ceecrb1 Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Currently on site with both an mq100 and an mq60..All fixtures are "name brand" (varilites, martin & avolites dimmers). We have a cheaper brand 8 universe artnet node.... the one with 3pin XLRs that seems to be sold by various companies... locked in a 172.16.0.* ip range.. I´m getting a delay between the desk and the fixtures/dimmers...I´ve tried both desks and magicqpc.. taking the desk directly to the node and so another RJ45 cable... APARENTLY this artnet node is artnet 1...I have tried the desk in reduced rates.. only changes etc etc and it helped but didnt fix it.. I also dissabled all remote protocols etc.. aiming to leave purely the artnet universes in the network. After a little convincing I managed to talk the production company into running 4 XLR´s and just use DMX rather than spread a relatively small rig over 7 universes "just because". so problem solved for this gig.. for the long run...any ideas? suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bleasdale Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Get another node. I got given 3 on a job recently. I couldn't get them to play with the Gio or Ion at all. In fact, it wouldn't work with the various PC versions of desks I have either. So I canned them very quickly and asked for Net 3 nodes - which I got. It annoys me when people pay for decent desks, decent rig, decent people then cheap out on the infrastructure that makes it all work. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grum Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Had this happen to me so many times I now carry a 12 universe node in my toolbox just for these occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceecrb1 Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Basically I did the right thing in stand my ground to get direct DMX cables ran. Thanks guys On a side note.. which nodes are worth having? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bleasdale Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I usually spec nodes from the same company that make the desk. Makes the most sense... However, when they are not available, Luminex would be my next request. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grum Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I went with Artistic License, it's not as flashy as the Luminex but it's cheaper and does 12 universes in a 1U box. For a box that stays in my toolbox and only gets used when the on site gear isn't up to the job it was a reasonable priced insurance policy that has come in handy on several occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I usually spec nodes from the same company that make the desk. Makes the most sense... Sounds almost like going back to the days of proprietary control standards, surely a big brand artnet node will work as an artnet node with a.n.other big brand desk outputting artnet? Apart from delayed response what other problems can `low cost` artnet nodes create? What happened to sACN...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggy Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I own ELC nodes, never had a problem. Well priced and reliable. Leggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceecrb1 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Thanks for the replies.. Incase people are wondering..I had issues with a model very similar to this one.. it was not this one but looked very alike.. http://www.showandstage.de/images/product_images/popup_images/elation-e-node-8--DMX--artnet--recorder-funktion--bis-8-DMX-universen--19---1he-6135-0.jpg http://www.showandstage.de/images/product_images/popup_images/elation-e-node-8--DMX--artnet--recorder-funktion--bis-8-DMX-universen--19---1he-6135-0.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggy Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Link's not working mate Leggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 What happened to sACN...? The Christmas lights guys went from weirdo propriety control, tried DMX for one season, and then went ACN E1.31. These guys are running huge numbers of channels, many over 100K. ACN works, and works well. We theatre and rock and roll types are now officially in the dark ages. For a intro to E1.31 have a look E1.31 (Streaming-ACN) Protocol, and as a real example, here (sorry, facebook!) is a homemade LED screen display, 3,840 pixels using 11,520 channels. (I said these guys were using lots of channels, not that they were sane. Who makes their own LED wall?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceecrb1 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Link's not working mate Leggy http://www.amlux.it/amministrazione/upload/blocchi/X1122foto4%20per%20riga1-1X_72760.jpg http://www.amlux.it/amministrazione/upload/blocchi/X1122foto4%20per%20riga1-1X_72760.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grum Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Sounds almost like going back to the days of proprietary control standards, surely a big brand artnet node will work as an artnet node with a.n.other big brand desk outputting artnet? Apart from delayed response what other problems can `low cost` artnet nodes create? What happened to sACN...? It kind of is that way. Most manufacturers have created their own ethernet based protocol, along with adding Artnet compatibility. If its possible to use proprietary equipment then you "can" get better results as, in theory, the command signal isn't being converted from on protocol to another to be sent to a node which then converts it into yet another protocol. Some manufacturer systems are better/more flexible than others for example MA have very strict limits on the length of a CAT5 multi (90 metres seems to ring a bell but it could be less) after which you have to use a finer optic cable. Don't forget, before DMX manufacturers were able to create a monopoly/dependency situation for example if you wanted a Strand desk then you needed dimmers that understood Strand's D54 and it was the same with movers (anyone else remember the old Strand movers?) or maybe you wanted to use VariLites in your show, in which case you'd be needing to use a VariLite console. Then along came DMX and suddenly your Arri desk could talk to Strand dimmers, Clay Paky Scans and Wybron Scrollers. Strand could no longer sell their movers, Arri couldn't sell any consoles and end users got to cherry pick the best bits from each manufacturer. It's not exactly in the manufacturers interests to be universally compatible which is why early Hog nodes didn't do Artnet. Call me a cynic but it COULD also be why some manufacturers kit isn't quite as good at speaking Artnet as it is at speaking it's own language. With some of the lower cost nodes I've encountered slower processing which results in a significant lag (not so good if you're trying to flash your lights in time with the music) or models that need to be the last item on the network to be switched on so that they can find a spare address at start up. Others have output poor quality DMX resulting in data flash others are only capable of outputting on certain universes(which may already be in use by other nodes on the system (this is especially awkward if you're at a festival and hoping to tie in your floor pack to the existing data network). With the more expensive kit you also get helpful features like internal network switches allowing you to connect a couple of units together without the need for a separate switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 You should also be aware that if your console is belting out large numbers of broadcast artnet universes on a gigabit port, and you have a cheap DMX node with a 100M port connected to your gigabit switch, then some of those universe are going to get dropped by the switch once it runs out of buffer memory. Depending on the size of the buffer, and also the nature of the console's output, this may appear as random universes getting dropped and then re-appearing, or the same universes always being dropped. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bleasdale Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Sounds almost like going back to the days of proprietary control standards, surely a big brand artnet node will work as an artnet node with a.n.other big brand desk outputting artnet? Well, by sticking to this rule when possible, it usually offers better results. Companies like High End, MA, Martin, ETC etc have unlimited access to their own products. I know for a fact, Martin have a boat load of their Ethernet nodes hooked up to an "LED wall of death" in their R&D office to test that the consoles and nodes can handle all 64 universes they are specified to drive. MA and HES also do this. Im sure Chamsys probably do it as well! The fact of the matter is, with proprietary products, manufacturers can pretty much guarantee its reliability and stability. As soon as you use X desk with Y node, all it takes is for one mistake in the software, or somebody to think they know better than the standard (Art-Net) and hey ho there are problems. Using the nodes from the console manufacturer usually offer other nice features as well such as remote configuration, monitoring, software update pushes from the console etc. Whilst gear like Luminex and ELC can do this when connected to a laptop with config software, having it all on the console is a nice touch. Oh and if you are buying console and nodes from the same place, theres more possibility of a package deal! ;) Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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