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How to incorporate DMX lights into a show


flyinbyu20

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The data for the moving light looks like the pins match up to the holiday coro dongle.  So the next thing I would check would be the cable.  But for fun, can you program channel 1 and set it to off.  Then program the color red on channels 2,3 and 4.  So channel 2 on and 3 and 4 off.

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Right now I am trying to see if I can get anything on the moving light.  I have given up on the RGB standard lights.  I bought a DMX cable today so I have been using that one instead of the monoprice one I had before and did not fix the issue.  The dongle is a solid green and flashing yellow.  Not sure what you mean by "Can you verify what the signal for the dj light should be?  I mean, is pin 3 data + on the dj light?"  And where do you want me to do this? "But for fun, can you program channel 1 and set it to off.  Then program the color red on channels 2,3 and 4.  So channel 2 on and 3 and 4 off."

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last post of the night.  in your video in post #57, when you go over to the LOR control panel at :13 into the video I noticed your bottom right square to be orange.  For me, to get that light to be orange I have to have control lights set to off.  After you play the sequence or during, does control lights stay on?  That square needs to be blue for the light to work.

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what i meant was for the dj light, what is the pinout.  for the signal coming out of the holiday coro dongle, pin 1 is ground, pin 2 is data - and pin 3 is data +.  For DMX, pins 2 and 3 are what is needed.  So what I was asking is if you know what the pinout for the DJ light is.  When I looked at the moving light it looked like the pinout matches.

 

I was also wanting you to turn off the strobe effect (channel 1) and just shoot a signal for the color red to the light (channel 2 is red).  I dont know if leaving channel 1 in whatever state it is in would cause that flashing.

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I agree, I can no longer work on this tonight.  Next thought would be to take it into a local shop that does dmx and plug it into an actual controller to make sure I do not have bad equipment.  The light at :13 is blue, it is a little fuzzy but it is blue.  Pin out is good - matches.  And still same issue if I remove channel 1.  I cannot even control the moving light.  So completely frustrated .

 

I think whats best is to take them to someone local who can test the lights themselves and then report back to you.  I also opened an IT ticket with holidaycoro.

Thanks Sax for so much work tonight.  Too bad we couldnt get it to work :(

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Cost wise to run with the HC will be less for sure. I was just talking about how easy it would be to test and get the position setting with the iDMX. You can still get your position setting with Xlights (using HC) just a bit more pain with only 3 channels at a time.

 

Kevin: If you're looking for a good way to get the EXACT position and what value to put into S3, check out this DMX controller.

 

I bought one to use especially for my moving lights, since it can start it's fader addresses ANYWHERE between 1 and 496.

It also gives you the exact channel value in Percentage (0-100) and actual value (0-255), which you would need for S3 programming.

And it gives you real-time information; just write the values down on paper.

 

Yes, it's pricey ($239), but it will save you HOURS of frustration with Xlights and LOR's S3. How much is your time worth?

Since it's 16 channels, it will fit your movers quite nicely.

I use it for testing all the time; I can even put a DMX merger into the stream and control movers seperate from the main stage console.

 

Also found a new device to convert a mover into a follow spot. Controls up to six movers but great for onstage spotting.

And some killer RGBAW LED floods ($120 each). Bought 25 of them for a couple of shows.

Not weatherproof but used them as wall washes and had people ask me to turn them down because they were too bright.

Here's my evaluation on it.

Edited by Ken Benedict
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This is what I was talking about being orange:

 

This needs to be blue to control the lights. 

 

In the play menu make sure control lights is checked and stays checked as the sequence plays.

 

Also make sure the LOR dongle is on the LOR Regular port with the correct COM port selected.

 

 

We are so close.  I still feel like it is a coms issue.

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I agree, I can no longer work on this tonight.  Next thought would be to take it into a local shop that does dmx and plug it into an actual controller to make sure I do not have bad equipment.  The light at :13 is blue, it is a little fuzzy but it is blue.  Pin out is good - matches.  And still same issue if I remove channel 1.  I cannot even control the moving light.  So completely frustrated .

 

I think whats best is to take them to someone local who can test the lights themselves and then report back to you.  I also opened an IT ticket with holidaycoro.

Thanks Sax for so much work tonight.  Too bad we couldnt get it to work :(

 

Take the RJ45 cable (aka Ethernet cable) out of the picture.

Use the XLR audio cable and put all the equipment within arms reach of each other.

Set your moving light to address 001.

Get Q Light software and install it on your computer.

Make sure there is NO LOR software running, including the DMX Listener.

Point it to the HolidayCoro controller using the drop down list.

Go to Simple Desk (bottom button in Q Light).

Get the documentation for your light and experiment with the channel settings.

You may have to have several channels at certain values before anything happens.

 

When you are successful with this, move to the LOR software as SAX describes above.

 

Keep us posted.

 

 

  • Cheap
  • Quick
  • Easy

Pick any two.

Edited by Ken Benedict
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This is what I was talking about being orange:

attachicon.giforange dot.JPG

 

This needs to be blue to control the lights. 

attachicon.gifblue dot.JPG

 

In the play menu make sure control lights is checked and stays checked as the sequence plays.

 

Also make sure the LOR dongle is on the LOR Regular port with the correct COM port selected.

 

 

We are so close.  I still feel like it is a coms issue.

Ah! Didnt see that.  I know I checked and looked and saw that it was selected in the drop down menu, not sure what that's about then...When I get home I will try to see.  I also plan on trying to stop at a music shop and see if they have equipment they can atleast test my lights out to see if they work.  

Then I plan on following Ken's write up.  Hoping this works... Thanks guys

I will rephrase.  I know the lights work, they work in sound activation and demo modes.  I want to test the DMX function of the lights.

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Ok cool.

When dmx has coms issues it kicks control lights off...I turn it on, hit play and it gets kicked off. This is usually the first clue to coms issues.

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I've experience that if you try to control your lights via the sequence edit and don't have an LOR adapter connected....say only a DMX dongle. The "control lights" will uncheck itself as soon as you click on the play button. You have to re-check it after it's playing. If you stop it and click the play button again....the "control lights" will uncheck again. Plug in an LOR adapter and set the com port in Network Pref to stop this from happening. This happen to me last year.

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Thanks Kevin. That is exactly what I have had to do in the past for this error. I just couldn't say it proper....you nailed it. And I think this is the last piece and he will be up and running.

Btw, I hope you get your Halloween show running this year. Halloween's not the same without it.

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Btw, I hope you get your Halloween show running this year. Halloween's not the same without it.

I hope so too. I have a new location and preparing but time is my enemy.

I have too much going on. Wish I could set the clock back 3 months.

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hey guys, I am currently at work so I cannot test this out, but I just watched this video.  I have those lights he mentions in the video atleast I think so.  According to him, address 1 will not work and thats what we have been trying for thus far.   Thoughts??

 

here is his video


 

and as a reminder, this is what I bought 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161145551507?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

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Interesting. That stinks.

This would of been seen as a different issue I think. It would of given the wrong results when you ran the sequence. But it could still go random if the controller is not working I guess. I would expect improper reaction to the sequence and not randomness.

The orange light is still a problem. Need to get that to turn blue. Once we get that correct then we look at how the light works.

But you should start it off as a different channel number. Hopefully that problem of channels being one off is true. So set it up as 3 and it will really be 2. Then channels 3,4,5 will be your colors. To test, channel 3 full on and channels 4&5 off should be an output of just red light.

But first you need that blue light on instead of orange.

And do you know if the moving head has similar issues of 1 off channels? Because I am guessing it was random when you tried it last night too.

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Gents-

   Finally some positive news.  The lights do work!  I have narrowed it down to the entec controller now.  Check out the vidoes I just posted on both the RGB as well as the moving light.  

 




Turns out my numbers are actually accurate unlike that video I posted earlier today showed.  So now the issue is the dongle.  Hoping zmancan give a little bit more info on how to try qlight and the set up.  basically trying to find where to put in the controller.  Either way, Xlights should work and we still get that weird effect when connected to the dongle in all three...qlight, xlight and S3.  Thoughts??? Edited by flyinbyu20
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More news!  SO Close to get it.  I switched Xlights to DMX pro/lynx from what the original youtube video said to use open DMX.  Now that light DOES respond, but it is still flickering!! I am using a DMX cable, the same one as I did for the youtube video's above... thoughts?  My guess is that the signal is getting there, but not strong enough?

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zman, got it to "work" in qlights.  Same thing though, its like the signal is weak.

Take a look, it would only respond if I clicked blackout off and on.  If I moved the sliders while it was already on a color, nothing would happen.  Once I clicked blackout on and off, it recognized the change.  Still though, flickers wrong color in background...  I feel as if we are so close

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more info.  I plugged in the moving RGB head, no movement no lights what-so-ever in either program.  I noticed when I had it connected to the physical controller, a small right dot kept flashing probably indication data transmition  Since I have had it connected to the dongle, no light at all

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trying to cover more bases, tried on my laptop and the exact thing happens.  so I know its not a PC USB controller... awaiting any ideas.

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