Am I overthinking this?

[Ishi Sobti]

Currently working on a small dance gig at my high school. I want to add a couple DMX fixtures, including some PAR 64 LEDs and a LightEmotion DERBY2. The only board we have access to is an analog LSC Maxim, with two LSC Redback 12 pack dimmers. The dimmers do have DMX input and output.

Am I correct in thinking I can go straight from my DMX fixtures to the DMX input of my dimmers, then set the address on the fixtures to some empty channels on the light board? Will I have to assign 7 faders for the PARS and 13 for the other fixture?

Sorry if I sound stupid, it's been a while since I've done lots of tech!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Amiers]

Yep just make sure you use DMX cables and a terminator. To connect everything.

 

[porkchop]

Will I have to assign 7 faders for the PARS and 13 for the other fixture?

When you set the fixture to a given address that block of 7 or 13 DMX channels will tell the light what to do, but if you can program which channel a fader controls then you don't necessarily need to assign a fader to each function. If there is a channel you know you're not going to use (like maybe strobe on the pars for example) then you can save the space and not assign that channel to a fader. I'm not familiar with your specific board, but way back when I was in high school we used submaster pages on a Colortran Innovator to program our moving lights with faders.

 

[Crisp image]

The LSC Maxum is not a bad bit of gear however it is limited to 72 addresses (in wide mode). The 2 dimmer packs will take up the first 24 faders. From then each par 7 addresses and 13 adresses for the Derby 2 as you have already said
Where we have it setup the cable comes out of the desk and straight to dimmer 1 then out to dimmer 2 then out o the other fixtures on the rig. Remember you can address multiple of the same lights to the same address (eg par 64 leds) but that has the limitation that all of those lights will come on at the same time with the same colour so you might want to group them together to light the left/middle or right of the stage. once you have the everything set record your cues or subfaders.
You could patch it this way 1-24 Dimmers 25-37 and 38-50 as the derby2 (2 groups) and then 51-57, 58-64 and 65-71 for 3 groups of pars. That leaves one address to control a smoke machine or something that requires only one address.
Hope this makes sense and helps you out.
Regards
Crispy

EDIT: This is of course if you are using the model that has 2 rows of 36 Yellow faders and a row of subfaders (red) if it is another model of board then you may or may not have the same functionality.

 

[JD]

is an analog LSC Maxim, with two LSC Redback 12 pack dimmers.

Ahhh... Lets back up a bit here... The board is ANALOG? By this, do you mean:
A) the board has a multipin connector feeding each of the dimmer channels something like 0-10 volts.....
or
B) you are calling the board analog because of another reason and it really has DMX outputs.

In case B, proceed with above advice. The only LSC Maxim data I could find shows them to be DMX. BUT, just in case this is some odd legacy device, and the board really does have an analog output, although the dimmers can run off DMX they are actually running in analog mode, then your DMX is not running.

The ONLY reason for my comment was the word "analog" in your post, which has a WHOLE different meaning for us old guys

 

[Ishi Sobti]

When you set the fixture to a given address that block of 7 or 13 DMX channels will tell the light what to do, but if you can program which channel a fader controls then you don't necessarily need to assign a fader to each function. If there is a channel you know you're not going to use (like maybe strobe on the pars for example) then you can save the space and not assign that channel to a fader. I'm not familiar with your specific board, but way back when I was in high school we used submaster pages on a Colortran Innovator to program our moving lights with faders.

thanks I'll definitely try that!

 

[RonHebbard]

Ahhh... Lets back up a bit here... The board is ANALOG? By this, do you mean:
A) the board has a multipin connector feeding each of the dimmer channels something like 0-10 volts.....
or
B) you are calling the board analog because of another reason and it really has DMX outputs.

In case B, proceed with above advice. The only LSC Maxim data I could find shows them to be DMX. BUT, just in case this is some odd legacy device, and the board really does have an analog output, although the dimmers can run off DMX they are actually running in analog mode, then your DMX is not running.

The ONLY reason for my comment was the word "analog" in your post, which has a WHOLE different meaning for us old guys

@JD, @Ishi Sobti @JD . Another thing that's not sitting right with this "old guy" is when @Ishi Sobti wrote: "Am I correct in thinking I can go straight from my DMX fixtures to the DMX input of my dimmers." In my "old mind" he'd be sourcing his DMX from an output on his dimmers and extending it to an input on his DMX fixtures. What's catching my ears and eyes is @Ishi Sobti 's symantics regarding DMX sources and loads. His fixtures shouldn't be generating DMX but receiving it.
@dvsDave I'm not having any luck getting the forum to flag @JD Edit: The forum wasn't indicating the 'call out' flag while I was typing but it was there as soon as I posted. Hmm?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[Ishi Sobti]

EDIT: This is of course if you are using the model that has 2 rows of 36 Yellow faders and a row of subfaders (red) if it is another model of board then you may or may not have the same functionality.

We have one of the older models with one bank of 36 yellow faders and one sub-bank, but I'll definetly try what you said. Thank you very much!

 

[Ishi Sobti]

@JD, @Ishi Sobti @JD . Another thing that's not sitting right with this "old guy" is when @Ishi Sobti wrote: "Am I correct in thinking I can go straight from my DMX fixtures to the DMX input of my dimmers." In my "old mind" he'd be sourcing his DMX from an output on his dimmers and extending it to an input on his DMX fixtures. What's catching my ears and eyes is @Ishi Sobti 's symantics regarding DMX sources and loads. His fixtures shouldn't be generating DMX but receiving it.
@dvsDave I'm not having any luck getting the forum to flag @JD Edit: The forum wasn't indicating the 'call out' flag while I was typing but it was there as soon as I posted. Hmm?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

Oops - my mistake. Meant to say output from the dimmers!

 

[Les]

I see the term "analog" thrown around quite haphazardly among many disciplines, including this one. Let this be a lesson, @Ishi Sobti (unless you don't mind diving in to rabbit holes)

 

[Crisp image]

We have one of the older models with one bank of 36 yellow faders and one sub-bank, but I'll definetly try what you said. Thank you very much!

is it only one row of 36 faders? or 2? Come to think of it 1 row of yellow 1 row of red and 6 subs maybe blue? Maxim L is the model you have. If it is the one I am thinking of then it may not have the facility to do moving lights.
Depending on what the fictures addresses do you may not have to patch them all. I can get a 7ch RGB fixture to work only patching 4 addresses (IRGB) and then leave a gap for the other 3 addresses because I don't need them to play up if another fixtrue needs them.