The intention of this post is to establish a single place for a concise DMX guide excluding the use of Arduino. That can be included as a secondary post but this primary post is for DMX directly to the Server.
My apologies for a slightly misleading topic post, please remove/rename if needed.
I have read everything I can read on DMX and Artemis and I keep running into guides that have discontinued parts. I certainly appreciate the posts and they are a wealth of information but I am unsure of what to purchase in order to establish a working DMX set up. The intention of this post is to provide a clarifying spot where the DMXperts can pool their thoughts and deliberate on what is the definitive current guide.
I understand that there are multiple ways to skin the DMX cat so to clarify, this is intended to be the first foray into establishing DMX for a beginner with no existing DMX experience or hardware. additionally the ideal set up described in this post should be expandable as time goes on so if one wanted to add additional DMX Hardware or effects all they should need to do is attach an additional DMX capable device or strand of LEDs etc...
Components
Based on the guides provided thus far I believe the minimum requirements to establish a DMX effect (lighting based on DMX trigger) are the following:
- Computer Running Artemis (Server)
- A to B USB Cable
- USB Interface
- DMX Controller
- Power Supply
- Cat5 Cable
- Light fixture (LEDS or othe such DMX Device)
- https://d28lcup14p4e72.cloudfront.net/145634/3054316/DMX.jpg
Many of the guides are using Holiday Coro as a source and when I attempted to locate some of their products it appears that some may no longer be available. Assuming that Holiday Coro is the go to for this sort of project (or Amazon) are there updated product lists that can be made available?
Connecting it together
The basic connection methodology that gather from the existing guides is that you connect the Artemis server via USB cable to the USB interface. the USB interface connects to the DMX controller and the DMX controller has connections for power input and the DMX device (LED Strip or other).
Additionally the "DMX For Starters" post has the following list supplied by Commodore Erickson:
1) an ENTTEC Open DMX box
2) A 5-pin to 3-pin DMX cable adaptor (very important!)
3) a dmx light
4) a dmx 3-pin cable
As well as this list supplied by Badge guy:
I believe that the current set of known links to non-Arduino based Artemis compatible DMX solutions are:
1) Enttec Open DMX :
http://www.enttec.com/index.php?main_menu=Products&pn=70303&show=description
http://sirs-e.com/shop/open-dmx-usb/enttec-open-dmx-usb-interface/
(third party sales)
2) Holiday Coro:
http://www.holidaycoro.com/mobile/Product.aspx?id=37787
3) FTDIChip Cable:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/Cables/USBRS485.htm
4) USB to RS485 Module:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200720518972?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 (UK - eBay)
http://dx.com/p/usb-to-rs485-module-black-221402 (DealExtreme)
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/USB-2-0-to-TTL-RS485-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-FT232RL-SN75176-double-function-double-protection/812021_583268610.html (AliExpress)
Glossary:
DMX - a standard for digital communication networks that are commonly used to control stage lighting and effects.
FTDI- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTDI
RS485 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-485
Open DMX - Artemis uses the OpenDMX, and only the OpenDMX standard, which requires an RS485 based communication channel to the computer. Unless a device specifically states that it supports OpenDMX or an RS485 based configuration, it will not work. uDMX is a keyword that should state that a device is not RS485 based
References:
List of references/existing DMX posts that I have read through:
How-to: Modular Smart/dumb DMX Using cat5 cable
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/howto-modular-smartdumb-dmx-using-cat5-cable-8116278?highlight=dmx+smart&pid=1296251179
LED circuit help - Beam and torpedoes firing effect.
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/led-circuit-help-beam-and-torpedoes-firing-effect-8481861?highlight=dmx+smart&pid=1295461855
Cheap USB interface and DMX LED strip build
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/cheap-usb-interface-and-dmx-led-strip-build-7833577?pid=1292306390
My DMX RGB strip for ultra cheap
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/my-dmx-rgb-strip-for-ultra-cheap-6467023?highlight=dmx&pid=1279946128
My DMX project
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/my-dmx-project-7024874?highlight=dmx&pid=1291839809
DMX for starters?
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/dmx-for-starters-6648535?highlight=dmx&pid=1286283503
DIY DMX Panel and Workshop
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/diy-dmx-panel-and-workshop-7156593?highlight=dmx&pid=1304114219
DMX Help Needed
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/dmx-help-needed-8119353?highlight=dmx&pid=1305901748
Has anyone tried this USB to DMX Solution?
https://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/has-anyone-tried-this-usb-to-dmx-solution-7167027?highlight=dmx&pid=1285047045
This post is a constant work in progress and ideally would be more like a wiki, staying updated as better solutions and more correct/up to date information comes out. I am not a DMX expert and have zero knowledge or experience with DMX, Just trying to get this sorted out and figured that it wouldn't hurt to collect everything together and hopefully get others onboard with this as well.