A DMX Lighting Question.....

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Esoteric said:
So you have some non-DMX DJ lights plugged into the same circuit as your LED PARs and so to kill your DJ lights you have to turn off the switch and to bring them up you have to turn them on? This is when you get the error on the LEDs?

Mike
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Actually, I normally run the non-DMX lights along with my DMX lights. They all are on the same circuit (as is my entire sound and lighting system), the only time I turn off the DMX lights is when I have a slow song that I want to just use the Starsphere, and then I just hit the blackout button on my DMX controller.

I will try breaking up the circuits and see what happens! I hope this will solve the problem, because it is rather annoying to have one light "stick" on or off..... No one in the crowd has ever noticed, but I know it's a problem, so it bugs me! LOL

Thank you again for the suggestions! I will post my findings once I try it out.
 
yes perhaps if you come to Vegas and attend some of Bens classes like I m going to you too will become edumacated. Folks the schedule is out make sure you sign up for the Geeks Gone Wild courses. Im going to bring my pencil pack and pocket protectors.
 
Jon Tuck said:
yes perhaps if you come to Vegas and attend some of Bens classes like I m going to you too will become edumacated. Folks the schedule is out make sure you sign up for the Geeks Gone Wild courses. Im going to bring my pencil pack and pocket protectors.
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Jon, I will be in attendance for Ben's classes in Vegas! Hmmmm, that reminds me, I need a new pocket protector!! :sqwink:
 
LEDs don't like being physically dimmed or turned off and on constantly.
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Pff.... Thats funny... hahah... I honestly hope this is a joke...

Anyway, back to the problem, are you using real DMX cable or just mic cables... sounds like you may be getting interference on the line, and if the cable is run beside a power cord, the 60hz signal may be messing with a few of the addressed lines.... hence why its only one fixture...
 
jkcomputers said:
Pff.... Thats funny... hahah... I honestly hope this is a joke...

Anyway, back to the problem, are you using real DMX cable or just mic cables... sounds like you may be getting interference on the line, and if the cable is run beside a power cord, the 60hz signal may be messing with a few of the addressed lines.... hence why its only one fixture...
Click to expand...

While I highly doubt that (I use mic cable for DMX signals around more and stronger audio equipment than any DJ uses), why not?

Mike
 
jkcomputers said:
Pff.... Thats funny... hahah... I honestly hope this is a joke...

Anyway, back to the problem, are you using real DMX cable or just mic cables... sounds like you may be getting interference on the line, and if the cable is run beside a power cord, the 60hz signal may be messing with a few of the addressed lines.... hence why its only one fixture...
Click to expand...

I use DMX cables, at least that is what Ben tells me they are! LOL :sqwink: Everything I use is solely purchased through him! Even this problem stumps Ben!! That is why it must be something I am doing stupidly wrong?!?
 
so let me get this straight all your gear plugs into your power conditioner and then one plug into the wall? Does this happen in more than one place ex. Home and at a venue?
 
jkcomputers said:
Pff.... Thats funny... hahah... I honestly hope this is a joke...

Anyway, back to the problem, are you using real DMX cable or just mic cables... sounds like you may be getting interference on the line, and if the cable is run beside a power cord, the 60hz signal may be messing with a few of the addressed lines.... hence why its only one fixture...
Click to expand...

Nope, no joke. That is why they have a dimmer function in the unit. They don't like being constantly physically turned on and off, and the certainly do like being physically dimmed.

Mike
 
NLFX Pro said:
Mike -

A lighting designer that uses mic cable for DMX? Tsk Tsk. What would Doug Fleenor say! LOL.

Ben
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Hahahahaha... Oh Doug! How I love thee! Except when you are on your high horse about the DMX cable thing. :sqwink:

Yup, I know hundreds of LDs and MEs that use mic cable for DMX. Including some who have designed (and MEd) shows on Broadway.

Yes, I know there is a difference, yes I know mic cable is not the standard, but there is no practical difference, and the standard is not really a standard.

Mike
 
qdupsoundz said:
I use DMX cables, at least that is what Ben tells me they are! LOL :sqwink: Everything I use is solely purchased through him! Even this problem stumps Ben!! That is why it must be something I am doing stupidly wrong?!?
Click to expand...

You use 5 pin cables on LED lights?

I just checked the Rain38 LEDs only take 3 pin input, which means you are either...
1. Using a converter at each unit to take the five pin, convert it to three pin, and then back to five pin coming out of the unit
2. Using mic cables (all be it good quality ones I am sure)

Mike
 
Okay, so one more time.....

You get to the site and plug all your LED units in separately into the wall, and run DMX to them.

Then you plug in all your other lights into a switch panel.

You have your LEDs on and working fine.

Then you switch on one of your other lights (that is not plugged into the same panel) and one of your LEDs freak out? A different one each time? Does it change when the cables are moved?

Try this. Plug up your LEDs and get them working. Then plug your switch pack into a plug in the wall on the totally different side of the room and see if you get the same result.

Mike
 
Jon Tuck said:
so let me get this straight all your gear plugs into your power conditioner and then one plug into the wall? Does this happen in more than one place ex. Home and at a venue?
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Yes, that is how everything is setup. One power strip, and everything plugs into it. And it does happen at home as well as at a venue.
 
Esoteric said:
You use 5 pin cables on LED lights?

I just checked the Rain38 LEDs only take 3 pin input, which means you are either...
1. Using a converter at each unit to take the five pin, convert it to three pin, and then back to five pin coming out of the unit
2. Using mic cables

Mike
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I use 3 pin DMX cables, right Ben????
 
Esoteric said:
Okay, so one more time.....

You get to the site and plug all your LED units in separately into the wall, and run DMX to them.

Then you plug in all your other lights into a switch panel.

You have your LEDs on and working fine.

Then you switch on one of your other lights (that is not plugged into the same panel) and one of your LEDs freak out? A different one each time? Does it change when the cables are moved?

Try this. Plug up your LEDs and get them working. Then plug your switch pack into a plug in the wall on the totally different side of the room and see if you get the same result.

Mike
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I will try this solution the next time I have the system setup at home, to see if splitting up the circuits between the DMX and non-DMX lights solves the problem. Thank you!
 
Okay smarty pants... yes, USITT DMX512-A calls for 5 pins, and it IS a standard, as recognized by ANSI. Can't get any more standard than that. However, on the DMX-1990 pins 4 & 5 were not assigned and most felt it was impractical to put a 5 pin XLR on a 2C cable anyway. Even Doug and I are in agreement on that (yes, we talk LOL). Since most fixtures at that level use 3 pin XLR, most mfgs make 3 pin XLR cables for them. It's what is BETWEEN the XLRs that count. Mic cable is 70 ohm and can be braid or spiral shielded, it's inductance and capacitance properties differ greatly from those of a RS-485 cable designed for the transmission of DIGITAL data such as DMX. Would you use a mic cable for RS-232 or CAN-BUS? Does it work, some of the time, maybe even most of the time... yes. Have I done it in a pinch, yes. Is it recommended, NO! In fact, a quality DMX cable actually costs less than a quality mic cable... so why would you go the wrong direction with it???

Ben

Esoteric said:
You use 5 pin cables on LED lights?

I just checked the Rain38 LEDs only take 3 pin input, which means you are either...
1. Using a converter at each unit to take the five pin, convert it to three pin, and then back to five pin coming out of the unit
2. Using mic cables

Mike
Click to expand...
 
NLFX Pro said:
Okay smarty pants... yes, USITT DMX512-A calls for 5 pins, and it IS a standard, as recognized by ANSI. Can't get any more standard than that. However, on the DMX-1990 pins 4 & 5 were not assigned and most felt it was impractical to put a 5 pin XLR on a 2C cable anyway. Even Doug and I are in agreement on that (yes, we talk LOL). Since most fixtures at that level use 3 pin XLR, most mfgs make 3 pin XLR cables for them. It's what is BETWEEN the XLRs that count. Mic cable is 70 ohm and can be braid or spiral shielded, it's inductance and capacitance properties differ greatly from those of a RS-485 cable designed for the transmission of DIGITAL data such as DMX. Would you use a mic cable for RS-232 or CAN-BUS? Does it work, some of the time, maybe even most of the time... yes. Have I done it in a pinch, yes. Is it recommended, NO! In fact, a quality DMX cable actually costs less than a quality mic cable... so why would you go the wrong direction with it???

Ben
Click to expand...

Looks like I need to get my dictionary out for some of these words! :sqerr: Oh so much grasshopper needs to learn!!! :sqlaugh:
 
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