3 Channel DMX Controller
Printed From: Aurora
Category: Hardware (Non-Aurorashow)
Forum Name: DMX Hardware
Forum Discription: Discuss DMX lights, fog machines, etc. (not Aurora specific stuff) here.
URL: http://www.aurorashow.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1026
Printed Date: 30 Oct 2025 at 11:37pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.06 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: 3 Channel DMX Controller
Posted By: bdkeen
Subject: 3 Channel DMX Controller
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 12:17pm
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Hopefully this is the correct place to place this topic.
I've been experimenting with a smallo 3 channel (RGB) DMX controller that's originally intended for LED strip lighting.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3-channel-DC12V-DMX-module-Strip-for-LED_W0QQitemZ280475787856QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414da8e250 - http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3-channel-DC12V-DMX-module-Strip-for-LED_W0QQitemZ280475787856QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414da8e250
I've built up one light so far as my prototype using one of these boards and a RGB LED MR-16 replacement board sold by bigclive.com that illuminates a 6 inch white acrylic globe. The result looks pretty nice (alot nicer than video in real life). Had 4 of these in the display last year with a single green MR-16 LED inside controlled from a D-Light DCx16. The RGB version uses 3 each color superflux LEDs and is brighter than the single MR16 plus gives me the RGB ability. I've done some quick testing with Vixen and am very pleased with the results so far.
I did a quick video on the prototype using the Lynx Dongle and driving the dmx with WinAMP and DMX Control: http://www.keenlights.info/testvideo.asp - http://www.keenlights.info/testvideo.asp ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 1:21pm
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Is there anything else needed to make this work besides the module here and the red, blue, and green LEDs ? Is there a separate DMX controller this module links into? Can I go from the (Aurora or Lynx) dongle to this boards, to the next and so on?
------------- Chris www.lightsonsixth.com |
Posted By: bdkeen
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 1:49pm
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Chris,
You also need a 12 VDC power source per module. I've tested and plan to provide the 12VDC at the first module and chain it through a RJ45 connection along with the DMX signalling.
The board has DMX in and DMX out.
I'm going directly from the LYNX dongle (Aurora when I can get the dongle and DMX version) to the 3 channel board and chaining the DMX network.
Test using the LYNX dongle with Vixen and WinAMP (using DMX Control as a plugin) have all been successful. Since I'm not a beta tester I'll rely on the little info that's in the forums about Aurora and the upcoming DMX version and suspect that everything should work ok.
The one thing they don't tell you in the description of these boards is that they come set to DMX address 1. Since the address is 'soft strapped' via the DMX interface if you want them on any other address you either need to specify the address when you order them or need to purchase their DMX Address Editor(at the moment I'm stuck with 4 of these all set to address 1).
In the test video this is 1 board starting DMX address 1. I've tried chaing a few together and as expected they all operate together. I'm currently looking into a slightly less expensive place to get both the same boards and the address editor since I may be putting 8 to 12 of these into the display.
If I remember when I build the next one of these I'll takesome photos and try and put together some sort of step-by-step type documentation and post it on my website.
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Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 1:56pm
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So then if you tell them you want to purchase 4 units numbered 1-4 then you should be ok without the editor? How much is the editor?
------------- Chris www.lightsonsixth.com |
Posted By: bdkeen
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 2:12pm
Actually you'd need 4 units with addresses 1, 4, 7, 10 (remember each is 3 channels) then this would give you the 4 rgb lights on the first 12 channels of the DMX universe.
DMX Experts: I'm a complete novice to dmx world but learning fast so please excuse me while I push buttons to see what happens -------------
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Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 3:52pm
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So them DMX is not like our D-light/LOR world where we have controller # and channel # DMX is strictly channel 1 through 500 something? ------------- Chris www.lightsonsixth.com |
Posted By: deweycooter
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 4:07pm
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Yessir. For the Lynx controllers, you set the board to the first channel number - so if you have 3 of them, you'd set the first to 1, 2nd to 17, and 3rd to 33. All the way up to 512 channels. Then it's time for another network. :) ------------- http://www.deweycooter.com/wiki/index.php/Aurora - Aurora Lights Wiki http://www.aurorashow.com/"> 
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Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2010 at 4:19pm
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ok, so its just Network/channel as opposed to Network/device/channel I gotcha. Looking forward to looking into these units for my project. ------------- Chris www.lightsonsixth.com |
Posted By: bdkeen
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2010 at 2:13pm
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Got 4 more and the Address editor - Here's a test video of 4 of them driving the bigclive MR16 boards inside 6 inch acrylic globes:
http://www.vimeo.com/10931195 - http://www.vimeo.com/10931195 -------------
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Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 14 Apr 2010 at 2:57pm
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nice job Bruce!!!
------------- Chris www.lightsonsixth.com |
Posted By: Jonathan
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2010 at 10:40am
Wow, that does look good. I'll take a dozen! 
------------- ~Jonathan |