Leviton/NSI MC 24/48 - DMX Input

[Sam Hampton]

I haven't been able to find any info on the web yet, so I'm hoping someone here on CB sees this and can help me.

I recently purchased a Leviton/NSI MC 24/48 from eBay. No complaints there, seems to work perfectly with one exception...so far anyway.

On the back panel there is a 5 pin DMX 512 input port. It is shown in the instruction manual, but is not mentioned anywhere that I've seen. I'm wanting to run a computer programmed lightning effect through the board and out to the same lights/dimmer packs that the board is controlling. That way I can manually (or through cues, submasters, channel sliders, etc) use the same lights for other parts of the show. If I plug the computer (USB to DMX box) directly into the main DMX line running to the dimmer packs it controls them fine. If I plug that same main line into the board then it runs them fine. I just can't get the input to go through to the output as I would assume it is supposed to. Though I'm not 100% on that since I can't find any info on that input jack.

Any help or input would be appreciated. Let me know if you need any more info or pictures.

 

[microstar]

If you feel comfortable opening up your MC 24/48 and looking at what the DMX input jack is connected to, it is entirely possible the answer will be...... nothing. If I remember correctly, the face panel is hinged along the back.
I once had an NSI Melange (shudder) console that I bought specifically because it had the DMX input jack and I wanted to use a manual DMX console to input channel levels to record cues. I found I had to order a small circuit board to install inside the console that the DMX jack then plugged in to. I ordered the circuit board, and after a 6 month wait received it. It never worked; the factory had not programmed the instruction chip. The only person who knew how to program the chip had left the company.

 

[djred2000]

You might be able to do what you want using MIDI. That board should read standard MIDI data to control channels as well as Midi Show Control for cue playback etc.

 

[RickR]

Console DMX input jacks are not as simple as you might think.

Generally consoles are not intended to be "mergers". Some will but most won't. The input is often for backup situations.

 

[Sam Hampton]

Thank you for the suggestions. I discovered that the signal from the input jack is merged thru to output port B. So by adding the DMX channel numbers in the patch screen for universe 2 (513 and up) it merged the two signals and the channel faders corresponded.