Martin DMX - RS485 Interface for Centrepiece

[soundlight]

I'm currently trying to resurrect a Martin Centrepiece light. I have the Martin DMX - Martin Protocol converter ("DMX interface RS485", #90758050). I cannot for the life of me find the manual for the DMX interface to be able to use this light with a DMX controller. Has anyone used one of these, or does anyone have a manual? I can't find one anywhere. This is NOT one of the devices that simply requires Pin 2/3 flip. It operates on an independent Martin protocol.

[JD]

Odd that they would use DMX transmission but a different protocol. Just for clarity, DMX is based on RS485 protocol. On the transmitter (board) end, a serial data stream is fed into a RS485 driver, which produces the +/- DMX signal we are all familiar with. On the receiver (fixture or dimmer) end, the +/- DMX signal hits the RS485 circuit which then converts it back to a serial data stream for the processor in the fixture or dimmer. In these cases, "protocol" only refers to specifications of how the data is transmitted and received by the RS485 devices. As to how the data stream is interpreted by the processor in the fixture/dimmer, that is yet a different matter! This is where we get into the "DXM" protocol, which covers not only how the transmission line is handled, but how the data stream is formed, timed, and how data values would be represented. The fact that it is called a DMX unit tells me that all these protocols should be followed, so in theory once installed it is just a matter of mapping out what channels do what.

[SHARYNF]

I'm currently trying to resurrect a Martin Centrepiece light. I have the Martin DMX - Martin Protocol converter ("DMX interface RS485", #90758050). I cannot for the life of me find the manual for the DMX interface to be able to use this light with a DMX controller. Has anyone used one of these, or does anyone have a manual? I can't find one anywhere. This is NOT one of the devices that simply requires Pin 2/3 flip. It operates on an independent Martin protocol.

Here is a link for the manual and eveything you need.

User Support - Discontinued Products

A few things to remember:

One is that all the devices connected to the Martin Converter must be the same

The DMX ADDRESS MUST BE AN ODD NUMBER

BE CAREFUL to get the dip switch setting correct, there is a terminate option etc you run in deduced dmx mode (centerpiece only has 7 channels) and the device is 17

The manual has all the settings for the centerpiece and all the commands for it


Hope this helps, I know these are had to find

Sharyn

[soundlight]

That's what I was looking for, Sharyn, thank you!

JD, some martin fixtures operate on the old martin "device ID" addressing scheme and use a screwy martin control protocol. You have to have the converter box to get them under DMX control.