Use DMX Addressing

Have you ever really wondered what the 10 little white switches on the back of a DMX theatre / disco light do and how to use them?

DMX is a digital control protocol invented by the entertainment industry for controlling the use of high tech lights. It can be used for many things such as Discos; Clubs; Theatres; TV shows and controls lights using a controller.

Steps

1. Choose a controller. The controller can be either a big console or software and a computer adapter; either way it works the same.
   • Learn to connect a DMX light to a controller using fixtures. DMX is made up of up to 512 fixtures; and a single light can take up many fixtures. An example of the fixtures being used are 1 - colour; 2 - gobo; 3 - speed; etc. and the list could continue.
2. Use fixtures 345 to control a LED Parcan 64 that used 4 channels. To do this; we set the fixture to 345 on the controller; now we need to set the parcan up for this.
   • You will see 10 dip switches on the back of the light. We will be using 1 - 8 to make 345; and below is how you do it.
3. Understand that the dip switches work in binary; so switch one represents one; then switch 2 represents 2; switch 3 represents 4; switch 4 represents 8; switch 5 represents 16; switch 6 32; switch 7 64; switch 8 128 and switch 9 256. We add the numbers up to make the fixture number - 345 in this case.
4. To make 345 using 1;2;4;8;16;32;64;128 we will use: 256; 64; 16; 8; 1:
   • 256 + 64 + 16 + 8 + 1 = 345
     • The controller will be able control the light now!
   • DMX can also be used and controlled from a computer. There are such interfaces like MyDMX from American DJ which can do this. You plug a DMX cable on one end going to your chain of lights, and the other end plugs into your computer via USB. The Program that comes with these interfaces are just like what a hardware controller would look like, just your seeing it on the screen. The advantages are being able to add more programs since you have a lot of space on a computer, sometimes not as much on a little hardware controller.

Tips

• If you have two lights on one channel; they will both do the same thing!
• You can use a DMX dimmer pack to plug in NON-DMX lights, and turn them on via DMX
• You can do this with any light that has DMX capabilities.
• Some Fog Machines can also be controlled via DMX
• A dip switch calculator is available from: http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk/calc.asp

Things You'll Need

• A light!
• Controller!
• DMX Male -> Female cable♠

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What links here

• Understand DMX Lighting and Fixtures