Thread: What DMX Hardware/Software Do You Use?

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I got started with DMX last February. I've used VSA for a few years now but never to control DMX. I got some DMX lights and a couple of dimmer/relay boxes and am turning into a control freak. The wife picked up a motion activated crow that I plan to convert to DMX control, because I want him to crow and light up on cue!

I also ran into a little program from JS_Riddler.com that makes life much easier for testing DMX devices, particularly DMX RGB lights. I could never get VSA to show me the color mix without entering event paramaters and playing it to view, then adjust settings and then view again and repeat over and over till I got the color mix and brightness just right. This little program uses a representation of a "DMX Slider" control which you can operate in a "live" mode. It displays the DMX values for each channel which you can then easily enter into VSA events.

Anyway, the other day I found this DMX relay board and thought I'd give it a try. It turned out to be a very simple and effective solution. I tested it using VSA and it worked like a charm. The more I learn about DMX the more I like about it.



http://northlightdmx.com/DMXtoRelay.htm

I am running Venuemagic 2.0 with Enttec USB device.
Pete

DMXorcist with VSA and Enttec here. Have 2 DMX relay/Dimmers, 2 Color Splash Jr. lights, and a DMX-3F fogger controller.

Found a great app for iPhone or iPad that has a slider that you can see the color you want your DMX light to be and then gives you the DMX settings. It's a buck: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dmx-c...349839425?mt=8

Capt Pete, I remember looking at that program. Very powerful! Terra, thats a nifty little app for getting the color. That would make it easy to rough in the colors in VSA and then all you'd have to do is the brightness.

Yeah, your software program is neat too because you can see it live. Like you, I love DMX!

I use VSA alone for show software. I haven't used Helmsman or DMXorcist, but rather have gone ghetto, and wired up a mouse left-click over to a trigger switch. For hardware, I've used Northlight single-function boards in the past, but have used Medusa DMX since.

I also use a little program I made with Processing (with the help of community code). I use this to test Medusa DMX boards, since VSA only supports up to 128 channels, and the boards allow addressing up to 512.

Hmm.... maybe when I get a chance, I should modify that, and make that available to you guys. Then Terra could use her iPhone to directly control DMX, rather than just look at the color What I've got only works with the Enttec Pro, though

- Hook

Originally Posted by Hooked_on_Scares

I also use a little program I made with Processing (with the help of community code). I use this to test Medusa DMX boards, since VSA only supports up to 128 channels, and the boards allow addressing up to 512.


- Hook

I've been talking with Phoenix about just how I might be able to get past the 128 channel limit in VSA and he directed me to his program called VSA Masher. I don't understand how it does it, but it allows you to "import" multiple VSA files and for lack of a better term, map the routines to 512 DMX channels. It only works with DMXorcist and DMX devices. I'm looking at this for maybe next year and if I do, I'll have to ditch the SSC-32 board (non DMX) for multiple DMX servo control boards. The only ones out there that I know of are Board of Chuckee and the Medusa.

Does the program you made do something like this with VSA files?

Naw. My program is just a little hack job to test out my boards. I used Processing, and a snippet of interface code from this thread to gain access to the Enttec Pro. Basically, I just move the servos back and forth, and turn on the outputs in sequence, to make sure all work properly.

The API for the Pro looks super simple, but I think the main difficulty would be to decode a VSA file. AFAIK, DMXorcist is the only software, other than VSA, that does this directly. (any others I know of use the Brookshire console API, which invokes VSA playback... which again is limited to 128 ch).

- Hook

Hello. I am struggleing to learn VSA. I have a better understand than I did a few months ago but now I am trying to work with a set of DMX lights and have no idea where to get started. I have a skulltronix DMX skull and the DMX light kit with an Enttec Open DMX controller. What I am trying to do is improve the lighting in my VSA routines. Some of my routines have no lighting so I am trying to add it but I really don't grasp how to. Is there a document or resource someone can point me to.

Thanks.

I am using VSA with the Enttec Pro (similar to Terra's setup) which run 6 dimmer relay boxes, three chauvet Splash jr and a board of chuckie.

I run all my routines via Helmsman (free and awesome!!!). New this year he created a iPhone app (also free and even more awesome!!) to wireless trigger up to 5 routines on demand and adjust the volume.

Once you go DMX, adding to the system is so easy and additive!


T