MP3 Director

[mcnamara9]

I can't remember and it doesn't say on the website, but does anyone know if you have to purchase a 10' Cat5e cable to connect the MP3 Director to your first controller or does it come with?

Thanks in advance,

Brian

[bisquit476]

You need to buy one.

[Surfing4Dough]

And it doesn't have to be 10'.

[Orville]

My first cat5 to my DC-MP3 Showtime Director is 75 feet to the first controller. Then the 2nd cat5 cable running into the house from the Mp3 Director is also 75 feet. This is so I can use the computer to do firmware upgrades to the DC-MP3 Showtime Director and my controllers when new firmware is released for them. No issues with the 75 foot cat5 length at all.

So no, it doesn't have to be 10 feet, it can be up to 100 feet to the MP3 Director units, but I don't think it can go beyond that for them. Unlike the USB485B dongle to first controller from a PC can be up to 4,000 feet. But I think the signal and voltage loss in a cat5 cable that long to an MP3 Director unit would not allow it to work, and if it did work, it may be sporadic at best.

But yes, whatever length or distance you want {up to 100 feet} to go from the MP3 Director to the first controller you will need to buy the cat5 cable to do so.

Check monoprice.com I've been using their cat5 cables since I started 3 years ago and they have been very reliable for me, as well as very inexpensive for any length I've needed.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Orville

[mcnamara9]

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. BTW: I love monoprice.com and highly recommend it to everyone!

[Orville]

BTW: just for the record this is what the "offical documentation" states for the MP3 Director Cat5 cable length:

{Copied from DC-MP3 Showtime Director Manual}

Important Considerations

The DC-MP3 is normally powered by the nearest

Light O Rama controller or a USB485B PC adapter.

Use a 50’ or less CAT5e LAN cable to connect the

DC-MP3 to either of these devices. Longer cables

may have an unacceptable voltage drop that may

cause erratic operation of the DC-MP3.

SD cards must be formatted FAT16 (or just FAT)

SD cards supplied by LOR will already be formatted

FAT16 and ready for use.

Not all brands of SD cards will work with the DCMP3.

Lexar Media and SimpleTech are known to

work.

{End Manual Info}

As you can see it states 50 feet as the maximum, however, I have been pushing mine with 75 foot cables to the first controller and also to the USB485B dongle inside the house {again, been doing it this way for 3 years now}.

Now the USB485B inside is always disconnected from the cat5 cable, it only gets connected when I pull the SD card out of the MP3 Director, then I connect the inside cable to the USB485B dongle to set the time on the MP3 Director unit, or test/turn on all lights via the controller{s} for making repairs when required/needed.

If both the SD Card is in the MP3 Director and the USB485B are connected to the MP3 Director at the same time, and you try to test a sequence from the PC while the SD Card is still inserted into the MP3 Director, sporadic, strange and odd results WILL occur,

One or the other cat5 cable MUST be disconnected to allow which will be controlling the controller{s} lights/props, either PC or SD Card, but both can not do it at the same time.

They will most often cause a conflict, again with strange, sporadic and odd results in how your lights come on within a sequence that may be running off the SD Card, and the one you're trying to test from the PC.

I learned this one the hard way my first year when I didn't realize the MP3 Director SD Show was running and I was trying to test a sequence from the computer at the same time. Had lights coming on in places they shouldn't, others going out when they should have been on, lights shimmering when they were supposed to be on steady, others that were supposed be on steady were twinkling or shimmering. I was confusing the controllers because they were trying to decipher which sequence they should be looking at, so it would appear they would grab at whichever sequence they could latch on to. Liked to drove me crazy trying to figure out why my lights were all working incorrectly!

So always make sure you never have both the USB485B cat5 connected to the MP3 Director at the same time the Director has an SD Card inserted in it. Remove SD Card if using PC to test sequences, remove PC if using SD Card while any shows are in operation or even in "standby" mode waiting on a show to start.

[Guest wbottomley]

Unlike the USB485B dongle to first controller from a PC can be up to 4,000 feet.

That's the total length of a network. Not to the first controller.

[Surfing4Dough]

BTW: just for the record this is what the "offical documentation" states for the MP3 Director Cat5 cable length:

{Copied from DC-MP3 Showtime Director Manual}

Important Considerations

The DC-MP3 is normally powered by the nearest

Light O Rama controller or a USB485B PC adapter.

Use a 50’ or less CAT5e LAN cable to connect the

DC-MP3 to either of these devices. Longer cables

may have an unacceptable voltage drop that may

cause erratic operation of the DC-MP3.

SD cards must be formatted FAT16 (or just FAT)

SD cards supplied by LOR will already be formatted

FAT16 and ready for use.

Not all brands of SD cards will work with the DCMP3.

Lexar Media and SimpleTech are known to

work.

{End Manual Info}

As you can see it states 50 feet as the maximum, however, I have been pushing mine with 75 foot cables to the first controller and also to the USB485B dongle inside the house {again, been doing it this way for 3 years now}.

However, you might want to note from page 9 of the manual:

Normally, power is supplied by the attached

controller through the RJ45 jack. There are a

number of reasons why you may want to use an

external power supply with the miniDirector:

• the miniDirector is more than 50’ from the

nearest controller or the controller is an older

model that cannot supply enough power

So 50' is not the "maximum". Just easily hook up an external power supply to the mini-director (page 10 of the manual) if you need to reliably have a >50' connection. I desired the external power supply to start/stop the show with just the use of a timer to the mini-director (thus leaving all controllers powered 24/7).

Edited September 29, 2012 by Surfing4Dough

[Orville]

That's the total length of a network. Not to the first controller.

Hmm, I thought it stated in my manual 4,000 feet to 1st controller. Will have to double check that one to be sure. Now where did I put those darn manuals???

[Orville]

However, you might want to note from page 9 of the manual:

So 50' is not the "maximum". Just easily hook up an external power supply to the mini-director (page 10 of the manual) if you need to reliably have a >50' connection. I desired the external power supply to start/stop the show with just the use of a timer to the mini-director (thus leaving all controllers powered 24/7).

I also have the external power adapter for my DC-MP3 Showtime Director, but have never had a real need for it. Not even with 75 foot cat5 cables going to/from it. Been running some tests for almost 2 weeks now, actual show tests for the last 5 nights off the SD card and power from the controllers at each end of the house, DC MP3 Showtime Director is between controller #1 {75 feet cat5 cable} and Controller #5 {75 feet cat5} and have had no problems at all with this set up and no external power supply.

[Orville]

That's the total length of a network. Not to the first controller.

Nope, I was correct, it IS 4,000 feet to 1st controller from an USB485, USB485B or USB485-ISO. See page 7 of the manual here, look at the table "Adapter Feature Matrix". The only one that is less than 4,000 feet is the SC485 Serial, which is limited to 100 feet from it to the first controller.

:

http://www.lightorama.com/PDF/RS485_Adapters_Man_Web.pdf

And if I am reading this info incorrectly, I hope Dan from LOR will chime in on this, as then the manual would be giving incorrect information. As the way I read that table is it IS 4,000 feet to first controller, and then each controller from that 4,000 foot 1st controller can still be daisy chained to it down the pike and still function. Although I've never really seen a need for a cat5 cable longer than 100 foot myself, and mine are all 75 feet or less between controllers.

[Guest wbottomley]

Nope, I was correct, it IS 4,000 feet to 1st controller from an USB485, USB485B or USB485-ISO. See page 7 of the manual here, look at the table "Adapter Feature Matrix". The only one that is less than 4,000 feet is the SC485 Serial, which is limited to 100 feet from it to the first controller.

:

http://www.lightoram...ers_Man_Web.pdf

And if I am reading this info incorrectly, I hope Dan from LOR will chime in on this, as then the manual would be giving incorrect information. As the way I read that table is it IS 4,000 feet to first controller, and then each controller from that 4,000 foot 1st controller can still be daisy chained to it down the pike and still function. Although I've never really seen a need for a cat5 cable longer than 100 foot myself, and mine are all 75 feet or less between controllers.

And... how many feet total in a network?

[Orville]

And... how many feet total in a network?

Doesn't really give any info on network length that I could locate.

Again, hopefully LOR Dan will chime in here and alleviate any misinterpretations of what I'm {or others are} reading in the manual. As the way I am reading it, it appears that this all depends on the USB485x dongles and apparently the distance between each controller.

At least that's how I am understanding it.

So to me, that tells me their isn't any real set length for the network, and therefore can be as small, or as large as needed. Just as long as the voltage drop and a couple other factors mentioned aren't that great from dongle to 1st controller and then daisy chained from controller 1 to each successive controller.