Control/Dimming setting dmx channel and addresses on the board apposed to the light

[fumb3l]

I am a greenhorn in this area so please bare with my inexperience.
two question

When i set a lights DMX address does it need to correspond to the beginning address or the channel on the board.
I attached a pic to add a visual. for light 102 would i need to set the DMX address on the light to 106 or 102?

and secondly, on a light that has both five and three pin i/o will the signal of a five pin carry threw two the three pin and vise versa, im aware that the signal on the extra two pins would be lost, just wondering if it would pass threw.

using a ETC element
Thanks!

 

[Rhamkota]

To quickly answer you question:
Yes you would set it to the beginning address. So for channel 102 the address on the light fixture would be 106.
The 2 extra pins on the DMX cable aren't used so you should be fine using the 3 to 5 pin and back, as long as it is DMX cable.

Longer explanation:
The address can be associated to any channel or vice versa. So you could change the fixture to any address and change the channel to match.
So lets say the fixture starts on 310, then you can change channel 102 to that starting address in the patch screen.
Essentially the address is the address on the light and the channel is just on the lighting console so you can more easily use it.
If you get a chance read a bit about the console, it will probably help a lot.
Good luck

 

[greatpopcorn]

A quick rundown on DMX:
Think of the DMX cable as a mail carrier that can reach 512 houses. The board will output a level for a certain address, and the light that is registered to that address reads the data going on that address and passes everything else along. For a single parameter light, like a source 4, this will be one address, and each light gets one. For more complex lights, every parameter has an address. For example, a RGB light uses three addresses(most of the time): Red, Blue, and Green.
In response to your question, you need to assign the light to an address that no other light on that DMX cable is using, and then Patch that connection to a channel on the board. Multi parameter lights will need a fixture setup, but with the latest software it should already be designed.
As to if the inputs pass through, most likely not. If you have a DMX input and output, then absolutely they would pass through. But I would not be surprised if the two different kinds of inputs were not hooked to each other. But you can quickly check that with a ohm meter. Check if there is resistance between the pins.
Good luck!

 

[derekleffew]

...
As to if the inputs pass through, most likely not. If you have a DMX input and output, then absolutely they would pass through. But I would not be surprised if the two different kinds of inputs were not hooked to each other. ...

Incorrect. I've never seen a moving light where the four were not all connected together. I use the light as an adapter all the time. Well, less so now, that most everyone (at least the good manufacturers) is FINALLY going toward 5 pin (which it should have been all along). http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/dmx-3-pin-vs-5-pin.30161/#post-268329

 

[fumb3l]

Thanks guys for the help i really appreciate it! And @greatpopcorn thank you for the analogy I loved it!

 

[Dan_LD]

The DMX address does not need to correspond to the channel address. You can start a channel address at any beginning point that you want (and is open) in a patch by channel or patch wizard.

 

[MikeJ]

Incorrect. I've never seen a moving light where the four were not all connected together. I use the light as an adapter all the time. Well, less so now, that most everyone (at least the good manufacturers) is FINALLY going toward 5 pin (which it should have been all along). http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/dmx-3-pin-vs-5-pin.30161/#post-268329

The only exception would be older equipment that can accept dmx and MPX, or another analog control over 3pin, but the different ins and outs would be labeled as such. The only place you will usually find both is on older dimmer pack, Probably never on moving lights, unless you find some gen 1 stuff in a museum or something.