Number of lights over Microplex

RHINESEL

Member
We are a community theater group "inheriting" a little used school theater. The dimmer packs are NSI DDS 6000 and thus Microplex as I've learned. Reading up, I need a converter (Looks like a NSI/Leviton I/F 501 Stage Lighting Control Interface) to convert from DMX from the old board we got to the Microplex signal.

My question though, is the wire that is run in the walls from the stage to the tech booth. Would that more than likely be regular XLR wire and thus we would be limited in the fixtures we can run? I don't want to do all this work only to find the wiring in the walls is going to be a factor. Right now there are about 35 lights, about 1/3 LED.

I'm not sure they even all work, I don't think they're all connected like the LEDs to the dimmer packs.

I"m new to lighting so don't be afraid to talk to me like a novice! I'll be learning a lot with this project.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Pictures because pictures are fun.
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Great that you included some nice photos! Looks like you have a nice little auditorium. I believe Microplex will do up to 128 channels if I remember correctly. A couple of issues...
It would be 99% certain that the control cable in the wall is mic cable. You should be able to look at the printing on the cable jacket and get a manufacturer and type number to Google.
If the cable is in a wall you might be able to use the existing cable as a pull string to pull proper DMX cable thru. I would not try to use a mic cable for DMX in an installed system.
It will work until is doesn't at the very worst time.

The NSI IF501 comes in different flavors. Make sure you order the N0501 (first picture) flavor... DMX to Microplex.
Lastly, you will have to find a source of non-dimmed AC for your LED fixtures. NOT a dimmer set to full. Like using a standard wall outlet to supply power. It would be wise to unplug the AC feed
to the LED fixtures when not in use, as it will protect the LED fixtures' power supplies from lightning strikes or other AC disruptions which they do not like.
Remember that you will have to daisy-chain all of your LED fixtures with DMX cable from the DMX THRU out of the converter.

NSI IF501versions.jpg
 
Microstar hit on some good points. I have used the NSI converter on a few different projects and have had no issues.
 
@RHINESEL there is a good deal on the proper NSI converter on Ebay right now..... https://www.ebay.com/itm/225060705478?hash=item3466a9d4c6:g:kJsAAOSwVeFiw953.
That’s the one I saw and thank you for your points. I suspect you are 100% correct as I did not include these two pics, what I believe are the inputs and outputs.

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If these are XLR cables in the walls, and we use two to pull two DMX cables for two universes, would we get any interference with the other XLR cables if they were being used for mics at the same time?
 
DMX and mic lines should be happy together, provided the audio is balanced. Mic inputs are almost always balanced. It gets a little murkier if the audio lines are used for sends to the stage.
 
DMX and mic lines should be happy together, provided the audio is balanced. Mic inputs are almost always balanced. It gets a little murkier if the audio lines are used for sends to the stage.

So if the mics wirelessly received at the sound board but then audio would have to go through the lines to the stage to then go to the speakers at the front of the auditorium would that be a problem? In that first pic are the speaker lines under the XLR cords. I have yet to see how the sound gets from the board in the back to those speakers but I assume its through the XLR lines into some other connection unless it's the tiny white wires in the second pic.
 
Just a FYI - The I/F501 will ONLY process the first 100 channels of DMX. So even those MPX can address 128 channels (if it's old enough, then only 64 channels), the conversion to DMX will ONLY pass the first 100 channels. Same with any merge functions, only 100 channels will pass through the I/F501
 
Just a FYI - The I/F501 will ONLY process the first 100 channels of DMX. So even those MPX can address 128 channels (if it's old enough, then only 64 channels), the conversion to DMX will ONLY pass the first 100 channels. Same with any merge functions, only 100 channels will pass through the I/F501
Thanks. I didn't know that. Putting together a plan but this would be a stop gap until the dimmers are replaced with proper DMX ones. I'll probably replace the line with DMX (either pull through the wall or run an external one for now) to a DMX splitter box. One line would run to the I/F501 and then to the 6 NSI dimmer packs. Then I'll run another line to the LED lights and any other new packs I need.

This will be a work in progress and not a replace all in one shot.
 
Thanks. I didn't know that. Putting together a plan but this would be a stop gap until the dimmers are replaced with proper DMX ones. I'll probably replace the line with DMX (either pull through the wall or run an external one for now) to a DMX splitter box. One line would run to the I/F501 and then to the 6 NSI dimmer packs. Then I'll run another line to the LED lights and any other new packs I need.

This will be a work in progress and not a replace all in one shot.
Put the converter at the Console, and continue to use the installed mic line for Microplex. Y'all are overthinking this.
 
Just a FYI - The I/F501 will ONLY process the first 100 channels of DMX. So even those MPX can address 128 channels (if it's old enough, then only 64 channels), the conversion to DMX will ONLY pass the first 100 channels. Same with any merge functions, only 100 channels will pass through the I/F501
It may be a question of your wording, but I don't believe this is accurate. The maximum number of Microplex channels is 128, not 100
If you are going FROM Microplex TO DMX, there is a select jumper for either 64 or 128 channels.
If you are going FROM DMX TO Microplex (as the OP wants to do), all 512 DMX channels are transmitted to the DMX OUT on the IF501, but only 64/128 of those to the Microplex OUT.
The Microplex starting channel is selected in the DMX output in 16-channel increments via the DIP switches as shown, so one could have the DMX out feeding DMX fixture addresses 1-384
and then the 128 Microplex channels could be 385-512 if that's what one wanted to do.
From the IF501 manual:

Screen Shot 2022-07-19 at 8.43.30 AM.png
 
Put the converter at the Console, and continue to use the installed mic line for Microplex. Y'all are overthinking this.
The board we have doesn't support Microplex (old 48/96).

Plus, won't we run out of capacity with the additional LED lights needing multiple channels/parameters?

And we're trying to improve this auditorium for the school also. I see your point and it could be a band-aid fix initially but we'd have to buy a microplex board that we would never use after.
 
It may be a question of your wording, but I don't believe this is accurate. The maximum number of Microplex channels is 128, not 100
If you are going FROM Microplex TO DMX, there is a select jumper for either 64 or 128 channels.
If you are going FROM DMX TO Microplex (as the OP wants to do), all 512 DMX channels are transmitted to the DMX OUT on the IF501, but only 64/128 of those to the Microplex OUT.
The Microplex starting channel is selected in the DMX output in 16-channel increments via the DIP switches as shown, so one could have the DMX out feeding DMX fixture addresses 1-384
and then the 128 Microplex channels could be 385-512 if that's what one wanted to do.
From the IF501 manual:

View attachment 23237

Oh, so the box also acts as a "splitter" too? So the DMX comes out of the board to the 501 and then passes through with DMX out AND Microplex? That makes it more attractive of a solution to keep those Dimmers now.

I was toying with buying the 501 vs just replacing the 6 dimmer packs.
 
If you are going FROM DMX TO Microplex (as the OP wants to do), all 512 DMX channels are transmitted to the DMX OUT on the IF501, but only 64/128 of those to the Microplex OUT.
The Microplex starting channel is selected in the DMX output in 16-channel increments via the DIP switches as shown, so one could have the DMX out feeding DMX fixture addresses 1-384
and then the 128 Microplex channels could be 385-512 if that's what one wanted to do.

I read the first line of the manual differently. It says the STARTING DMX is selected by the address switch and Microplex Channel 1 is equal to the STARTING DMX channel. So I read it as you can set the starting DMX channel as 80 with Microplex as 64 channels. Then your available channels would be Microplex: 80-143 and DMX 144-512.

But I'm the noob and I understand these aren't always 100% translated correctly. Either way it's just semantics where the channels are.
 
Put the converter at the Console, and continue to use the installed mic line for Microplex. Y'all are overthinking this.
The board we have doesn't support Microplex (old 48/96).

Plus, won't we run out of capacity with the additional LED lights needing multiple channels/parameters?

And we're trying to improve this auditorium for the school also. I see your point and it could be a band-aid fix initially but we'd have to buy a microplex board that we would never use after.
I think @TimMc is saying run a very short DMX cable from your DMX console to the IF501 in the booth, then use the existing Microplex line to the stage to feed the dimmers.
But I think your plan is better to run DMX to the stage and put the IR501 there. You then have the option of taking Microplex from the IF501 to the dimmers, and use the remaining
DMX addresses to feed your LED fixtures. The way I read the manual is if you set the Microplex starting address in the DMX stream as 480 via the DIP switches, (512-32 which is
two 16 channel increments per the DIP switchsetting) since you have 24 dimmers, then you have 479 DMX addresses remaining. In this caseI don't believe is would make any difference
if the IF501 is set for 64 or 128.
If that isn't enough DMX addresses for your LED's, then you will have to run the second DMX line as you suggest, assuming your console outputs two universes. Clear as mud.
 
I want to thank you all for your help! This is my first time dealing with the technicals of theater, luckily we have a very competent sound guy. I'm learning a lot but luckily once you get the basics it isn't too bad.

The surprise was I never knew Microplex existed until I saw their NSI lighting controller and wondered why it wasn't plugged into a power supply. I'm lucky it was a 3 pin cable and our board is a 5 pin because I tried to plug it in and if I succeeded from what I understand I could have damaged our "new" board.

We're basically getting use of the auditorium for free with the understanding that we're going to improve it along the way and include their students in our events. If any of you have ever done stuff with community theater you realize that available funds is practically non existent unless you can get grants. You pretty much run show to show with very small profits, just enough to launch the next show.
 
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Put the converter at the Console, and continue to use the installed mic line for Microplex. Y'all are overthinking this.
Since your aim is to upgrade in steps and funds are limited, I would start by just getting the interface box. You would be upgrading the space by freeing it from the house board. For now, keep it at the console and use existing wire runs. After you have been in the space awhile, you might have a better sense of what to upgrade next. I looked at the one on ebay today and I think it is cheaper than my last look but not sure. You could even probably rent one.

Pulling wire and getting DMX to the stage would be good thing but might get involved along the way. You probably would want DMX at FOH positions too.
 
Since your aim is to upgrade in steps and funds are limited, I would start by just getting the interface box. You would be upgrading the space by freeing it from the house board. For now, keep it at the console and use existing wire runs. After you have been in the space awhile, you might have a better sense of what to upgrade next. I looked at the one on ebay today and I think it is cheaper than my last look but not sure. You could even probably rent one.

Pulling wire and getting DMX to the stage would be good thing but might get involved along the way. You probably would want DMX at FOH positions too.
If he has the interface box at his new DMX console, since he has LED fixtures now, he is going to have to run a DMX cable to them anyway. Run the DMX cable to the stage and locate the interface there.
 
f he has the interface box at his new DMX console, since he has LED fixtures now, he is going to have to run a DMX cable to them anyway
Not a whole lot has been said about what existing LEDs are and how they are currently being controlled. My guess is that they are on dimmers too. If there is a need to get DMX to the 12 or so LED fixtures on different electrics, then this is not a small project. I don't think the location of the interface box would make that much difference.
 

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