DMX IO Module for Propeller Platform Now Available
Nick McClick
Posts: 1,003
This is Jon's DMX module from the November edition of Nuts and Volts (Parallax usually makes his columns available to anyone to download here). It's a 4-channel transceiver, it can control 4 channels of low-current 3.3v TTL or high-current 12V through screw-down terminals. It can also act as a transmitter, addressing 512 channels.
DMX is a serial protocol that runs over RS-485 - it was originally intended for controlling stage lighting, but people use it to control servos, LED's, steppers, and all kinds of other devices. I've collected a few cool examples here
It's actually been available for about a week, but I spent some quality time with the howto, and just finished it yesterday. More info on Gadget Gangster.
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DMX is a serial protocol that runs over RS-485 - it was originally intended for controlling stage lighting, but people use it to control servos, LED's, steppers, and all kinds of other devices. I've collected a few cool examples here
It's actually been available for about a week, but I spent some quality time with the howto, and just finished it yesterday. More info on Gadget Gangster.
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Comments
I've done quite a few shows with the CDS Lanbox LCX www.lanbox.com/ ,one of the best non lighting-desk controllers on the planet (IMHO)
This board would be a perfect DMX receiver downstream from my Lanbox. It'd also be a perfect interface to slave a prop to the Lanbox too. Thanks for posting this, just what my brain needs, yet ANOTHER project to obsess about!
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I get no credit for the design - Jon did an awesome job of keeping it simple and easy to understand AND being very useful. You can blame for me for the howto, though [noparse]:)[/noparse]
Initially, I thought this was a specialty item (how many people need to control stage lights?), but as I started digging into it, I saw all the awesome things people were doing with DMX, and I was very surprised. There aren't a lot of DMX microcontroller tools, too (tinker.it makes an arduino version, but it's $130!).
Anyway - I think the flexibility and robustness of the protocol + the integration with all the existing DMX hardware out there makes it a winner. The Prop can take care of all the DMX management in one cog.
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