How to Learn

If you are designing your first ride, attraction, or themed venue, you may have heard the phrase “Show Control” bounced around in design meetings. While the actual definition of “Show Control” may vary among the industries that use it, the phrase is almost always used to describe an intelligent unit (or group of units) used to control audio, video and lighting equipment, doors, buttons and lights in an automated show environment. Since 1986 Alcorn McBride show controllers have been providing these functions and more, all over the world.

Alcorn McBride provides user's guides, application notes, example scripts, training sessions, and free customer support to guide you through the process of learning Show Control.

User's Guides

These documents are a reference to the functions and resources available in our software and hardware products.

For software, they contain screenshots and explanations of the building blocks of a script, as well as basic instruction on how to connect the software and hardware.

For hardware, our user's guides contain information on I/O capabilities, any functionality that is unique to that hardware, and detailed pin-out and wiring diagrams so you can integrate the hardware into your system design.

Application Notes

Application Notes walk the user through a hypothetical - but real world - use of our products. They explain the thought process behind the design, a hardware list, and a set of example scripts. App Notes are one of the most valuable ways to learn how Alcorn McBride products might be used in the real world, and pick up good scripting habits. Application notes are currently found on our website, here, but will transition to the documentation hub that you're currently reading as more are added.

Example Scripts

Example scripts are Alcorn McBride provided scripts, usually intended to explain a single feature or concept. They are smaller in breadth than application notes, but are useful to review if you are learning or debugging a single concept. These scripts are bundled with WinScript Live.

In-person Training Sessions

Alcorn McBride training sessions are free sessions provided throughout the year at our headquarters in Orlando, Florida and the Burbank, California area. They are - without a doubt - the fastest way to learn about our products and how to program them, starting with the basics. You can find out more information on our website.

Online training

Online training offers a course based training system to show you the basics of show control and review select products. While there's no substitute for hands-on in person training, these courses are a great way to get started or refresh your skills. You can find our list of online courses, here.

Customer Support

Our customer support staff is ready to help. We take a common sense approach to technical support. When you contact us for help, you can speak directly to the engineer who developed your product. Our Engineers understand that programming is the last (and sometimes last minute) step to opening an attraction.

There are several ways to contact support: by email, by phone, or through our contact form.

You can find more information on customer support on our website, or you can email us at [email protected].