da_Tester : Test utility for DMX & E1.31 systems

David_AVD

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A couple of weeks ago I decided to write a replacement for da_DMX and da_E131. Maintaining 2 programs that were the same except for the data method seemed a waste of effort.

The new program is called da_Tester and will be available on the da_Share site. It can send data to E1.31 controllers as well as DMX controllers via a DMX Open or DMX Pro USB dongle. It is Windows only - I don't do Mac.

In E1.31 mode, it can still send data to 12 universes max, but now they don't have to be contiguous. ie, You can send to universes 1, 2, 3, 58, 654, 63999, 14, 555 etc, up to 12 of your choosing. There's also a basic universe mode where you select the start and end universe like in da_E131. In both modes you can enable/disable the universes from a drop down menu on the tool bar.

Something new is snapshots. This allows you to take a static snapshot of the current data output and save it. You can then select them later as a data source instead of the various faders or chaser functions.

There is also a status bar on the main page with some of the main settings shown in case you don't have the settings window open. The status bar in the E1.31 section of the settings window also shows your computer's IP address and the gateway IP address.

The other change is that the fader and chaser sections maintain their own settings when you flip between them. This means that you can set up the RGB, All (was Single), Chaser and Faders independently and select them by clicking in those areas. The currently selected data source for the main page is highlighted in orange so you know which one is being sent to the output.

The old programs had a few long standing bugs which have been fixed in da_Tester. The settings have also been put back into their own window so you can adjust them even when on the faders page. The first release should be this weekend. Please let me know if you have any questions or feature suggestions.
 

David_AVD

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The initial release of da_Tester is now available. [LINK]

To get started, select DMX or E1.31 mode via the settings window. Most of the options are similar to da_DMX and da_E131.

da_tester.png
 
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Thanks, David! I'm excited to play with da_Tester, now :) I'd complained of needing a tool exactly like this last year, not knowing that if I got off my butt and googled some stuff, I'd find da_E131 and da_DMX. I've made use of your tools already this year, so I'm stoked for an all-in-one solution. Cheers!
 

AAH

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I'm glad you find it useful. Someone else who does is @AAH who was my beta tester over the last couple of weeks. Thanks Alan. :)
It's my pleasure to test it. Without your input I probably wouldn't be making blinky boards and I've been using da_dmx pretty much since you released it. Barely a week goes by when I don't use it and it's been such a useful app I recommend it (and da_e131) to people on ACL, on Falcon Xmas and on the Facebook pages. I even added the 2 apps in a faultfinding section of the latest ACL101.
As a beta (pronounced beater) tester I did pretty near every silly thing I could think of to break it and break it I did on lots of occasions. Being able to accurately describe the process in which to break it has allowed a pretty rapid development. I also got a few things added that I thought may be useful for both the end user and people telling people how to use it. The most important of these I reckon is when using the E1.31 section of the software it is possible to see your local IP and the gateway. This is handy to know if trying to work out routing issues with unicast.
Now that the app is written it's on my to-do list to do a video to show people how to use all it's features. That's going to take a while as there's actually quite a bit that can be done with such a seemingly simple bit of test gear.

For the info of the general public. There is a donate link on the https://www.da-share.com/software/da_tester/ page. As far as I know not many have donated to either the da_dmx or da_tester cause. I've now beta tested the paypal link and I can confirm it works as well :D
 

David_AVD

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I even added the 2 apps in a faultfinding section of the latest ACL101.

Yeah, like a goose I decided to write da_Tester just after the new 101 was released!

The most important of these I reckon is when using the E1.31 section of the software it is possible to see your local IP and the gateway. This is handy to know if trying to work out routing issues with unicast.

In the latest version I've moved the local / gateway IP info to under the Info menu item.

Now that the app is written it's on my to-do list to do a video to show people how to use all it's features. That's going to take a while as there's actually quite a bit that can be done with such a seemingly simple bit of test gear.

That would be great!
 

djgra79

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What, can't we figure it out from a silent 30 second clip?! :p
Thanks David & Alan for updating this handy piece of software that is a must have for the blinky community for testing and troubleshooting our setups during the year.
 

AAH

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What, can't we figure it out from a silent 30 second clip?! :p
Thanks David & Alan for updating this handy piece of software that is a must have for the blinky community for testing and troubleshooting our setups during the year.
Yeah. David does a lot more videos than I do but I can recall a single sound from them. The video may end up being a joint effort as I am not great at "marking up" videos but I know that @ryanschristmaslights is :D
 

David_AVD

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Version 1.0.5.0 released.
* [change] Tidied up menu icons and buttons
* [change] Log file view now uses a dedicated window
* [fix] Multicast not able to be selected sometimes
* [fix] Show error if FTDI DLL not loaded and allow E1.31 use

Previously if you ran this application on a PC that didn't have the FTDI driver / DLL loaded (for USB DMX dongles) it would not start.

Thanks to @Superman for bringing that to my attention.

I now have it detecting the missing DLL (detailed error message) but still allowing you to use E1.31 connections.
 

AAH

I love blinky lights :)
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Version 1.0.5.0 released.
* [change] Tidied up menu icons and buttons
* [change] Log file view now uses a dedicated window
* [fix] Multicast not able to be selected sometimes
* [fix] Show error if FTDI DLL not loaded and allow E1.31 use

Previously if you ran this application on a PC that didn't have the FTDI driver / DLL loaded (for USB DMX dongles) it would not start.

Thanks to @Superman for bringing that to my attention.

I now have it detecting the missing DLL (detailed error message) but still allowing you to use E1.31 connections.
Sounds like you need to sack the beta tester ;)
 

AAH

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The beta tester found a fresh bug and 1.06 is now the current version. Beta ftw :D
 

David_AVD

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I'm working on da_Tester fixing a small bug to do with the snapshots.

Are there any other bugs that I need to know about while I'm working on it?
 
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