marsh28 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I will be running mostly DMX this year for Halloween. I've already got five rainbow spots and have been using them sucessfully with the Enttec Open. However, I now want to run six DMX controlled RGB Washer lights at the same time. However, I'm not quite sure how to hook everything together.Currently, my set up for the rainbow spots on their own is as follows:Enttec Open -> 5 Pin XLRJ45 DMX Male Adaper -> Rainbow brain -> Rainbow SpotsHowever, the 6 new RGB lights I purchased use 3 pin DMX connectors. So what do I need to run the rainbow spots and these lights at the same time. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking about something like this?.?Enttec Open - > 5 Pin to 3pin DMX Splitter (like this ) with two branches: Branch 1 pin xlrj45 DMX Adapter -> Rainbow Brain -> Rainbow; Branch 2: 6 rgb floods daisy chained togetherDoes anybody have any idea if this setup would work? Thanks ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viennaxmas Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Close - DMX is usually a bus system (all devices daisy chained) with termination at the end. It can be branched as long as the branches are fairly short compared to the overall length of your DMX chain. At the end of the daisy chain, there should be a termination resistor plugged in. So if your Branch 1 is only a couple of foot compared to several feet of Branch 2, it will work. If Branch 1 and Branch 2 have equal cable length, you may experience DMX issues and you may need to look into an active DMX SplitterSpeaking of active DMX Splitters, they may be a good idea anyway - I have been experimenting a lot with different DMX devices this year and have managed to blow up my Open DMX interface due to some cheap devices creating stray current in a ground loop, so you need to be extra careful and consider an isolated DMX Splitter like the Enttec D-Split (http://www.enttec.com/index.php?main_menu=Products&pn=70572&show=description&name=d-split).The D-Split offers a total of 4 DMX connectors, 2 at 5 pin and 2 at 3 pin and it fully isolates the different branches from each other and it also isolates your computer from any kind of stray current coming across the lines. It is a bit hefty price tag but still a lot cheaper than blowing up your DMX devices or your computer. Hope this helps :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponddude Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 II have one even better for you....There is no rule that says you can't use the XLRJ45 adapters we offer, basically backwards. Here is what I would recommend for you.Enttec > 5 pin XLRJ45 > Rainbow Brain > 3 pin XLRJ45 > RGB floods. Forget about the connections from the Brain to the spots, as that is not DMX data. Come out of second DMX jack on the Brain with a Cat-5 Cable. Connect that to an 3 pin XLRJ45 female adapter and than run XLR cables to all of your RGB floods. That will make everything much easier to deal with and you won't have to purchase a splitter. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 ... so you need to be extra careful and consider an isolated DMX Splitter like the Enttec D-SplitGreg sells the MultiPort Blender, which does the same thing electrically, although it uses weird, specialized connectors that are used to inject power along with the DMX signal. If you use Cat5 as your DMX cable, you could easily solder that instead of the 4-pin connectors, for much less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts