Caleb Linburg Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have been reading tons of documents about RGB and I still have 1 question that seems to have answers both ways. Do you need a DMX controller like the Enttic or can you just use a cheap DMX decoder?I have seen this guide of how to hook an RGB strip to a CAT-5 cable.http://www.lightuplawrence.net/Home/how-to-1/rgb-dmx-wiringIf you don't need a DMX controller like Enttic do you jus plug this in to a second RJ45 jack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Depends on what king of RGB your trying to run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Linburg Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 It would be a strip similar to this one.http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Changing-SMD5050-Lighting-2038kit/dp/B006JI8LT4/ref=sr_1_19?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1323438347&sr=1-19I would only be doing dumb strips this way because I do know you can't use smart stripes with the decoders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 If you plan on using none digital "dumb" strips, then you can just use http://store.lightorama.com/cmdedcca.htmlLOR dc controller. Simple hook up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Linburg Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Those seem to be sold out and expensive. Would a module like this work alone, just for color changing (no dimming)?http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/383004267-DMX-MODULE-connect-DMX-module-with-DMX-digital-console-to-achieve-dimming-or-various-changes-in-wholesalers.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Caleb Linburg wrote:Those seem to be sold out and expensive. Would a module like this work alone, just for color changing (no dimming)?http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/383004267-DMX-MODULE-connect-DMX-module-with-DMX-digital-console-to-achieve-dimming-or-various-changes-in-wholesalers.htmlYes, but you can get them from David here for a lot less!http://www.holidaycoro.com/category-s/1837.htmWhile your there check out David's videos if you haven't already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Linburg Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thank you for letting me know about the cheaper price. Are you saying using the strip, that module and wiring it would work with lor? I just don't want to spend $120 on something I don't really need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Are you referring to the price of the LOR DC controller? How many strips do you plan on running? LOR will support dmx devices with no problem. There are some thongs you need to do in order to run both LOR protocol and dmx. There are a few threads talking about that! Depending on how many channels you want to run, there are a couple of solutions.Donny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Linburg Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 I am only planning to run 10 sections of RGB strip. It looks like it would be cheaper to use theese modules, then the DC card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Gotcha! Yes running these would be cheaper if; you have an extra LOR USB485 to output dmx, then you need to need to make a cable to change the protocol from LOR to dmx, then you can hook up the dmx modules. The advantage to the modules is you can put them close to the stripes, but remember they need to be waterproofed. When you order them, remember to get them programmed to the channels you want them to be!Donny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H1 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Caleb Linburg wrote: Those seem to be sold out and expensive. The LOR board you saw was the original one with the set screw terminal stripsclick on this link. This is the same board, however, it uses spade lug terminalshttp://store.lightorama.com/cmdedcca2.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H1 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Caleb Linburg wrote: Those seem to be sold out and expensive. Would a module like this work alone, just for color changing (no dimming)?http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/383004267-DMX-MODULE-connect-DMX-module-with-DMX-digital-console-to-achieve-dimming-or-various-changes-in-wholesalers.htmlYes that would work. They are $39 ea w. shippingThis one is $22 w/ shippinghttp://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/701799/209915969-307297559/DMX-512-Module-decoder-DC5V-input-P-N-LN-DMXMODEL-3CH-5V.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edvas69 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 What i dont understand is why the 3 channel controllers are so popular, it means you then have to run both a power and a data cable to each one unless your doing power over ethernet which im personally not a big fan of. Its OK if you want a decentralized setup, but if your not needing this type of setup then why not use a standard DC controller.you can get a cheap DMX 27 channel controller from Rayhttp://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/701799/209915969-378111925/Easy-DMX-LED-controller-dmx-decoder-driver.htmlit is rated for 1 amp per output with a total ampage of 15 amps for the board. This is less than what the LOR DC boards do but you can run 5 complete 5 metre dummy strips from this controller without overloading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The LOR DC controller can control 5 dumb strips with one power supply. The small modules you are looking at will only control one strip and you have to supply signal and power to each one along the way. The strips cannot be easily connected end-to-end because they lose power and the signal degrades without a $7 RGB amplifier for each strip. So you either run an amplifier or another little dmx module.These questions have been asked many times before in the last few months and various solutions have been found for those people.You might do more searching here on this forum and looking at online videos for people who have already have done this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdeditch Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Ken Benedict wrote:The LOR DC controller can control 5 dumb strips with one power supply. The small modules you are looking at will only control one strip and you have to supply signal and power to each one along the way. The strips cannot be easily connected end-to-end because they lose power and the signal degrades without a $7 RGB amplifier for each strip. So you either run an amplifier or another little dmx module.These questions have been asked many times before in the last few months and various solutions have been found for those people.You might do more searching here on this forum and looking at online videos for people who have already have done this.Ken what do you use to control them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I use the LOR Deluxe DC Board CMB16D-QC: http://store.lightorama.com/cmdedcca2.htmlIt just plugs into the existing LOR network and works.I use 4 conductor trailer wiring to make the runs to each of the strips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdeditch Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Ken I am a little confused how these work. I heard something that if you have an extra channel on a controller you get 4 RGB strips to run. Now I have 8 extra channels I am not using. Does this mean I could run 40 strips by buying say 5 CMB16D-QC controllers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geronc Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 You get 5 strips per board. So you would need 8 boards for 40 strips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdracer Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Donny M. Carter wrote:Are you referring to the price of the LOR DC controller? How many strips do you plan on running? LOR will support dmx devices with no problem. There are some thongs you need to do in order to run both LOR protocol and dmx.DonnyDid you mean like butt floss?(thongs).....:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl S Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Can you put 3 LOR DC boards in 1 enclosure and use the extra channel so that you can run 16 strips instead of losing the extra channel per board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts