Our 25th Year

GilderShopping CartThe guys at Systm (page 4) complained about it, but what they didn’t know was that we were already preparing to launch online shopping at the Gilder-Website!

By the time you read this, you should be able to simply enter the quantity of each piece of GilderGear you need, add it to your shopping list, and have it magically arrive at your doorstep.

If you are registered dealer or OEM, then you can log in and the pricing you see will automatically reflect your pricing level. ~ G

Big Things Coming

for PC•MACsOur flagship Show Programming software is

getting its biggest makeover in years. We are adding many new features. Some of these should be available by IAAPA in November, with more coming through the year.

• The maximum number of channels in-creased from 256 to 16,384. That’s 32 DMX-512 Universes or 131,072 Digitals!

• Soft Console: Increase analog inputs from two to six. Soft Console available even with a MACs-USB or other console in use.

• Drag-n-Copy and Drag-n-Move digital channel between digital outputs.

• Support for Mackie flying fader consoles and expansions for up to 32 simultaneous analog or digital programming inputs.

• Drag-n-Drop on ‘mover’ & other dialogs.

• New backwards compatible AutoDownload files to support lots more channels.

• Sticky Notes on the OffLine Editing menu.

• Trigger by name: Sets up and automatically configures an Sd-50 by just dropping Sound markers on the OffLine timeline.

• Automatically adding type and number of outputs by simply adding ‘Fixtures’ (i.e.: add a Sd-50/40, Br-miniBrick8, RGB LED light,

etc.) to the Channels List. ~ G

Lg-DMX/DCThe Lg-DMX/DC has been redesigned with a

new all-metal enclosure, easier addressing, plug-gable spring blocks for attaching your wires, and an increased output capacity.

The Lg-DMX/DC takes a stream of standard DMX-512 lighting data from any source, and dims eight low voltage DC outputs. You can run any combination of incandescent lights, LEDs, and even DC motors.

Each output is rated for an indiv idual c u r re n t capac-

ity of ten amps , and will temporarily ‘turn off’ if you try to put too much current through it. Total capacity for all eight channels is a maximum of forty amps, at any-where from nine to 24 volts DC. ~ G

We survived our twenty-fifth year in business, and are now heading headlong into our twenty-sixth!

For those of you who were able to attend our anniversary party this past May fifteenth, we thank you. Our thanks also to the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) for help-ing to make our celebration such a success.

It was a rare opportunity for all of our staff to get together in one place.

Some of our East and West coast Gilder-

flukians had n e v e r m e t face-to-f a c e before.

Prepa-ration f o r t h e p a r t y

included a f r e s h

coat of eco-friendly paint &

new restrooms for Gilderfluke Tow-

ers. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to

see what the top of our CEO’s desk looks like (it is usually piled a foot deep).

Most businesses fa i l within five years, and we have been at it for over twenty-five years. Longevity has its small rewards. With their hundreds of thou-sands of suppliers, Disney-land has been buying from us so long that our vendor ID number is down in the low 1800s. ~ G

All the GilderNews we could jam into a little under 8 pages- Eli the Mule, CEM

“I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill”- Thomas Edison

ilderNewsletterV i e w s a n d N e w s f r o m t h e W o r l d o f G i l d e r f l u k e & C o .

GilderHeadquarters • 205 South Flower Street • Burbank, California 91502-2102 • 818/840-9484 • 800/776-5972 • FAX: 818/840-9485GilderEast • 7041 Grand National Drive • Suite 128d • Orlando, Florida 32819-8988 • 407/354-5954 • FAX: 407/354-5955

1GilderNewsletter • Winter 2008-09 • Number 17

2 GilderNewsletter • Winter 2008-09 • Number 17

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www.gilderfluke.com 3

the Macintosh user interface guide-lines.

Now that Windows will run on a Macintosh using Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. You can run PC•MACs using any of these as though it was on a PC. Everything works just as expected, and you will no longer need to carry a PC in addition to your Macintosh when you travel. ~ G

Changing the Order of SoundFiles on Sd Cards

Our Sd-10 and Sd-25 use ‘Windows drag-n-drop’ order for playing SoundFiles. Rich Cox in

our Florida office has written a s imple ut i l i ty c a l l e d ‘ S d Playlist’ that will a l l o w t h e SoundFiles on an Sd card to be put into any desired order. Just point it at your Sd card, put the files in the order you need, and it will do the rest! Sd

Playlist is available for download from our web

site. ~ G

Programming with a MacintoshAlthough we are a Mac Shop, our PC•MACs Show Programming Software has always been a PC-only program. The

reason for this goes back to before either Macs or PCs. The original MACs (Microprocessor Anima-tion Control System) predated both!

We bought the first Mac we ever saw. Using this Mac and a developer’s program, we de-signed the user interface for what later became PC•MACs. In the early years, Macintoshes were ‘closed boxes’. There was no way to add an inter-face card that would allow us to control anima-tion from the Mac. Much later, expandable Macs did come along, but the hardware that was needed to connect to them was far from simple.

We built an interface card that would run in PCs, but Microsoft was still stuck in DOS at the time, so we couldn’t use the user interface we had designed on the Mac. Microsoft’s first tries at a user inter-face ‘DosHell’ (Google it) and Windows 3.0 were disasters. Although we tried to make PC•MACs run under the early ver-sions of Windows, the first releases couldn’t even reliably run the Solitaire program that came with it!

It wasn’t until 3.1 came out that Win-dows was stable enough to make a us-able version of PC•MACs. Although it ran under Windows, we had to write massive amounts of code to keep it as close as possible to

One GPS, two (or more) Sd-50s.

The Sd-50/GPS8 and Sd-50/GPS40 feature a Global Positioning System receiver. The GPS receiver allows shows and sounds to be scheduled and played back with extraordinary accu-racy. No matter where in the world they are, they will all be started within about a thousandth of a second of one another. These are used for:

• Parades: where all the floats and background music are perfectly in sync.

• School and business bell systems

• Churches and public Clock towers

• Fountain controls

One of the major Florida theme parks uses the Sd-50/GPS players to auto-mate their show schedule announcements. Since they have lots of shows and v e n u e s , t h e y a s k e d whether they could use more than one Sd-50 on each GPS receiver.

The cables from several Sd-50s to a single GPS re-ceiver can be ‘Y’d together. The sleeve (ground) and tip (data) are wired together. The ring (24 vdc) needs to

either come from only one of the Sd-50s, or

r u n t h r o u g h s u m m i n g d i-odes (cathode stripe towards

the GPS). ~ G

New Cable for Br-miniBrick4sAt barely an inch wide, our smallest Show Controller is the Br-miniBrick4. With a

cost which is comparable to a time delay relay, a Br-miniBrick4 gives you the abil-ity to control up to four digital outputs with a show capacity of up to almost five

minutes.

In most applications, the Br-miniBrick4 is pro-grammed using the three simple buttons on its

top. It shares this feature with its larger sibling, the Br-miniBrick8. What many people don’t know is

that it also shares with its bigger brother the abil-ity to be programmed with a PC.

Tip

To program the Br-miniBrick4 in this way, you need a special cable to temporarily attach it to

your PC. It can then be controlled in RealTIme using PC•MACs just as you would program a Br-miniBrick8 or larger system. When you are done programming, up to 255 different shows can be downloaded into your Br-miniBrick4. You can then disconnect your PC and move it to the next show.

We have now made an all-new

SerAdapt2 cable. It con-

nects directly between one of your PC’s USB ports

and the Br-miniBrick4. Using spring loaded contacts and a spring clamp, you will find this new cable

is both less expensive and much easier to use. ~ G

4 GilderNewsletter • Winter 2008-09 • Number 17

USB to RS-232We are adding a simple USB to RS-232

cable to our inventory. This is a more eco-nomical programming cable for those of you

who don’t need the RS-422 ports that the USB-RS232/422 provides.

The C-USB/RS232 will work with Br-miniBrick8s, Sd-50s, Br-SDC9s, and any other GilderGear that has an RS-232 port on it. ~ G

Unusual GilderGear Applications

This one certainly wins the prize for the most unusual applica-tion. Using a Br-miniBrick8 to cheat at Guitar Hero:

Systm: Guitar Hero

Now that we have turned on the GilderWeb shopping cart, the folks at Systm won’t have to talk to we humans when they want to place an

order. ~ G

Keeping Sd Audio Players in Sync

Our Sd- audio players all feature stereo out-puts, but we have many applications that need more than two audio channels. You can use multiple Sd-10s, Sd-25s and even Sd-50s to provide any number of audio outputs

If you start several Sd- audio players simul-taneously, they will stay pretty darned close together for quite a while, but will eventually drift apart. For sounds that are regularly retrig-gered, each time they are triggered, they get synced up.

For continuously looping sounds, you need to provide an occasional ‘resync’ pulse to get them all back together. A Br-miniBrick4 or Br-miniBrick8 is the easiest way to resync them.

If you don’t have a Br-miniBrick4 or Br-miniBrick8, you can use the following tricks.

You can use the 'status' output from an Sd-25 to generate a 'start' for other players when the first Sd-25 stops. A little relay or a transistor circuit can be used to 'invert' the status output so it only gives a 'start' when the first unit 'stops'.

If you don't want to add a relay or build an inverter, there is a trick that works almost as well:

Set the first unit to storecaster mode, put your foreground SoundFile as the first file on the card, and a short 'silent' one that plays in the back-ground as the second SoundFile (the length of the silent SoundFile sets the length of delay be-tween loops). When the foreground track starts, it will trigger the second Sd-25, albeit just slightly behind. If the delay is noticeable, you can shift the second sound file forward just slightly to bring them into line. ~ G

Hot Spare BrainOur Smart Brick Brains have a feature that will

shut down a show after a certain number of shows have played, a preset amount of time has passed, or if an unauthorized person tries to ac-cess the configuration. We call this feature the ‘DeadBeat Timer’. You can use it to verify that you receive your final payments in a timely manner.

If you leave a 'Hot Spare' for a Brain that has the DeadBeat timer set, be sure to set the Dead-Beat timer on the spare to expire quickly (or ship it pre-expired). ~ G

Custom Design WorkAs time allows we do custom design work. Most jobs are for clients that need a product to do a specific job that none of our off-the-shelf boards will do. Usually, these have been in-corporated into products produced by our

clients.

If you are interested in custom designed equipment, please contact Doug Mobley (doug@gilderfluke.com). ~ G

Best Small ScrewdriverWe have found the best small screwdriver yet!

It is Husky’s part #74501 (Home Depot SKU #163149). They come with bits for Phillips sizes: #000, #00, #0, #1 and Slotted sizes: 1/16 In., 5/

64 In., 3/32 In., ⅛ In. There is also a matching Torx driver on the next peg over. The Torx driver

is great for working on Laptop computers. ~ G

Organizing Sd-50s Files and Folders

We have found that keeping your Sd-50 shows and SoundFiles organized will help you while you are programming, as well as in archiving your project when you are done.

You start by creating a new folder for your project. Throw all your project’s SoundFiles into this folder. Run the Sd-50 Configurator program and point it at this folder when you do a ‘save as…’. This will save all the configuration files and a copy of the Configurator into this folder. All the SoundFiles will be moved into a ‘Sounds’ sub-folder. Select your ‘Player Type’ and use the ‘Reset every-thing to Defaults’ command (under the ‘Edit’ pulldown). ‘Save’ your configuration again.

Now program your shows, saving everything to your show’s folder. If you have a lot of shows, you may want to save them in to a new sub-folder. When you are done, save the AutoDownload to your show’s folder too (not in the sub folder).

Now whenever you need to update your Sd-50 or make a duplicate Sd card, just drag and drop the ENTIRE content of your show’s folder onto a blank Sd card.

To archive your project, just save the entire show’s folder. Everything you will ever need to recreate or reprogram this show is now

backed up! ~ G

Tip

www.gilderfluke.com 5

it easier to tell when the pump is sucking air. Reduc-ing tees with ½” threaded

outlets are used to feed the valves through the 90º

barbed elbows and a bit of poly hose. Two other tees, one

at the front and one at the back, are used to attach the pump and

the ball valve, respectively. Some standard elbows and a union are

used to attach the pump. The un-ion allows the pump to be removed.

We run compressed air to this inlet to dry the fountain for shipment.

Assemble the manifold as shown to fit your briefcase. The pump should sit with the outlet at the top so that it can self-prime. The filter is at-tached to the pump using the male/female street elbow. The filter screen is normally oriented straight down to keep it in the water.

Bend the ⅛” brass stock to fit inside the mani-fold. Be sure to allow a little extra room for the thickness for two brass washers. Drill eight pairs

of ⅛” holes to hold the valves. These have a little slop in them, to allow the valves’ angle to be adjusted. Two 10-32 brass screws near the bends hold the brass bar to the manifold, while allow-ing the angle to be adjusted. Drill two 3/16”

diameter holes in the ⅛” bar for these ½” from the

bends. Drill and tap two match-ing 10-32 holes into the mani-fold. Drill and tap two more 10-32 holes for the brass t h u m b s c r e w s about 6” away.

Two 2” x 3” pieces of sheet brass are bent to hold the front of the valve bar. Slots allow the angle of the bar to easily be adjusted. They are attached to the manifold using four more of the 10-32 screws. The slots should line up with the tapped 10-32 holes near the ends of the valve bar.

Attach the valve bar to the manifold using the 10-32 machine screws, with a washer on each side. Screw the thumb-screws into the valve bar

App. Note:Fountain in a Briefcase

Many of you have seen our br iefcase fountain at our offices or trade shows. It is built into a briefcase for portability. Although small, many of the lessons learned in building it can be applied to full sized fountains as well.

Only small hand tools are needed to make the fountain. All parts are either brass or plastic so there will be no corrosion. Most parts are avail-

able at your local hardware store, McMaster-Carr or other internet suppliers. Because the water pressure is low in the manifold, and the job of a fountain is to leak, you don’t need to be too care-ful about sealing anything.

You can use any briefcase that will hold water. We used a Pelican case with an inside dimen-sions of approximately 18” x 13”. If your fountain doesn’t have to be portable, you can use any type of basin.

A manifold is used to distribute the wa-ter evenly to all the valves. It is designed to reduce turbu-lence where the water is fed to the valves. Water from the pump is fed into the back via a tee fitting. Excess water is bled off at the front to re-duce the overall height of the jets, if needed. The mani fo ld a l so acts as the sup-p o r t f o r t h e valve bar that holds the valves and jets. The manifold isn’t attached to the case. I t l i f t s right out for se rv i ce and cleaning.

The mani-fold is made from ¾” PVC p i p e . W e used c lear PVC to make

Demystifying Binary Triggers

With up to eight Sound-Files on an Sd-50, it will use individual digital channels for triggering the sounds. Above eight SoundFiles, and it will start using binary triggering. This makes most of our client’s eyes glaze over and their heads cock slightly to the left. We have f o u n d t h e f o l l o w i n g method makes it easy for anyone to draw in binary triggers in PC•MACs.

By default, an Sd-50/8 will put the sound trigger channel at address one. An Sd-50/40 will put it at ad-dress five. Create eight digi-tal outputs using PC•MACs ‘Create Multiple…’ com-mand at the appropriate address. Rename the out-puts:

bit 0 = ‘Sound +1’ bit 1 = ‘Sound +2’ bit 2 = ‘Sound +4’ bit 3 = ‘Sound +8’ bit 4 = ‘Sound +16’ bit 5 = ‘Sound +32’ bit 6 = ‘Sound +64’ bit 7 = ‘Sound +128’

Now when you move these channels over to the OffLine editing window to draw in your triggers, you just use simple addition.

If you need to start SoundFile number nine, you just draw in identical lines on the ‘+1’ and ‘+8’ lines. One plus eight equals nine, so that is the Sound-File that will play. For SoundFile number fifteen: ‘+8’ ‘+4’ ‘+2’ ‘+1’. Simple!

You can straighten your

heads out now. ~ G

1) Br-miniBrick8 Controller (Gilderfluke & Co.)8) 3-way Solenoid Valves (Peter Paul 43NK15XGM)1) Water Pump (McMaster-Carr 4182K25)1) 80 Mesh Strainer, ½" NPT FM (McMaster-Carr 98755K43)1) ¾” clear Sch. 40 PVC Pipe x 4’ (McMaster-Carr 49035K24)1) ½” clear Sch. 40 PVC Pipe x 4’ (McMaster-Carr 49035K23)2) ¾"slip x ½"slip x ¾"slip Reducing Tee (plumbingsupply #401)4) ¾"slip x ½"NPT x ¾"slip Reducing Tee (plumbingsupply #778) 4) ¾"slip x ½" NPT x ¾"slip side out 90º (plumbingsupply #402)3) ½"slip clear PVC 90º Elbow (McMaster-Carr 9161K21)1) ½"slip clear PVC 45º Elbow (McMaster-Carr 9161K73)1) ½"slip M to ¼" NPT FM reducer (plumbingsupply #438)1) ½"slip PVC Female Union (plumbingsupply #457)1) ½” NPT 90° M/FM Street Elbow (plumbingsupply #412)8) ⅛" NPT male to ⅛" Brass Barb (McMaster-Carr 5454K65)8) 10-32 male to ⅛" Brass Barb (McMaster-Carr 5454K63)1) Clear Poly Tube ⅜" id x 10’ (McMaster-Carr 5195T732)1) Clear Poly Tube ⅛" id x 5’ (McMaster-Carr 5195T62)8) ⅜" Barb x ⅛" Npt M 90º Elbow (McMaster-Carr 53415K176)8) ⅜" Barb x ½" Npt M 90º Elbow (McMaster-Carr 53415K179)1) 1” x ⅛” x 36" Brass bar stock (McMaster-Carr 8954K363)1 pkg) 2" x 3" x 0.032” Brass sheet (McMaster-Carr 1219T11)2) Brass 10-32 x ⅜” Thumbscrew (McMaster-Carr 98816A245)1 pkg) Brass 10-32 x ½" Phillips (McMaster-Carr 94070A829)1 pkg) Brass No 2 x ⅜" Screw (McMaster-Carr 98685A225)1 pkg) Brass Flat Washer #10 (McMaster-Carr 92916A350)1 pkg) Brass Flat Washer #2 (McMaster-Carr 92916A320)1) Fiberglass Screen, 24" x 7' (McMaster-Carr 1017A63)1) Case 17⅞" x 12¾" x 6¾" (pelican-case 1520NF-BLACK)

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6 GilderNewsletter • Winter 2008-09 • Number 17

w i t h two washers

on each. Sandwich the slots in the 1/32” brass

between these washers. When you tighten the thumbscrews it should lock the angle of the valve bar.

The reason for using three way valves in a fountain is so that water always flows through them. This keeps the pressure in the manifold constant, so the fountain height doesn’t change as valves are turned on and off. Unused water is redirected back into the reservoir when the valve is not energized, or through the nozzle and into the air when power is applied.

Although the Peter-Paul valves are en-tirely waterproof, we have found that the wires are not. If left unprotected, they will corrode right off the valves. We ran shrink wrap over the wires, and slathered them liberally with silicone sealant where the wires attach to the valves.

Screw the ⅛” NPT to ⅜” barb 90º elbows into

the valve inlets. The eight ⅛ NPT to ⅛” b a r b s act as the nozzles. The

eight 10-32 to ⅛” barbs

have a short length of ⅛” i.d. hose attached to feed

the unused water back into the reservoir.

Before you make the final connections to the

valves, fire up the pump and run some water through the manifold. This will flush

out any debris that might remain inside to clog up the valves.

Attach the valves to the valve bar using the #2 screws. Plumb the valves to the

manifold, and screw the wires to the Br-miniBrick8. These

valves are non-polarized.

To keep splashing down to a minimum, we use a fiberglass window screen in an aluminum window screen frame. We cut small holes for the nozzles to pass through.

You are now ready to fill your fountain with water. Add a little enzyme (available from spa supply stores) to kill the munge that will inevitably grow. Adjust the ball valve to give you the de-sired height and tweak the valves to aim the wa-ter where you want it to go. With the pump that we used, it should shoot 12” to 18” high.

Br-miniBrick16Did you ever need just a few more outputs

than the eight that a Br-miniBrick8 provides? Ever wonder why we don’t make a sixteen output version?

We do! It is called “two Br-miniBrick8s”. Because Br-miniBrick8s can either source or receive DMX-512, you can easily feed DMX from one Br-miniBrick8 to another. The second one is slaved to the first, and acts exactly as though they were one bigger ‘Br-miniBrick16’. ~ G

You can add to your briefcase fountain by us-ing the Br-miniBrick8’s DMX-512 output to run RGB LED lighting, or the servo motor outputs to control moving water jets, just like the big Bella-gio fountain.

If you want to add music, you can add an Sd-25, or switch to an all-in-

one Sd-50/08. If you go to an Sd-50/ 40, you

can then control as many as forty jets!

Because our systems are modular, you can keep adding jets and the GilderGear to control them. There are no practical limitations to the number of jets that can be controlled.

Except for needing bigger pumps, pipes, valves and nozzles, a full sized fountain is made in pretty much the same way as this briefcase fountain. Because of the bigger coils, larger sole-noid valves are often driven by our Pb-DMX/nn boards. These will provide up to three amps on each output, and DMX-512 networking will allow them to be placed near the valves. ~ G

Misbehaving Sd Cards

Sd-10s and Sd-25s will accept almost any Sd card you can find. They under-stand all flavors of FAT file formatting, and work with the new SdHC cards.

The Sd-50s require an Sd card that is format-

ted using FAT32. You can recog-nize if an Sd c a r d i s i m-properly for-matted if it doesn’t rec-ognize and shows or configura-

tion files.

A very small number of Sd cards seem to be either too fast or slow for the Sd-50s to read. If you find one of these, please send it to us!

We have had a few rare reports of Sd flash cards in systems that h a v e b e e n running for a year or more that simply stopped working.

If the card can b e reformatted and reloaded with SoundFiles, it will usu-ally go back to working. This is an indication of a r andom da ta f a i l u re somewhere on the Sd card. It simply forgot something important. It would be prudent to replace the card with a new one at your earliest convenience.

In even rarer cases, an Sd card can’t be formatted or even recognized by a PC. This is an indication that the Sd card has completely failed. The only option is to replace it. ~ G

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www.gilderfluke.com 7

GreatestHits On CD

We distribute al l our printed material and soft-

ware on a single CD-ROM. Every manual, cut sheet, and

piece of software we offer is all on one disk. These are included with most purchases, or are available for a nominal charge. ~ G

Classes Anyone?The spacious quarters at Gilderfluke Towers has

a permanent display area where we offer classes in GilderTechnology. We know that our stuff is pretty easy to learn to operate, but if you would like formal classes, they can be scheduled.

If you are interested in training on GilderGear, p l e a s e c o n t a c t C a r o l y n R o w l e y (carolyn@gilderfluke.com) in our California Gil-derOffice. ~ G

Field Installation& Service

Gilderfluke technicians are available for installa-tions worldwide. You will need to pay all the usual transportation expenses (business class or better airfare, hotel, food, and per diem) in addi-tion to the fee for the technician.

If you are interested in field support and instal-lation of Gilderfluke & Co. equipment, contact Carolyn Rowley (carolyn@gilderfluke.com) in our California GilderOffice. ~ G

Servo Valve Troubleshooting

Digital solenoid valves are the most com-monly used for simple digital animation. You apply the operating voltage (usually 24 vdc) to a solenoid valve and it will open. Remove the volt-age and the valve will close.

Servo valves are used for analog animation. A +/- 10 volt signal is what most servo valves want to see on their inputs. Positive voltages open it in one direction, a negative voltage opens it in the other direction, and a zero voltage stops it. How far away the voltage is from zero controls the speed.

Almost all servo valves have a mechanical 'null' adjustment somewhere on them. You will have to remove a hatch or loosen a locknut to adjust it. In most cases, the null is adjusted to give no movement at zero voltage (the wires discon-nected). If you unplug the wires to the servo valve, the movement should stop (or only drift slowly). In some motion base applications, the null is adjusted with a slight downward move-ment to the base. This allows the motion base to return to a retracted position in a power failure.

The typical test to see if a servo valve is in good working order requires only a battery. I usually start with a single AA cell for 1.5 volts. Connect it in one direction across the valve, and the valve should move the cylinder in one direction. Reverse the battery, and the valve will move the cylinder in the opposite direction. The cylinder should move at about the same speed in either direction. If 1.5 volts won't move the valve, try two and then three (etc.) batteries in series valves until you get move-ment.

A slightly more 'official' servo tester can be jerry-rigged using a pair of 9 volt batteries in se-ries, and a pot across the 18 volts. The lower the resistance of the pot, the better it works, but a lower resistance also eats batteries faster. Attach the servo valve to the junction between the two batteries and the wiper on the pot. This will give +/- 9 volt signal to the valve. ~ G

Show PlansWe are scheduled to ex-

hibit at the following trade shows. Most of the equip-ment described in this news-letter will be on display at these shows. We have free passes for many of them, so contact us if you would like to attend.

2009 will be only the sec-ond time IAAPA will be held anywhere West of the Rockies (Dallas is more South of the Rockies). The only other time was when IAAPA was held in Los Angeles. From now on, IAAPA is scheduled to alternate be-tween Las Vegas and Or-lando.

For 2009, the Transworld Haunt show will be moving to Saint Louis, Missouri.

November 18-21, 2008

International Association of Amusement Parks & Attrac-tions (IAAPA), Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

March 27-29, 2009

National Haunt & Attraction Show, America’s Center, Saint Louis, Missouri

June 17-19, 2009

InfoComm International, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

November 17-20, 2009

International Association of Amusement Parks & Attrac-tions (IAAPA), Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Ve-gas, Nevada

Gilderfluke

Our Two Most Asked QuestionsIn the more than twenty-five years we have been in business, the second most commonly asked

question is where our company name came from.

Eli Gilderfluke was a cartoon character who appeared in railroading trade magazines in the middle of the 19th Century. A precursor of Rube Goldberg in the 20th Century, he developed strange inventions for steam trains. These were things like a big scoop to catch the exhaust coming out of the smoke stack and feed it back into the engine’s firebox.

The answer to the most commonly asked question is: ‘No, we don’t build animated figures’. ~ G

Who Are We?Gilderfluke & Company was founded in 1983 to build Animation

& Show Control Systems for theme parks, museums, and other entertainment venues. In 1988 we added Digital Audio Playback Systems to our product line, and became the first company to be able to provide the entire electronics package for your animated show or attraction.

We currently deliver an average of four or five systems a day. We are the only company that delivers complete, off-the-shelf Anima-tion & Show Control Systems from stock. Most systems are bought by Animation Manufacturers for incorporation into their shows. They are simple enough to be installed by anyone.

Our PC•MACs Animation & Show Programming Systems were the first to run under Microsoft’s Windows. It is still the technological

leader among Animation Programming Systems. Our ‘Brick’ Show Control Systems are the largest selling Animation & Show Control Systems in the world. These are modular systems which can be used to control any size show you can imagine.

Our Digital Audio Systems are led by our Sd-10, Sd-25 and Sd-50 Industrial-Strength Mp3 players. These store audio on standard MMC/SD Flash cards for any installation where you need a sound to play reliably and with zero maintenance; forever. Our systems are modular. Systems with two to thousands of outputs are can be made with our repeaters.

Sd-50 players are also available with an option that adds eight or forty digital Show Control outputs, DMX-512, MIDI and serial ports to them. This turns them into a total Audio and Show Control play-back solution. The GPS option allows shows and sounds to be

scheduled, accurate to .001 second. ~ G

8 GilderNewsletter • Winter 2008-09 • Number 17

GILDERFLUKE & Co., Inc.205 South Flower StreetBurbank, California 91502-2102 U.S.A.

In this issue………...• Big Things Coming for PC•MACs

• Lg-DMX/DC

• Our 25th Year

• GilderShopping Cart

• GilderGear Comparison Chart

• Programming with a Macintosh

• Changing the Order of SoundFiles on Sd Cards

• New Cable for Br-miniBrick4s

• One GPS, two (or more) Sd-50s.

• USB to RS-232

• Unusual GilderGear Applications

• Keeping Sd Audio Players in Sync

• Hot Spare Brain

• Best Small Screwdriver

• Organizing Sd-50s Files and Folders

• Misbehaving Sd Cards

• Br-miniBrick16

• Servo Valve Troubleshooting

• Demystifying Binary Triggers

• Show Plans 2009

• Our Two Most Asked Questions