Lighting Hardware

Exercises drill the operational details every hardware specialist + operator needs to install + recover lighting hardware. Exercise 5 is a network configuration scenario for network specialists.

Exercise 1 — Match the model to the spec

For each Fomei light model, write the wattage and the workflow it’s suited for.

Tip: Sections 2 + 3 of textbook.

Exercise 2 — FOMEI LED DMX control mode

For each operator action, identify which mode you’re in: CCT, Scene, or DMX.

Tip: Section 2.2 of textbook.

Exercise 3 — Broncolor Siros pairing sequence

Place these steps in the correct order to transition a Broncolor Siros from factory state to Enterprise mode connected to studio WiFi. Write 1-9 in the order column.

Tip: Section 4.3 of textbook.

Exercise 4 — Troubleshooting

For each symptom, identify the most likely cause (A-G):

Causes (use each letter once):

• A) 2.4 GHz interference on lighting subnet (corporate WiFi competing)
• B) Fan set to OFF on the LED panel (thermal limit kicks in)
• C) Group/Channel collision between adjacent studios — set unique Group+Channel per studio
• D) Encoder press count wrong — Digital Pro X needs three presses to turn modeling OFF
• E) WiFi connection lost between Siros and access point (icon went blue)
• F) Network gear (Mikrotik / TP-Link) booted after the Siros — power cycle Siros to retry
• G) PhotoRobot uses Sony, not Canon — not actually a thing here

Tip: Section 6 of textbook.

Exercise 5 — Network setup design (network-specialist track)

Scenario: You’re configuring the lighting network for a new PhotoRobot studio with 6 Broncolor Siros 400 strobes + 2 Fomei LED DMX 600B + a corporate WiFi network already in place. The customer wants the lighting to be reliable and not interfere with corporate Wi-Fi.

Answer the following:

5.1 — What network mode should the Siros lights use, and why?

Answer:

5.2 — What router model and access point combination does PhotoRobot recommend?

Router: Access Point:

5.3 — What WiFi channel and width should the lighting AP use?

Channel: Width: Security:

5.4 — What is critical about the boot sequence of the network and the lights?

Answer:

5.5 — Should the Mikrotik’s built-in WiFi radio be ON or OFF?

Answer: Why:

Tip: Section 4.4 of textbook + Broncolor Lights Management manual.

Exercise 6 — Pre-flight checklist

Before your first hands-on session or before doing a customer lighting hardware install:

• I know the three Fomei LED DMX models (150B / 300B / 600B) and their wattage tiers.
• I can list the three control modes on Fomei LED DMX panels (CCT / Scene / DMX).
• I know the Digital Pro X encoder gestures (turn, press 1×, press 2×, press 3×, press 4×).
• I can place a Broncolor Siros into Private mode and then transition it to Enterprise mode.
• I understand the Mikrotik + TP-Link recommended network topology.
• I know the recommended WiFi channel (9) and width (20 MHz) for the lighting AP.
• I know to boot the network gear FULLY before powering on the Siros.
• I can troubleshoot the 6 common scenarios in Section 6.
• I know the quarterly maintenance schedule (white-balance check, cleaning, firmware).

If you can’t tick all nine, re-read the relevant section of textbook.md before moving on.

Solutions

Don’t look here until you’ve finished the exercises.

Exercise 1 — Models

• 1.1 LED DMX 150B — 150 W — small studios, accent / hair light
• 1.2 LED DMX 300B — 300 W — mid studios, primary continuous lighting
• 1.3 LED DMX 600B — 600 W — large studios, primary continuous for video
• 1.4 Digital Pro X 300 — 300 Ws — small studios, secondary fill strobe
• 1.5 Digital Pro X 1200 — 1200 Ws — large products, large softboxes, high output strobe

Exercise 2 — Control modes

• 2.1 — CCT mode (intensity adjustment is the default-mode parameter)
• 2.2 — Scene mode (lightning, fire, TV flicker effects)
• 2.3 — DMX mode (channel number is a DMX parameter)
• 2.4 — CCT mode (color temperature is selected here)
• 2.5 — DMX mode (network-addressable preset save)

Exercise 3 — Broncolor Siros pairing sequence

Order (1 → 9):

1. B — TEST button 10s (factory reset)
2. I — Power cycle
3. C — Confirm WiFi mode
4. H — Select “SY” in main menu
5. E — Install BronControl on a client device
6. G — Connect client to Bron-Studio1 (password bronControl)
7. A — Cogwheel → Network settings → Enterprise → Select network
8. D — Enter studio SSID + password
9. F — Wait for Siros WiFi icon to change from blue to magenta

Exercise 4 — Troubleshooting

• 4.1 → A (2.4 GHz interference)
• 4.2 → B (Fan OFF caps intensity at 50%)
• 4.3 → C (Group/Channel collision between studios)
• 4.4 → E (WiFi lost between Siros and AP — icon would be blue)
• 4.5 → D (Three encoder presses, not one — single press goes to max)
• 4.6 → F (Network booted after Siros — power cycle Siros after AP is up)

Exercise 5 — Network setup design

5.1 — Enterprise mode, on a separate subnet from corporate WiFi. Enterprise mode integrates the Siros into the studio network as managed devices; separate subnet prevents 2.4 GHz interference with corporate traffic and isolates lighting from outages on the corporate side.

5.2 — Router: Mikrotik RB1100AHx4. Access Point: TP-Link TL-WR802N.

5.3 — Channel: 9. Width: 20 MHz (40 MHz also possible but requires interference check). Security: WPA2-PSK, AES cipher.

5.4 — Mikrotik + TP-Link must be fully booted and stable before powering on the Siros lights. If the Siros boots first and can’t find the AP, the connection state may need a Siros reset to retry. Recommended: leave the network gear running 24/7; only power-cycle the lights as needed.

5.5 — OFF. Broncolor’s documentation says Mikrotik’s built-in WiFi interferes with Siros radios at the same frequency. Disable Mikrotik WiFi; route only through the TP-Link AP.

Exercise 6 — Pre-flight checklist

If you ticked all 9, you’re ready for the module knowledge check.

Done?

When you’ve worked through all exercises and reviewed the solutions, ask your instructor (or self-administer) the module knowledge check: 5 questions drawn from a pool of 12.

Knowledge check is not graded for certification — it’s diagnostic. If you score low, re-read the relevant textbook section and try again. Then proceed to module B11 — Editing images (next stage after capture), B17 — Synchrobox (multi-camera lighting orchestration), or B25 — Troubleshooting (deep troubleshooting playbook).