Showstopper 3 Base

Reference Manual v2.0

GETTING STARTED

Congratulations on your purchase of the Showstopper 3 Base from Creative Conners, Inc! The Showstopper 3 Base is the mastermind behind bringing your Show to a Stop during an emergency. The Showstopper 3 Base is the must have piece of equipment for use with any of Creative Conners, Inc’s SIL 3 rated Showstopper 3 products.

This manual will guide you through:

Unpacking
Installation
Connecting Devices
Troubleshooting

If you need help along the way, contact us on our website (creativeconners.com), via email (support@creativeconners.com), or by phone (401-289-2942 x2). We want your automation to succeed and we are eager to help you through any head-scratching issues.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

1 x Showstopper 3 Base (3U)
1 x IEC Power Cable
3 x Accessory Terminators

If any of these components are missing, please contact us for a replacement.

FEATURES

E-Stop Button - Big, red, illuminated, mushroom shaped e-stop button.
Indicator Lights
Green to indicate that all e-stops on the network have been disengaged and the Showstopper 3 Base is ready for operation.
Amber to indicate the Showstopper 3 Base has power.

Input Power
120VAC, 1.4A IEC Socket.
E-Stop Outputs
10 e-stop outputs that allow 10 machines to be connected to the Showstopper 3 Base.
Accessory Outputs
3 accessory outputs for connecting to any Showstopper 3 accessory device. I.e. Consolette, Pendant, Stage Manager, Hubs, Remotes, and more. When not in use, you must use the included terminators or the e-stop will stay engaged.

INSTALLATION

The Showstopper 3 Base is intended to be rack mounted in any standard 19” rack. Feel free to install it along with other Showstopper devices, a rack PC, a storage drawer for the Showstopper 3 Consolette or in racks with your Stagehand controllers. It can also sit on the operator desk or on top of a Stagehand controller - just be sure it is secured so that it can be engaged quickly when needed, to avoid falling down, or from being accidentally engaged.

MAKING THE CONNECTIONS

As with all our devices, they need to be connected in various ways in order to function.

INPUT POWER

Connect the IEC cable to the back of the Showstopper 3 Base and plug into any standard 120vac power source. The power connection must be constant. Loss of power to the Showstopper 3 Base will engage the E-Stop on all connected machinery, and stop all movement to any connected Stagehands. We recommend adding in a Battery Backup to avoid power loss issues.

SHOWSTOPPER E-STOP OUTPUT

Each Stagehand and smart machine requires a direct connection to a Showstopper 3 Base or Showstopper 3 E-Stop Hub. The Showstopper 3 Base includes 10 E-Stop connections. These connections are made with a Neutrik 5-pin XLR cable. There’s no tech wizardry here, any 5-pin XLR cable will work as long as the polarity is correct. As a quick memory aid, think about higher pin numbers carrying higher voltage. In this instance, we only have Common (on pin 1, the lowest number) and +24vdc (on pin 5, the highest number). The 5-pin XLR cable is not a DMX signal, but rather it was chosen as a convenient cable that is prevalent in many venues so you should always be able to find a spare cable when needed.

Below is the pin-out for the Showstopper Emergency Stop output:

ACCESSORY OUTPUT

The Accessory output provides power (+24VDC) to the accessory devices as well as the Remote E-Stop capability. This connection is a standard locking Harting connector (IRC 21mm x 21mm (3A) 12P 10A). This connection is designed to allow devices to be daisy chained together. However, at the end of the chain you must have a terminator to complete the e-stop circuit. If you are not using any accessory devices, connect your terminators to the accessory outputs on the rear of the Showstopper 3 Base.

Below is the pin-out for the Showstopper Accessory output:

Attach up to 10 E-Stop cables (5-pin XLR) between the E-Stop outputs on the Base and each of the Stagehands, make sure your Accessory Outputs are terminated, release the E-Stop mushroom switch on the face of the unit, and you are ready to Make It Move!

TROUBLESHOOTING

The face of the Showstopper 3 Base has 2 indicator lights on the faceplate and one indicator light on the red mushroom button to help determine the state of the system. The chart below should help you diagnose any issues.

Indicator

Check

Mains

Power

Local

E-Stop Engaged

Accessory E-Stop Engaged

Check Terminators

Ready to Make it Move!

Ready

Power

Mushroom

When the Green and Amber lights are illuminated, you are ready to Make It Move!

Issue

Checkpoint

No indicators illuminated

Check main power

Red & amber indicators

Check E-Stop mushroom switch on the base

Amber indicator

Confirm no remote E-Stop switch is activated

All connected Stagehands are not releasing E-Stop

Confirm the Base has power
Confirm no remote E-Stop switch is activated

One of several Stagehands is not releasing E-Stop

Confirm Stagehand is connected to base with Showstopper cable
Replace Showstopper cable between base and Stagehand

Showstopper Accessories unresponsive

Confirm accessory cable is connected
Confirm terminations

Refer to the specific device manual for further troubleshooting.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you get stuck, we’re here to help. The best way to get in touch with a tech expert is via email - even during normal business hours - because most days we are spread around the shop and may not be near the phone. There’s someone in the office from 8:30a-5pm EST Monday - Friday and will return an email or phone call quickly. After hours, (honestly when most tech support issues arise) we have a crack team monitoring email and voicemail who will respond quickly to help get you moving.