New Feature that might be useful to have in the line up using DMX.

[michilson]

Has anyone thought about including a Control board that can be linked into a DMX system?

The Add-on Board Can interpret the Program Coding to Turn on Turn off Dim Chase Flicker, Select Colors, Turn on Strobes, Move Mirrors or Yokes?

Basically giving the programmer the ability to use a DMX 512 universe in there setup?

The nice thing about this if my understanding of DMX is correct there is not a Flow direction on the Data Stream.

So any Controller can Turn on / off and light at any stage of the Haunt.

This would also be useful to activate pre-event activates like turning on mood lights or firing DMX capable fog machines before the victims reached the scene.

This is just a thought that had occurred to me as I was looking over the stats on these controllers! Would love to hear if you guys think that it is possible or not and what else it could do?

[JonnyMac]

There is a very famous mouse-friendly amusement park here in southern California that uses our Prop-SX controller with an RS-485 add-on board -- this allows them to use the controllers as DMX slaves.  That said, DMX programming is not for the faint-of-heart; even though they are pros I wrote all of the DMX programs for them, and because the controller is a DC output device they were limited to on-off control and the dimming of LED lamps.  In one of their attractions they did as you suggest: they used the Prop-SX as the DMX interpreter to provide command signal outputs to Prop-2 controllers that ran various programs.

We have to finished documenting our RS-485 board before we release it but again, the programming that goes along with DMX is really quite tricky.

[michilson]

Im not sure i understand all of that replay.

I'm a Dj and use the High Tech Scanning Lights and Controllers (DMX universe) I'm planning to Add up to 6 DMX 4 Channel Dimmer Packs to my Haunt for Next Year running a Total of 16 Par Cans

I was planning on using a Open Source PC Program tied into the DMX interface to Run lighting Cue's and Effects.

But I do not have a true way to full automate the system. (Basically Trip the Effect to start it)

What I was really suggesting is that the Add-on Unit to the Prop -2 would directly link up to a DMX fixture using the standard XLR network and would convert the program language in DMX instruction sent to a specific DMX channel to turn on lights, Fire Fog machines, and Run Strobes and High Tech Effects.

I know a few Prop controllers do have this capability I don't know however what the limitations are on the type of system and it's effects.

I do not know the Programming or have the electronic knowledge to build something like this but would love to request a unit for future development that has this kind of capability. This would also decrease the need of the RC-4

Due to the Dimmer pack will carry the work load of switching the power.

The nice thing about a system like this is you have more control over the lighting and units you're interfacing with.

Examples include Dimness, Strobe Rate, Colors, Gobos, Mirror or head movements, Fog Durations just to name a few! And with the use of LED become popular RGB Color Mixing.

[JonnyMac]

Okay, perhaps I understand your question better -- you want to send DMX, right?  Theoretically, it can be done, but still requires a Prop-SX (for its speed) and our RS-485 add-on.  A DMX output program is on my "to-do" list.  From a technical standpoint, however, it will be a DMX-16 project; that is, the code will only control 16 addresses.  This is due to the small memory of these controllers and most of the folks who have asked for DMX output have indicated that they only want to control a few devices.

[michilson]

That would be fine due to chances are you would only be linked to one unit at a time like DMX DIMMER PACK, or a DMX HIGH TECH LIGHTING UNIT..

Yes i'd want to send a DMX signal to a dimmer pack.

I'd like to see a Module that has a direct connection on it with the 3 pin or 5 pin connection on the board.