Appendix; A Quick Dmx Lesson; Dimensions - Blizzard Lighting Stiletto Beast Manual

5. APPENDIX

A Quick Lesson On DMX
DMX (aka DMX-512) was created in 1986 by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT)
as a standardized method for connecting lighting consoles to lighting dimmer modules. It was revised
in 1990 and again in 2000 to allow more flexibility. The Entertainment Services and Technology As-
sociation (ESTA) has since assumed control over the DMX512 standard. It has also been approved and
recognized for ANSI standard classification.
DMX covers (and is an abbreviation for) Digital MultipleXed signals. It is the most common communica-
tions standard used by lighting and related stage equipment.
DMX provides up to 512 control "channels" per data link. Each of these channels was originally intended
to control lamp dimmer levels. You can think of it as 512 faders on a lighting console, connected to 512
light bulbs. Each slider's position is sent over the data link as an 8-bit number having a value between
0 and 255. The value 0 corresponds to the light bulb being completely off while 255 corresponds to the
light bulb being fully on.
DMX data is transmitted at 250,000 bits per second using the RS-485 transmission standard over two
wires. As with microphone cables, a grounded cable shield is used to prevent interference with other
signals.
There are five pins on a DMX connector: a wire for ground (cable shield), two wires for "Primary"
communication which goes from a DMX source to a DMX receiver, and two wires for a "Secondary"
communication which goes from a DMX receiver back to a DMX source. Generally, the "Secondary"
channel is not used so data flows only from sources to receivers. Hence, most of us are most familiar
with DMX-512 as being employer over typical 3-pin "mic cables," although this does not conform to the
defined standard.
DMX is connected using a daisy-chain configuration where the source connects to the input of the first
device, the output of the first device connects to the input of the next device, and so on. The standard
allows for up to 32 devices on a single DMX link.
In summary, since its design and evolution in the 1980's DMX has become the standard for lighting
control. It is flexible, robust, and scalable, and its ability to control everything from dimmer packs to
moving lights to foggers to lasers makes it an indispensable tool for any lighting designer or lighting
performer.

Dimensions

12.5" (316 mm)
15.6" (397 mm)
11" (280 mm)
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Stiletto Beast™ User Manual - Rev. A (c) 2016 Blizzard Lighting, LLC