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I would like some more details on the iDMX32 controller that is planned on being released in August.

Will it work with LOR 1.6.3 or will LOR II be required?

How to program LOR to control it?

Will it support "smart" DMX devices?

Can each of the 32 channels be mapped to individual channels on each DMX device? E.g. If I have 4 DMX devices that have 16 channels each...and I only want to control specific channels (let's say 8) on each of those 4 devices, can I control all 32 chosen channels with one iDMX32?

What are the interfaces on the iDMX32? I see one for DMX-in and one DMX-out, but there must be some type of interface for LOR.

Thank you in advance for the detail! :)

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Here's a little hodge-podge of answers for you:

Like you said, the iDMX32 has to plug into the LOR network, so I just assumed the connection was on the side opposite the DMX IN and OUT plugs. Dan?

Intelligent channels means it supports "smart" DMX.

I can't tell you how LOR will control DMX, but Animated Lighting controls DMX by using intensities. I wouldn't be surprised if LOR is similiar. Think of it like a coordinate plane. If you draw a 4 second fade from intensity 10 to intensity 50 on the DMX channels for pan and tilt, then the DMX light will move from the coordinate plane position (10,10) to position (50, 50) over 4 seconds.


From another thread today:


LightORama wrote:

Yes a software upgrade is required to use the iDMX-32. LOR II will be released this year.
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smarts53 wrote:

I have another question about the DMX module. I noticed that the XLR connectors on the unit are 3 pin, but arent most DMX devices 5 pin XLR?


5 pin is the standard. 3 pin has never been a dmx standard. Any DMX equipment with 3 pins is not compliant with the DMX standards.

However a survey shows that most people that want to use LOR hardware and DMX use 3 pin DMX equipment. That is why we went with 3 pins. We plan to stock converters for anyone who requires them.
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I know, It's a real busy time with the sale and all but need to ask these questions but I have a few questions on this product.

1> Is there any other hardware that is going to be needed along with this unit?(besides the dmx cords, dmx equiptment, lor boards, and lor software), I noticed with Animated lighting they have a board of its own.

2> In placing an order for this, must be the LOR2 isn't far behind, but can you start programming with LOR1 to use with DMX?

3> Has this been tested with the ELL's?

4> and last but least...... since this is on a preorder status, will it stay on sale after the sale ends or return to regular price?

I have 2 American DJ Accuspot 250*2 that I was thinking of using this year if I can find a way of enclosing them without overheating.

Thanks All, happy lighting

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Scottsgrfx wrote:

I know, It's a real busy time with the sale and all but need to ask these questions but I have a few questions on this product.

1> Is there any other hardware that is going to be needed along with this unit?(besides the dmx cords, dmx equipment, lor boards, and lor software), I noticed with Animated lighting they have a board of its own.

2> In placing an order for this, must be the LOR2 isn't far behind, but can you start programming with LOR1 to use with DMX?

3> Has this been tested with the ELL's?

4> and last but least...... since this is on a preorder status, will it stay on sale after the sale ends or return to regular price?

I have 2 American DJ Accuspot 250*2 that I was thinking of using this year if I can find a way of enclosing them without overheating.

Thanks All, happy lighting


To interface a LOR network to a DMX universe, the only piece of equipment you will need (except the cables) is the iDMX32.

I would wait to program your DMX until documentation comes out. It will operate with LOR-I and LOR-II. It will operate in an enhanced mode with LOR-II.

I operates with ELLs.

It will not be on sale beyond the 25th of June.
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Thank you Dan..

And thanks ken for that link to class #5. Very informative. I never realized how complicated dmx really was as a newbie. Maybe I'll wait till next year for the dmx, or maybe just get caught up in the sale and go for it. hummmm... decisions, ahh it's only money well worth investing.

Thanks

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LightORama wrote:

smarts53 wrote:
I have another question about the DMX module. I noticed that the XLR connectors on the unit are 3 pin, but arent most DMX devices 5 pin XLR?


5 pin is the standard. 3 pin has never been a dmx standard. Any DMX equipment with 3 pins is not compliant with the DMX standards.

However a survey shows that most people that want to use LOR hardware and DMX use 3 pin DMX equipment. That is why we went with 3 pins. We plan to stock converters for anyone who requires them.




Just to make sure i follow correctly, the converters will convert 3pin to 5 pin so 5 pin equipment can be run from the iDMX32, right? thanks a bunch
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I think that they will stock a 5 pin converter for those that have 5 pins. or an adapter from 5 to 3 pin.

****that's what I understand, but Dan will clarify I'm sure.

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I'm a little confused about how many channels this thing will output to. Will it only control 32 DMX channels or will it somehow control 512?

Thanks a lot
Greg

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LightsByGreg wrote:

I'm a little confused about how many channels this thing will output to. Will it only control 32 DMX channels or will it somehow control 512?

It can control 512 channels...the 32 means "smart channels". Here...I'll give you a situation.

You'd need a smart channel if you are going to say, take a moving yoke, and while having the light on, move it around your house. A "non-smart" channel would be for like a snow/fog/bubble machine where you'd only need 1 channel--ON and OFF.

But, if you want to use your moving yoke and just have it point to a place on your house, and not move, that wouldn't need a smart channel. (I watched Ken Good's DMX animated lighting movie...it really explained a TON!)

Someone else...please chime in.

EDIT: The 'non-smart' channel would say to a moving yoke, go here...and stay there....but if you wanted it to go to place "x", and move to place "y" (while light is on), the "smartness" does the 'calculating' of how fast it moves over however long a period of time.

-------

I recommend anyone interested in this, watch Ken Good's class online. The link is in his signature a few posts above.
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lkcubsrule wrote:

LightsByGreg wrote:
I'm a little confused about how many channels this thing will output to. Will it only control 32 DMX channels or will it somehow control 512?

It can control 512 channels...the 32 means "smart channels". Here...I'll give you a situation.

You'd need a smart channel if you are going to say, take a moving yoke, and while having the light on, move it around your house. A "non-smart" channel would be for like a snow/fog/bubble machine where you'd only need 1 channel--ON and OFF.

But, if you want to use your moving yoke and just have it point to a place on your house, and not move, that wouldn't need a smart channel. (I watched Ken Good's DMX animated lighting movie...it really explained a TON!)

Someone else...please chime in.

EDIT: The 'non-smart' channel would say to a moving yoke, go here...and stay there....but if you wanted it to go to place "x", and move to place "y" (while light is on), the "smartness" does the 'calculating' of how fast it moves over however long a period of time.

-------

I recommend anyone interested in this, watch Ken Good's class online. The link is in his signature a few posts above.





Ken Good's wonderful class on DMX can be divided into two categories. One part of the class provides good information with respect to DMX in general. It has to do with how DMX fixtures are configured, etc... This is applicable to any DMX application. As far as setting up a sequence to control a DMX device: DMX is an intensity based system (The only information sent in the DMX world is the intensity to set a channel to) Hence the information about using intensities to control things in DMX is applicable.

The other category of information in Ken's class was specific to a particular DMX interface module and software. That part of Ken's class is not as applicable to LOR. In particular the specifications of the DMX interface module in his class has no bearing on the LOR iDMX32.

Briefly the iDMX32:

The iDMX32 automatically configures itself. There are no dials, switches, ranges, Intelligent channel ranges.... etc. All of that is done automatically for you. If you have more than one iDMX32 then there is one configuration step: you will need to set the Unit ID to a number other than 230(the default value). The big difference between a iDMX32 and other LOR devices is that the iDMX32 has 512 channels where as a typical LOR controller has 16 or 8.

There are two types of channels: Intelligent and Standard. A Standard channel can handle Intensity changes only. You can set the intensity from 0% to 100%. An Intelligent Channel can handle high level light commands like fades and twinkles (as well as intensity changes).

The iDMX32 has 32 intelligent channels... Those channels "float" around in the available 512 channels provided by DMX. For example: If you use a command on DMX channel 122 that requires intelligence then that channel automatically becomes one of your 32 available intelligent channels.

So what this really means is that when you plug your DMX fixture into the DMX network, you can pick any DMX channel you want for your DMX fixture (all 512 channels are available). Now lets say that your particular DMX fixture requires 8 contiguous channels: 3 intelligent channels and 5 standard channels. That fixture will automatically use 3 of your 32 intelligent channels.

In the Sequence Editor you only define the DMX channels you are using. For example: Lets say you want to add a DMX fog machine to your DMX stuff and this fog machine has a DMX address of 64.

To control this DMX device, you would add a new channel to your sequence. The channel can be added anywhere in the grid that is convenient. You would set the device type to LOR-DMX, Set the Unit ID to the Unit ID of your iDMX32 (Just like you set the unit ID of any LOR controller) and you would set the DMX channel to 64(remember 64 matches the DMX address of the fog machine). Because you would only be using intensity changes to turn the fog machine on/off, this device would automatically be considered a standard channel and it would not use one of your 32 Intelligent channels.


Now just to make things confusing:
Because the 32 Intelligent channels "float" you can actually have more than 32 things that require intelligence in your DMX universe HOWEVER only 32 of them can be be used at one time. For example you could only have 32 DMX channels twinkling at one time You could twinkle a mix of any 32 channels you want then later twinkle a different mix of 32 channels.
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Dan, thanks for all the clarification, we all appreciate it, cause we know just how busy LOR is with the sale. I have one more question on the iDMX32. I've seen Bill Foleys toys in his workshop a few times, drool, drool, wipe. The yoke gobo device that he has, is today, programmed with a DMX controller to define the 0-255 channel levels. Will LOR (LORII) have a program enhancement to define those levels, or will we still need to get a controller to determine those values then plug them into LOR. I think Mike and Ken allude to the fact that AL can do this within thier software. Thanks ahead of time!

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zman wrote:

Dan, thanks for all the clarification, we all appreciate it, cause we know just how busy LOR is with the sale. I have one more question on the iDMX32. I've seen Bill Foleys toys in his workshop a few times, drool, drool, wipe. The yoke gobo device that he has, is today, programmed with a DMX controller to define the 0-255 channel levels. Will LOR (LORII) have a program enhancement to define those levels, or will we still need to get a controller to determine those values then plug them into LOR. I think Mike and Ken allude to the fact that AL can do this within thier software. Thanks ahead of time!


LORII will have the ability to specify a specific value 0-255... You can almost do it with LOR I but you only have 100 values (0% to 100%) so you an get some of the values ( i.e. 50% = 128)... As a matter of fact, the iDMX32 works with LOR I but it is limited to DMX numbers like 2,5,7...(based on intensity) and a limit of 16 channels because that is the max you can specify on a controller.

About the only thing you need the 0-255 vs 0% - 100% is when you want to get precise positioning on an XY axis. The fades in LOR will smoothly move heads and fade DMX lights because internally LOR controllers use 1/256 resolution for fades. That is to say if you tell a controller to fade from 10% to 20% it will smoothly step through 25 intensity levels to get there.

Most DMX devices will allow a range of addresses for a particular feature. For example RED is 11-20 and GREEN is 21-30 This way when you are using sliders to change colors you do not need exact precision.
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