Decode and send DMX with ETC Element

[Scott D Johnson]

I recently purchased smart LED bulbs which use the Feit app on an iPhone; which works fine. BUT I would like to use our ETC element and control the bulbs wirelessly.

Any thoughts or resources?

 

[NateTheRiddler]

A couple things.

1) Why? Outside of the spectacle of it, consumer LED lamps are not designed to be that finitely controlled. Most LED lamps have a refresh tick of 10Hz, which is pretty piss-poor, especially for any professional application.
2) Let’s say you want to. The GitHub community has been working on ArtNet solutions allowing you to to translate DMX commands to the protocols spoken by wireless lights. You’re not going to find lesser-known brands supported such as Feit- you might want to go with Phillips. This link here is a GitHub suppository which will allow you to use DMX to control Hue lights via the Bridge.

Just remember that what you’re asking for is professional tools to control consumer lighting; you’re digging yourself deep into a rabbit’s hole that, while fascinating, could prove frustrating if all you want is some simple control.

 

[Amiers]

Ditto what Nate said.

The best thing to do is go straight to their customer support. Explain what you want and see if they understand.

The only other person I could see building you something would be DFD Or maybe RC4 and it will cost ya.

 

[Calc]

You probably won't be able to do this. From the product descriptions, it sounds like the phone talks directly to each bulb. If you COULD do it, it'd likely be through some nightmare similar to:
Element > OSC Commands > Web Requests > IFTTT > Google Assistant > Phone >Wifi > Lamp
It's dependent on multiple cloud links and wifi signal strength, and would require linking your show network to the internet. All possible deal breakers, and each adding in latency to your signal.

If you're already stuck with these lamps just run them with your phone. Even then, you'll still be fighting every smartphone in the audience for wifi signal, so I wouldn't count on them for anything critical.

There may be some other control protocol that they'll accept, but the "Resources" page on Feit's page for them is empty so it's unknown to us. They don't have any other connection though, so you'll still be fighting for wifi.

 

[Scott D Johnson]

You probably won't be able to do this. From the product descriptions, it sounds like the phone talks directly to each bulb. If you COULD do it, it'd likely be through some nightmare similar to:
Element > OSC Commands > Web Requests > IFTTT > Google Assistant > Phone >Wifi > Lamp
It's dependent on multiple cloud links and wifi signal strength, and would require linking your show network to the internet. All possible deal breakers, and each adding in latency to your signal.

If you're already stuck with these lamps just run them with your phone. Even then, you'll still be fighting every smartphone in the audience for wifi signal, so I wouldn't count on them for anything critical.

There may be some other control protocol that they'll accept, but the "Resources" page on Feit's page for them is empty so it's unknown to us. They don't have any other connection though, so you'll still be fighting for wifi.

Thanks for all the info. Some of my searching agrees with the problem of consumer light bulbs. In my case, I'm only trying to control eight sconces on the walls of the theater, so this is not mission-critical.

I did put in a request to Feit but no reply yet, and probably "you can't do it".

 

[ChrisB_SanDiego]

Well it's definitely not a plug and play system like an RC4

This really is easier on Hue considering Phillips officially created an API for interacting with their lights.
https://developers.meethue.com/

Since this is just for wall sconces, would it be better to look into something like Chauvet Festoon? You would have to rewire the sconces but it would seem a whole lot easier to accomplish a similar task.
https://www.chauvetdj.com/products/festoon/

Or even go wireless DMX to LEDs that already accept DMX.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/wireless-dmx-led-light-bulb-E27_60810984616.html




That being said I definitely understand wanting to use something you already have vs replacing it, and personally, I enjoy the learning process.... so if you're dead set on wanting to go Feit...

This really depends on how much coding you know or are willing to invest time learning, specifically Python. Most of the hard part is already done and available to you.

You would need to install Node.JS
https://thisdavej.com/beginners-guide-to-installing-node-js-on-a-raspberry-pi/

you can access the Feit protocol here:
https://github.com/nkaminski/csrmesh
and familiarize yourself with some of the forums associated
https://github.com/nkaminski/csrmesh/issues/4

and you'll pretty much want to modify the art-net to hue protocol by replacing hue commands where the Feit commands.
https://github.com/sinedied/dmx-hue

Your network is probably already sACN since your running an element so to save time rebuilding the entire code above I would use a DMX to Art-Net node:
https://dmxking.com/artnetsacn/edmx1-pro

Personally I would go 5 pin DMX from the board -> Art-Net node -> raspberry-pi -> Wi-Fi Router (On a dedicated password protected lighting network) -> LED's

Up to you to decide if it's worth it.