Trouble With Lights and DMX

[Tom]

Now i have a few dmx lights i was thinking about running a dmx show but im totally new to this. I usually just let the lights run on sound to light but pair the lights up. I was thinking about hardware, not software as i dont want to run to much on my laptop as thats what i use for my music.

Can anyone advise me on what to look at and how to setup? Iv noticed on some outboard equipment only has 1 dmx output. Iv tryed to like the lights up via dmx but they dont want to know.

Any help would be grand. :)

Many thanks

Tom

[spin mobile disco]

OK you will get a lot of replies on this so before every one lets loose......
we need a little more information from you before we can really answer your question.
First what lighting effects are you trying to link?
Second have you given each unit its own unique dmx address complete with enough channels for said unit?
Third Are you looking for a dmx controller or are you trying to simply link your existing effects?
Most effects have 2 dmx connectors 1 in 1 out normally 3 pin but 5 pin is common on the gemini range of products. Each effect has a set amount of channels it needs. So a 4 channel effect will require 4 channels when setting its address. so if you had 2 x 4 channel effects and you wanted unit 1 to be master then
unit 1 would be dmx address 1
unit 2 would be dmx address 5 this is to allow room for unit 1's 4 channels
the next address would be 9 for a third unit 13 for a fourth etc..
If you go over a certain amount of effects you can get transmission problems as the signal becomes degraded traveling down the cables. This can be solved (in some cases ) by adding a terminator to the last effect in the chain This is basically a plug that is crossconnected with a 120ohm 1/2 watt resister across its pin number 2 and 3. This will reduce signal errors.

All effects are different and it is easier generally to link same model and make unit together as they would have been designed to work togther.

If you give us the first bit of info i requested we may be able to figure out what you need to do to set them up.

[Vectis]

OK it's an American site but DMX is universal right? :) ("in" joke there, sorry)

Have a mooch here (http://interstatelight.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4&chapter=0)

[Tom]

At the moment i am running the lights in pairs eg,

1 pair of Geni Mojo Spinmaster 3 with the correct sliders flicked on (sound to light, dmx mode if you get me)

and 1 pair on Prosound Smart SSC-2. these lights are kind of plug and play. they configure themselves and all i have to do is change the way the mirrors are facing.


Right. Now after thinking about this i only want to run the two Smart SSC-2's from a dmx controller because i want to buy another two and have four running in sync. I had a look on my frame and i wont be able to fit any more lights after 2 mojo's and 4 smarts (when i buy the other two).


How do begin to start to create my own light show. The lights come with a small book explaining every number from 0 to 512 and what the control. i understand that, but what i dont under stand is how to program them. At first all i wanted was to speed up and slow down the lights to match the speed of the song but after thinking about it i think it would look so much better if i could control all the lights from a controller and do anything i want with them. Also with kids party's it would be fun to control the lights and make the kids follow them. lol. They love it. :) They do it with the lights i have already but only for a few seconds untill the beat changes and the lights zoom off again.


I was thinking about getting a 8 channel dmx controler as the prosound smart ssc-2 lights have 6 channels.

I might be wrong but this is what i was thinking about doing. Any help from now would be great. lol. Should of said this first really. lol

[spin mobile disco]

Well the ssc-2's have auto dmx addressing which is handy both units are compatible as they are made by same company (pro sound is a liscence of geni)
You simply need a programmable dmx console to control them.

[Ricesnaps]

Can't you just do master slave on the ssc-2's and master slave on the spinmasters.

Sure the spins won't be chatting to the ssc's, but the effect will look fine and it's SO much easier than programming a controller

[Tom]

well this is where it gets a bit confusing. the inputs on the ssc-2 are a 3 and 5 pin female input and the out it a male but in the spinmasters the output is female and the input is male. how would i do it???


i did try (in short) Spin to spin to ssc-2 to ssc-2 but the spinmasters would not light up or spin. i think it was because the connection were the other way round so the output signal from the spins were going to the output on the ssc-2.


Also what dmx controller could anyone recomend that i could buy which then i could controll the lights. Anything under £170. I found this, would this be any good at all???


http://www.djkit.co.uk/acatalog/info_1332.html

this costs £130

[Ricesnaps]

not sure you got what I meant.

Do the ssc's link to each other and run a sequenced show? Don't worry about the Spins for now.

I already know that you can link the spins together master slave as I had some 1's a little while ago.

Here's the though. Why not link all the ssc's together, link the two spins together, BUT don't link the ssc's to the spins?

both sets will run a show and will look tidier, they just won't ALL talk to each other

[Tom]

not sure you got what I meant.

Do the ssc's link to each other and run a sequenced show? Don't worry about the Spins for now.

I already know that you can link the spins together master slave as I had some 1's a little while ago.

Here's the though. Why not link all the ssc's together, link the two spins together, BUT don't link the ssc's to the spins?

both sets will run a show and will look tidier, they just won't ALL talk to each other


thats what i am doing at the moment. lol. Sorry, should of said a bit more clearer. Its looks ok but i dont think there is enough colour on the floor plus as there set to sound to light there is no way i can control the speed of the lights at all. this is where a controler comes into it.

[Ricesnaps]

thats what i am doing at the moment. lol. Sorry, should of said a bit more clearer. Its looks ok but i dont think there is enough colour on the floor plus as there set to sound to light there is no way i can control the speed of the lights at all. this is where a controler comes into it.

Now I understand!

You need DMX Will really!

[Tom]

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[DMX Will]

Ok,

I'm going to be honest here. I don't think DMX is going to help you in anyway.

By the time you have worked out what you want to do it, and how you're going to archieve it with your controller you'd be just as well off running the 4 and 2 on two seperate master/slave setups.

[Tom]

Ok,

I'm going to be honest here. I don't think DMX is going to help you in anyway.

By the time you have worked out what you want to do it, and how you're going to archieve it with your controller you'd be just as well off running the 4 and 2 on two seperate master/slave setups.


I just want to say sorryfor the text typing. sorry


Thats ok. i like honesty. So in that case, what would i do if i only want to control the smart's. As in create a light show where some of the lights move in different directions at a flick of a switch but then i can change the scene by another buton??? I just want my disco's to look a bit more professional.

[DMX Will]

You won't ever create a more-professional looking show, well from the punters point of view. You can only do so much with one "set" of equipment. I don't know anything about the light's in question I'm afraid. All I can suggest is you wait for other responses, or try and find them manual online, and set them up as master/slaves. You'll have them doing the same thing, but you may also be able to set them up so they go opposite directions etc.

Good luck, hope that helped a bit!

Will.

[Tom]

You won't ever create a more-professional looking show, well from the punters point of view. You can only do so much with one "set" of equipment. I don't know anything about the light's in question I'm afraid. All I can suggest is you wait for other responses, or try and find them manual online, and set them up as master/slaves. You'll have them doing the same thing, but you may also be able to set them up so they go opposite directions etc.

Good luck, hope that helped a bit!

Will.


Yeah. it came with a book with all the usual stuff like what each channel does and f time and l time, what ever that means. lol. Thanks for your help. ill have to have a look and see what pops up. thanks again