a Scene

This will set all channels of all fixtures associated with the scene to zero output level.

Select the bank which contains the scene you want to delete using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Hold down AUTO/DEL (Front Panel: item 9) and push one of the SCENES buttons (Front Panel: item 2) to delete the desired scene. The display will flash briefly indicating that the operation has been completed.

Delete all Scenes in a Bank

Select the bank you wish to delete using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Hold down AUTO/DEL (Front Panel: item 9) and push MUSIC/BANK COPY (Front Panel: item 10) to complete the operation. The display will flash briefly indicating that the scenes have been deleted.

Clear all Scenes

This will delete all the scenes in all of the banks.

Turn the unit off.
Turn the power on while simultaneously holding down the PROGRAM (Front Panel: item 7) and BANK DOWN buttons (Front Panel: item 5).
Keep holding down the buttons until the display flashes briefly indicating that the scenes have been cleared.

Programming Chases

There are 6 user programmable chases and each one includes up to 240 steps. Each chase step consists of a scene which has already been recorded. A chase step can utilize any scene in any bank. Any scene can be used in multiple chase steps and multiple chases. Program Mode is used for all chase record, edit, insert, copy, delete and clear functions.

Activate Program Mode: Press and hold PROGRAM button (Front Panel: item 7) for 3 seconds
The display PROGRAM indicator will continuously flash while in program mode.

Record a Chase

Select a chase, 1-6, by pressing the corresponding CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5).
Select the scene bank which contains the scene to be used for the chase step using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Select the scene to be used for the chase step by pushing its SCENES button (Front Panel: item 2).
Push MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8) and the display will flash several times indicating that the step has been recorded.
Repeat steps 2 - 4 as many times as needed to record additional steps in the selected chase. You can record up to 240 steps.
Press and hold PROGRAM (Front Panel: item 7) for 3 seconds to exit program mode.

Copy a Scene Bank to a Chase

Copy the contents of a scene bank into a chase.

Use BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5) to select the bank from which you wish to copy.
Select the chase you wish to copy to by pressing the corresponding CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5).
Press the MUSIC/BANK COPY (Front Panel: item 10) button to complete the operation.
Push MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8) and the display will flash several times indicating that the scene has been copied.

Insert Step into a Chase

Select a chase, 1-6, by pressing the corresponding CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5).
Press TAPSYNC/DISPLAY (Front Panel: item 11) and the display will show the current chase and step.
Use BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5) to advance to the step before the step you want to insert.
Press MIDI/ADD (Front Panel: item 8) and the display shows the next step.
Press the SCENES button, 1-8, to select the scene you wish to insert. If the scene you wish to insert is in a different bank, use BANK UP or BANK DOWN to select the desired bank.
Press MIDI/ADD and the display will flash several times indicating that the insertion has been completed.

Delete a Step in a Chase

Select a chase, 1-6, by pressing the corresponding CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5).
Press TAPSYNC/DISPLAY (Front Panel: item 11).
Use BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5) to advance to the step you wish to delete.
Push AUTO/DEL (Front Panel: item 9) and the display will flash briefly indicating the operation has been completed.

Delete a Complete Chase

Press and hold the CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5) corresponding to the chase you wish to delete.
Now also press AUTO/DELETE (Front Panel: item 9) and the display will flash briefly indicating the complete chase has been deleted.
Release both buttons.

Clear all Chases

This sequence will delete all the steps of all the chases. It does not clear scenes.

Turn the unit off.
Turn the power on while simultaneously pressing and holding the BANK DOWN and AUTO/DEL (Front Panel: item 9) buttons (Front Panel: item 5).
Keep holding down the buttons until the display flashes briefly indicating that the chases have been cleared.

Operating Scenes

⚠️These instructions assume that you have already recorded scenes on the controller. If not, you'll want to return to the previous section; Programming Scenes.

When the ROCKFORCE 192 is turned on, it defaults to manual scene mode with bank 1, scene 1 active.

Activate a Scene Manually

Turn off PROGRAM mode, AUTO, MUSIC, and all chases.
Select the desired scene bank using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Press the SCENES button (Front Panel: item 2) for the scene you want to activate.

Run a Bank of Scenes Automatically

The scene Auto-Run function will continuously cycle through a bank of scenes. The operator can control the speed and scene fade time. To adjust the speed use the TAPSYNC button (Front Panel: item 11) or the SPEED fader. To control the fade time use the FADE TIME fader (Front Panel: item 13). Scenes can also be synchronized to music or MIDI note triggering.

Select the appropriate scene bank using BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
Push AUTO/DEL. This will cause the scene Auto-Run to begin cycling and the AUTO TRIGGER indicator on the display will light.
Adjust the speed and fade time as needed. If you set your speed faster than the fade time then the scenes will advance before the fade is complete.
You can switch to another bank at any time using BANK UP and BANK DOWN.
To stop Auto-Run press the AUTO/DEL button (Front Panel: item 9). The AUTO TRIGGER indicator on the display will go OFF.

Run Scenes Automatically with Music Sync

This unit has an internal microphone which can be used to Auto-Run scenes with music synchronization.

Scene Music Auto-Run

Press MUSIC/BANK COPY (Front Panel: item 10). The MUSIC TRIGGER indicator on the display will light and Music Auto-Run will begin in the currently selected scene bank.
To switch to a different scene bank use BANK UP or BANK DOWN (Front Panel: item 5).
To stop Music Auto-Run press the MUSIC/BANK COPY button.

Operating Chases

⚠️These instructions assume that you have already recorded chases on the controller. If not, you'll want to return to the previous two sections; Programming Scenes and Programming Chases.

Chases can be run in Manual, Auto-Run, and Music Auto-Run modes.

Manual Chase Operation

This is used to manually step through a chase. It is done in program mode and is useful when creating or editing chases.

Press and hold the PROGRAM button (Front Panel: item 7) to enter program mode. The display PROGRAM indicator will continuously flash while in program mode.
Select a chase, 1-6, by pushing the appropriate CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5).
Press TAP/SYNC and the display will show the chase and step numbers. The display STEP indicator will light.
Use the BANK UP and BANK DOWN buttons (Front Panel: item 5) to cycle through the chase steps.
When finished, press and hold PROGRAM for 3 seconds to exit the program mode.

Run a Chase Automatically

The chase Auto-Run function will continuously cycle through a chase. Multiple chases can be run together and in the order selected. The operator can control the speed and fade time. To adjust the speed use the TAPSYNC button (Front Panel: item 11) or the SPEED fader (Front Panel: item 14). To control the fade time use the FADE TIME fader (Front Panel: item 13).

Select a chase, 1-6, by pressing the appropriate CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5). You can select more than one.
Push AUTO/DEL. The AUTO TRIGGER indicator in the display will light and the chase(s) will run.
Adjust the speed and fade time as needed.
To stop chase Auto-Run press the AUTO/DEL button (Front Panel: item 9). The AUTO TRIGGER indicator on the display will go OFF. If all the chases are turned off before you turn off Auto-Run, the unit will default to the scene Auto-Run in the last accessed scene bank.

Chase Music Auto-Run

This unit has an internal microphone which can be used to Auto-Run scenes with music synchronization.

Select a chase, 1-6, by pressing the appropriate CHASE button (Front Panel: item 5). You can select more than one.
Press MUSIC/BANK COPY (Front Panel: item 10). The MUSIC TRIGGER indicator on the display will light and Music Auto-Run will begin.
To stop Music Auto-Run press the AUTO/DEL button (Front Panel: item 9). The MUSIC TRIGGER indicator on the display will go OFF.

DMX Connections

When using multiple DMX devices, they should be connected together as a chain of devices. The devices should be wired in a daisy chain fashion, meaning the control cable will go from the controller to the first fixture and then to other fixtures. Most fixtures have a DMX IN and a DMX OUT port for this purpose. Do not split the control cable into a multiple run star arrangement with a cable running from the controller directly to each fixture.

DMX Connector Pin Assignments

There are two types of DMX cables, 3-pin or 5-pin, and they feature XLR type connectors. This unit transmits from a 3-pin female connector on the back edge of the unit. If your fixtures use 5 pin connectors, we recommend you acquire a 3-pin male XLR to 5-pin female XLR adapter. Some fixtures use a reversed signal scheme. This means the DATA - and DATA + pins are reversed. This unit features a reversing switch on the back so as to accommodate those types of fixtures. The table below shows the pin assignments for both normal and reversed operation:

Pin	Assignment – Normal	Assignment – Reversed
1	DMX Common	DMX Common
2	DMX DATA -	DMX DATA +
3	DMX DATA +	DMX DATA -
4	Not used	Not used
5	Not used	Not used

DMX Termination

If you are only connecting a few fixtures which are close together and use a short run to the controller, you maybe able to operate without a terminator.

When connecting many fixtures using DMX cables, the last fixture of a DMX chain has to be "terminated". This is especially important when using long runs of DMX cable. DMX termination prevents electrical noise from disturbing and corrupting the DMX control signals.

A DMX Terminator can be purchased to avoid having to solder anything. It simply plugs in to the DMX output on the last light in the chain.

Otherwise to terminate the last fixture solder a 1/4 Watt, 120 Ohm resistor across the DATA - and DATA + wires. The connections are illustrated below.

DMX Termination Diagram:

An illustration showing DMX terminator connection diagram: Diagram showing a 120 Ohm resistor connected across pin 2 and pin 3

If you wish to connect DMX controllers with other XLR outputs, you need to use an adapter cable.

An illustration showing 3-pin and 5-pin DMX adapter cable pinouts: 5-pin female socket to 3-pin male plug wiring conversion 3-pin female socket to 5-pin male plug wiring conversion

Features and Specifications

Rockville ROCKFORCE 192 Universal DMX-512 controller with MIDI controls
12 Scanners of 16 channels each
30 Banks of 8 programmable scenes
192 DMX channels of control
6 Programmable chases of 240 scenes
8 Sliders for manual control of channels
Automatic mode program controlled by speed and fade time sliders Fade time/speed
Blackout master button
Reversible DMX channels allows fixture to react opposite to others in a chase
Manual override allows you to grab any fixture on the fly
Built-in microphone for music triggering
Power failure memory
4 bit LED display
Power Supply: 110-240V, 50/60Hz (DC 9V - 12V)
Electric current: no less than 300mA
Power Consumption: 10W
Control Signal: DMX512
Control Channels: 192CH
Item weight: 3.75 lbs
Product dimensions: 19.01" × 5.24" × 2.76"

Glossary of Common Terms

Blackout: a state where all lighting fixture's light output is set to 0 or off, usually on a temporary basis.
DMX-512: an industry standard digital communication protocol used in entertainment lighting equipment.
FIXTURES: refers to your lighting instrument or other device such as a fog machine or dimmer which you can control.
Programs: are numerous scenes stacked one after another. It can be programmed as either a single scene or multiple scenes in sequence.
Scenes: are static lighting states.
Sliders: also known as faders.
Chases: can also be called programs. A chase consists of numerous scenes stacked one after another.
Scanner: refers to a lighting instrument with a pan and tilt mirror; however, in the ILLS-CON controller it can be used to control any DMX-512 compatible device as a generic fixture.
Stand Alone: refers to a fixture's ability to function independently of an external controller and usually in sync to music, due to a built-in microphone.
Fade: a slider used to adjust the time between scenes within a chase.
Speed: a slider that affects the amount of time a scene will hold its state. It is also known as a "wait time".
Shutter: a mechanical device in the lighting fixture that allows you to block the lights path. It is often used to lessen the intensity of the light output and to strobe.
Patching: refers to the process of assigning fixtures a DMX channel.
Playbacks: can be either scenes or chases that are directly called to execution by the user. A playback can also be considered program memory that can be recalled during a show.

ROCKFORCE 192 Owner's Manual