ARDUINO DMX512 CONTROLLER 

Thank you!

That is something is it not? I have seen some really great videos that have 100 or more thumbs down, I just don't get why some people are just not happy with them selves let along someone trying to give them help full info.

Thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I wonder if there’s too much info but I can’t help myself.

I dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb lost my login password. I love any tips you can give me.

@Grant Legend Instablaster =)

@Emilio Langston thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

@Emilio Langston it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my ass :D

A 3-D printer is on my long-term shopping acquisition list. I’ve never tried using a service to print things in the meantime. It would be convenient to have a printer for little projects. I forget when and how I found out about DMX years ago, and I’ve always wanted to experiment with it and didn’t know how easy it is with an Arduino. I’m sure I can come up with lots of related projects now like turning it into wirelessly controlled DMX and maybe a phone app to do that control or something.

@@GadgetReboot I read about MAX485, but since I have no need to run a UART 1/2 mile, have never played with one. Would be almost trivial to make an ESP into a wireless relay for DMX. Code exists already converts one to a wireless serial port. github.com/jeelabs/esp-link

Wireless serial ports are another topic I will be looking at even for RS-232 to use old dial-up modems on Wi-Fi. So many plans, so little time.

I did a transmitter and receiver in another video including controlling WS2812 LEDs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RZ_UWYBOj8M.html

I haven't done anything lately, I even fell behind in normal videos this past week so I need to get caught up on that before I get totally buried. But I'm waiting for some parts to come so I can at least try adding power and signal isolation to the existing DMX setup and make it more robust as-is. Maybe some day it'll grow into something bigger.

This was just an Arduino protocol test, a real implementation would need isolation and these particular modules don’t do it but I am working up toward another isolation demo. I recently did a DC to DC isolated converter video and I’m still waiting for another one to arrive so I can isolate two sides of a cable. For the data isolation I might either use auto couplers or one of those ADUM digital isolators www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/ADuM1200_1201.pdf

I basically got everything on eBay, using the Arduino as the controller, then a little RS 485 to TTL module to translate between Arduino and DMX signal levels, and since my American DJ light uses the three pin instead of five pin standard connecter I just ordered a three pin on eBay.

Yeah same hardware on both ends of the DMX transmit and receive sides. I did another project doing transmit and receive so it should also be able to receive DMX from PC and then that can trigger anything desired. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RZ_UWYBOj8M.html

They are on the RS 485 board being used.

According to this page, the cable has to be less than 300m (and assuming a proper DMX cable with the right impedance), and it says an amplifier may be needed after that point, or if there's more than 25-32 items connected insights.acuitybrands.com/eldoled-blog/how-to-wire-a-dmx-system#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20the%20maximum%20cable%20length,connected%20to%20one%20DMX%20cable.

This video controls WS2812, although I will be working on maybe something more universal but this was my first experiment. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RZ_UWYBOj8M.html

The extra two pins on a five pin are for an optional second communication channel so they just get left unconnected interactive-online.com/resources/faq/dmx-512-connector-pinouts

@@GadgetReboot Figured so, thank you for clarifying!

It’s hard to think of uses for them today because I don’t really have a noisy signal environment to deal with at the workbench and any communication of any distance I would probably start thinking about Wi-Fi or wired ethernet. It almost makes me want to go out of my way to think of a project just to use them because I think I have five. Maybe a DMX receiver so I can turn some LEDs into DMX lights.

@@GadgetReboot Did you manage to get to receiving dmx, I need a way that I can use an Arduino to receive dmx and turn on LEDs etc, I am fine with LEDs, ws2812's and transistors etc but I just don't understand how to go about receiving dmx.

I know that you could use the dmxserial and dmxserial2 library for receiving dmx but I don't know how to go about wiring the dmx to the Arduino for receiving data.

I will take a look at it and see if it really is as straightforward as it was to send it out. Since I already know I’m sending out valid control codes for a real DMX light, I can use that code as a test and then see if I can get another Arduino to receive it and turn on some LEDs or something and if so, I’ll do a video to have a complete series covered.

Gadget Reboot thanks, do you think you will use a MAX458, if so I will get one.

I’m sure there’s projects out there with raspberry pi controlling DMX but I haven’t tried before so I don’t know any right now.

I haven't tried that platform yet, but I eventually will. I might lean toward ESP32 also. So I'll just be googling for any existing libraries, someone must have done it by now.

Upon further testing... It is a 6 channel light. 1 is "set to individual color control when value is 255". 2 is red. If I set the light's first channel to 147, then send 147c 255v and 148c 255v, I get red. If I set the light's first channel to 148, then send 148c 255v and 149c 255v, I get nothing. Combinations below 147 for the first channel seem to work and above do not seem to work.

I don't think it would be the MAX485 because being just a communication hardware interface, if it works in a certain channel range it should communicate fine no matter what is transmitted. Did you get the other light working at those higher channels? Trying to figure out if the Arduino sketch and hardware interface at least work, I don't remember if I tested at high channels and right now it's all disassembled so I can't quickly test it. I don't suppose that light for some reason doesn't work above certain channels, although I can't imagine why...what is the model number? I wonder if anyone else has run into issues similar to this. Also, just for the sake of voodoo when all else fails, I wonder if there's just some weird combination of addresses that exploit a glitch, maybe in the Arduino sketch. Did you try some other random higher channels just to see, maybe something over 200 in case there's an odd behaviour around 148... I'll be hooking up the DMX hardware at some point to continue projects, maybe I can do more testing with my American DJ microwash lights.

@@GadgetReboot Thank you for the reply. So, I wonder if it is just that one light I decided to experiment with. I added the second light to try higher channels, and the first light is working at the higher channels, using the same sketch from yesterday because I plugged the sedan light in without modifying the sketch, as well as the second light. I removed the second light, and the first seems inconsistent. Maybe it just has to do with the resistance on the DMX side. I was only testing with one light, just to make sure it worked. I had ripped everything out of the code except static DmxSimple.write commands in the setup routing. Regardless, your tutorial was well done and easy to follow. Thank you for it.

I wonder if it has something to do with the termination. I can’t remember if my lights have a built-in 120 ohm termination but I was only using very short wiring so maybe if you have longer cables you might need to make sure it is terminated properly. And I guess that would include if you have two lights joined together, only the one at the far end should be terminated. And presumably the RS-485 board has a termination resistor on it, mine does.

Gadget Reboot I do have a terminator on the out of the last light, but I have never experimented with my usb-to-DMX adapter and just that one light.

I think it handles 512 channels but it's been years since I used it

Is this the board with SP3485: www.sparkfun.com/products/10124 And what kind of Arduino, 5 V or 3.3 V I/O? I see that chip needs to be powered by 3.3 V and it vaguely says interoperable with 5 V logic but I didn’t see anything in the chip data sheet that clearly guaranteed it can be powered at 3.3 V and hook up to 5V I/O. Aside from that, the A and B terminals would be the same as the A and B terminals in my RS 485 breakout board schematic, RX-I is the same as DI on my board, TX-O is the same as RO on my board. The grounds will go to the same place I have them but VCC would be 3.3 V and if the data sheet can be trusted, it says it should still work at 5 V logic levels otherwise if it’s 3.3 V logic it should obviously work.

@@GadgetReboot thanks for the reply! It's the board from the link indeed! I own a few Uno's and a few nano clones, the clones say they have 3.3v and 5v, so that should work. I'm gonna see if it works out with yout instructions!

If it doesn't turn up, you can always pop by Princess Auto and grab another one. (you know you want to go there anyway...) www.princessauto.com/en/detail/dmx-master-shield/A-p8641656e

there’s always a way depending what signals are available. If there’s an actual trigger signal indicating when the other sound is playing, that can be used as an input to Arduino to do some thing. Otherwise if it’s just raw audio then a filter can be used to detect a certain frequency and use that to trigger.

@@GadgetReboot So do think I can use a Mic to XLR to "What" and get the Arduino to sense the beat and trigger the DMX lights, just like what would be done at a concert?

A circuit like a color organ would take the sound and be able to trigger when certain frequencies are detected and then that could trigger the input of an Arduino and the code would have to then generate whatever DMX is required to turn on whatever lights in a certain color for a certain amount of time once triggered. Basically it sounds like an interesting project idea that I might consider doing.

@@GadgetReboot Yes please....I have the DMX controller, just need the Arduino to trigger the scene changes

is the controller also an Arduino or is it some sort of commercial product? I’ve never used a commercial controller so I don’t know if they have options for an external interface to do things like trigger scenes but if the Arduino itself is also the controller, then it’s easy.

I was just using one to see if I could even get anything working

I’ve never used that but doing a brief search I assume Ableton is a controller and this project is also a controller so it sounds like it’s a choice between one or the other to control a fixture.

@@GadgetReboot ty to answer me, love your work this is want i want to do ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vY5GYNAInrI.html Im trying with an audio interface to convert midi to dmx but it doesnt work help me please T_T

Its in the description