Appendix; Dmx Primer; Starting Address; Personalities - Chauvet Legend 1200E Wash User Manual

6. Appendix

The DMX method enables the use of a universal DMX controller device with DMX

DMX Primer

compatible fixtures. Each DMX connection has 512 channels and each DMX fixture
uses a certain number of sequential DMX channels to provide control to its features.
For the DMX controller to identify each DMX fixture, they must have a unique

Starting Address

starting address assigned to them. Defining the fixture's starting address consists of
assigning one of the 512 DMX channels to the fixture's first channel. Once this
assignment is complete, and based on the number of channels it uses, the fixture
will react to the DMX signals sent to the range of DMX channels that starts with the
starting address.
For example, a fixture that uses six DMX channels and its starting address is 100,
will accept DMX data sent by the DMX controller to channels 100, 101, 102, 103,
104, and 105.
Most DMX fixtures use multiple personalities, each of them with a different number

Personalities

of channels, depending on its complexity. The number of DMX channels used by a
fixture may vary from only one (dimmer control) to 15 or more. When the job does
not require using all the fixture's capabilities, the user can select a more basic
personality, thus allowing the DMX controller to accommodate more DMX fixtures.
Because of the different number of DMX channels used by each fixture, assigning
Assigning
their starting addresses may become a difficult task. The user must assign the
Addresses individual starting addresses to avoid the overlapping of the DMX Channels. If they
do overlap, the affected fixtures could operate erratically.
However, the user can control multiple fixtures of the same type using the same
starting address for all of them, as long as the intended result is that they operate in
unison. In other words, the fixtures will be slaved together and they will all respond
in exactly the same way.
DMX fixtures receive DMX data through a Daisy Chain connection. In a Daisy Chain
DMX Fixture
connection, the DATA OUT of one fixture or of the controller connects to the DATA
Connection
IN of the next fixture. The order in which the fixtures are connected is not important
and has no effect on how a controller communicates to each fixture. The user
should always define an order that provides for the easiest and most direct cabling,
however.
Each DMX fixture links to the other DMX fixtures and their controller using a DMX
cable. A DMX cable consists of a shielded, two conductor twisted pair cable with
one 3-pin or 5-pin XLR male connector on one end and a 3-pin or 5-pin XLR female
connector on the other end. The shield connection is pin 1, while pin 2 is Data
Negative (S-) and pin 3 is Data positive (S+). With 5-pin cables, pins 4+5 are not
used. See page the "DMX Cable" section for details about this type of cable.
CHAUVET carries 3-pin XLR DMX compliant cables, DMX-10 (33'), DMX-4.5
(15') and DMX-1.5 (5')