Eos is the software inside ETC's theatre consoles, and ETCnomad puts the same software on a laptop. The Nomad USB key is the licence that lets it control real lights, so the laptop becomes a working desk rather than an offline editor. We hire it set up and tested, with two add-ons that complete it: the Gadget II interface gets you two universes of DMX out of a USB port, and the LX Key gives your fingers the console layout they already know. The package is £120 per day, the Gadget II £20 per day and the LX Key £16 per day.
Eos runs everything in ETC's console family, from the Element in a school hall to the Gio and Apex desks in producing theatres, and a show file moves between all of them. The software itself is a free download, so if you only want to learn it or edit a show offline you do not need to hire anything. What the ETCnomad USB key adds is the licence to output: plug it in and the laptop stops being a simulator and starts being a lighting desk. Ours arrives with Eos installed, updated and tested, so you are on the command line within minutes of opening the lid.
The Gadget II is ETC's own USB to DMX interface, and it is how the laptop reaches a conventional rig. It gives two universes of DMX, 1,024 addresses, on two five-pin XLR outputs, runs on USB power and sits in a palm. It also speaks RDM, so compatible fixtures can be addressed and monitored from the desk. If your venue already has ETC gateways or networked nodes you may not need it, because Nomad also sends sACN and Art-Net straight from the laptop's network port.
The LX Key is a mechanical programming keyboard laid out like an Eos console's keypad: 123 Cherry MX keys with the record, group and cue buttons where console muscle memory expects them, plus a two-port USB hub that makes a tidy home for the Nomad dongle. It is not an ETC product, but it was designed in Britain specifically for Nomad users. You can run Eos perfectly well from the laptop keyboard; the LX Key is for programmers whose hands already know the way.
Three jobs suit the package particularly well. As a main desk it will run a small rig outright. As a client or backup it joins an Eos network alongside a house console, giving a programmer a second seat or tracking the show so the laptop can take over if the desk fails. And as a pre-programming rig it lets you build the venue in Augment3d, Eos's 3D visualiser, and arrive at the get-in with the show already in cues. Software versions have to match across an Eos network, so tell us what your console is running and we will put the same version on the laptop before it leaves.
The whole package travels in a laptop bag and needs one 13A socket. Hire it by the day, dry hire or with a technician who knows Eos.
What you get
A laptop with Eos installed, updated and licensed by the ETCnomad USB key, tested before it leaves
The laptop's mains supply: one 13A socket runs the whole package
With the Gadget II option: the interface, its USB lead, and five-pin to three-pin DMX adapters if your rig needs them
With the LX Key option: the keyboard and its USB lead
Not included as standard: DMX cable runs to your rig, a network switch for sACN or Art-Net, and a second monitor. All can be added
A technician who knows Eos, to patch, program and operate, if you would rather bring the ideas than the syntax
Good for
Visiting designers and programmers who think in Eos and want their own seat rather than an unfamiliar house desk
A backup desk sitting beside a venue's Eos console for the run of a show
Pre-programming: build the rig in Augment3d and write your cues before the get-in
School and college theatres that run an ETC console and need an extra programming seat, or a stand-in while their desk is away
Small shows and one-offs where a flightcased console is more than the van or the budget wants
Running a universe or two of dimmers and LEDs at an event from something that fits in a shoulder bag
What you need to know
What it is
ETC's Eos lighting software on a laptop, with the Nomad USB key that licenses it to control real lights. The same software family as the Element, Ion and Gio consoles.
The three pieces
The Nomad key and laptop are the desk. The Gadget II adds the DMX sockets. The LX Key adds real console keys.
Output
Two universes of DMX, 1,024 addresses, from the Gadget II, or sACN and Art-Net down a network cable to venues with Ethernet distribution.
Power
One 13A socket for the laptop supply. The Gadget II and LX Key run on USB.
Carrying
The whole rig fits in a laptop bag. The heaviest piece, the LX Key keyboard, is about 1.1 kg.
Hire rates
Item
Rate
ETC Nomad Package
£120 / day
ETC Gadget II
£20 / day
LX Key for EOS
£16 / day
Rates are per day and exclude VAT. Ask us about multi-day and show-week rates, delivery, and hiring with a technician.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
Full technical specification (11)
Manufacturer and model
ETC ETCnomad USB key, with ETC Gadget II interface and lxkey|eos keyboard options
Product type
Laptop-based Eos-family lighting control
Software
ETC Eos, installed and licensed on the supplied laptop
DMX output (Gadget II)
2 universes, 1,024 addresses, on two 5-pin XLR ports, RDM capable
Network output
sACN and Art-Net from the laptop's Ethernet port
Gadget II dimensions Mm
108 x 57 x 25 (approx)
Gadget II weight Kg
0.18 (approx)
LX Key layout
123 Cherry MX mechanical keys in the Eos console layout, two-port USB hub
LX Key dimensions Mm
329 x 222 x 42
LX Key weight Kg
1.1 (approx)
Power
Interfaces and keyboard are USB powered; the laptop supply plugs into a standard 230V 13A socket
Common questions
Honestly, perhaps not. Eos is a command-line desk with real depth, and if you just want lights on faders for a school show, one of our simpler desks costs less and takes minutes to learn. This page is really for people who already think in Eos, or venues that already run it. If you want its power without the learning curve, hire it with one of our technicians and tell them what you want to see.
Only if the laptop has to plug straight into a DMX rig, which in most halls it does. It gives two universes, 1,024 addresses, which covers school and am-dram rigs several times over. If your venue has ETC gateways or other networked nodes, Nomad can send sACN or Art-Net down a network cable instead and the Gadget can stay at home. Its outputs are five-pin XLR, and we include adapters if your fixtures run on three-pin.
Yes. Nomad joins an Eos network as a client, giving a programmer or designer a second seat on the same show, or as a backup that tracks the console and can take over if it fails. The one rule is that software versions have to match across the network. Tell us what your console is running and we will put the same version on the laptop before it leaves.
Nothing you cannot live without. Eos maps every console button onto the laptop keyboard, and plenty of people program that way. What the LX Key adds is the real console layout, 123 mechanical keys in the places your hands expect, so fast programming and live operating stop being an exercise in remembering shortcuts. It also carries a two-port USB hub, a tidy home for the Nomad dongle.
Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to hire it. Build your rig in Augment3d, Eos's 3D visualiser, write your cues at the kitchen table, and carry the show file in on a USB stick. It will open on any Eos-family console running the same or a newer software version. That can turn an evening get-in and a midnight plotting session into an afternoon.
