LSC is proud to announce the arrival of the much anticipated USB upgrade option for the maXim range of control desks. From June 1, 2008 any new maXim consoles sold with an options card in them have been fitted with USB instead of a floppy drive. Existing users however have not had the opportunity to upgrade except in some special circumstances due to technical issues related to the number and different versions of maXim we have in the field.

This is no longer the case and we can now offer a USB options upgrade kit to existing maXim owners. USB upgrade kits are available for general sale as of February 1, 2009.

The new kit can be used to upgrade any existing maXim in the field (some users of early maXims may need to add more memory to their console). If your maXim currently has a floppy disk drive then this kit will replace the floppy.

Addition of the USB options kit provides the following facilities:

1. Two USB A ports.
   One of these ports is for connection to a USB memory stick (flash drive). The larger memory capacity of the USB flash drives allows for several show backups and the possibility of having many fixture templates available on the one flash drive.
   The second USB A port permits connection to a trackball or mouse for controlling Pan and Tilt of fixtures.
2. One USB B port.
   The USB B port is dedicated to a direct Capture interface. Capture is a visualisation program that allows you to see what your stage and show will look like. This new option means that with only one USB cable you can connect your maXim to a PC and see your show on the visualiser.
3. MIDI in, out and thru
   The MIDI In, Out and Thru connections allow maXim to control other devices or in fact be controlled by MIDI controllers. Great for small bands where you can now control your show from a sequencer. Other applications include game shows or exhibitions where the lights and effects need to be controlled remotely.

Each kit is supplied with a 1GB USB key that contains the entire PaTPad fixture library, the PaTPad training videos and the Operator Manual for each console group.

If you already have a maXim and you would like to upgrade to the new USB Video option please contact your nearest dealer or LSC direct.