Lighting and control
High End Systems Road Hog 4
Follow the show from its fixture patch to the internal processor, local DMX widget and FixtureNet output on the original Road Hog console.
Model and purpose
- Manufacturer
- High End Systems / ETC
- Model
- High End Systems Road Hog 4
- Variant
- Original Road Hog 4 with 22-inch screen; not Road Hog 4-21
- Procedure scope
- Official HTML manual 3.15.0; check installed software
- Local processing / DMX sockets
- 8 universes; 4 female 5-pin XLR outputs
- Other connections
- 2 Gigabit Ethernet; 5 USB; DVI-D external display
A console for programming and playing back lighting cues and effects. It can send local DMX or network control to suitable receivers. This guide addresses the original hardware: the later model has different display connections. A visible patch proves neither that a processor is active nor that its output ports are mapped.
Prepare the show and its output path
To assess Road Hog 4, connect the showfile requirements with the actual console, operator and lighting destinations. This page documents the original hardware; the same product name does not establish the later generation. Start with the file version and intended outputs, even before the patch is complete.
- Identify installed hardware/software and fixture personalities/modes. If functions are missing, verify compatibility, processing and any applicable option or license before treating it as included; do not propose an update to resolve an undiagnosed question.
- Draw HogNet and FixtureNet separately, then trace each output to its receiver: patch, active processor, mapping and port or protocol. Processor capacity is not the number of XLR sockets, and adding switches does not increase it.
- Keep the original show and an independent copy. Propose checking loading, playback and recovery in a controlled rehearsal with the operator and real receivers before replacing a console or changing the event system.
Questions to define your proposal
- Which show and console versions will the operator use?
- How are rig patch, processors and outputs assigned?
- Which looks are essential, and how much rehearsal is available?
- Who receives the backup, and what continuity does the event need?
A solution to assess with GLMedia
We can prepare Road Hog 4 with file/profile adaptation and the agreed rig output map. Define rehearsal, backup handover and live operation separately. With short adaptation time, prioritize essential looks; a second continuity system needs specific sizing and rehearsal.
Ask about rental or purchase with a date, venue, show platform and operating scope, even with an open design. We can help assess the desk and components and the file preparation, configuration, programming or operation to consider in a proposal.
Features and connections
HogNet carries the console/show network, while FixtureNet carries Art-Net or sACN to compatible fixtures, nodes or media equipment. Identify both physical ports and prepare a separate network plan; the names are not interchangeable.
The internal processor’s universe allowance is distinct from the number of local XLR sockets. Additional compatible processing requires its own system configuration; an ordinary network switch does not add output capacity.
For the original model, ETC supports an external DVI display and warns against relying on VGA, even if a socket is present. Do not transfer the newer model’s DisplayPort specification to this console. Prepare suitable DMX/network cables and USB storage for a separate backup.
Prepare the system
- Identify the rear-panel model, software version and local processor before connecting the rig. Match the supply to the actual rating plate and applicable hardware documentation; do not infer electrical limits from another generation. Use protective earth and a dry, stable operating position.
- Create an external backup through Setup > Shows > Current Show > Backup and choose the USB destination. Keep the original preprogramming file. Record processor net number, patch, output map and network settings before changing them.
- Prepare one isolated fixture or agreed low-level test circuit with a known cable and matching fixture mode. Check mapping before rehearsing cues; do not rebuild the entire patch simply because a transferred show has no output.
Questions and troubleshooting
A Hog PC show loads with patch but no DMX: are physical outputs mapped?
Separate fixture addressing, processor state and physical output mapping. A PC-created show can arrive without the mapping required by the console’s internal widget.
- Check Setup > Control Panel > System Info for the internal widget serial. If it is not found, record the status and request qualified service; do not open the desk.
- In Setup > Network, identify the intended processor and check Outputs Active. Compare the net number with the patch assignment. If offline, document Run Processor and the intended net number before planning an interruption.
- Inspect that processor’s Settings > Output map for the intended universe and internal widget port, including error icons. Correct a confirmed mapping mismatch on the test system, apply it and retest the same fixture before changing the patch.
Record file/console versions, intended processor, Outputs Active and port mapping before rebuilding anything. Visible patch and assigned output are different checks; missing internal hardware calls for technical service, not operator disassembly.
Local DMX works but the Art-Net or sACN receiver stays idle: what differs?
The physical network, protocol destination and universe mapping need to agree independently of the XLR output.
- Trace the cable from FixtureNet to the intended receiving network. Compare actual IP and subnet settings with the agreed plan. If DHCP is selected without a server, check whether the interface has fallen back to loopback rather than assuming it has a usable address.
- In the processor’s Settings > Output, inspect the protocol mapping, destination and protocol universe at both ends. Use Add Mapping only for a confirmed missing route, then Apply. For sACN, compare priority with the venue’s other sources.
- Observe data at the receiver and test one mapped fixture. Preserve the current routing before changes. A report involving a different node or wireless path does not prove a generic console fault; do not raise every channel to diagnose reception.
After loading a show, color or movement affects the wrong function: where do I start?
A correct start address is insufficient if the console personality and fixture mode occupy channels differently.
- Compare exact fixture model, active fixture mode and console library entry. In Setup > Patch, review universe, address and processor assignment together.
- Use Universe View to inspect occupied addresses. On the isolated fixture, compare one intended attribute at a safe value with the manufacturer’s DMX chart; stop if it triggers a different function.
- Save a copy before editing the fixture type or mode. Recheck affected cues after a corrected profile. Keep messages and version details if output remains wrong; resetting the desk, changing firmware or deleting the show is not the first diagnostic step.
How should the console be prepared for a visiting band or festival?
We can review the file, version, fixture list and output plan with the operator before setup. The goal is to identify responsibilities and rig differences before rehearsal, beyond merely opening the file.
- The scope may include console, patch/profile adaptation, signal distribution and programming time. Verify each fixture route in an agreed test area, at agreed levels and movements.
- If adaptation cannot be completed in time, prepare essential looks with the operator or assess compatible alternative control. Automatic conversion from every platform is not promised.
Does adding a network node provide more universes or a backup?
A node converts or distributes signals according to its function; it does not alone establish extra processing capacity or a ready backup console. Check version, output system and actual show requirements.
- We can size the control route around required universes and ports, distinguishing FixtureNet from HogNet. Verify hardware and any expansion in applicable documentation before quoting.
- A file copy helps recover work but is not automatic switchover. The scope can include external backup, recovery checks and an agreed continuity plan; a requested second system needs its own rehearsal.
What should be delivered when I hire a prepared show as well as the console?
We can define a verifiable handover: version-identified file, agreed rig patch, output map, essential looks and external recovery copy. Separate advance preparation, hardware rehearsal and live operation.
- Request inventory, modes, addresses, positions and the show’s moments, even provisionally. Identify missing information and who confirms it before testing movements or effects.
- At the agreed rehearsal, the operator checks that each look controls the intended fixture and output. Opening the file alone does not establish DMX output, profile correspondence or effective recovery.
- The scope can include adaptation to the actual rig, a short operating guide and show assistance. Without live operation, identify who receives/tests the file; essential looks within available time are an alternative.
Quick reference
| Layer | Check |
|---|---|
| Patch | Fixture mode, address, universe and processor |
| Physical output | Internal widget detected and local port mapped |
| Network output | FixtureNet addressing, protocol and receiver universe |
Precautions
- Use dry locations and protective earth. Internal inspection and electrical faults require qualified personnel; no user serviceable parts are assumed.
- Back up and plan an interruption before logging off, shutting down or changing processor configuration. Network and physical outputs can behave differently during recovery; rehearse the actual receiver’s loss behavior.
- The official support notice about universes above the processor’s original range is limited to 3.15.0 and reports a correction in 3.15.1. Do not treat that historical symptom as a universal address limit or apply its processor-removal workaround to an active show.
Terms on this page
- DMX
- A data protocol controlling lighting functions; each model defines what its channels mean.
- Patch
- Assignment of fixture, profile, address and universe in the control system.
- Personality
- A console fixture profile describing how a fixture’s channels map to its functions; it must match the fixture’s active mode.
Help configuring this equipment
- Hog 4 manual — 3.15.0 — etcconnect.com
Start with the model instructions and match the edition to the unit you will use.
- Safety warnings — etcconnect.com
Review operating conditions and coordinate applicable requirements with the venue.
- ETC: document the system before troubleshooting — support.etcconnect.com
Record models, modes, versions and the signal path to describe the problem precisely.
Documentation and sources
- Road Hog 4 hardware — etcconnect.com
- Monitor support by model — support.etcconnect.com
- No built-in DMX output — etcconnect.com
- Fixture patch and processor mapping — etcconnect.com
- Art-Net and sACN — etcconnect.com
- Console setup — etcconnect.com
- Show backup — etcconnect.com
- Universe mapping issue limited to 3.15.0 — support.etcconnect.com
Use the original Road Hog 4 specifications and monitor-support guidance. Menu paths follow the HTML manual 3.15.0; check the installed version and electrical rating plate before use.
Guides to plan your system
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