Wireless DMX retro fit of my fixtures!

[bmdj]

Hi All!
I love building and hacking stuff, I built my first twin deck when I was 13, using some old BSR turntables and a realistic mixer from Tandy, anyway ..............

I've just been working on retro fitting some of my fixtures and my Daslight DVC3 controller to give them wireless DMX capability. I have seen the modules that are commercially available but wanted my current kit to be wireless. I have two Brightlight/Stairville/Chauvet Indigio 150 moving heads which don't get the use they deserve as I hate having to run the dmx cables. Anyway looking on ebay I found some OEM modules from a nice man in China, basically not cased, just the PCB, that got me thinking I could retro fit my own kit. The modules are about £20 each but they act as both a transmitter or receiver, they auto detect.

Once wirelessly retro-fitted the fixtures then become a DMX hub that I can wire out to other fixtures nearby from the rear XLRs! So far I have not had any issue with these and all connect seamlessly. One think I have found is that some ADJ fixtures seem to send out their own dmx signal for master/slaving units together; this can confuse the modules, as they pick up on the signal outputted from the master fixture, then think they are the transmitter, the trick here is to turn the transmitter on first then, using one of my external wireless DMX modules (last photo), plug this into the fixture after it has established a wireless link to the transmitter; it will then set itself up as a receiver.




Ok blog over, here are some pics


First this is the OEM dmx module about 20mm x 60mm, it has wires for +5v DC, Ground, Data+, Data- and an antenna cable.
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Ok next was to open the base of my moving head fiind a space and 5v from one of the boards, then attach it to the DMX of the fixture. There was space just behind the display; the display PCB was supplied with 5v and had the dmx from the rear XLR's, so tapped off from them with some careful soldering. Also I didnt want to drill my fixture, and there was some vents where the LED and channel select button could just poke through. The DMX Pcb was secured with sticky tie wrap pads.
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This is the bottom of the fixture showing the LED and Channel buttons from the DMX PCB, poking through the vent.
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As I said I didnt want to dril the fixture but the antenna had to come out somwhere so a small hole was drilled inside the handle recess on the bottom of the fixture, so the antenna was both hidden and protected
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I use a Daslight DVC3 controller which can be used with a PC or standalone, so wanted that to be wireless capable as well. Luckily these units are very versatile and have break out solder points on the PCB already, so retro fitting this was easy!
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Ok so what about other fixtures, well I briefly had a look inside one of my LEDJ 7Q5 LED Par/Uplighters and its abit too tight so I've opted, for now, to use this external module I built to wirelessly enable fixture I don't want too hack.
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First proper outing is this friday, but I have used these modules before, which gave me the confidence to retro fit them into my fixtures. With regards to compatibility or commerical units, I don't know as Ive not got any, or tested any, but would be interesting to see if they worked with the ADJ wireless DMX units :D

[DJ Jules]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing - I'm just considering doing this myself. My only possible criticism is that it might not be a good idea to block the vents in the moving heads? You can get sticky backed "Stand offs" for PCB's which would solve this problem though (they'd just replace your sticky backed cable ties) and they'd also be sure to keep the back of the PCB off the metal case.

Can you give a link to the Wireless DMX modules you found? It'd be good to start with something tried and tested if I go down this route myself?

Julian

[bmdj]

Hi,
I get mine from http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/haiking_lighting only because I have used them before so know what Im getting. There are plenty of them, best putting in an offer to get them cheaper, Ive just ordered another 4. If more people wanted them I might be tempted to buy a bulk load. Obviously there may be import tax on these but it wouldn't be much.

They also do a ready made module built into an XLR case but again these need a 5v psu brick to be plugged in somewhere for power.

The pcb actually back stands back from the vents so doesnt block them, so plenty of air flow still getting in.

[DJ Jules]

I get mine from http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/haiking_lighting only because I have used them before so know what Im getting. There are plenty of them, best putting in an offer to get them cheaper, Ive just ordered another 4. If more people wanted them I might be tempted to buy a bulk load. Obviously there may be import tax on these but it wouldn't be much.

Ah, he doesn't have a lot on his eBay store at present. I'll have a look at some of the other eBay sellers, it looks like they've all got pretty much the same product.


The pcb actually back stands back from the vents so doesnt block them, so plenty of air flow still getting in.

Cool, I couldn't tell from the photos :)

Julian

[bmdj]

Theres plenty on Aliexpress.com as well http://m.aliexpress.com/search.htm?keywords=dmx%20wireless%20%20pcb

[DJ Jules]

6 units from eBay later and I thought I'd share my experience of doing a retrofit of my own. For the transmitter (velcro'd to the side of my DMXKing), the Micro Fusion washes and my lighting T-Bar I bought a bunch of ABS boxes from Maplins (N80BQ) which fit the units perfectly with a short fly leads for DMX out and power.

For the transmitter I'm drawing power from a USB port from my laptop (quoted power drain is 500ma which is spot on for USB, but in practice these units draw less than 50ma in use), for the 3 boxed receivers, I'm pulling 5V from the CA-9 connector on the back of the Cougars and Micro Fusions so I haven't had to break into the fixtures at all (and also there's no space at all in the Micro Fusions!!)

For the Equinox Ballero's I mounted the units inside the fixtures and pulled a 5v supply from the back of the control PCB as there's a lot of air in these fixtures and they're a plastic chassis which is easy to drill (I'm less shy about drilling into fixtures!)

The first conversions took a couple of hours, the last one took about 45mins. Most of this time was spent drilling fixtures/boxes to mount the PCB's, making the electrical connections takes minutes.

The Ballero's are older moving heads so with these there are no issues with the fixtures trying to switch to master and the transceivers moving to transmit - they literally power up and run instantly. With the Cougar's and the Micro Fusions the power up sequence is a little more complicated (especially when I chain a pair of ADJ Jellydome's off a Cougar) as the fixtures keep trying to flip to master/slave so the transceiver keeps trying to switch to transmit. Because of this it looks like I have to get the transmitter going first, then power up the fixtures, then manually force the Cougar/Micro fusion into DMX mode (so A001 is shown on the control panel) and then connect the transceiver. I note the OP had this issue as well...

I have identified a couple of DMX transceiver buffer chips that I could use to stop this problem (by effectively making the DMX communication one way on the chain) but they're expensive, bulky (compared to the transceivers) and really hard to get hold of. If the components on the transceiver weren't so small I'm pretty sure I could either disable the DMX receiver part of the transceiver's DMX interface or disconnect the receiver line to force the transceiver to always run as a wireless receiver. I could probably do this by grounding the receive line on the edge of the transceiver PCB, but I'm not sure if this might damage the buffer IC on the board so I'm reluctant to try it.

Next up on the list is wireless DMX for a few of my PAR's - I'm pretty sure there's going to be space in these to mount the units internally - every PAR I've opened up to date has been mostly air and the physical size has more to do with the space required for the power/XLR connectors than anything else :D

Julian

[yourdj]

I am interested in this - I saw those on Ebay too.

All my lighting is wireless DMX but I have a couple of moving heads coming so will give it a go.

I have a IEC powered box for the main lighting and the uplighting is wireless from another generic sender, so can route through one of them.

[adster]

Theres plenty on Aliexpress.com as well http://m.aliexpress.com/search.htm?keywords=dmx%20wireless%20%20pcb

This is my first post to the forums (after a week of waiting to be approved, but it's done!) Anyways this thread brought me here and I have quite a bit of questions.

First of all, how easy is it to find a 5V lead on most fixtures? I have a similar DAS Light controller (LumiDesk) which is identical in size. Are you able to share more photos of that install, particularly where you were able to find the 5V solder point on the controller?

Thanks for this info so far. I love it.

[bmdj]

Hi I'm pretty sure the pcb is screen printed with the connections inside, my Daslight interface has a multi-connector on the side for an external switch interface and also has some internal pads on the pcb; you're best looking at the manual or opening up the case and having a look.

[dj_lil_willy]

Can some one post pictures of how these wireless dmx pcb are hooked to power and xlr. Thank you

[djgreen]

I just ordered two of the Wireless DMX PCB boards as well as 12v to 5v boards to convert a couple ADJ Megapar Profiles. If all goes well I'm going to do all 20 of them as well as my ADJ Jelly Fish. I'll keep you guys in the loop once the boards arrive in a month or so.

[yourdj]

for the 3 boxed receivers, I'm pulling 5V from the CA-9 connector on the back of the Cougars and Micro Fusions so I haven't had to break into the fixtures at all (and also there's no space at all in the Micro Fusions!!)

Ah thats very helpful! I will try that as i bought a step down from 12 volts as not to hack into anything on the main board. Did not think they would have a power supply so thats brilliant. :)

I have managed to pull out the cable on the connection and advice on getting a new one or fixing it??
Its the white bit on here:

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[Nakatomi]

The white one Toby? The white wire is probably one of the DMX data cables & looks like it goes to a Molex connector. If you can solder it'll be an easy fix. Prise the crimp out of the housing (from the position where the wire broke off) then strip about 2mm of the outer insulation off. Twist & tin the stripped wire then shove it into the crimp and solder it into place. Then simply push the newly fixed wire & crimp back into the white connector.

Without knowing what the crimp looks like it's impossible to advise what kind of crimp to buy to replace the old one, which is why I suggested soldering it as a fix. The connector may be a Molex KK series like here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-X-MOLEX-08-50-0113-TERMINAL-22-30AWG-KK-/350854652398?hash=item51b09121ee:g:z-4AAOxywXFSa8Dp - but you'll only be able to find out what it looks like by removing it from the body of the white connector.

How do you remove one then? Simples - on side side should be a vertical slot. With a small screwdriver, push down in the slot and simultaneously push the crimp from the end where there's a small square hole (i.e. the other end to where the wires come out).

You can buy ready-made molex cables but chances are you'd have to rejig the wires in the white plug housing so they follow the same colour code as the original.

[yourdj]

The white one Toby? The white wire is probably one of the DMX data cables & looks like it goes to a Molex connector. If you can solder it'll be an easy fix. Prise the crimp out of the housing (from the position where the wire broke off) then strip about 2mm of the outer insulation off. Twist & tin the stripped wire then shove it into the crimp and solder it into place. Then simply push the newly fixed wire & crimp back into the white connector.

Without knowing what the crimp looks like it's impossible to advise what kind of crimp to buy to replace the old one, which is why I suggested soldering it as a fix. The connector may be a Molex KK series like here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-X-MOLEX-08-50-0113-TERMINAL-22-30AWG-KK-/350854652398?hash=item51b09121ee:g:z-4AAOxywXFSa8Dp - but you'll only be able to find out what it looks like by removing it from the body of the white connector.

How do you remove one then? Simples - on side side should be a vertical slot. With a small screwdriver, push down in the slot and simultaneously push the crimp from the end where there's a small square hole (i.e. the other end to where the wires come out).

You can buy ready-made molex cables but chances are you'd have to rejig the wires in the white plug housing so they follow the same colour code as the original.

Yes it is a crimp thing, I meant the white connector housing. Do you know where I could get a set of new ones in various sizes?
Its the power cable that has come free from me pulling it.

[Nakatomi]

Yes it is a crimp thing, I meant the white connector housing. Do you know where I could get a set of new ones in various sizes?
Its the power cable that has come free from me pulling it.

In my experience it'll be the crimps you've damaged not the housing. Crimps & housings are pretty cheap to buy if you get copies - otherwise the housing is like a quid & the crimps are 10p each from RS or Farnell. Okay not that expensive for one-offs but where I worked we always used cheaper Chinese copies. Either way you'll need to see what the actual crimps look like to find one to mate with the connector on the board properly.

Can you take & post photos of close-ups of both the crimps & the housing? You'll need to remove a crimp & take pics side-on from two angles - one where the prongs are folded over where the wire enters the crimp & one at 90 degrees to that aspect. It's just about the only way to find out what kind of crimps they are. I wouldn't wish a search on the RS website on anybody.

If it was me doing the repair I'd be tempted to just solder the wires to the board instead (after removing the connector) but that's only for very experienced solderers ;)

[Benny Smyth]

If it was me doing the repair I'd be tempted to just solder the wires to the board instead (after removing the connector) but that's only for very experienced solderers ;)

Never to be attempted by toy solderers. It's bad for health and safety, as they keep falling down.

:coat:

[yourdj]

If it was me doing the repair I'd be tempted to just solder the wires to the board instead (after removing the connector) but that's only for very experienced solderers ;)

I will take a photo of them. i have ordered another one from China this time to see if its the board thats broken. I am fine with soldering. Its only a 5 volt supply so no danger. the worth that will happen is that the DMX will stop functioning. :)

Still could do with a set of crimps. I bought a little electronics kit recently so want to get in to it. Got a clamp thing, shrink tube, multimeter, wires and some other stuff.

[Nakatomi]

I will take a photo of them. i have ordered another one from China this time to see if its the board thats broken. I am fine with soldering. Its only a 5 volt supply so no danger. the worth that will happen is that the DMX will stop functioning. :)

Still could do with a set of crimps. I bought a little electronics kit recently so want to get in to it. Got a clamp thing, shrink tube, multimeter, wires and some other stuff.

Well, my point is that there are loads of different types of crimped connections used in gear. Even when you're talking about 0.1" pitch connectors there are loads to consider. Molex KK is very common but other ones are often used too. I found a good site for you to look at which has examples of common types: linky (http://tech.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/)

[yourdj]

Well, my point is that there are loads of different types of crimped connections used in gear. Even when you're talking about 0.1" pitch connectors there are loads to consider. Molex KK is very common but other ones are often used too. I found a good site for you to look at which has examples of common types: linky (http://tech.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/)

Thanks - pretty sure its the one below??

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[Nakatomi]

Thanks - pretty sure its the one below??

17509

Yeuch. JST connectors. Hate these with a passion I normally reserve for the Grease megamix. Try to solder the wire back onto the crimp is what I'd do. JST connectors are a bitch to crimp even with the correct tool, let alone with small nosed pliers or whatever - hence why wires are always falling out of them.

[yourdj]

Yeuch. JST connectors. Hate these with a passion I normally reserve for the Grease megamix. Try to solder the wire back onto the crimp is what I'd do. JST connectors are a bitch to crimp even with the correct tool, let alone with small nosed pliers or whatever - hence why wires are always falling out of them.

Yes they are not very good quality. I will solder then.

Shame you live in Durram I need someone to show me how to do things really. :)
Youtube is OK but not great.

[Nakatomi]

Yes they are not very good quality. I will solder then.

Shame you live in Durram I need someone to show me how to do things really. :)
Youtube is OK but not great.

Heheh. For the right fee I could be a mobile soldering tutor :D

[yourdj]

Heheh. For the right fee I could be a mobile soldering tutor :D

I will get the lights out tomorrow or Wed and have a look. Its not too much hassle to just plug in one of the par lights, but I have always been about making life easy for myself as every little thing takes up valuable time.

I am thinking of getting the quad phase HP's if it works on my triphases.

[Nakatomi]

I will get the lights out tomorrow or Wed and have a look. Its not too much hassle to just plug in one of the par lights, but I have always been about making life easy for myself as every little thing takes up valuable time.

I am thinking of getting the quad phase HP's if it works on my triphases.


I only have (counts on fingers... ) er... yay many DMX fixtures & I'm starting to get mighty tired of plugging XLRs in now so have started considering wireless conversions. If you have any joy I wouldn't mind seeing a link to the boards you've bought.

I've also got a little side project going on at work (keeps me looking busy when I'm waiting for things to heat up & cool down) .. dunno if I'll ever get round to making it though.. optoisolated, FTDI based USB-DMX converter with (fanfare!) no less than three outputs. Not 3 universes, just one split 3 ways. Component cost would be around £20 not including case & connectors - but I think I'm really just showing off my PCB layout skills.

[Nakatomi]

Right. After last weekend's DMX cable fun (I just about had enough XLR-XLR cables) I've decided rather than buy more cables I'm going to take a punt on a couple of wireless modules & set about converting some of my kit. 1 or 2 cables per fixture I can live with, but four.. nah. That & if you cover much distance between DMX outposts it adds up to a lot of cable coiling at the end of the night. I'll doubtless write up my experiences with the modules on my blog.

[yourdj]

Right. After last weekend's DMX cable fun (I just about had enough XLR-XLR cables) I've decided rather than buy more cables I'm going to take a punt on a couple of wireless modules & set about converting some of my kit. 1 or 2 cables per fixture I can live with, but four.. nah. That & if you cover much distance between DMX outposts it adds up to a lot of cable coiling at the end of the night. I'll doubtless write up my experiences with the modules on my blog.

Take lots of photos as I want to do mine. I am experimenting on my Tri phases and if that works do it to the quad HP's when i get them.

[Nakatomi]

Take lots of photos as I want to do mine. I am experimenting on my Tri phases and if that works do it to the quad HP's when i get them.

Oh I'll be thorough. Have you seen my post about how I fixed my mc2000?

http://www.justinhornsby.co.uk/

I've considered doing a video about modding my lights but having thought about how much I hate having to watch a howto video rather than read about it... Nah. And unboxing videos can go & die in a fire. Who wants to watch somebody taking stuff out of a box? Pfft!

[Benny Smyth]

Who wants to watch somebody taking stuff out of a box? Pfft!

See, I do that sometimes. I obsessively research most things that I buy, so I have been known to watch unboxing videos. When I researched my movers, one of the reasons I watched the videos was to see how big they are in real terms, as opposed to measurements on the description.

However, I don't see why they cannot be a 30-second time lapse. Spending 10 minutes taking a microphone out of it's box is taking the :Censored:.

[Nakatomi]

See, I do that sometimes. I obsessively research most things that I buy, so I have been known to watch unboxing videos. When I researched my movers, one of the reasons I watched the videos was to see how big they are in real terms, as opposed to measurements on the description.

However, I don't see why they cannot be a 30-second time lapse. Spending 10 minutes taking a microphone out of it's box is taking the :Censored:.

I'm the guy who almost always reads the manual before even considering buying something. Okay some unboxing videos are useful. I just get tired of trying to find useful videos of stuff - like how to fix a thing or see what it's like in use (e.g. a phone) and only coming up with a 15 minute video of someone taking the thing out of its packaging. It never helps when the video is shot in Wobblyvision & is hosted by a screechy person from Merkinland either :mad:

Anyhow.. I've placed my order for two wireless DMX thingies & will keep folk posted as to my progress with them.

[DJ Jules]

You're a bit late to the party on this one aren't you? :D It's been done on Facebook a few times recently and it's been talked about round on here for a few years (I did the conversion on mine 2 or 3 years ago after seeing an article on here?)

Having said all that, there's no video on YouTube yet, so I guess there's still room for more info :)

If anyone is genuinely interested in how I've done it, I've got the PCB's inside the following fixtures now and I'd be happy to take photos if anyone wanted them:

QTX SP64 pars
LEDJ 7q5 Par cans
Stairville 252/8 bars
Equinox Ballero Moving heads

I've also fitted them externally to Acme Cougars and Acme Fusion moving washes (which is dead easy using the Acme Wireless remote port for power). Generally though it's just a case of finding space in the case for the board, drilling two holes for the LED and the push button switch, one hole for the Ariel and then finding a 5V rail, and soldering to the back of the DMX connectors. With the last lot of pars I got it down to about 15-20mins per fixture, and most of that was pulling them apart and putting them back together again.

Julian

[Nakatomi]

You're a bit late to the party on this one aren't you? :D It's been done on Facebook a few times recently and it's been talked about round on here for a few years (I did the conversion on mine 2 or 3 years ago after seeing an article on here?)

Having said all that, there's no video on YouTube yet, so I guess there's still room for more info :)

If anyone is genuinely interested in how I've done it, I've got the PCB's inside the following fixtures now and I'd be happy to take photos if anyone wanted them:

QTX SP64 pars
LEDJ 7q5 Par cans
Stairville 252/8 bars
Equinox Ballero Moving heads

I've also fitted them externally to Acme Cougars and Acme Fusion moving washes (which is dead easy using the Acme Wireless remote port for power). Generally though it's just a case of finding space in the case for the board, drilling two holes for the LED and the push button switch, one hole for the Ariel and then finding a 5V rail, and soldering to the back of the DMX connectors. With the last lot of pars I got it down to about 15-20mins per fixture, and most of that was pulling them apart and putting them back together again.

Julian

Do you actually need to use the switch? I haven't found a manual for those things yet ;) I'm guessing it might play a role in 'pairing' the devices but I dunno til mine arrive. Gonna be a bit of a sod if there's any button pressing needs to be done when the light is rigged already.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

You're a bit late to the party on this one aren't you? :D It's been done on Facebook a few times recently and it's been talked about round on here for a few years (I did the conversion on mine 2 or 3 years ago after seeing an article on here?)

Having said all that, there's no video on YouTube yet, so I guess there's still room for more info :)

If anyone is genuinely interested in how I've done it, I've got the PCB's inside the following fixtures now and I'd be happy to take photos if anyone wanted them:

QTX SP64 pars
LEDJ 7q5 Par cans
Stairville 252/8 bars
Equinox Ballero Moving heads

I've also fitted them externally to Acme Cougars and Acme Fusion moving washes (which is dead easy using the Acme Wireless remote port for power). Generally though it's just a case of finding space in the case for the board, drilling two holes for the LED and the push button switch, one hole for the Ariel and then finding a 5V rail, and soldering to the back of the DMX connectors. With the last lot of pars I got it down to about 15-20mins per fixture, and most of that was pulling them apart and putting them back together again.

Julian

Id be very interested in a tutorial with plenty of help not to electrocute ones self :D

[yourdj]

OK did a successful fit of Quad Phase today, works a treat.
Why they don't do this as standard I have no idea as it cost me about £9. :)
Only drilled one hole as I used the CA8 hole and the metal hook thing - hole.

17525

17526

17527

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[Nakatomi]

Hey, nice job Toby! Heatshrunk too :)

[yourdj]

Hey, nice job Toby! Heatshrunk too :)

Notice my soldering is not in shot. its strong but looks pretty poor. The light won't get bashed about. As a bonus the part from the lid holds it all in place, so its well set back but not in danger of falling into the light. I did glue gun it but thats works better, so removed the glue as it looks messy and does not stick to the metal very well. I would probably bolt it just off from the chassy a bit like the other led control board in shot.

[Nakatomi]

Just one thing Toby. You did reconnect the yellow & green wire to wherever it was originally, didn't you? That's an Earth bonding wire.

[DJ Jules]

Do you actually need to use the switch? I haven't found a manual for those things yet ;) I'm guessing it might play a role in 'pairing' the devices but I dunno til mine arrive. Gonna be a bit of a sod if there's any button pressing needs to be done when the light is rigged already.

Then only time I've used the switch so far has been when I've accidentally knocked it and switched a fixture to another a channel :D If all the lights are being driven by one DMX controller, the you shouldn't need it. It only comes into play if you want to operate multiple fixtures on different controllers.

Julian

[Nakatomi]

If one DMX universe isn't enough for a mobile DJ.... I'd get jealous!

[yourdj]

Just one thing Toby. You did reconnect the yellow & green wire to wherever it was originally, didn't you? That's an Earth bonding wire.

Good question. Yes i did. :)
It goes onto the lid.

[Nakatomi]

Now it's my turn!

http://www.justinhornsby.co.uk/?p=103

Did my Giga Bar & USB DMX adapter to start with. More boards are now on their way. It's going to make a wonderful difference to my setup & teardown :D

[spukemonkey]

after reading this forum I brought a pcb and decided to give it a go on my trilex :-)
17705

I made a template of the board (from this Jpeg but be warned some of the pcbs have holes that are 1mm or less out)
17706
drilled all the holes to the correct dimensions used m3 1/4" 3 bolts per corner (2 used to level the board up so it don't hit the casing and 1 to secure it). Power was pulled off the 12v line and dropped down using a l7805 and a 10uf 63v cap. the dmx side of it was soldered direct to the pins on the back of the in plug.

Had it running for 4 hours no issues
once my new board arrives I will be tackling my moving heads (I will take pics from start to finish) but this time I am using better bolts with flatter heads and black to match the unit and inside I will be using nylon nuts.

Darren

[Imagine]

I'm pulling 5V from the CA-9 connector on the back of the Cougars and Micro Fusions

Julian

I know this is a very old one - but my Acme Jaguar MSD's take the CA-8 connector which I'm reading is also 5v :)
Any idea which pins you used to get the supply Julian? I'm drawing a blank on the board at the moment :(

[yourdj]

I know this is a very old one - but my Acme Jaguar MSD's take the CA-8 connector which I'm reading is also 5v :)
Any idea which pins you used to get the supply Julian? I'm drawing a blank on the board at the moment :(

The one on the right that has nothing connected (should be 2 spare pins). Get a multi meter just to check anyway.
I have soldered it to the back of the boards where I have had the room to do so.

I have put the arial in the actual light now so its out the way. Does not affect range much I don't think?

[DJ Jules]

I know this is a very old one - but my Acme Jaguar MSD's take the CA-8 connector which I'm reading is also 5v :)
Any idea which pins you used to get the supply Julian? I'm drawing a blank on the board at the moment :(

I honestly can't remember without taking apart the connectors - multimeter + 5mins should tell you which is which :D From memory though, ground is one of the end pins.

One other slightly odd thing to mention about the CA9 connector is that it doesn't come live unless the fixtures are in DMX mode (e.g. not in sound to light or master/slave) and they also don't come live until 30 seconds after the units enter DMX mode! This caught me out a few times while I was originally testing the setup, but it seems to be consistent behaviour across the Acme Kit fitted with CA9 connectors (I've seen it on my Cougars and on some Acme Micro Fusion's).

As for CA8 - I've no clue. I've had the controllers apart a few times and they look like a common line and two bi-directional signal lines that are used to light the LED's on the controllers AND detect when the line is shorted to common. Again - pull out a meter and I'm sure you'll find out what's what quickly enough. If you're fitting the PCB's internally though, it's worth digging around a little more as I'm sure there'll be a 5V line somewhere, just look for a LM series voltage regulator...

Julian

[Imagine]

One other slightly odd thing to mention about the CA9 connector is that it doesn't come live unless the fixtures are in DMX mode (e.g. not in sound to light or master/slave) and they also don't come live until 30 seconds after the units enter DMX mode!


Ahaaaa....now THAT might explain a lot! I literally turned it on, probed, couldn't find anything and put it back together again. Will try that again tomorrow. I did think it a little odd though as there should be something there to power the LED in the handset.



As for CA8 - I've no clue. I've had the controllers apart a few times and they look like a common line and two bi-directional signal lines that are used to light the LED's on the controllers AND detect when the line is shorted to common. Again - pull out a meter and I'm sure you'll find out what's what quickly enough. If you're fitting the PCB's internally though, it's worth digging around a little more as I'm sure there'll be a 5V line somewhere, just look for a LM series voltage regulator...

Julian

Not that I can find :(

I've got down as far as an 8v which is on a spare 2 pin Molex which would have been a nice way of doing things (the only other spare Molex is 12v), but can't find anything as low as 5v.....yet.


To be honest though if I can get a 5v connection on the controller line, it's in the ideal position on the MSD250 (think Wizard and you'll see the shape I'm dealing with).

[yourdj]

The one on the right that has nothing connected (should be 2 spare pins).


ground is one of the end pins.

Ahem :p

[Imagine]

The one on the right that has nothing connected (should be 2 spare pins). Get a multi meter just to check anyway.
I have soldered it to the back of the boards where I have had the room to do so.

I have put the arial in the actual light now so its out the way. Does not affect range much I don't think?

Just to attribute and acknowledge Toby's contribution ;)

[Imagine]

after reading this forum I brought a pcb and decided to give it a go on my trilex :-)
17705Power was pulled off the 12v line and dropped down using a l7805 and a 10uf 63v cap. the dmx side of it was soldered direct to the pins on the back of the in plug.

Okaaaay.....'scuse my ignorance here. I have a grasp of proper electric, but once you start talking about components I get lost.

So - taking the above.....I know the l7805 is a voltage regulator and the 10uf 63v cap is a capacitor (I can be clever when I want to be).

Having had another look in the back of this beast, I think my safest option is to connect to the spare 12v molex that's in there (saves putting the soldering iron anywhere near the board and causing possible problems). So, would I be right in thinking that I go from the positive of the 12v pins, out to the l7805, then along to the capacitor (i.e. along a small lump of bread-board to keep things tidy) and finally into the wireless board, taking the ground from the board back to the other side of the molex? Is it that simple?

If so, that's the route I'll go as it's the least modification to the main board in the fixture itself. Connecting to the back of the XLR is no problem, but seeing the complexity of the main board in there I think it's one that's best left well alone :o

[yourdj]

Just to attribute and acknowledge Toby's contribution ;)

Ta. :p

[DJ Jules]

Having had another look in the back of this beast, I think my safest option is to connect to the spare 12v molex that's in there (saves putting the soldering iron anywhere near the board and causing possible problems). So, would I be right in thinking that I go from the positive of the 12v pins, out to the l7805, then along to the capacitor (i.e. along a small lump of bread-board to keep things tidy) and finally into the wireless board, taking the ground from the board back to the other side of the molex? Is it that simple?

Essentially, yes, except the 7805 has three pins: input, output and ground, so also needs to be connected to ground. Good tutorial here (and definitely use vero/strip board, not bread board - you don't want anything drifting out in transit).

http://www.instructables.com/id/5v-Regulator/ :D

Julian

[Imagine]

Vero board is of course what I meant.

Now here's a poser for those electronic genius' on here. I went into my local Maplin this morning with the shopping list for two of these reducers (so 1 x 7805, 1 x 10uf cap and 1 x 1uf cap as per the instructions on the indestructibles web site). The chap behind the counter scratched his head (as I have to admit did my neighbour who happens to be an electronics graduate and also in charge of something important at ARM).

What in the heck are the capacitors for out of interest? The 7805 should do the job of reducing down to 5v on its own. Just curious ;)

[Nakatomi]

Vero board is of course what I meant.

Now here's a poser for those electronic genius' on here. I went into my local Maplin this morning with the shopping list for two of these reducers (so 1 x 7805, 1 x 10uf cap and 1 x 1uf cap as per the instructions on the indestructibles web site). The chap behind the counter scratched his head (as I have to admit did my neighbour who happens to be an electronics graduate and also in charge of something important at ARM).

What in the heck are the capacitors for out of interest? The 7805 should do the job of reducing down to 5v on its own. Just curious ;)


Oh. You managed to confuzzle a Maplin staffer with something about electronics? :rofl: Your graduate friend... er.. I'd want to see a copy of his certificate if he's scratching his head at a 7805 regulator circuit. Honestly.

A capacitor is a device which stores electrical charge. Think of it as a little bit like a battery (in so far as it stores charge temporarily). Basically, the capacitors are there to help smooth out any ripples in voltages as current demands increase & decrease - and in some ways to stabilise the inner workings of the regulator chip.

The high value (tens to hundreds of microfarads) capacitor is usually placed on the input of the regulator & the smaller one (generally 100 nanofarads or so) is placed across the output. It's what the manufacturer recommends you do for best results. So do it :)

[Imagine]

To be fair to my neighbour, I probably didn't explain fully what the circuit was for (it was very late last night).

As for confuzzling a Maplins operative - always good sport ;) (although the frightening bit to mere mortals like myself is that he actually sounded knowledgeable :o ).

Okey dokey - will find the caps now (Maplins, as you'd probably expect didn't actually have any in stock).

Just like to know the reason for things to help me better understand them myself

[Nakatomi]

To be fair to my neighbour, I probably didn't explain fully what the circuit was for (it was very late last night).

As for confuzzling a Maplins operative - always good sport ;) (although the frightening bit to mere mortals like myself is that he actually sounded knowledgeable :o ).

Okey dokey - will find the caps now (Maplins, as you'd probably expect didn't actually have any in stock).

Just like to know the reason for things to help me better understand them myself

I can remember the last time I spoke to a Maplins droid very clearly. I was after some cable. The assistant offered to help but had obviously misheard me - badly.. and navigated me to the PC graphics cards section. :muppet:

Always good to know people are interested in knowing WHY though Wayne. Good on yer :)

[Imagine]

Ooooohhh....this is becoming sooooo much fun :)

Today, the second slow boat from China arrived with the DMX512 decoders for my 3ft acrylic LOVE letters (going back in the thread a little bit here).
Good news....they work :) I've successfully gained control of the letter E tonight and it does exactly what I want it to.

A point of note, I don't hire these out on their own so customers being able to control them isn't an issue. I have several venues where they just look the business set up in front of the booth (these are venues which are completely black so effects are everything) and now that they're under complete control I can do wonderful things as part of the light show. To a great extent....they provide the wash effect needed for my wedding show so I'm happy to put them onto the rig as part of the package (plus, it looks different from what everyone else is doing so I can get away with charging more in the first place). They're also really, REALLY easy to wheel in, plug in and go....my load in is getting shorter by the day. The next cunning plan was to be a booth on wheels with everything already set up and ready to plug a 13a plug into the mains....and then I realised it wouldn't work with stairs :(

So....I've now got yet more 5v step down boards coming (they're only a couple of quid each pre-made so it made sense to buy that way instead of getting the individual components, fiddling around and building my own). I've also found a UK supplier for yet more of the wireless boards. Because the letters are acrylic, I can mount the whole shooting match internally meaning I just plug a 12v adapter into the back of them and Bob's a close relation :)

I'm actually starting to enjoy this lighting control business. Who would ever have thought DMX could be so much fun? :daft:

***edit****
For those trying hard to visualize the type of set up I'm ranting on about in black wedding venues - here's a pic from a couple of weeks ago

17859

[Nakatomi]

Ah yes. Looks like somewhere I'm playing in August. Very posh for my neck of the woods.

Can you post a link for the UK seller of the wireless boards you found ? From what I've seen they tend to be double the price of the Chinoise. You didn't seem to have to wait as long for yours as I did. About a week is good going.

Btw did you make those letters yourself?

[Imagine]

Ah yes. Looks like somewhere I'm playing in August. Very posh for my neck of the woods.

Can you post a link for the UK seller of the wireless boards you found ? From what I've seen they tend to be double the price of the Chinoise. You didn't seem to have to wait as long for yours as I did. About a week is good going.

Btw did you make those letters yourself?

Will post the link later when home - but they're from eBay and a UK seller. Yes they're more expensive, but they'll be here tomorrow, giving me time to sort the letters for Saturday's wedding.
One big problem I've just realised however is that the voltage step down boards require an earth....and the 12v transformers don't have one going into the LEDS :Censored:. So, looks like I need to do something like put a socket inside the letters to plug the adapters into with an IEC presenting to the outside world so I can pick up ground from there.

And no - I didn't make them. I don't have that sort of patience. That said, I'm seriously considering giving it a go now I've seen how they're made. How hard can it be? :daft:

[Nakatomi]

Will post the link later when home - but they're from eBay and a UK seller. Yes they're more expensive, but they'll be here tomorrow, giving me time to sort the letters for Saturday's wedding.
One big problem I've just realised however is that the voltage step down boards require an earth....and the 12v transformers don't have one going into the LEDS :Censored:. So, looks like I need to do something like put a socket inside the letters to plug the adapters into with an IEC presenting to the outside world so I can pick up ground from there.

And no - I didn't make them. I don't have that sort of patience. That said, I'm seriously considering giving it a go now I've seen how they're made. How hard can it be? :daft:


FWIW I wouldn't put DC on an IEC socket. Any numpty could come along & plug in an IEC mains cable. Maybe change the connector on the lights to one with a common ground connection coming from the driver box instead. I'd likely use something like a locking circular connector e.g. http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/din-connectors/0491027/ if it'll handle the current you need.

[Imagine]

FWIW I wouldn't put DC on an IEC socket. Any numpty could come along & plug in an IEC mains cable. Maybe change the connector on the lights to one with a common ground connection coming from the driver box instead. I'd likely use something like a locking circular connector e.g. http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/din-connectors/0491027/ if it'll handle the current you need.

I wasn't - that would be silly :daft:
I was thinking more along the lines of this sort of thing (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-cable-IEC-plug-socket/dp/B005FWRHNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462882741&sr=8-2&keywords=iec+socket) with the three pin socket inside the box, and the DC adapter plugged into it to power the lights. That way, I can pick up ground from the incoming IEC for the voltage regulator to power the wireless board.

Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

[DJ Jules]

I wasn't - that would be silly :daft:
I was thinking more along the lines of this sort of thing (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-cable-IEC-plug-socket/dp/B005FWRHNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462882741&sr=8-2&keywords=iec+socket) with the three pin socket inside the box, and the DC adapter plugged into it to power the lights. That way, I can pick up ground from the incoming IEC for the voltage regulator to power the wireless board.

Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

They don't really need an Earth, you'll be fine without.

Julian

[Imagine]

They don't really need an Earth, you'll be fine without.

Julian

Except they don't work :(

I give up....I'm off to look at wireless dongles now. I'm not a sparky and don't fully understand what I'm doing.

I got the megatripar working OK - no problem. I even plugged that in last night whilst testing my newly DMX'd LOVE letters - it just connected without a hiccup....brilliant :)

However, the Wizards (well, Jaguar MSD250's) have beaten me :)

I've got a steady 12v supply on the board, so all's good.
Today, these arrived (http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/d24v5f5-5v-step-down-regulator) to step the voltage down to the required 5v for the wireless boards. Supposedly take the voltage down to 5v @ 500ma.....nope. I'm getting 8.5v out of them :daft:

It's a shame because I liked the idea of doing this little project. I've even tried on a 12v DC adapter (one of the LOVE letter adapaters), and still can't get a 5v feed. It's time to put down the soldering iron and revert to wine methinks :beer1:

[Nakatomi]

Wayne, did you get the ins & outs mixed up?

I see those boards have 4 pins.. one is input (where 12v goes) one is ground (zero volts, aka negative), one is the output (+5v hopefully) and one is a disable pin. It's possible that if you measured the disable pin you'd get about 8.5 volts...

Don't give up now.. those dongle thingies need an external PSU or battery power & you need to be free of extra cables. Hit me up on Google Hangouts if you need an extra hand, or we could Skype

[Imagine]

Wayne, did you get the ins & outs mixed up?

Errrrrrmmmm......maybe ;)


I see those boards have 4 pins.. one is input (where 12v goes) one is ground (zero volts, aka negative), one is the output (+5v hopefully) and one is a disable pin. It's possible that if you measured the disable pin you'd get about 8.5 volts...

And there's where the confusion started :daft:

I had the positive from the adapter going to VIN (so far so good....I've also linked the shutdown to the VIN because the manufacturer, although not HobbyTronic say you're supposed to if you're not planning on using the shutdown feature). So far so good.

GND - I didn't use (because Jules said it didn't need earth and I read ground as earth)....DOH!

So, from the output of the regulator into the positive of the wireless board, then from the negative of the wireless board out to the negative on the adapter.
Now I've got the negative of the adapter going to the regulator AND the wireless board.....RESULT!

It's only a little light....but you've made my night Justin. I owe you several large beers now :)

17862

So...back to the Jaguars then....I assume I treat the positive side of the two pin Molex the same as the positive from my adapter in the above scenario, and the other side as the negative (not taking those to bits at this time of night)

[Nakatomi]

Yay!

For future reference, I always tend to refer to the common pole of a power supply as 'zero volts'. Calling it ground can be confusing, but calling it earth even more so.

Anyway.. you needn't do anything with the SHDN pin:
if you want to leave the board permanently enabled, the SHDN pin can be left disconnected. Their datasheet tells us there's a 100 kilohm resistor 'pulling up' the SHDN line so you can safely just leave that pin alone.

[yourdj]

I started messing about with 12 volt step downs and all that, but decided against it, due to safety reasons.
I only fit DMX in fixtures with the CA8 rail now. :)

[Nakatomi]

I started messing about with 12 volt step downs and all that, but decided against it, due to safety reasons.
I only fit DMX in fixtures with the CA8 rail now. :)
Fair enough I suppose but even with a voltage converter it should be perfectly safe & stable

[spukemonkey]

17863

all my lights now all done as are my podiums, this is a pic of one of my moving heads, next to the l7805 is my 12v line the board is at the bottom and the aerial is at the back... has no lag even at long range saves me ages in cables now just a power cable and hazers can go where I like them:)

for the ebay supply of these pcb's I did go for the china ones got within 9 days

[Imagine]

Well - I've finally got the Jaguar's done :)

Unfortunately being metallic cases, the aerial has to come through the case - never mind....it works.
The bits I needed to make the LOVE letters wireless haven't turned up so it's cables for those this weekend. They do look good sequenced in with the rest of the light show though so well impressed with the DMX receivers in those.

Things are looking up :)

[Nakatomi]

Warranty? What warranty?

17911

Yup. That leaves just the WashFX to do next. Hope it has a ready supply of +5V :)

[Nakatomi]

Ah yes. An update to the 'can you just add wireless to a USB adapter?' thing. The real answer is NO. You can't. I had some glitches where all lights blacked out on saturday. Why? Lost comms with DMX. Only for a second or two. On looking in the light control laptop debug messages (linux as well) I saw the culprit. Over current on the port it was plugged into. So now the adapter needs a wall wart.

[Imagine]

Touch wood, all still working for me this end :)

OK, my "E" from LOVE isn't working until Wednesday due to the fact I was tired on Sunday whilst doing the wiring and inadvertantly shoved 12v into the wireless board (my God it got hot), so waiting for a replacement to arrive...and then I'm totally wireless :)

The only annoyance I have noticed is that the lights have to be powered up BEFORE the transmitter (aka firing up Freestyler). Other than that, it's all been working as sweet as a nut for me.

Now...time to look into the costs of converting the retro rig to Wireless LED....or maybe not.....

Here's the problem....(and I'm pretty sure it's not the Triacs).
On pre-programmed chases, the lamps are all full brightness. On S2L mode (which is the desirable retro look), they're weak/dim/don't light at all. Strange and well beyond my limited knowledge of electronics at the moment :(

[DJ Jules]

The only annoyance I have noticed is that the lights have to be powered up BEFORE the transmitter (aka firing up Freestyler). Other than that, it's all been working as sweet as a nut for me.

That's interesting, I've found exactly the reverse. I.e. if I power up the receivers first with some of my fixtures - specifically the Acme/Prolight kit and ADJ Jellydomes - then the fixtures drop become Masters and the receivers become transmitters. The transmitter attached to the USB dongle then becomes a receiver because it's picking up a signal and everything goes a bit crazy :daft: This is only with specific fixtures though, my uplighters, wash bars and moving heads all obey their configuration and sit waiting for a DMX signal instead of becoming masters so I can power up transmitters and receivers in any order. I've been considering buying a pair of RS422 transceiver chips to put between the Receivers and the DMX chain so I can prevent the receivers from becoming masters by cutting the incoming signal. It's quite a long way down my to do list though... :D


Here's the problem....(and I'm pretty sure it's not the Triacs).
On pre-programmed chases, the lamps are all full brightness. On S2L mode (which is the desirable retro look), they're weak/dim/don't light at all. Strange and well beyond my limited knowledge of electronics at the moment :(

Sounds like all the more reason to dump the filament lamps and the controller and replace them with LED's :D

Julian

[Nakatomi]

I've always make sure my transmitter is not only turned on first, but transmitting DMX. Mine has the LED blinking green in receive mode & red in tx mode.

As for the faulty s2l... It's likely just a dud passive component like an electrolytic capacitor blocking the audio path of the audio. I never liked s2l .. It was always way too flickery & flashy for my tastes. Except on a Pulsar Zero 4000 but I could only ever dream of owning one of those

[Nakatomi]

Here's what I've been up to lately.

A mate of mine asked me to retrofit some wireless DMX boards in his lights. 2x KAM Starbursts, 2x Martin Wizards & 2x Martin MAC Aura thus far.

The MAC Aura came in first, and was surprisingly easy to do. The outer lid of the base casing is all plastic, which meant the antennas could safely be stowed inside :)

Next up were the startbursts. Absolute pigs to get into the base, but straightforward enough after that.

Then the Wizards. Oh deary me.

The process for me finding out where to pick up power from is simple. Look for voltage regulator devices on the circuit boards inside, then CAREFULLY with the unit powered up, verify 5 volts DC is there. Make a note of it.

Then, I usually 'buzz out' the DMX signals from the connectors on the back of the unit to the internal wiring looms. Usually this produces good results first time & sometimes you don't even have to do very much tracing because the connectors might be labelled.

Not so in the case of the Wizards. With the fixture powered off I followed pin 2 of the DMX IN socket to an internal loom marked 'DMX'. Dandy. Pin 3 was found right next to where the pin 2 wire went, so I thought I was in like Flynn. What it took me over 2 hours to figure out was this: All the DMX on Martin kit is isolated from the main logic board(s) & even DMX out is buffered, and again isolated from DMX IN. When the unit is powered off, obviously the buffering & isolation would also be powered off so the IN & OUT sockets are linked with a relay. What I spent an inordinate amount of time doing was trying to figure out why the heck the DMX wasn't getting from the receiver to the fixture. D'OH! Good job I wasn't charging my mate an hourly rate. Well good for him anyway.

[DJ Jules]

One quick warning on the Wireless DMX PCB's... I've seen a few conversions where people have buried the PCB inside the casing completely with no access to either the status light or the single "channel select" button. Don't do it.

These PCB's are getting more and more common now and I've started encountering venues that have bought uplighters from China, other suppliers who have retrofitted their fixtures or just buildings where I've been able to inexplicably pick up a wireless DMX signal from "somewhere else". In each case I've changed channel (and luckily the units remember the last channel they used), but if I didn't have access to the LED/button I'd have been stuffed.

One other warning from experience... when you fix the PCB's, make sure that they're fixed well enough that you can push the button without dislodging the PCB from it's mounts! In one LED bar I fixed the PCB using sticky fixers and it turns out this isn't sufficient to withstanding a bit of button poking in a warm fixture where the glue might soften during use....

Julian

[Nakatomi]

Good points made there Julian.

I always find somewhere to mount the boards so that the led is visible & the button is accessible.

As for mounting... I've always just used cable ties. Done carefully there's no shorting out risk, and nothing to come unscrewed or unstuck.

[yourdj]

One quick warning on the Wireless DMX PCB's... I've seen a few conversions where people have buried the PCB inside the casing completely with no access to either the status light or the single "channel select" button. Don't do it.

These PCB's are getting more and more common now and I've started encountering venues that have bought uplighters from China, other suppliers who have retrofitted their fixtures or just buildings where I've been able to inexplicably pick up a wireless DMX signal from "somewhere else". In each case I've changed channel (and luckily the units remember the last channel they used), but if I didn't have access to the LED/button I'd have been stuffed.

One other warning from experience... when you fix the PCB's, make sure that they're fixed well enough that you can push the button without dislodging the PCB from it's mounts! In one LED bar I fixed the PCB using sticky fixers and it turns out this isn't sufficient to withstanding a bit of button poking in a warm fixture where the glue might soften during use....

Julian

Very good point, the one on my lighting bar has come loose, making it inaccessible. I need to glue it back, just incase i need to change frequency or it gets knocked and changes itself. I must say they are very well designed little units. :)

side note: I have just ordered a load more mains powered lights so have 5 battery lights for sale. They are perfect, although a couple of the batteries need changing. :)

[yourdj]

Very good point

I set up tonight and my control light was all over the place. I immediately blamed the Photo Booth or the new card machine, but it turned out to be a dodgy cable. always change cables first :p

[Andy P]

Where did you take the 5v from - Im doing one and would love it if you had a photo of where you found it.


OK did a successful fit of Quad Phase today, works a treat.
Why they don't do this as standard I have no idea as it cost me about £9. :)
Only drilled one hole as I used the CA8 hole and the metal hook thing - hole.

17525

17526

17527

17528

[Imagine]

OK - sorry to drag up and old thread but struggling today :(

I have in front of me, and in pieces an ADJ InnoPocket Spot and a Chauvet Intimidator 305IRC.

I can't for the life of me find anything 5v on them (yup....I've just brought a load of new boards). Closest I can seem to find is around 8v which is obviously going to fry the wifi board.

Anyone done these fixtures before and have a clue as to where I might pick up said 5v?

[Nakatomi]

There's definitely 5v in the inno pocket series I can tell you that. Take good closeups of the rear of the display board & I'll help you out.

[Andy P]

OK - sorry to drag up and old thread but struggling today :(

I have in front of me, and in pieces an ADJ InnoPocket Spot and a Chauvet Intimidator 305IRC.

I can't for the life of me find anything 5v on them (yup....I've just brought a load of new boards). Closest I can seem to find is around 8v which is obviously going to fry the wifi board.

Anyone done these fixtures before and have a clue as to where I might pick up said 5v?

Got any photos of inside

[Nakatomi]

On the other side of the display board in the inno pocket spot there's a regulator with 2 pins next to a similar device with 5 legs roughly in the centre at the top edge. The 2 legged device actually has 3 terminals. Ground, which is on the back edge, power in (which should be 12V) and 5V output. 5V is likely to be the leg nearest the board edge if I remember right.

[Imagine]

On the other side of the display board in the inno pocket spot there's a regulator with 2 pins next to a similar device with 5 legs roughly in the centre at the top edge. The 2 legged device actually has 3 terminals. Ground, which is on the back edge, power in (which should be 12V) and 5V output. 5V is likely to be the leg nearest the board edge if I remember right.

Will test that now.

Desperately trying to upload photos to show you at the moment but the web is saying no :(

[Imagine]

Got it (the photo uploading bit)

Front board of the InnoPocketSpot

18203

And the next three are from the Intimidator 305

18204

18205

18206

[Imagine]

On the other side of the display board in the inno pocket spot there's a regulator with 2 pins next to a similar device with 5 legs roughly in the centre at the top edge. The 2 legged device actually has 3 terminals. Ground, which is on the back edge, power in (which should be 12V) and 5V output. 5V is likely to be the leg nearest the board edge if I remember right.


18207

If you mean the one in the right of this picture (the square black thing with 2 1/2 legs), I'm getting 25v out of the leg nearest the edge of the board and 12v on the other :(

[Imagine]

18207

If you mean the one in the right of this picture (the square black thing with 2 1/2 legs), I'm getting 25v out of the leg nearest the edge of the board and 12v on the other :(

Ever had one of those days :(

I've got a new multimeter and the AD/DC switch isn't actually that clear as to what's what :(

The one further from the edge of the board is giving 5v :)

[Nakatomi]

Oh then clever clogs... ;)

On the master PCB of the Intimidator 305 Barrel (http://www.chauvetparts.com/content/Chauvet/images/250/Products/MASTER_ITEMS/PTH2020302238111.jpg) is a 3 pin regulator near the bottom left of the picture I linked.

Leftmost (bottom) pin is likely 12V in & rightmost (top) pin is likely its output. The photos aren't clear enough for me to be able to tell the voltage from the chip number. Oh & the middle leg is likely 0V ground.

[Imagine]

Oh then clever clogs... ;)

On the master PCB of the Intimidator 305 Barrel (http://www.chauvetparts.com/content/Chauvet/images/250/Products/MASTER_ITEMS/PTH2020302238111.jpg) is a 3 pin regulator near the bottom left of the picture I linked.

Leftmost (bottom) pin is likely 12V in & rightmost (top) pin is likely its output. The photos aren't clear enough for me to be able to tell the voltage from the chip number. Oh & the middle leg is likely 0V ground.

Close but no lobster :(

Chip no is AMS1117

[Nakatomi]

Ok then using dmx ground as 0v what are the voltages on the pins of the ams1117chip?

[Imagine]

Ok then using dmx ground as 0v what are the voltages on the pins of the ams1117chip?

Now that I've had some dinner, a cuppa (plus wired 2 InnoPockets and 2 Kam Powerpartybars)......would you Adam and Eve it....it's showing 4.8v. That'll do for me :)

Just got to dive inside the fixture now to actually solder to the back of the DMX plug rather than holding the probe against it form the other side.

:thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks:

[Nakatomi]

Now that I've had some dinner, a cuppa (plus wired 2 InnoPockets and 2 Kam Powerpartybars)......would you Adam and Eve it....it's showing 4.8v. That'll do for me :)

Just got to dive inside the fixture now to actually solder to the back of the DMX plug rather than holding the probe against it form the other side.

:thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks:

Yeah well.. pays to take a step back & have a cuppa sometimes :D

[Imagine]

Yeah well.. pays to take a step back & have a cuppa sometimes :D

After spending this afternoon/evening retro fitting 2 x Innopocket Spots, 2 x Kam PowerPartyPars (nice and easy in theory...the 5v supply is right in front of you but it's soooooooo fiddly to attach to....and then there's a million screws to get into the thing in the first place!), and 2 Intimidator 305's - I'm having a well earned beer!

Just need to do the remaining Mega TriPars now (nice and easy) and everything is under wireless control :) :) :)

Thanks a million for your help this afternoon Justin - it's made life a lot easier :) :beer1::beer1:

[Nakatomi]

After spending this afternoon/evening retro fitting 2 x Innopocket Spots, 2 x Kam PowerPartyPars (nice and easy in theory...the 5v supply is right in front of you but it's soooooooo fiddly to attach to....and then there's a million screws to get into the thing in the first place!), and 2 Intimidator 305's - I'm having a well earned beer!

Just need to do the remaining Mega TriPars now (nice and easy) and everything is under wireless control :) :) :)

Thanks a million for your help this afternoon Justin - it's made life a lot easier :) :beer1::beer1:

You don't know what fiddly is :D

Try changing the LED on an ADJ Inno Pocket Roll. No, not the board with the LED on. The LED that lives on the LED board. Now that's fiddly! Incidentally I don't think I've introduced you guys to my new sideline yet.... The Disco Doc...

[mattydj50]

You don't know what fiddly is :D

Try changing the LED on an ADJ Inno Pocket Roll. No, not the board with the LED on. The LED that lives on the LED board. Now that's fiddly! Incidentally I don't think I've introduced you guys to my new sideline yet.... The Disco Doc...

As I've literally just ordered two of those, I shall bear this in mind.

[Nakatomi]

As I've literally just ordered two of those, I shall bear this in mind.

The LED is about a fiver from RS Components but it's an absolute sod to replace because the board it's mounted on is virtually a heatsink. I had to use a hotplate (not a cooking one I might add) to rework it.

[djmario]

Hi, can you help me with wiring this wireless dmx transciever board, i just dont know how to properly install this 1834518346

i would like to use one as transmitter and others for reciever so could you provide both scheme ? Thanks.

[yourdj]

Hi, can you help me with wiring this wireless dmx transciever board, i just dont know how to properly install this 1834518346

i would like to use one as transmitter and others for reciever so could you provide both scheme ? Thanks.

You should have 3 little wires with a thing that plugs into that plastic connector.
One is for power, should have plus minus.
The other two are for DMX, which ones? Trial and error really.

Finding the 5 volt supply will be the biggest challenge, you will need a multimeter (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Ammeter-AC-DC-OHM-Current-Circuit-Tester-Leads-NEW-/361970722912?var=&hash=item544722e860:m:mekxFp-3yy0XQTe_5afTiSg).
Also mounting it somewhere is also a challenge, depending on the fixture.
You will need access to the button and also be able to see the light.
Loose the unit in the light and sods law it will change to a different colour!!

Its not a simple process especially if you need 12-5 volt converters.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8tr2UhnlI

[djmario]

I know that, but im confused with other four inputs (5+ RX TX GND), do i need to solder anything there or ?

[Imagine]

I know that, but im confused with other four inputs (5+ RX TX GND), do i need to solder anything there or ?

If you're talking about those on the side of the board, no is the answer.
Everything you need is in the plug which comes with the boards.

[djmario]

After i saw part2 of that linked video i figured out everything. Thank you anyway for fast help. ;) ;)

[Alpobass]

Hello! I have newly received these boards and i can't get it working. i have four of these. id like to use one as transmitter and three as receiver. seller cannot help me with connections. i know that YELLOW is PIN1/GND and BLACK is PIN4/+5V. I have tried so many ways and combinations I'm tired :(

I have red led on in sending and receiving end. But no luck yet. Tried different card also.

I have USB dmx box and one fixture here. works with cable.

Any help?

18432
18433
18434

[Nakatomi]

Ahh the good old BLUE wireless board. They've never come with a correctly coloured cable. Red is 5V, black is 0V (GND) to most people with any experience of electronics etc right? Yes! Well except in this case.

Your seller's diagram showing you the pin numbers is correct, but the wire colours in the cable are not I'm afraid.

Judging by your photographs, YELLOW is +5V & RED goes to DMX pin 2.

[Alpobass]

So WHITE goes to PIN3 at XLR. BLACK is negative?...... NO! It isn't... BLACK is +5V and YELLOW is negative. And i just measured again multimeter says +5VDC and I'm, well, electrician... -This way led will stay on. -Should i throw all to the garbage bin? What boards do you recommend?

[Nakatomi]

So WHITE goes to PIN3 at XLR. BLACK is negative?...... NO! It isn't... BLACK is +5V and YELLOW is negative. And i just measured again multimeter says +5VDC and I'm, well, electrician... -This way led will stay on. -Should i throw all to the garbage bin? What boards do you recommend?

The blue coloured boards are just fine in my experience if you just ignore the wire colours & only pay attention to the connector pins they go to (i.e. PCB pin 1 is +5V etc) - or if you rearrange the wires in the crimp housing. I always tend to do the latter.

[Alpobass]

No, these aren't working. That is it.

I even soldered off that white connector and soldered new wires. I have power. My laptop is sending DMX because hard-wired to fixture works. I tried connecting D-/D+ both ways. No nothing but red steady led.

I even closed all my wireless network in da house. No help.

I am still wondering what does that ground on XLR pin 1 mean?

[Nakatomi]

Sounds like you might have damaged the rs485 transciever chip on the wireless module (little surface mount 8 pin chip).

Gnd in fixtures is usually dmx gnd too, so you generally only need to link to psu ground (0v not mains Earth)

[Alpobass]

So you think i have damaged all four chips? Well i don't think so.... Of course its possible but...

Can you please draw me schematics with basic principles with these. I think there is many other people wondering same things...

[Nakatomi]

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB18gfIGpXXXXaPXVXXq6xXFXXXh/201565583/HTB18gfIGpXXXXaPXVXXq6xXFXXXh.jpg

[Alpobass]

Ok, thank You. Have seen that before. So that means that PIN4 must be connected XLR1? I might sound stupid, but my brain is locked on these :)

[Nakatomi]

Ok, thank You. Have seen that before. So that means that PIN4 must be connected XLR1? I might sound stupid, but my brain is locked on these :)

No. Usually dmx pin 1 (dmx 0v or dmx gnd) should be common to the power supply 0v.

[Alpobass]

This is the way i connect these. Varying D-/D+ but doesn't work. Am i still missing something here?

18435

[Nakatomi]

Aha!

Well. Is the 5v psu part of the fixture? I was assuming it was. I've converted all my lights this way.

If not, you'll need to connect xlr pin 1 to your psu 0v because otherwise there'll be no reference for the dmx.

[Alpobass]

No, this is transmitter side with external wall-psu. My DMX-controller is connected to laptop via USB. Just tested won't work with wall-psu negative connected to PIN1 on XLR OUT.

I think its better someone to draw real connections so anyone can see. Something like my picture above. Please draw transmitter side and receiver side. Thanks.

[Alpobass]

Should user connect hardwired from USB-DMX-box to first ficture and from there continue via wireless DMX?

Well, this connection (blue line) did not help on transmitter side in this case (USB-DMX-box)...

18436

[Alpobass]

Ok, I figured it out!

On transmitter side, DMX pin1 must be connected to fixtures PSU negative as it usually is.

On receiver side it doesn't matter.

[Nakatomi]

For the avoidance of doubt, don't call 0V negative (because it isn't!) ;)

Also, you realise that you can power your wireless DMX transmitter from USB don't you? I have my wireless DMX in the same box as my USB DMX adapter & it doesn't need an external PSU.

[Alpobass]

For the avoidance of doubt, don't call 0V negative (because it isn't!) ;)

Also, you realise that you can power your wireless DMX transmitter from USB don't you? I have my wireless DMX in the same box as my USB DMX adapter & it doesn't need an external PSU.

Well I have been told from school days that in DC side there is positive and negative.

I have to check that USB powering, maby i can build it inside my USB-DMX box!

[Nakatomi]

Well I have been told from school days that in DC side there is positive and negative.

I have to check that USB powering, maby i can build it inside my USB-DMX box!

+ is positive with respect to 0v. Negative would be er.. negative with respect to 0v. In split rail supplies, you can have +5, 0 and -5V for example. 0V in that case really shouldn't be called negative :)

Semantics!

[Andy P]

18439I made these boxes for people who didnt want to open up the lights. Piggybacks on the IEC for power, and sticks on the back of the fixture. Not as cheap as a dongle, but doesn't need charged or a silly 5v psu lead.

[Alpobass]

I made these boxes for people who didnt want to open up the lights. Piggybacks on the IEC for power, and sticks on the back of the fixture. Not as cheap as a dongle, but doesn't need charged or a silly 5v psu lead.

Looks very nice! Can you draw schematics for those? So other people can build their own...

[Alpobass]

No, i still can't make it work. Can somebody please tell me what to connect based on my plain drawing.

18440

This is how i have connected it. And i have tried many different variations connecting DMX1 and GND also.

18441

I have both transmitter and receiver lights blinking. But nothing happens on receiving fixture.

[Alpobass]

Can anyone help?

[Andy P]

Not sure my mind doesn't work with diagrams. When I wire the board into the fixture I use a test meter to find the 5v supply normally off the leg of a voltage regulator. I then just wire the other 3 wires to the DMX plug as it has ground and signal plus and minis.

When I made the receiver boxes I used a main phone charger guts to drop the voltage, but again done with a test meter.

[Nakatomi]

The diagram looks fine to me which leads me to suggest one or more of the wireless dmx boards has a fault or your dmx signals (d+ & d-) are crossed over. There's another possibility though & that may be that 0v on the fixture psu isn't also dmx gnd. This would be the case in a martin or other higher end fixture. Those tend to isolate dmx from the rest of the fixture electronics (for safety mostly) & need a different approach.

Without seeing photos of the fixture's guts it's impossible to help further.

[Alpobass]

Yes. Thanks for answers so far. I also have feeling that boards are messed up.

18448

That is pcb of AmericanDJ Ultrabar9. Can you spot where to take that +5VDC. I have found several points with multimeter, but which is right?

[Nakatomi]

I generally measure across power supply capacitors or readily available logic chips. See the 8 pin chip near the dmx connector? There's a surface mount capacitor (brownish in colour with 2 silver ends) to the right of it. There would be a good place to start. It looks like it's marked C19

[Nakatomi]

OK I opened one of my converted fixtures just for you. DMX all works fine - as a receiver and as a transmitter.

Red goes to +5V inside the fixture
White goes to XLR pin 2
Yellow goes to XLR pin 3
Black goes to 0V.

18456

[DJ Jules]

With the vast majority of ADJ fixtures I've converted lately (ADJ QPlus Go, Startec Gobo, etc) they've been nice enough to bring the DMX +/-, 5v and Gnd to a header on the PCB and label it really clearly so it hasn't taken much rooting about to find the right places to connect the cables.

It might be worth probing the two lines of pads that are outlined to take headers (and currently have nothing connected). You might find they do exactly what you need?

Julian

[Nakatomi]

Also, I had a mate's fixture in over the weekend for me to have a look at because the wireless board had stopped working. The replacement board he brought turned out to have open circuit DMX connections! Luckily he had another which turned out to work & I managed to get it all working as it should.

Then this reminded me I've also had at least one faulty board shipped to me when I bought the last batch of 6. FWIW all the dodgy boards have a blue coloured PCB and all came with incorrect wire colours in the connector.

If I thought there was a snowball in hell's chance of being able to read the firmware out of a working one I'd be tempted to spin my own boards - the chips are all er.. cheap as chips & small batches of circuit boards don't cost much. Add in assembly in a UK small scale production facility they might come in at £25 a pop though..

Something I gleaned the other day about the aerials supplied, coupled with the knowledge of the output power of the actual wireless chip employed - I have a sneaky feeling these might actually be illegal in Europe using the aerial they come with. That's quite easy to get around though in theory.. just use a lower gain stub aerial :)

[DJ Jules]

Something I gleaned the other day about the aerials supplied, coupled with the knowledge of the output power of the actual wireless chip employed - I have a sneaky feeling these might actually be illegal in Europe using the aerial they come with. That's quite easy to get around though in theory.. just use a lower gain stub aerial :)

I've always wondered about that - they do go through a lot more walls than my Wifi. I hit their limits the other week though when I used a few wireless pars at home for Halloween. They can't get through a double skin brick wall, two thick breezeblock walls and a further single skin brick wall over a distance of about 40ft. My home Wifi router can't get through half that.

To save on antenna's I've been using some of my fixtures with stubby antennas (4.5cm?) because I kept breaking off the 9cm antenna's they're shipped with and I've yet to have one drop out on me.

Julian

[Andy P]

To save on antenna's I've been using some of my fixtures with stubby antennas (4.5cm?) because I kept breaking off the 9cm antenna's they're shipped with and I've yet to have one drop out on me.

Julian

Where do you get the stubbies

[DJ Jules]

Where do you get the stubbies

eBay - straight from China :D

Be careful of the gender of the connectors - it seems that the majority of Wifi Antenna's are female, the PCB's come with a male tail.

Julian

[Nakatomi]

eBay - straight from China :D

Be careful of the gender of the connectors - it seems that the majority of Wifi Antenna's are female, the PCB's come with a male tail.

Julian

All the ones I've seen with the dmx boards have female SMA tails & the supplied antennae are SMA male. Uk sellers are charging £4.99 for stubby 2.4ghz right angle aerials :eek:

[DJ Jules]

All the ones I've seen with the dmx boards have female SMA tails & the supplied antennae are SMA male. Uk sellers are charging £4.99 for stubby 2.4ghz right angle aerials :eek:

Yup, you're right - they are. Sorry, my bad.

[Nakatomi]

Yup, you're right - they are. Sorry, my bad.

It's good to be careful what you're buying though - you're right that male & female (and reverse versions of same) available.

In other news, I've now replaced TWO dud Chinese boards in as many weeks - they've lasted about a year inside fixtures. Not mine though..

[DJ Jules]

In other news, I've now replaced TWO dud Chinese boards in as many weeks - they've lasted about a year inside fixtures. Not mine though..

That's interesting, I've yet to have one fail (touch wood) after 5 years with about 30 of the things in various versions from various different sources.

[Nakatomi]

That's interesting, I've yet to have one fail (touch wood) after 5 years with about 30 of the things in various versions from various different sources.

I've had boards be dead out of the box. One of the replacements for a faulty pcb had no connections to the dmx pins on the white connector. Another looked like it'd just had components sprinkled on it. Methinks there's a lot of sub par clones kicking around these days.

One of the ones that died the micro onboard isn't running & the other the radio gear just gets very hot.

I'm currently working on a system to replace all my wireless boards with diy wifi artnet to dmx nodes. More on that story later!

[yourdj]

i am looking at getting this Laser fitted with some form of wireless function. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to tap the 5 volt from? I am guessing that the LCD panel, fan and maybe the SD card port may have some form of low level power? I thought it had a USB port, but it has not. I shalt take it apart next week and dust off the multimeter.

Anyone got any DMX boards going spare too??

Thanks

18494

[yourdj]

Pictures. Seems to be an abundance of 12 volt supplies for the fans and such like, but nothing less.
I dont really want to be messing too much about with it, unless I am sure. :)

18495

18496

[Nakatomi]

Toby, a good bet is the board the LCD is on. Post a picture of it as near to face on as you can get. Also maybe the DMX PCB has the RS485 chip onboard, meaning it'll likely also have 5V present. Should there be a little 8 pin chip on there, pin 8 will be +5V (or if you're unlucky, 3.3V) - and pin 5 will be 0V. Tip: Look at the chip where the part designations are readable (left to right). Pin 8 would be the top left & pin 5 would be at the top right.
Failing all that - you know there's a ready supply of 12V you can tap into - get yourself one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-12V-24V-to-5V-3-3V-buck-voltage-regulator-step-down-module-LM7805-LM7833/152788441274?hash=item2392e698ba:m:mhY_AmyzBZwZjcW YmtvGMhw (you'll want the 5V output version). Another solution might be to buy a cheap in car USB charger & use the guts out of that

[Nakatomi]

BTW all this wireless DMX stuff might just be about to be very old hat soon. I've started developing an ArtNet over wifi thing. The boards will be smaller & even assembled should cost about what UK sellers of Chinese wireless DMX boards currently charge.

[yourdj]

Toby, a good bet is the board the LCD is on. Post a picture of it as near to face on as you can get. Also maybe the DMX PCB has the RS485 chip onboard, meaning it'll likely also have 5V present. Should there be a little 8 pin chip on there, pin 8 will be +5V (or if you're unlucky, 3.3V) - and pin 5 will be 0V. Tip: Look at the chip where the part designations are readable (left to right). Pin 8 would be the top left & pin 5 would be at the top right.
Failing all that - you know there's a ready supply of 12V you can tap into - get yourself one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-12V-24V-to-5V-3-3V-buck-voltage-regulator-step-down-module-LM7805-LM7833/152788441274?hash=item2392e698ba:m:mhY_AmyzBZwZjcW YmtvGMhw (you'll want the 5V output version). Another solution might be to buy a cheap in car USB charger & use the guts out of that

I had a look on that board and it certainly looks promising. I have a 12-5 volt converter already, so thats also a possibility, but want to keep it simple and safe. I don't really want to be taking anything from the laser or other circuitry, especially the fans. :)

I shall get a photo tomorrow.

[yourdj]

18497
18498
18499

18500

[Nakatomi]

See that there in the top photo with the black wire soldered to it? My bet is it's a voltage regulator. The output is likely on the middle pin (V_OUT). The black wire is likely 0V. The voltage.. may be 3.3V though. Other places I check are across capacitors (on your boards Toby they're the silver cans with black markings on them).

18501

[yourdj]

See that there in the top photo with the black wire soldered to it? My bet is it's a voltage regulator. The output is likely on the middle pin (V_OUT). The black wire is likely 0V. The voltage.. may be 3.3V though. Other places I check are across capacitors (on your boards Toby they're the silver cans with black markings on them).

18501

Thanks for that I shall check that out. Very helpful. :)

i may be getting a wizard rush soon and was wondering where I would tap the DMX from on that.
I know its 5 pin, not used that before, but it may have an inbuilt 5 volt supply perhaps??

Any ideas?

18507

[Nakatomi]

Thanks for that I shall check that out. Very helpful. :)

i may be getting a wizard rush soon and was wondering where I would tap the DMX from on that.
I know its 5 pin, not used that before, but it may have an inbuilt 5 volt supply perhaps??

Any ideas?

18507

Ahhh Wizards! Yes, I know these quite well & have modded a handful myself. It's an interesting voyage. Now, I can't remember precisely which model/version I had my greasy palms on - maybe they're all the same... The DMX is isolated - i.e. the DMX input has its own power supply and is actually electrically isolated from the rest of the unit - even the DMX output.

So. Somewhere on one of the boards (no, not near the DMX sockets, but where the loom from the DMX sockets leads) are a couple of relays, isolated DC-DC converter (these look like small black boxes EDIT: The isolated DC-DC converter is the black box in the photo below. The relay (singular) is actually orange). If you're trying to find which wire is DMX+ on the input for example BE CAREFUL. For why? Oh just that with the power OFF, the Wizard links DMX in to DMX out directly. When power is applied, the relays open which will disconnect the connection you had when it was powered off & DMX in data will be passed to DMX out over an isolated link. This is actually what the DMX standard advises (galvanic isolation is a REALLY very good idea in lighting - it means if mains ever ends up on a logic board, it can't wind up on a DMX cable - which WOULD fry anything & every other thing on the cable not similarly isolated).

Bet you're really glad you asked now. I wish I'd taken photos of the Wizard mods I did now. Maybe I did. I'll have a look.

EDIT: I looked, as promised.. and LOOK!

18508

18509

Explanation: Red is +5V for the wireless DMX board. Black is 0V. In the 1st photo I'm picking up power via the opto-isolator (it's on its own power supply separate from the rest of the unit).

Yellow & white DMX wires are tapped into the loom & heatshrinked. I chose this method as the least invasive route.

[yourdj]

See that there in the top photo with the black wire soldered to it? My bet is it's a voltage regulator. The output is likely on the middle pin (V_OUT). The black wire is likely 0V. The voltage.. may be 3.3V though. Other places I check are across capacitors (on your boards Toby they're the silver cans with black markings on them).

18501

I touched a multimeter on the bit on the right (there are 3 cables within the circle) and it caused the unit to operate.

Do I need to solder the power to the bit on the left where the line ends?

Either or, I saw a slight bit of voltage but after that nothing was showing up?

Anyhow I am sure it says 3.3 on the little board???

[Nakatomi]

I touched a multimeter on the bit on the right (there are 3 cables within the circle) and it caused the unit to operate.

Do I need to solder the power to the bit on the left where the line ends?

Either or, I saw a slight bit of voltage but after that nothing was showing up?

Anyhow I am sure it says 3.3 on the little board???

Put your multimeter ground (black) probe where you definitely know (or have a large degree of confidence in) there's 0V - e.g. a DMX socket. Then with the red lead measure the pins of the device circled in yellow. The leftmost pin - the tab - which is where the line ends - is likely commoned to the middle of the 3 pins at the other side of that device - and in all likelihood will be a regulated voltage. Maybe 5V, Maybe 3.3V which is why you're measuring it - to find out.

[yourdj]

Put your multimeter ground (black) probe where you definitely know (or have a large degree of confidence in) there's 0V - e.g. a DMX socket. Then with the red lead measure the pins of the device circled in yellow. The leftmost pin - the tab - which is where the line ends - is likely commoned to the middle of the 3 pins at the other side of that device - and in all likelihood will be a regulated voltage. Maybe 5V, Maybe 3.3V which is why you're measuring it - to find out.

Its 3.3.

The unit has several spare 12 volt molex sockets, so will put my step down off that. Its safer than proving about in places I am unsure of. :)

[Nakatomi]

Its 3.3.



Bums!

Ah well. Yeah it'll be better to derive your own source of 5V from a convenient 12V rail.