Automated Fixtures Chauvet Intimidator spot 250 DMX Help

[dsshm]

Hey guys,

I am a highschool student and we have just recently purchased 2 new Chauvet Intimidator spot 250s (Intimidator) we are using a ETC Element 60 board (Element Lighting Console - Electronic Theatre Controls) and in the manual (http://www.chauvetlighting.com/products/manuals/intimidator_spot_250.pdf) for the lights it says on page 13 that if we are using a 5-pin DMX board we need to use a 5-3pin converter we are wondering why we need to use a converter as we are using a 5 Pin board?

Thanks in advance

 

[chausman]

Because the chauvet has three pin DMX inputs instead of 5 pin.


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[derekleffew]

The top of page 13 of the manual

If you use a controller with a 5 pin DMX output connector, you will need to use a 5 pin to 3 pin adapter. CHAUVET Model No: DMX5M, or DMX5F. The chart below details a proper cable conversion:

is incorrect as it applies to this fixture, and likely inadvertently copied from another fixture in Chauvet's line.

It appears the Chauvet Intimidator spot 250 has both 3pin and 5pin XLR data ins and outs, so no adapter, 5-3 - ControlBooth is required. One can even use the fixture as an adapter, go 5pin in and 3pin out, or 3pin in and 5pin out; just don't use both ins or both outs at the same time.

Hurray to Chauvet and other manufacturers for providing both. Just don't use 3pin mic cable for data distribution.

 

[dsshm]

Because the chauvet has three pin DMX inputs instead of 5 pin.


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Thanks for the quick reply and just to be sure i could go 5 pin out from my board into my light 5 pin is exactly what you are saying?

also out of curiosity when would you ever NEED a 3-5 pin adapter only if you had a 5 pin board and a 3 pin light?

 

[chausman]

Thanks for the quick reply and just to be sure i could go 5 pin out from my board into my light 5 pin is exactly what you are saying?

also out of curiosity when would you ever NEED a 3-5 pin adapter only if you had a 5 pin board and a 3 pin light?

Yep. If the light has 5 pin and the board has 5 pin, they will work together more or less (assuming using DMX with the correct rates.). Derek is correct in saying the manual was incorrect, you don't need an adaptor for that specific unit.

Yes there are times a 5-3 adaptor or vise-versa is used. I've used one to g from an express to a cheap LED.


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[LXPlot]

Thanks for the quick reply and just to be sure i could go 5 pin out from my board into my light 5 pin is exactly what you are saying?

also out of curiosity when would you ever NEED a 3-5 pin adapter only if you had a 5 pin board and a 3 pin light?

The 4th and 5th pins of 5-pin DMX have no accepted use (although many manufacturers have differing uses for them), and because of this, many of the cheaper manufacturers, especially for DJ equipment, have opted to use a 3-pin plug because it is simply cheaper, due to mass production costs. The higher end stuff from these companies, Chauvet included, will often have both, as that way it can cater to the cheaper audiences, and has backwards compatibility with their older only 3-pin equipment.

The higher end equipment in general, and general theater equipment, still has 5-pin connectors. From what I've heard, DMX will be controlled by some other type of cable (probably Ethernet) before the industry finds uses for pins 4 and 5.

But if they are both 5-pin, and not broken, they should work together (somebody correct me if I'm wrong here)

 

[DuckJordan]

also out of curiosity when would you ever NEED a 3-5 pin adapter only if you had a 5 pin board and a 3 pin light?

actually, how you wrote that refers to goign from 3 pin to 5 pin. Lets say i wanted to use an irradiant stage setter board (god only knows why) to control my mac 550. The irradiant only has 3 pin out, and the mac 550 has both, unfortunately some miss-guided student broke off a pin, in the mac 550's 3 pin slot... so now is how do we connect the board with the light... easy fix is the 3 - 5 pin adapter.