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Well-Known Member
Hi All,
Exciting times here in Oz where we are getting back in to our venue. This week I am on the maintenance crew (cleaning, testing and taging electrical stuff and sorting out cabling issues.) I have come across a cabling point that is DMX.
Now let me start by saying I know how a DMX run should look and I know what I am going to describe is not conventional but I am trying to understand why it is not right.
If you are to take a DMX run it comes out of the console to fixture 1 then 2 then 3 so on and so on and then terminates with a terminator (best practice).
At every fixture between the in and out is tap off the traces that goes to the control of the fixture. If I was to draw it it would look like this _________I_________I_________I...... where the vertical lines are the fixture.
My cabling issue is at a female socket in the wall there are 3 cables coming in to the back of the socket. One cable is labelled From SWroom another is labeled FOH Bar and the 3rd cable goes out to LX3. From the socket a cable is connected to 2X12 2.4K dimmers.
Essentially it is doing the same thing as having an in and out at a fixture but hard wired behind the socket.
Lately (last year) the DMX fixtures on LX3 are starting to play up (This cable has been like this for 6 or more years I am told)
I am going to investigate it further tomorrow and figure out where exactly cables are coming from and going to so I have abetter understanding of our venue and I know that I really should separate the cables and put an opto splitter in there but I don't know if we have a spare one.
Anyway I will be interested in your responses bearing in mind I know what is right but I want to know why we do it that way in a daisy chain (with taps off the connections to the control in the fixture)
I am off to bed now because here in OZ it is time for me to go night night. I will see your answers in the morning.
Regards
Geoff
Exciting times here in Oz where we are getting back in to our venue. This week I am on the maintenance crew (cleaning, testing and taging electrical stuff and sorting out cabling issues.) I have come across a cabling point that is DMX.
Now let me start by saying I know how a DMX run should look and I know what I am going to describe is not conventional but I am trying to understand why it is not right.
If you are to take a DMX run it comes out of the console to fixture 1 then 2 then 3 so on and so on and then terminates with a terminator (best practice).
At every fixture between the in and out is tap off the traces that goes to the control of the fixture. If I was to draw it it would look like this _________I_________I_________I...... where the vertical lines are the fixture.
My cabling issue is at a female socket in the wall there are 3 cables coming in to the back of the socket. One cable is labelled From SWroom another is labeled FOH Bar and the 3rd cable goes out to LX3. From the socket a cable is connected to 2X12 2.4K dimmers.
Essentially it is doing the same thing as having an in and out at a fixture but hard wired behind the socket.
Lately (last year) the DMX fixtures on LX3 are starting to play up (This cable has been like this for 6 or more years I am told)
I am going to investigate it further tomorrow and figure out where exactly cables are coming from and going to so I have abetter understanding of our venue and I know that I really should separate the cables and put an opto splitter in there but I don't know if we have a spare one.
Anyway I will be interested in your responses bearing in mind I know what is right but I want to know why we do it that way in a daisy chain (with taps off the connections to the control in the fixture)
I am off to bed now because here in OZ it is time for me to go night night. I will see your answers in the morning.
Regards
Geoff