As for the movers, your console sends a message for example, you have a moving light with the attributes as follows (its more complex than this but it should give you an idea):
- Move Left & Right
- Tilt Forward & Backwards
- Dimmer
- Colour
So lets say your console sends a messsage to the Mover, the message is Channel 1 @ 50
Channel 2 @ 25
Channel 3 @ 100
Channel 3 @ 0
Now lets decode.
The first channel is set to 50, meaning that the moving light moves to the middle, as it is 50, and 50 is halfway between 0 and 100.
The second channel is at 25, and this is the moving forward and backwards channel, if directly up is 50% (90 Degrees), then 25% will mean that the light is at 45 degrees.
Channel 3 is our dimmer, its at 100% so its at full.
Channel 4 is at 0, that's open white, so no colour there.
Okay, so now I will confuse you.
DMX doesn't understand 0-100% instead it uses any value between 0-225, meaning 225 is full, and 0 is nothing. Most consoles allow you to enter a value in percentage, rather than the DMX value.
On most moving light consoles, typing the channel is both inaccurate and a bore, so instead, you can use encoder wheels, to move the left & right and tilt up & down, all these do is when you turn the wheel the increase/decrease the value.
It's not called up & down, its called Tilt,
It's not called left and right, its called Pan,
Most lights have 2 channels for pan & 2 channels for tilt this makes it more accurate.
Most lights have no dimmer, as the light (called a lamp) is not dimmable. So instead the have mechanical dimmers that basicly just cover up the light.
As they can't be dimmed movers have to have the lamp "struck" meaning the light turns on.
I think I covered everything.
Nick