Question or answer? You decide.

scamper

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:eek: This will either be an answer to anyone with this same problem, Or a question for anyone that has come across this before.
I ordered a bunch of these
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6154501363.html
From ray, I also ordered this
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6154501365.html
If you can't be bothered looking, It is just the cheap 3 channel dmx controllers and the editor to set the address's

I hooked them up (20 of them) 1 at a time and set the address individually on each one and in texta wrote the address on the back of the pcb so when I used them I knew straight away what channel each one was.
After many hours of work, I then hard wired them into bundles of 4 and fit them into my north poles I built a few months ago.
Then I started about testing them to check all was OK.
This is where the problem started. it would appear that the address that I dial into the addressor is in another base system or something. I spent ages going through everything trying to work out what I did wrong, only to find that the following was true.
Board address 11 is actually 37
Board address 14 is actually 46
Board address 17 is actually 55
Board address 20 is actually 64

Sooo if anyone has an answer for this, I am intrigued, otherwise, if anyone buys this same setup, beware.
 

BundyRoy

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I have no idea if this is even relevant but if you multiply the number you came up with * 3 and then add 4 you get the other number. I figure it can't be a coincidence with that many sets of numbers.

eg. 11*3+4=37

Got no idea of the relevance, just saying.

Might help if have to do any more though.
 

scamper

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Well you did better than me, I was trying to convert it from all base number variants and working back and forth from hex and binary, and I couldn't come up with an answer.
I will look at the other 17 controllers over the next day or so and see if the same applies to all of them.
 

davrus

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If you thought you needed to do 1, then 4, then 7, etc... that is not how it works.


The number you input is equivalent to a Pixel channel number, so 1 = DMX chans 1 to 3, 2 = chans 4 to 6, etc.


You enter a number between 1 and 170. 170 giving you channels 508, 509, 510.
 

scamper

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Well that would make sense except that it is still adding 6 to what you would expect the channel number to be.
If you start at 1 = 1 and 2 = 4, then 11 should = 31, but in this case it is 37
Any ideas on why that might be?
 

plasmadrive

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Out of curiosity, did you connect them all in parallel off the DMX feed? Or did you data out from one to the next? OR, did you combine the way you connected them?

There are two connection schemes on the boards on that link you supplied.
 

DrNeutron

Just starting in this crazy hobby
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Send a PM to Dkulp, I am pretty sure he used these for some Halloween props last year. He didn't seem to have any issues with them.
Good Luck and report back.
 

scamper

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I hooked them up separately to write the channel allocation, But wired them in parallel for the elements I am using.
I am using 4 boards, for a total of 12 channels in each element.
 

dkulp

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I love these things. :)


That said, I haven't used the address programmer much other than to test to see if it works. For the most part, I believe when setting them, you use 0 for DMX 1-3, 1 for DMX 4-6, 2 for DMX 7-9, etc... UNLESS Ray sent you the wrong programmer. There is also a "group of 4" programmer for the RGB+W DMX-101. Hopefully you have the group of 3 version.


As I said, though, I don't really use the programmer at all. I pretty much have all of mine setup to cascade. The outs from one feed to the in of the next. Thus, the first one in the chain I leave at channels 1-3. The next automatically goes to 4-6, next to 7-9, etc... I've attached a picture from one of the monster faces I'm finishing up. There are three of these with a single 4 core pigtail coming in, cascades the data, and a 4 core pigtail which will go to the next monster face. (Need to pot these and hot glue down all the wires and such.)


I'm going to be creating little potted 3 channel things for the tombstones and such as well. Will have a 4 core coming in (ground , V+, DMX-, DMX+), 3 2 core pigtails, and a 4core going out to the next.
 

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scamper

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Well even that helps a bit. I didn't realise that you could cascade them like that.
I thought by the way I read it, was just an in and out, much the same as most other controllers you get and therefor you either run in and out or in parallel and it wouldn't make any difference. :p
 

dkulp

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scamper said:
Well even that helps a bit. I didn't realise that you could cascade them like that.
I thought by the way I read it, was just an in and out, much the same as most other controllers you get and therefor you either run in and out or in parallel and it wouldn't make any difference. :p


I think the DM-103's and DM-104's are the only ones that cascade. I don't have any of the other DM series, but the DM-103's are the only ones with two rs485 chips on them. The newer DM-111 and DM-107 don't even have "data out" lines. Not sure about the DM-100. It has the out pads, but only a single rs485 so I'm not sure if it's doing the cascade or just a straight T of the incoming lines.
 

scamper

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I'm using them for my north poles, they drive strips.
They are high enough power to run heaps more, but the size and price made it worth while building them into the props so I only need DMX and power instead of multiple cables
 

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robt

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Oct 26, 2012
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Don't mean to hijack this thread, but does anyone know of any similar drivers to the dm series? I haven't seen any that work similarly (dmx controllable etc) and in the same price range ($4-$6 US or so).

They work great for some of the older leds i have, but they require roughly 9-12volts (depending on channel), and the new LEDs i am using need only 3-5 volts. I tried using the dm-101 powering it with 12 volts ()the minimum for the dm-101) but the driver can't dissipate the extra volts (12 volts minus 4 or so means the driver needs to burn off 8 or so volts). I tried it anyway, and there was a tiny little explosion on the driver board near on of the coils and the green went out. Cheap lesson! Anyway, there are no drivers in the dm series that work with as low as 4-5 volts, is anyone familiar with a similar driver that will work with 4 channels and dmx?
 
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