I Know this is a basic question. But why do we need terminators and how do they work?
Control/Dimming DMX Terminator
- Thread starterTheTheaterGeek
- Start date
Doug Fleenor Design - Why Terminate?
That being said, see also Do you terminate your DMX lines? | ControlBooth .
Terminators tell the data chain to stop sending a signal to infinity, or at least terminate it in stopping it from wanting to go further and gear waiting for more gear to acquire the data before it acts. The resistor 120 ohm between the data (not shield) acts kind of sponge for the data signal in gear needing to know it's not waiting for more gear to also get the signal. Most modern gear don't need a terminator, but never hurts if finding a problem to plug one in.hin
Think I'm correct in this base concept.
I talked to my Mechatronics teacher and he described it as a pool being filled.
When you slowly fill it from the shallow end, the water(data) flows slowly from one end to the other and the ripple off the deep end wall is very small compared to the overall filling.
But if you were to fill it with a fire bucket under a helicopter(the equivalent of switching voltage very quickly like dmx does) the water would rush up one side and then splash back.
The terminator is like the edge of the pool. It allows the build up of that wave of data, but then it sort of soaks it up so the return wave is as small as possible.
Hows that sound as the gist?
When you slowly fill it from the shallow end, the water(data) flows slowly from one end to the other and the ripple off the deep end wall is very small compared to the overall filling.
But if you were to fill it with a fire bucket under a helicopter(the equivalent of switching voltage very quickly like dmx does) the water would rush up one side and then splash back.
The terminator is like the edge of the pool. It allows the build up of that wave of data, but then it sort of soaks it up so the return wave is as small as possible.
Hows that sound as the gist?
