Thread: Another DMX problem :(

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I'm so sorry but I have yet another DMX question. I do believe it will be the last one though ...for this week....

Everything is working in my Monster In Box (sound, DMX LED and cylinder). Of course with the last item, I hit a problem: My DMX adapter for the fog machine.

I have no idea what the directions are telling me to do. I decided to just dive in and try to make it work. Well, WHOA! Everything went berserk! My cylinder fired on and stayed on, the DMX light went all white and stayed on. Then I couldn't get anything to reset and ended closing the file and VSA to bring it back to right.

So obviously, I'm not programming it right. So, I present to you the instructions I received with it, hoping someone (Phoenix ? Guitarist ? ) could tell me how to program the VSA to make this adapter work.

Okay, the instructions:

Operation:
The DMX-3F is designed to work with Chauvet's fog machines. It allows the units to be controlled via a DMX signal. The DMX-3F is a four channel unit.

Channel 1:

Function: Power: Off, Timer Control, Manual
DMX setting: 0-255

Channel 2:

Function: Interval 1 sec to 4 min
DMX setting: 0-255
(Interval is the time between bursts of fog)

Channel 3:

Function: Duration 1 sec to 15 sec.
DMX setting: 0-255
(Duration is the length of time the burst of fog lasts)

Channel 4:

Function: Volume
DMX setting: 0-255
(0 = Off, 255 = On)

Please help, I need some more translating! I have a rough idea of what it's trying to say but my DMX berzerkiness is telling me different.

Thanks again and I hope I won't have to beg for more help for the next week at least

Unless it's an expensive DMX machine, don't worry about the first or second channels. When I use mine I set the power channel (one) to be ON (255) all the time. The volume channel (four) would be set to ON (255) whenever you want fog, and back to OFF (000) when you don't. I've done it this way for both halloween and christmas dispays.

Oh, and sorry.... I'm not Phoenix

Even better, you are CrazyBob. Now I have three gurus to call on. This forum is soooo sweet!

Thank you very much. I do that tomorrow and tell you how it went

i agree with crazy bob on how to program it, the one thing that concerns me is the unit not being made specifically for your machine, all though cheaplights did say it would work, some machines output things on different pins and i am worried with it going bezerk like that that it is back feeding 120v from the fog machine down the neutral line to the fog controller and causing the controller to output things to the other devices hopefully that is not the case i am just trying to wrap my head around what could be causing that.

Does sounds pretty strange are you using a termination resistor?

To program it in VSA I would only use channel 1 the other channels are really for semi auto mode.

wasnt cheaplights the jerks who insisted that mic cable is perfectly OK as DMX cable?

Unfortunately YES, it was Cheaplights that I got this from. I had called them specially to ask them if the Chauvet adapter would work with the cheapie ($22) fog machine they sell and they said yes and they had tested it themselves. Hmmm. If the suggestions I got here doesn't work, I'll call them and ask how they set theirs up.

I am using a DMX terminator. In fact, it is plugged into the the DMX out on the DMX 3-F. The adapter is the end of my daisy chain.

Well, I'll try to get this working today and let you all know how it works. Thanks for the help

Again....

also if that doesn't work try changing the order of the devices in the chain, put the fog adapter in the middle maybe, or the beginning. a shot in the dark but it might work

You know, I do have another fog machine which is a Chauvet (Hurricane 1050). I think before I fry anything on my DMX chain, I'll program the Chauvet fogger first.

With the 1050 Chauvet, do I use all four channels or still the one or two channels?

Id be VERY careful here, Ive got no idea what kind of interface a Chauvet fog machine or your $22 fog machine is.

if it wasn't for the Volume setting then I would guess that this unit was a timer device than made/broke a dry circuit, however, the volume control betrays the fact that the interface is a little more complex.

Also you don't know what your cheapie fog machine is using for an interface.... is there a light on the pendant? if so then that tells me there is a live voltage in there.

All in all I am getting very concerned about the service that Cheaplights is providing!

Originally Posted by Terra

You know, I do have another fog machine which is a Chauvet (Hurricane 1100). I think before I fry anything on my DMX chain, I'll program the Chauvet fogger first.

With the 1100 Chauvet, do I use all four channels or still the one or two channels?

Actually Id only use the first (manual) channel, problem is the 1100 is not on the list of supported devices.