@microstar So long as you're paying close attention to the color coding on your clips and correctly terminating your runs.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
DMX connections
- Thread starterDoowop63
- Start date
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
@BillConnerFASTC I'm still waiting for Janell and her Dad to introduce their DMX controlled Ruben's tube.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Brentgi
Active Member
The topology would have to change. No more daisy-chain, and we'd have to run a cat cable to every unit. Idk which is more cost effective, running power or running cat cable.
BillConnerFASTC
Well-Known Member
Amiers
Renting to Corporate One Fixture at a Time.
Interference. But you could look at Ethernet over Power not to be confused with POE.
You can go up to 1500’ with some of the higher end ones.
As long as you don’t put a GFI or Power strip in the path you could get this to work.
This is all theory as I don’t know what interference a soca cable would have on something like this.
To further this theory you would essentially turn your PD into a giant switch and anything connected to it at one end or another will be able to hook up to these switches.
TO go even further each out of a soca could have one of these devices attached to the power output in a smaller form and you could go right into the fixture with power and Ethernet to whatever flavor of dmx you have.
Netgear allows up to 64 nodes which in most rigs is more than enough. This is from Netgears version.
Personally I have used this through a 208v setup at about a 1000’ distance to run signal for an antenna out by the roadside needed to transfer internet and intranet between two sides of the street. I’ve also used it in apartments and 1960s built houses and newer built apartments.
I’m pretty surprised this tech has gotten looked over in all aspects. From ours all the way to residential. People would rather call an Electrican and have hard lines when sometimes a 40-100$ product could do the job.
If there was one product to revolutionize and upgrade DMX I think this would be it.
Ramblings *shrug*
Ethernet over power has some issues in theatrical applications. The big ones are bridging data across 3-phase distribution, surviving all the issues with switched mode harmonics and choppy waveforms, and the lack of ACN-ready fixtures.
FWIW, I asked ETC about into incorporating the technology into a relay module but it didn't gain traction. My first post on the topic is circa January, 2011. That post didn't gain any traction either.
FWIW, I asked ETC about into incorporating the technology into a relay module but it didn't gain traction. My first post on the topic is circa January, 2011. That post didn't gain any traction either.
macsound
Well-Known Member
Makes alot of sense to me, even if in limited use cases.
Like ethernet over power, you don't plan on wiring an entire office that way, but rather use it to get to the location that's not easily accessible via standard wired or wireless ethernet. So using it for the remote fixtures in the lobby or the added electric over the audience etc.
On the other hand, I think it would be amazing to only have to plug in power for every moving light, but how you would define universes would be super complicated
Like ethernet over power, you don't plan on wiring an entire office that way, but rather use it to get to the location that's not easily accessible via standard wired or wireless ethernet. So using it for the remote fixtures in the lobby or the added electric over the audience etc.
On the other hand, I think it would be amazing to only have to plug in power for every moving light, but how you would define universes would be super complicated
Amiers
Renting to Corporate One Fixture at a Time.
Malabaristo
Well-Known Member
Lumenpulse uses a proprietary data-over-power protocol for some of their architectural fixtures: https://www.lumenpulse.com/products/82/lumentalk
Anecdotally, I've heard that it does not play nicely in theatrical dimming systems due to the complexities mentioned above, but they do offer a DMX interface for it.
Anecdotally, I've heard that it does not play nicely in theatrical dimming systems due to the complexities mentioned above, but they do offer a DMX interface for it.
Michael Larsen
Member
You are getting lots of responses here. You can use either. I have some Elation 6 Par 300's and i see no performance differences. My understanding is that even though there are 5 pins they don't use 5 pins. the extra pins are for some functionality that was to come in the future??
@Michael Larsen In the case of some manufacturers the bonus functionality did come. At one point Strand used the extra pair for some dimmer racks to report loads, and abnormalities, to display burn-outs, etcetera on your console. I believe ETC is another manufacturer who have utilized the second pair.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
1. ET not Strand. Although since Strand eventually bought ET, does that count as two manufacturers?
https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/parallel.7971/#post-93553
2. To my knowledge, ETC (nor anyone else, 'cept above) has never utilized the 2nd pair. At the time, Vari*Lite held a patent on fixtures/devices reporting back to the console (talkback), so this may have stymied the development of other manufacturers.
https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/dmx-questions-from-a-newbie.44113/page-2#post-384562
(Same thread as above. Well worth reading the entirety.)
TNasty
Active Member
Personally my favorite power and control method is to have somebody power each fixture with a hand crank, and then have them go around and tap the microphones on each fixture until their all the right color. The very moment the assistant starts complaining, all the lights he's already set change on him. In addition, if he cranks the crank to fast, the same thing happens. It's genius!
On a more serious note, powerline ethernet is absolute garbage in my experience if you're looking to go further than your arm span. The most annoying thing is when the manufacture tells you "move the units closer together" to fix performance issues... yeah right, like I'm gonna move into the hallway just because the powerline system is faster there, when I specifically bought it to go from point A to point B, not to point A.5.
As for a PoE style solution, cables would get real hefty real quick if you plan on using more than a couple amps on that run. It's possible, just not advisable. Not for now, at least.
While wireless is really damn annoying, considering all of its quirks and stuff, I worked with some of Chauvet's wireless DJ equipment while I was doing entertainment stuff over the summer. I've gotta say, the wireless on those things is surprisingly robust.
On a more serious note, powerline ethernet is absolute garbage in my experience if you're looking to go further than your arm span. The most annoying thing is when the manufacture tells you "move the units closer together" to fix performance issues... yeah right, like I'm gonna move into the hallway just because the powerline system is faster there, when I specifically bought it to go from point A to point B, not to point A.5.
As for a PoE style solution, cables would get real hefty real quick if you plan on using more than a couple amps on that run. It's possible, just not advisable. Not for now, at least.
While wireless is really damn annoying, considering all of its quirks and stuff, I worked with some of Chauvet's wireless DJ equipment while I was doing entertainment stuff over the summer. I've gotta say, the wireless on those things is surprisingly robust.
Smayniac
Member
I read all the way down and don't see anyone commenting on one particular thing. I prefer five pin since it's the "standard" but one thing I want to point out about mixing cable is that if you have five pin into a fixture and three pin going out, if you want to remove the fixture for any reason you will need to add an adapter.
I'm late to this thread but I just wanted to sum up a bunch of posts with the key point that the connector doesn't matter. What matters is that the cable needs to be proper twisted pair. You can jump back and forth between connectors no problem and I do it all the time. I love using RJ45, in order to keep the costs down. You can buy 3pin or 5pin XLR to RJ45 adapters for around $10. Throw a Cat 5 cable on there (which costs nothing) and you are good to go for a lot less than proper DMX cables. My electrics have DMX 5 pin plugs, I bought a set of ColorSource PARs with RJ45 plugs. One adapter and a bunch of $2 cables and we are done. Saved a couple hundred bucks vs the cost of XLR DMX cables. My friend's High School PAC has been struggling because there's no DMX in her electrics. We solved that problem for $30 with a 100' Cat 5 cable and two adapters. I wouldn't take Cat 5 out on the road. But for long runs and runs that don't move much, it's fantastic!
GreyWyvern
Well-Known Member
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