DC24 Printable version

The DC24 controller accepts DMX input and drives 24 DC channels.



The sales and support thread for the DC24 can be found at https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/dc24-24-channel-dc-controller-dmx.1398/.

Features

• Dual DC input (12V - 36V) (large screw terminals)
• 2x 15A mini blade fuses (15A overall max per 12 channels)
• 24 DC outputs (2A max per channel)
• Output terminals arranged as V+, Ch, Ch, Ch (suits RGB)
• True isolated DMX input (2x RJ45 sockets for looping)
• Remaining side will continue working if other side's fuse blows
• PCB fits in a Jaycar ABS enclosure
• PCB size is 144mm x 106mm
• Supplied fully built and tested
• Upgradeable firmware (via ICSP header)

DC Input

The large 4 way green connector (to the left in picture) is the DC input from your power supply. Each side (12 channels) of the DC24 can use a separate power supply, or you can feed both sides from one common power supply. Separate wiring (back to the power supply) for both sides is recommended to minimise voltage drop. The V+ terminals are positive and the V- terminals are negative.

The DC24 is shipped with the power jumpers (to the right of power connector) set to accept voltages in the 12V - 36V DC range. This will suit most applications. The power jumpers can be rearranged for a 5V only system by setting them as per the legend next to the jumpers. Warning - setting the power jumpers to 5V operation and then applying more than 5.5V DC will damage your DC24!

Fuses

Each side of the DC24 has a 15 Amp mini blade fuse installed at shipping time. For greater protection, you can replace them with lower value types if the maximum current draw from that side will be significantly less than 15 Amps.

Channel Outputs

There are 24 channel outputs; 12 per side. Each side can be run at the same, or a different supply voltage. The channels are arranged in groups of 3 (with a common V+) to suit RGB applications, but they are all individual circuits.

The maximum load per channel is 2 Amps, but remember that the overall limit per side is 15 Amps. This means that you can't turn on all 12 outputs of a side with the maximum load. In reality, this should not be a problem as most loads will be less than 2 Amps.

DMX Input

There are two RJ45 connectors for DMX input / through. They are wired in parallel so it makes no difference which one is used as input. The RJ45 pinout is per the ESTA standard with the addition of pins 4+5 being connected together to allow use in P-DMX systems.

Termination

The termination ("TERM") jumper is next to one of the RJ45 sockets. Leave this jumper on (terminated) if the board is the last (or only) one in the wiring chain (only one socket used). Remove it (unterminated) if the board is in the middle of the wiring chain (both sockets used).

LEDs

There are 3 small LEDs near the centre of the PCB.

The power LED will be on steady whenever power is applied to the DC24.

The mode LED normally flashes slowly during normal operation. It will flash rapidly when setting the start channel as described below.

The DMX LED will flash briefly each time a new DMX frame is received. When the DMX source ceases for a couple of seconds, the DMX LED will flash once every second of so. After 60 seconds of no DMX input, all outputs are dropped to zero. When the DMX source is resumed, all outputs snap to the levels in the resumed stream.

Start Channel

When you receive your DC24, it will be set to DMX start channel 1. That is, it will respond to channels 1 to 24. To change the start address perform the following procedure:

1. Start with the DC24 powered off
2. Connect a DMX source that you can set at least channels 1 & 2
3. Set DMX channel 1 to value 1..255 to specify the new DMX start address
4. Set DMX channel 2 to a non-zero value to add 256 to the DMX start address
5. Press and hold the small button on the DC24
6. Apply power to the DC24
7. Wait until the MODE LED starts flashing rapidly
8. Release the small button
9. The new DMX start address is then stored in the EEPROM
10. There is no need to restart the DC24 to use that new address

So, to set the DMX start address to 25, set DMX channel level 1 to 25 and DMX channel 2 level to 0. DMX channel 2 is only non-zero for DMX start addresses higher than 255. Using a zero level for DMX channels 1 & 2 will result in the DMX start address being set to 1, not 0 as you might expect. This is to make it a little easier to reset the start address back to 1 but simply leaving the DMX source levels all at zero.

See also: DMX Start Address Setting Software

Firmware Updates

See DC24/Updating

Related

• Connector Pinouts
• P-DMX
• Using DMX controllers with LOR software
• Testing controller outputs (MOSFETs & TRIACs)
• Controller Setups and Settings