Wireless DMX conundrum

[djeminar]

Hi all! I'm currently in the process of converting all my DMX lighting fixtures to wireless, using the internal wifi DMX boards available on ebay. I've had great success with them as far as controlling the fixtures wirelessly from my standalone DMX controller, which I have also retrofitted with a wireless DMX board. So I know that all the boards in my fixtures are working.

 

However, here's where I'm hitting a brick wall...

 

Getting two identical fixtures to communicate wirelessly in a master / slave configuration. It just doesn't want to work.

 

Case in point: I've got two Chauvet Derby X fixtures. I've got the "master" set to sound active and the slave configured via the dip switches as per the manual from Chauvet.

 

Using a DMX cable from master to slave, the two lights work together perfectly. However, trying to get them to do the same using the installed wifi DMX boards is just not happening.

 

I've got the wifi DMX board in the master fixture hooked up to the DMX out pins and the DMX board in the slave fixture hooked up to the DMX input pins. No joy.

 

So here's my question: Is the signal that is sent between the two fixtures when running in a sound activated master with slave configuration not actually a DMX signal at all, but some proprietary Chauvet communication protocol? Even if this were the case, wouldn't the installed transmitter and receiver just pass those signals through anyway? The signal is still using the DMX connectors to send and receive.

 

I'm genuinely flummoxed! Any insight at all would be hugely appreciated. Cheers!

[timsabre]

How does the wifi DMX board know whether it is a transmitter or receiver?

 

Usually the stand-alone signal is DMX but sometimes it uses a non-zero startcode, which I can imagine the wifi board might ignore. Or it might not be DMX at all, you'd have to put a scope on it to be sure. I doubt the wifi boards would pass it if is not standard DMX, as far as I can see there is some processing involved, they don't just transmit anything you feed in.

[djeminar]

Thanks for your reply!

The board detects whether it is a transmitter or a receiver depending on whether it is connected to the DMX in or out, as far as I'm aware. It certainly worked that way with my controller and the fixtures I have fitted boards into to receive DMX from the controller. I didn't have to change any settings, the boards just sensed which to be (tx or rx).

 

It's quite a mind trip! WHY ARE THEY NOT WORKING?! ** laughs out loud **

[musht]

 

It's quite a mind trip! WHY ARE THEY NOT WORKING?! ** laughs out loud **

 

Try the master unit connected by cable to a.n.other DMX unit, suspect Chauvet uses its own protocol for master/slave operation.

 

Standard DMX fixture as slave will tell you.

 

As Tim says think the wireless DMX units will do some error trapping on input and won`t like something with wrong timing.

 

If your getting everything under DMX control don`t really want to step back to Disco Dave`s master slave stuff surely....?

[timsabre]

If your getting everything under DMX control don`t really want to step back to Disco Dave`s master slave stuff surely....?

 

If it's actually for a disco, they do a reasonable job...

[alistermorton]

The board detects whether it is a transmitter or a receiver depending on whether it is connected to the DMX in or out, as far as I'm aware.

 

Chances are the in and out connectors are just paralleled anyway. The wireless board will be looking for the differential voltage across its input/output to determine whether it is a transmitter or receiver, which can cause problems if one of your fixtures goes rogue and falls back to automatic mode and becomes a master in the absence of an input signal

 

 

 

[djeminar]

Some good ideas there, guys! First up, yes I do use these particular fixtures in sound active master slave mode. Their built in patterns are pretty damn impressive. I'd be hard pressed to create anything better with my controller for them, to be honest! Plus, for the mobile dj gigs I do, it's one less thing to have to do while mixing tracks, handling MC duties and fending off the inevitable hordes of Millennials with their requests to "plug my phone into the desk" ?

 

I'm going to test out the theory of using one of these fixtures as a master into a standard DMX fixture (an old Mojo Scan 1). Let's see what happens! Epilepsy trigger, here I come!

[DrV]

I assume that the slave DMX receiver has some way of distinguishing between transmissions from the desk and transmissions from the master - a wireless address DIP switch or setup option for example. Otherwise it might well get confused.

[djeminar]

Yes, the wifi DMX boards have several different universes you can select using a small button on the board, with each universe denoted by a different colour led indicator bulb.

 

Ok the other DMX fixture (Mojo Scan 1) completely ignores any signals from the Chauvet Derby X while it's outputting control signals in master sound active mode. So we can pretty safely deduce that whatever it's outputting in that mode sure as Hell isn't standard DMX.

[DrV]

Yes, the wifi DMX boards have several different universes you can select using a small button on the board, with each universe denoted by a different colour led indicator bulb.

 

Ok the other DMX fixture (Mojo Scan 1) completely ignores any signals from the Chauvet Derby X while it's outputting control signals in master sound active mode. So we can pretty safely deduce that whatever it's outputting in that mode sure as Hell isn't standard DMX.

ShowBabies?

[djeminar]

Ahh well, not to worry. It's inspired me to get off my behind and program some scenes and chases instead! I can still run them master slave sound active mode using a DMX cable on my truss if I want to. I'll probably have more fun creating custom shows with them anyway.

 

Thanks so much for all your help! This is my first post thread on this forum, and this has been a great introduction. Very grateful to you all ?

[dbuckley]

suspect Chauvet uses its own protocol for master/slave operation.

 

That would be my guess too. I know these boards of which he OP speaks, having used a few myself, and they do automagically change from receivers to transmitters on reception of valid DMX, so the suspicion has to be that this is not valid DMX.

[Don Allen]

This forum topic on AmericanDJ on Master/Slave Mode vs. Sound Active Mode support the theory that Chauvet use a non dmx512 protocol when running Master or Slave mode. It might be in their DMX header, but if so, that should still pass through wireless DMX.

[djeminar]

You'd think so, right? But it doesn't. A shame, as at $11 per board, this would have been an extremely cost effective way to get the fixtures to link up on opposite sides of a room. They work great in standard DMX mode over wifi though, so all is not lost ?

[rocklander]

sorry for the dredge, but there really doesn't seem to be a lot of chatter (that I can find) about the ins and outs of these. I bought some of these boards. wired a couple up and got tx rx happening nicely on the LED indication, but the lights don't pass the DMX.

I'm using cheapo chinese LED quad LED par64 that work perfectly via DMX cable, but when I use the small integrated boards, no DMX passes despite the LED indicating tx and rx being successful.

so then I tried the external wifi ones thinking maybe I'd wired the others wrong but same issue... rx tx indications are good to go, but the slave stays blank.. throw in a DMX cable and it works fine, replace back with the wireless ones.. nothing.

 

so then I tried the same on some moving head lights I have... and the wireless works here... wat?

 

is there some different type of DMX for different lights? they're booth standard 3 pin xlr style.. any help gratefully received. I'm way confused