Controlling DMX

[EmmienLightFan]

Can I just get the LOR to DMX converter, and an 8 channel dimmer pack and control incandecent lights just like I would with an LOR controller?

Would it have on, off, dimming, ramp, fade, twinkle, shimmer, and act just like an LOR in the software, with the same method of sequencing used?

Thanks.

Edited December 18, 2014 by EmmienLightFan

[EmmienLightFan]

Can I just get the LOR to DMX converter, an 8 channel dimmer pack and control incandecent lights just like I would with an LOR controller?

Would it have on, off, dimming, ramp, fade, twinkle, shimmer, and act just like an LOR in the software, with the same method of sequencing used?

Thanks.

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[Don]

Duplicate threads merged.

[k6ccc]

Short answer is yes to all your questions.

 

I assume you are talking about the iDMX1000.  In my opinion, that's the expensive way to do it.  For controlling DMX controllers, I would get a DMX dongle (either LOR or other) rather than using the iDMX1000.

[EmmienLightFan]

Short answer is yes to all your questions.

 

I assume you are talking about the iDMX1000.  In my opinion, that's the expensive way to do it.  For controlling DMX controllers, I would get a DMX dongle (either LOR or other) rather than using the iDMX1000.

I was just looking at the price of it. It is expensive.

I have never used DMX with a computer

 

I can't find any LOR one. Where in the shop is it, or does any DMX dongle work?

Do you recommend any?

Edited December 19, 2014 by EmmienLightFan

[Tim Benson]

LOR really doesn't have a "DMX Dongle"  The RS485B will work as a DMX adapter, but is not a good choice if you

are planning to have more than just a few DMX devices.

 

There are several vendors who sell Active DMX adapters that all resemble the enntec adapters.

 

Or look into a DMX bridge which lets you use DMX E1.31 over ethernet to the bridge, which them breaks out one or more

DMX universes on Serial DMX connections.

 

If you use DMX E1.31  (DMX over ethernet) you do not need an adapter with several of the Pixel controlers on the market.

[EmmienLightFan]

Thanks. I have chosen to get the RS485B as it it quite cheap and I only need it to control 2/3 dimmers and maybe soon a pixel controller. I have seen people use it for huge DMX displays as well.

DMX usb adaptors seem either really cheap or really expensive. And a video I saw said that only some work, so I don't want to waste money on a useless device.

It is quite easy to connect a cat5 cable and then wire the correct wires to an old XLR lead.

 

Does anybody know why more expensive DMX devices have 5 pins and cheaper ones 3 pin? I read somewhere that 2 of the 5 pins are just to stop people using XLR as DMX cable.

[Ebuechner]

I bought the ActiDongle #53 V2 from holidaycoro.com . I tried the USB 485 because it was cheap but the results match the price.I had channel shifting between devices. I tried compensating for the channel shifting but then things would change on me again. But now that I bought the ActDongle I don't have any problems and I have a backup USB 485.so in short the USB 485 was a waste of money I ended up buying something else to get things working right

[Rick Creed]

I agree with the purchase of the ActiDongle, it will allow 1 universe, up to 512 channels, I have used one on a display to work with that is about a 2 hour drive and it has been reliable.  At my home I now have E1.31 controller, that will directly control 16 universes (Pixel Tree) and also supports 4 more RS-485 universes with out the need of separate Dongles.  Once you figure it out it's easy integrating DMX into LOR.

[jerrymac]

To see what is involved David (Holiday Coro) has a couple of starter RGB kits  (one for dumb pixels which includes an active dongle), 1 for smart pixels (that includes a e1.31 controller) as well as a selection of pixel types . This is an excellent way to start out the learning curve.

Edited December 22, 2014 by jerrymac

[EmmienLightFan]

Would an adapter that works with Vixen work with LOR?

 

I saw this and I will buy one if the LOR adapter plays up. It is only needed for 8 channels, I am pretty sure the LOR dongle will be fine. On my other pose (They merged strangely) people said it works well, and I saw people with big networks using it.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-to-DMX-Interface-Adapter-DMX512-Software-stage-Lighting-Controller-UK-/281485045206?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item4189d0edd6

Would it work? Also, Does anybody know how to make an adapter from cat5 to XLR and how to do XLR to 5pin DMX?

[Ebuechner]

that is very similar to the USB 485. One of the problems is the computer's processor is doing all the work. The acti dongle takes the pressure off the computer letting things run smoother. the other problem with devices like that and the USB 485 is that they don't have a clean signal. Listening devices will have trouble figuring out where the start channel is with a week or dirty signal.

[dmoore]

Would an adapter that works with Vixen work with LOR?

 

I saw this and I will buy one if the LOR adapter plays up. It is only needed for 8 channels, I am pretty sure the LOR dongle will be fine. On my other pose (They merged strangely) people said it works well, and I saw people with big networks using it.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-to-DMX-Interface-Adapter-DMX512-Software-stage-Lighting-Controller-UK-/281485045206?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item4189d0edd6

Would it work? Also, Does anybody know how to make an adapter from cat5 to XLR and how to do XLR to 5pin DMX?

 

If you get the Actidongle, you get the XLR AND the CAT5 plug:

 

http://www.holidaycoro.com/Enttec-Pro-Compatible-DMX-Dongle-p/53.htm

 

 

Plus, they are actually on two separate RS485 networks, so they can both be used without any reflection issues.

[Ron Boyd]

Just to chime in here, these dongles mentioned above are great if you're just going to run a single DMX Universe. If memory serves (prior to switching to E1.31), you will need a dongle per universe. If you get up to 5 or 6 universes, you're looking at a substantial $$$ cost, not to mention all of them hooked up to your PC.

 

That being said, if your plan is to continue adding RGB to your display, E1.31 would be your best bet. There are several E1.31 controllers out there for purchase. The E1.31 to DMX bridge was also mentioned. This jewel can output 12 universes in Unicast mode and 6 in Multicast. It's like having 6 dongles for the price of a couple of the others. I use mine in Unicast mode, but only use 6 different universes, whether it's the entire 510 channels or not.

 

E1.31 is just as simple to set up as are these DMX dongles.

 

Just thought I'd put some more info out there.

[KStatefan]

Just to chime in here, these dongles mentioned above are great if you're just going to run a single DMX Universe. If memory serves (prior to switching to E1.31), you will need a dongle per universe. If you get up to 5 or 6 universes, you're looking at a substantial $$$ cost, not to mention all of them hooked up to your PC.

 

That being said, if your plan is to continue adding RGB to your display, E1.31 would be your best bet. There are several E1.31 controllers out there for purchase. The E1.31 to DMX bridge was also mentioned. This jewel can output 12 universes in Unicast mode and 6 in Multicast. It's like having 6 dongles for the price of a couple of the others. I use mine in Unicast mode, but only use 6 different universes, whether it's the entire 510 channels or not.

 

E1.31 is just as simple to set up as are these DMX dongles.

 

Just thought I'd put some more info out there.

I agree with this. I started out with a dongle and 64 pixels and quickly decided I wanted more RGB. This lead me away from dongles ant to e1.31.

[Tim Benson]

Yes, Trust me, E1.31 and some sort of bridge is the way to go.   RGB channel count explodes faster than anything else you

have done up to this point.

 

Tim

[k6ccc]

+1 on going straight to E1.31.  My 2014 Christmas show is running 10 universes, and that will go up by at least four for 2015.  Heck, within a couple months, my year-round landscape lighting will be using four or five universes (not all fully loaded).  E1.31 is the way to go.

 

Personally I'm using SanDevices E1.31 controllers...

[Ron Boyd]

I have 32 Universes loaded up for next year. Mind you, a couple of them only have 24 or so channels, but the majority will be 375 - 510. I sure hope the updates come soon. It took about 6 or 7 hours to do the channel config.

[Ken Benedict]

Thanks. I have chosen to get the RS485B as it it quite cheap and I only need it to control 2/3 dimmers and maybe soon a pixel controller. I have seen people use it for huge DMX displays as well.

DMX usb adaptors seem either really cheap or really expensive. And a video I saw said that only some work, so I don't want to waste money on a useless device.

It is quite easy to connect a cat5 cable and then wire the correct wires to an old XLR lead.

 

Does anybody know why more expensive DMX devices have 5 pins and cheaper ones 3 pin? I read somewhere that 2 of the 5 pins are just to stop people using XLR as DMX cable.

 

Major difference between 3 pin and 5 pin connectors are that a set of pins are used for advanced DMX communications (Remote Device Management) that LOR and most users don't use. The DMX "standard" defines the 5 pin and the RJ45 Ethernet-type of interface. Many of the DMX lights out in the real world have 3 pin connections, professional lights have 5 pins and some even have both. You can use standard 3 pin audio cable very reliably, until you start getting errors because audio cable doesn't have the nice shielding like the DMX cable does. Best bet is to use cable that is labeled DMX, which usually means double shielding. Sometimes you might need a DMX "terminator" but that opens up another can of worms.

[Ken Benedict]

Would an adapter that works with Vixen work with LOR?

 

I saw this and I will buy one if the LOR adapter plays up. It is only needed for 8 channels, I am pretty sure the LOR dongle will be fine. On my other pose (They merged strangely) people said it works well, and I saw people with big networks using it.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-to-DMX-Interface-Adapter-DMX512-Software-stage-Lighting-Controller-UK-/281485045206?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item4189d0edd6

Would it work? Also, Does anybody know how to make an adapter from cat5 to XLR and how to do XLR to 5pin DMX?

 

For just starting out, I'd recommend either an Actidongle or DMXKing interface (dongle). They're about $60 each and will get you by until you grow your network.

The LOR USB dongles will work, but they sometimes hiccup because they rely on your computer for signal timing, and you computer might be busy with other stuff when it needs to send a DMX packet out.

When you outgrow a universe (512 channels), go the route of the people above. They have excellent advice and when you get to that point, they will be your best friends.

 

There's instructions on the Holidaycoro website and Youtube on how to make your own RJ45 (Ethernet) to DMX converter.