Hi all,
So, we've got a dance concert in a found space coming up pretty soon at my high school, and we're having problems with our portable dimmers.
Basically, I've got 4 dimmer packs set up to control 16 500w fresnels, two of which are older models of the Elation DP-DMX20L, and two of which are brand new NSI / Leviton DDS5600s. I'm using a MacBook pro running miniStageConsole and the Enttec USB DMX Pro (converted to 3-pin XLR) to control the dimmer packs. It works beautifully with the two Elation packs, but the Levitons are giving us a buttload of problems.
First off, it turned out that they only run on LSI's 5-pin multiplex or 3-pin microplex systems, not 3-pin XLR DMX like we thought. So, we ordered LSI's adapter kit for changing the 3-pin microplex to 5-pin DMX (NSI OPT 5512). This conversion kit came with two 5-pin jacks (1 male, 1 female) for the inputs and a little microprocessor chip for inside the dimmer pack. There was no instruction manual, but I'm pretty good with electronics, so I installed everything the way it should be with the microprocessor inserted the correct way and the 2 DMX ports connected properly. However, when we plug the Enttec into the LSI dimmers, despite the "MPX" light turning on to indicate a signal, they won't actually power any of the dimmers. If we unplug the XLR and turn dipswitch 8 on (test mode), there is power to all 8 of the outlets.
I'm really confused as to what the problem is, as it works great with our older Elation dimmers, but these LSIs are just really not behaving. Any thoughts as to what the problem is?
So, we've got a dance concert in a found space coming up pretty soon at my high school, and we're having problems with our portable dimmers.
Basically, I've got 4 dimmer packs set up to control 16 500w fresnels, two of which are older models of the Elation DP-DMX20L, and two of which are brand new NSI / Leviton DDS5600s. I'm using a MacBook pro running miniStageConsole and the Enttec USB DMX Pro (converted to 3-pin XLR) to control the dimmer packs. It works beautifully with the two Elation packs, but the Levitons are giving us a buttload of problems.
First off, it turned out that they only run on LSI's 5-pin multiplex or 3-pin microplex systems, not 3-pin XLR DMX like we thought. So, we ordered LSI's adapter kit for changing the 3-pin microplex to 5-pin DMX (NSI OPT 5512). This conversion kit came with two 5-pin jacks (1 male, 1 female) for the inputs and a little microprocessor chip for inside the dimmer pack. There was no instruction manual, but I'm pretty good with electronics, so I installed everything the way it should be with the microprocessor inserted the correct way and the 2 DMX ports connected properly. However, when we plug the Enttec into the LSI dimmers, despite the "MPX" light turning on to indicate a signal, they won't actually power any of the dimmers. If we unplug the XLR and turn dipswitch 8 on (test mode), there is power to all 8 of the outlets.
I'm really confused as to what the problem is, as it works great with our older Elation dimmers, but these LSIs are just really not behaving. Any thoughts as to what the problem is?