Wizard of Flaws
Member
I'm looking to see if anyone can point me in the right direction to upgrade the lighting network in one of the high school theaters I manage. It uses almost exclusively conventional fixtures, so I'd like to install an ETC Element (or any Eos Family) board eventually to match the type of board every other theater in town has. The solution I'm looking for is to be able to run the current Strand board (ShowNet) while upgrading the network nodes, and then swap out the board for a newer one that outputs other protocols (like ACN). Anything equivalent is acceptable as well; I'm looking for a balance of long-term usability and cost.
A little background on the space:
The theater uses a lighting control network comprised of four SN104 network nodes and two Supervisor CD80 dimmer racks. The booth and FOH nodes have single Ethernet ports for connecting the board to the network. The two remaining backstage nodes have one Ethernet port and four five-pin DMX output connectors (unsure if these are different universes or same universe with multiple outputs). We also have three electric battens (single-purchase fly system), each with a single five-pin DMX output port. Currently there is a Strand 520i console that I believe has been there since the school was built in 2001. It is connected to the node in the booth.
Is it possible to just swap the two single-input nodes with something like a Pathport and be able to just take DMX out of any board to transmit as ShowNet?
I'm sure my understanding of network protocols is flawed, so please correct me if I am on the wrong track of how the nodes work. Are there any downsides or any other considerations to be made if this route is possible?
Is a protocol converter a workable solution (<any-protocol>/DMX to ShowNet)? will it potentially cause more problems down the line? I've read a good number of posts on this topic in particular and my take-away from them has been that a converter is more of a band-aid than a permanent solution. Could I, for example, output DMX on an ETC board into something like a Nexus, configure the converter to output ShowNet, then connect the converter to my existing node? If so, how might I get my hands on something like this?
Later thought: I recognized the Nexus I linked is 5-pin out and Ethernet in and I would need the opposite direction.
Hopefully that explains my situation and goals adequately enough for a response. I'm happy to elaborate on anything that isn't clear and will continue to inform myself of networking practices and concepts in the meantime.
Thank you!
A little background on the space:
The theater uses a lighting control network comprised of four SN104 network nodes and two Supervisor CD80 dimmer racks. The booth and FOH nodes have single Ethernet ports for connecting the board to the network. The two remaining backstage nodes have one Ethernet port and four five-pin DMX output connectors (unsure if these are different universes or same universe with multiple outputs). We also have three electric battens (single-purchase fly system), each with a single five-pin DMX output port. Currently there is a Strand 520i console that I believe has been there since the school was built in 2001. It is connected to the node in the booth.
Is it possible to just swap the two single-input nodes with something like a Pathport and be able to just take DMX out of any board to transmit as ShowNet?
I'm sure my understanding of network protocols is flawed, so please correct me if I am on the wrong track of how the nodes work. Are there any downsides or any other considerations to be made if this route is possible?
Is a protocol converter a workable solution (<any-protocol>/DMX to ShowNet)? will it potentially cause more problems down the line? I've read a good number of posts on this topic in particular and my take-away from them has been that a converter is more of a band-aid than a permanent solution. Could I, for example, output DMX on an ETC board into something like a Nexus, configure the converter to output ShowNet, then connect the converter to my existing node? If so, how might I get my hands on something like this?
Later thought: I recognized the Nexus I linked is 5-pin out and Ethernet in and I would need the opposite direction.
Hopefully that explains my situation and goals adequately enough for a response. I'm happy to elaborate on anything that isn't clear and will continue to inform myself of networking practices and concepts in the meantime.
Thank you!