Splitting
Never split a
DMX signal with a "
wye" cable. Use a splitter device that buffers each
line separately or
daisy chain from device to device.
The problem with splitting the signal with a
wye cable is that the signal going up one
leg of the
wye is reflected back down and corrupts the signal going down the other
leg. The longer the legs of the
wye, the worse the problem. A
wye where each
leg is 10 feet may work fine but may fail if the legs are increased to 100 feet. A lot has to do with the quality of the cable, the strength of the signal at the
wye point, and your relationship with God.
If you must split the signal, and you don't have a buffered splitter, do it as close to the source as possible, i.e. at the
console. If you have an isolator available, place the
wye at the output of the isolator. If you have two isolators available, place the
wye at the input to the two isolators (which is like making your own splitter).