First time working with LED tape/dmx decoders. We open in less than two weeks, Q2Q in a week, open 4/12.
I’m an amateur lighting designer lighting a musical at a high school and teaching the kids what I can. The set is a series of arches with LED tape outlining/lighting them. I’ve hit a snag with dmx/control. I’ve googled to no avail…
Sorry about any confusing/wrong language or terms, I’m mostly self-taught. Very happy to be corrected/taught! I’ve tried to include all info I can, since I’m not sure what all is relevant or not…
When I connect dmx to the decoder directly from the lighting console’s (Strand Neo) dmx out port I have complete control, color and intensity, of decoder and LED tape strips (all 5 m or less). It’s RGBW Led tape, and (2) 32 channel DMX512 LED Decoders. I addressed 8 back-to-back generic RGBW led fixtures for each decoder (16 total), and addressed them 40 and 72. There are no channel conflicts/overlaps, like I said everything works great when dmx goes directly from the board.
The stuff used:
Decoder: https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Decoder-Controller-Dimmer-DC5-24V/dp/B075FHJM35?pd_rd_w=PIuvV&content-id=amzn1.sym.c75be473-fd9d-40a1-b940-0fbe5f6985d0&pf_rd_p=c75be473-fd9d-40a1-b940-0fbe5f6985d0&pf_rd_r=4JM5BRMYW2XHC7P0W4F4&pd_rd_wg=fdXNU&pd_rd_r=8a75ec7d-5b31-4e7e-bd47-d0c2728530ea&pd_rd_i=B075FHJM35&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_grid_dv_rp_0_1_ec_ppx_yo2_mob_b_ts_rp_2_i#customerReviews
Tape strips: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G48K7C1/?tag=controlbooth-20
Both decoders, external power supplies, 3-5 pin adapters and led tape are fully tested/ fully functioning.
Carrying the same set-up (cables, wiring, decoder address and console patch) to the stage and using a (fully functioning) electric (baton) dmx out port, I have no dmx control.
The decoders and tape are clearly getting power, they flash when connected to power source, I’ve tried LED dimmer and just a plain ol’ wall outlet… When I add DMX onstage, one led tape strip goes green/yellow, the other goes red (I hooked up two tape strips, one to each decoder since I’d already tested everything).
So, just no dmx signal/control unless plugged straight into the board? What am I missing?
When I carried the exact same wiring/set-up back to the booth to retest that nothing was messed up in transit (the dmx decoder and tape, power supplies, cables) and connected to the board’s dmx out again, it works perfectly. Intensity, color, everything I could want. Everything I DO want.
I know the stage/electric/baton dmx out port and cables are good (right?) because the cables/dmx out properly controls the LED fixtures, daisy-chained Altman PHX1.5 Profiles . I’ve tried two separate dmx out’s on stage (a side-arm and an electric) and on both tried daisy-chaining dmx at the end of working led fixtures (the PHX1.5 Profiles) and at the front of a 3 and 8 run/series.
The lighting booth is less than 80 ft from the stage, so I don’t think (?) that it’s the distance of the dmx run…
Help? I’ve been working with the director a long time, and joked I’d do one of my ‘specials’, either running an ugly cable all the way from the booth through the auditorium to stage, or set up a second board and cue a separate show just for the led tape, sometimes I ramble as you can tell from this post… and he’s now sent me ebay links for old Smartfades. HELP.
I’m an amateur lighting designer lighting a musical at a high school and teaching the kids what I can. The set is a series of arches with LED tape outlining/lighting them. I’ve hit a snag with dmx/control. I’ve googled to no avail…
Sorry about any confusing/wrong language or terms, I’m mostly self-taught. Very happy to be corrected/taught! I’ve tried to include all info I can, since I’m not sure what all is relevant or not…
When I connect dmx to the decoder directly from the lighting console’s (Strand Neo) dmx out port I have complete control, color and intensity, of decoder and LED tape strips (all 5 m or less). It’s RGBW Led tape, and (2) 32 channel DMX512 LED Decoders. I addressed 8 back-to-back generic RGBW led fixtures for each decoder (16 total), and addressed them 40 and 72. There are no channel conflicts/overlaps, like I said everything works great when dmx goes directly from the board.
The stuff used:
Decoder: https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Decoder-Controller-Dimmer-DC5-24V/dp/B075FHJM35?pd_rd_w=PIuvV&content-id=amzn1.sym.c75be473-fd9d-40a1-b940-0fbe5f6985d0&pf_rd_p=c75be473-fd9d-40a1-b940-0fbe5f6985d0&pf_rd_r=4JM5BRMYW2XHC7P0W4F4&pd_rd_wg=fdXNU&pd_rd_r=8a75ec7d-5b31-4e7e-bd47-d0c2728530ea&pd_rd_i=B075FHJM35&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_grid_dv_rp_0_1_ec_ppx_yo2_mob_b_ts_rp_2_i#customerReviews
Tape strips: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G48K7C1/?tag=controlbooth-20
Both decoders, external power supplies, 3-5 pin adapters and led tape are fully tested/ fully functioning.
Carrying the same set-up (cables, wiring, decoder address and console patch) to the stage and using a (fully functioning) electric (baton) dmx out port, I have no dmx control.
The decoders and tape are clearly getting power, they flash when connected to power source, I’ve tried LED dimmer and just a plain ol’ wall outlet… When I add DMX onstage, one led tape strip goes green/yellow, the other goes red (I hooked up two tape strips, one to each decoder since I’d already tested everything).
So, just no dmx signal/control unless plugged straight into the board? What am I missing?
When I carried the exact same wiring/set-up back to the booth to retest that nothing was messed up in transit (the dmx decoder and tape, power supplies, cables) and connected to the board’s dmx out again, it works perfectly. Intensity, color, everything I could want. Everything I DO want.
I know the stage/electric/baton dmx out port and cables are good (right?) because the cables/dmx out properly controls the LED fixtures, daisy-chained Altman PHX1.5 Profiles . I’ve tried two separate dmx out’s on stage (a side-arm and an electric) and on both tried daisy-chaining dmx at the end of working led fixtures (the PHX1.5 Profiles) and at the front of a 3 and 8 run/series.
The lighting booth is less than 80 ft from the stage, so I don’t think (?) that it’s the distance of the dmx run…
Help? I’ve been working with the director a long time, and joked I’d do one of my ‘specials’, either running an ugly cable all the way from the booth through the auditorium to stage, or set up a second board and cue a separate show just for the led tape, sometimes I ramble as you can tell from this post… and he’s now sent me ebay links for old Smartfades. HELP.
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