Lighting: DMX controller for LED moving head

Public Forum otwarte
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Hi, guys!

Does anyone has experience with DMX512 protocol and/or a hardware?

I’ve bought some used noname LED moving head, very similar to “Betopper Spot light LS10”. It requires at least some cleanup, so I will probably bring it to the HS one of the Wednesdays evenings. It has DMX control port, but I don’t have any equipment to control it.

It would be nice to understand how DMX works before to buy/create something serious.

Maybe somebody has a DMX controller, or USB adapter or even experience how to work with them?

I have XLR cable and 2 Chinese USB-RS485 adapters. But, unfortunately, adapters have only 2 connectors: D+ and D-, no ground connector. Something like this one. If I understand correctly, I need minimum 3 wires for DMX512: GND, D+ and D-.

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We can go to the music club we have next door (really!) and test it out there. If it works, there is a USB-RS485 dongle in 'space as well ;-]

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Yesterday in the HackerSpace I’ve measured the device power consumption with the Voltcraft energy-logger 4000 FR, and it is surprisingly power hungry:

  • Idle (LED switched off): 22W / 48VA.
  • LED switched on, no movements: 60W / 112VA.
  • LED switched on, the head is moving: 70-75W / 132VA.

So it looks like the LED is not 10W, but 30W. Or, probably, it is a 10W LED with very bad power supply.