Running LOR Controllers in a DMX Universe
- Thread starter fasteddy
- Start date
Another stupid question from an RGB newbie... I am planning to use the Raspberry PI to run my display this year. I will be running a 16 channel LOR CTB16PC controller along with a SanDevices E682 to drive my six RGB arches (360 pixels, 60 per arch). If I understand correctly, the Raspberry PI will be outputting an E1.31 data stream. I have read FastEddy's "controlling LOR with DMX" PPS from 2011 and after reading the PPS I am not clear as to whether or not there are any differences between E1.31 data streams and "native" DMX signals. Will the LOR "see" the E1.31 stream as a "native DMX" input and respond appropriately? I am picturing wiring out two Ethernet cables from the PI, one to the LOR CTB16PC and the other to the E682. Is that conceptually correct? Thanks very much in advance.
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- #33
DanJ said:
No this will not work.
E1.31 is DMX over a network (ethernet) so the data is packaged in way that allows it to be transported over an IP network.
If this was the case then there would be no need for E1.31 to DMX bridges like the ECG-D4 or DMX outputs from the P12S or the E683.
Shanta
New elf
I am planning to do much the same, but instead of trying to hook the LOR to the e1.31 you need to dedicate a port on your SanDevices controller to output DMX. Then you can connect your LOR to that port and run it in DMX-mode. That's the PLAN anyway.
(or buy a dedicated bridge, as was suggested earlier)
(or buy a dedicated bridge, as was suggested earlier)
Shanta/Eddy:
I am finally ready to setup my PI this week and try it out next weekend. I am not clear on rewiring the Ethernet cable though. All of the RJ45s I have are male end to male end. If I read Eddy's "LOR in DMX" PPS, I should convert both ends of the RJ45 that will be outputting from my PI into my LOR controller as shown on the PPS? I was thinking that I would be leaving the "PI end" of the RJ45 "as-is" and convering the "LOR end", but perhaps that doesn't line up with DMX controller wiring-pinout configuration? I plan to get my PI up & running this week with software/etc then try to get it to run my E682 & LOR CTB16PC this weekend. Thanks very much.
I am finally ready to setup my PI this week and try it out next weekend. I am not clear on rewiring the Ethernet cable though. All of the RJ45s I have are male end to male end. If I read Eddy's "LOR in DMX" PPS, I should convert both ends of the RJ45 that will be outputting from my PI into my LOR controller as shown on the PPS? I was thinking that I would be leaving the "PI end" of the RJ45 "as-is" and convering the "LOR end", but perhaps that doesn't line up with DMX controller wiring-pinout configuration? I plan to get my PI up & running this week with software/etc then try to get it to run my E682 & LOR CTB16PC this weekend. Thanks very much.
The Raspberry Pi has an Ethernet connection, not a DMX connection. Same connector, totally different signals.
To use a DMX controller (LOR or otherwise) with the Raspberry Pi, you still need another box to convert the Ethernet (E1.31) signal to RS485 (basic DMX).
To use a DMX controller (LOR or otherwise) with the Raspberry Pi, you still need another box to convert the Ethernet (E1.31) signal to RS485 (basic DMX).
David--I worded my question incorrectly. I plan on driving my E682 with my PI. I will be figuring out how to setup a DMX output from the E682 as the "native" DMX input into my LOR controller. So now that I think about it, I will read thru the SanDevices manual really closely and figure out what directions it provides with respect to how to set up a DMX output from one of the sockets, then I will have to make sure that connection will work as an LOR native DMX input. Either way, I will have to figure out "both ends" of a LAN cable to drive the LOR CTB16PC. Thanks very much.
No this will not work.
E1.31 is DMX over a network (ethernet) so the data is packaged in way that allows it to be transported over an IP network.
If this was the case then there would be no need for E1.31 to DMX bridges like the ECG-D4 or DMX outputs from the P12S or the E683.
The above is a quote from Fast Eddy
I recently bought a P12S with the 2 DMX outputs. So do I just configure the LOR CTB16PC to run in DMX mode and then just plug the LOR CTB16pc to the P12S DMX outputs using a standard Cat5 cable or do I still need a crossover cable?
Assuming this works, will all the othjer LOR controllers that I have daisy chained to the CTB16PC also work (provided they are also configured to DMX) or will they have to be connected seperatly to a DMX output on the P12S?
E1.31 is DMX over a network (ethernet) so the data is packaged in way that allows it to be transported over an IP network.
If this was the case then there would be no need for E1.31 to DMX bridges like the ECG-D4 or DMX outputs from the P12S or the E683.
The above is a quote from Fast Eddy
I recently bought a P12S with the 2 DMX outputs. So do I just configure the LOR CTB16PC to run in DMX mode and then just plug the LOR CTB16pc to the P12S DMX outputs using a standard Cat5 cable or do I still need a crossover cable?
Assuming this works, will all the othjer LOR controllers that I have daisy chained to the CTB16PC also work (provided they are also configured to DMX) or will they have to be connected seperatly to a DMX output on the P12S?
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- #42
DannyP said:
You will still need a cross over cable between the P12S DMX output and the LOR controller.
But one very important thing to consider when using a E1.31 to DMX bridge like a D4 or a P12S is that you set the keep alive setting to 30ms. This ensures that there is always a signal being sent to the LOR controller. The reason this is important is the LOR controller will auto detect which signal it is seeing and automatically work, so if it see DMX signal then it will automatically be working in DMX mode. The issue is that it takes a brief moment for the controller to react and so the LOR controller may appear to respond slowly. So by setting the keep alive to 30ms you ensure that the LOR controllers always have a DMX signal.
So all you do is treat your LOR controller as a DMX controller in your sequencing software and use channel numbers for the start address instead of LOR controller numbers
kane
Dedicated elf
Yes, you will still need a "crossover" from the P12S DMX output (which adheres to standards), to get it to use the right pins that the LOR uses (which uses it's own pin layout) It only needs 3 pins - ground, +ve and -ve - check the wiki for more details. Note that this is not the same as cat5 crossover cable!DannyP said:
DannyP said:
That is correct, you can daisy chain. You just ensure that each controller is setup with a different start address, and all good. You don't need to configure the LOR controller to be in DMX mode, it just goes in that mode if it sees a DMX signal. But make sure you set the keep alive settings on the p12s, otherwise it reverts back and causes issues.
edit; sorry eddy beat me to it!
mborg10
Michael Borg
I'm just commenting on this thread so it's easy for me to find later. Thanks peeps