DMX Gateway

Hi, I apologise in advance if the questions are simple. I have a fair understanding of Cbus and very limited of DMX.

I would like to enquire whether anyone has used the DMX Gateway to control a xenon strobe light or a smoke machine. I have search the forum and couldn't find anything relating to it.

I have a ST1500 strobe that according to the documentation uses two channels, one for the flash rate and the other for the flash intensity.
I also have a JEM ZR44 smoke machine that I would like to control and this unit uses one channel to set the intensity of the smoke.

I have the Cbus system running great and the DMX gateway is installed but the issue I'm having is getting my head around the mapping in the Cbus toolkit of the DMX unit. Basically, all I would like to do is have 0, 25, 50, 75 & 100% setting for both the strobe and the smoke machines and obviously control them independently of each other.

I'm extremely greatful to anyone that could offer assistance with the issues I'm having.

Appreciate your time, Thanks

Nathan

 

Have a read of this and hopefully it makes sense..
http://www2.clipsal.com/cis/__data/page/428/C-Bus_DMX_Gateway_datasheet.pdf

Then read the instructions supplied with your dmx devices to work out how many slots and what levels they need to achieve what your require, then configure the cbus dmx gateway to talkto these slots from your groups, connect it all up and hopefully you are home free..

 

Hi Roosta,

I have read both and still have issues, for example the strobe has two channels and I have set the unit to slot one because that's all that's currently in my DMX Universe. In the cbus I have created two groups one called Strobe Rate and the other called Strobe Intensity then in the gateway I have entered in channel one group Intensity and mapped it Dmx slot one. I have also added the rate group to channel 2 and mapped it to DMX slot 2.

The issue I'm having is if I try and activate the stobe it won't come on till I turn both the cbus groups on and after doing so I'm unable to turn the strobe off.

Thanks again,

Nathan

 

So when you turn both cbus groups to off what happens? Does adjusting the cbus groups adjust the intensity and flash rate as they are meant to?

Have you terminated the universe correctly with a 120ohm resistor at the end of the dmx line?

Is the cbus and dmx lights flashing blue /orange alternatively?

 

Hi Roosta,

Thank you for the reply. So what I did was on the left of the DMX settings window was add the two lighting groups Strobe Rate in no1 and opposite I put DMX address 1. The on the next line in the left put the lighting group Strobe Intensity and on the right DMX address 2.

I tried ramping them independently, turning one group on at a time, putting both DMX channels in the same DMX list in the right controlled by one group but none of them seemed to work.

Yes I do have the terminator plugged into the one and only fitting I'm using.

Thanks

Nathan

 

Is the cbus/dmx light on the dmx gateway flashing orange/blue?

 

Hey Roosta,

The DMX led on the gateway is constant orange.

Nathan

 

Hey,

Sent you on email.

But I would check that you have your wiring correct, mostly that your polarity is right and you haven't lost your ground.

J

 

Hey Roosta,

You were on the money, I used a new XLR cable I had but it was all I had and it was an audio cable not a DMX cable. After your post I checked the cable colours to the Pinot and found that the red that I thought was the data + was infact connected to the data -. After changing and testing again she works well.

Thank you for you help.

Nathan

 

Haha glad its resolved but i cant take credit for that although i should have thought of it..

Good call jboer!