Planning The Dmx Control System; Grouped And Independent Panel Control - Martin EvenLED RGB LED Panel User Manual

Planning the DMX control system

EvenLED panels can be controlled using any standard DMX-512 control device via a DMX link. This section
explains the control options available and how to plan the DMX link accordingly.

Grouped and independent panel control

In the following explanations, we will assume that all the EvenLED panels in an installation are 1 x 1 m and
set to 16-bit mode, in which each of the 16 LEDs in a panel is controlled using 6 DMX channels. This means
that each panel uses 16 x 6 = 96 DMX channels.
EvenLED panels will only respond to commands they receive on DMX channel 1 and the channels
immediately above it. For the purposes of this explanation, this means that a panel will respond to
commands it receives on DMX channels 1 - 96 only.
We will also assume that commands from the DMX controller to the first EvenLED panel on the DMX link
are sent on channels 1 - 96 (other channels can be used if a Martin DMX Thief™ is connected on the
control data link).
Grouped control using DMX THROUGH
All EvenLED panels connected using DMX THROUGH outputs respond to the same DMX commands and
behave identically. The DMX THROUGH output relays the DMX signal exactly as it is received by the panel
without any processing. This lets you relay identical DMX commands from one panel to the next so that all
connected panels can be controlled as a group using DMX channels 1 - 96.
Independent control using DMX OUT
EvenLED panels connected using DMX OUT outputs respond to DMX commands on different channels and
behave differently.
To explain how this works, let us assume that you have two EvenLED panels on the DMX link. To send
separate commands to the second panel so that you can control this panel independently of the first,
connect the second panel to the first panel's DMX OUT output. The controller can then send commands to
the first panel on channels 1 - 96 and to the second panel on channels 97 - 192. Because the second panel
– like all EvenLED panels – will only respond to commands it receives on channels starting at channel 1, the
DMX signal at the first panel's DMX OUT output is processed by 'subtracting' 96 channels and
re-addressing the commands sent from the controller on channels 97 - 192 so that they are relayed to the
second panel on channels 1 - 96.
To sum up, the DMX OUT output relays the DMX signal after subtracting the number of channels used by
the panel and address-shifting the remaining DMX channels so that they start at channel 1. This lets you
relay different DMX commands from one panel to the next so that panels can be controlled independently.
Maximum number of panels on the DMX link
Identical grouped control
In identical grouped control using DMX THROUGH outputs, up to 32 panels can be connected in one chain
on the DMX link. The limit of 32 panels is a function of the electrical characteristics of DMX512. If more than
32 panels are to be used in a single DMX512 universe, the chain can be extended using an amplifier-splitter
such as the Martin Opto-Splitter.
Independent control
In independent control using DMX OUT outputs, the maximum number of panels possible in each chain
depends on the number of DMX channels they use out of the 512 available in one DMX universe:
• The EvenLED 1 x 1 m panel uses 96 channels in 16-bit mode. This means that a maximum of five 1 x 1 m
panels can be controlled independently in 16-bit mode in one DMX universe. In 8-bit mode, the 1 x 1 m
panel uses 48 channels, so ten 1 x 1 m panels can be controlled independently in 8-bit mode in one DMX
universe.
• The EvenLED 1 x 0.5 m panel uses 48 DMX channels in 16-bit mode and 24 channels in 8-bit mode. Ten
panels can be controlled independently in 16-bit mode and twenty panels in 8-bit mode in one DMX
universe.
Each time you reach the limit of 512 DMX channels, you can add more independently-controlled panels to
the installation by adding a DMX universe. For example, using a PC with the Martin LightJockey 2™
Windows application and Martin Universal USB/DMX Interface Box package (available from Martin, P/N
90702055) you can control two DMX universes. With an additional Martin Universal USB/DMX Interface Box
(P/N 90702045) you can control 4 DMX universes.
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