RJ45 to DMX cabling

[MetalMatrix]

Hello,

This year I purchased two led lights from a auction which are from a professional lighting company that went bankrupt. Since the lights only have DMX connectors I was wondering were If I go E1.31 protocol what can I use to connect the RJ45 cable and switch it up to DMX connectors. I see there is https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/For-Vixen-E1-31-sACN-to-DMX-Interface-Bridge-4-DMX512-Universes-output-perfect-replace-USB/1037515_32588441791.html but I only need on universe since I only have two sets of lights and can dasy chain them or can I just use this http://www.elationlighting.com/3pin-rj45-dmx-adapter. I know LOR sells one but its way to expensive for just two sets of lights.

Thanks

Edited August 27, 2017 by MetalMatrix

[k6ccc]

There are two major ways to get to your DMX over RS-485 lights.  One is to use a E1.31 bridge.  Almost any of the E1.31 controllers can output DMX format data over RS-485.  If you have plans to later add pixels via E1.31, then that would likely be the best bet.

The other way is to use a second USB to RS-485 adapter for a DMX network.  I personally have never done this, so I'm not the expert here.  There are two types of USB to DMX adapters.  Dumb adapters simply are a signal converter.  This leaves the computer having to do all the smarts for controlling the DMX channels.  The normal LOR adapters can be used for DMX just as they can be used for LOR protocol.  They function as a dumb DMX adapter.  There are also smart DMX adapters that take some of the CPU workload off of your computer.  Sorry, I don't have the details of what the smart ones do differently.

 

[EdNetman]

I use this $10 LOR cable to run 8 DMX floods. 

 

http://store.lightorama.com/rjtoxlr3ma.html

 

It's an inexpensive and easy solution. 

[MetalMatrix]

1 hour ago, EdNetman said:

I use this $10 LOR cable to run 8 DMX floods. 

 

http://store.lightorama.com/rjtoxlr3ma.html

 

It's an inexpensive and easy solution. 

This is great and what I am looking for now is it LOR protocol or E1.31?

[k6ccc]

That is a wiring adapter only.  It takes DMX data being sent over RJ-45 cable and re-arranges it to the XLR connectors normally used on commercial DMX lights.  One thing to note is that this adapter is to 3 conductor XLR and a lot of commercial lighting uses a 5 conductor XLR connector.  Verify what connector is used on the lights you have.

You would still need something to generate DMX data - either the output of a E1.31 controller or a USB to RS-485 on RJ-45 adapter.  There MAY be USB adapters that directly output DMX data on a XLR connector, but I don't know.

 

[MetalMatrix]

Hello K6ccc,

Yep its a 3 pin XLR so I am assuming that the pixcon16 would be okay to connect this too since it comes with 4 E1.31 to DMX Bridge Port.

[k6ccc]

The Pixcon - like most E1.31 controllers - can output DMX universes, so would work as a DMX bridge.  As I said in my first post, that will work fine, but unless you have plans to control other pixels via E1.31, it makes for a rather expensive way to control your two DMX lights.  It would be far less expensive to use a USB to DMX adapter.