What is DMX?
This is a brief over view of DMX,
DMX is a protocol originally designed for the dimming of theatre
lighting. Imagine having even just four lights that's four cables if you want to
be able to control each light independently.
Now multiply that by say fifty that's 200 lights and 200 cables as you can
see that's a lot of cables
It was agreed soon after DMX 512 was invented that it would be "shared" so
that it could become an "industry standard"
The DMX controller (or computer) sends small "bits" of information down down
a single small cable, each DMX unit ( it can be a switcher, dimmer, light, fog
machine etc) is set to a specific address, (one of 512) the unit will only react
to information for the address to that which it is set to. a bit like a post man
delivering the post, each letter goes to a specific address.
The information received at that address determines what the DMX receiver
does. In its simplest of forms (for example) a light will switch on or off, more
sophisticated DMX receivers can also dim the light. Some modern day disco lights
have 6 DMX channels (some 12) :
Example
1 Dim light, 2 Colour of light, (coloured glass filters in
front of light) 3 Move mirror left / right 4, Move mirror up and
down 5 Pattern put in front of light (gobo) 6 speed of strobe
effect (another wheel in front of the light)
Since we mostly supply Asynchronous (variable speed) pumps if these are
connected to a DMX dimmer the pump can have its speed reduced to what ever is
required, reducing the height of the fountain jet. Similarly if transformers for
lights are connected to a DMX dimmer these too can be dimmed. When run by our access
software this makes a musical fountain.
The DMX dimmers we supply can be set to any one of the 512 DMX addresses, but
since they are 4 channel they are usually set as follows:
Dimmer 1 channels 1-4 Dimmer 2 channels 5-8 Dimmer 3 channels 9-12 etc
So each Channel does a specific thing.
For example addresses 1-8 operate pumps and 9-12 operate lights
DMX dimmer
Nozzles