What are DMX Stage Lighting controllers?
DMX controllers (Digital Multiplex) is a universal protocol used in lighting technology and by most manufacturers of lighting control tables and projectors, being used as a means of communication between the equipment and the controllers.
DMX controllers use “special” connectors named XLR. Formerly, the most used was the one composed of three pins and called XLR-3. Currently, the most used within the entertainment industry is the 5-pin, also called XLR-5.
How do you connect DMX controllers?
The DMX signal can be linked between different connectors making a serial connection between them. This occurs in such a way that the original or primary signal that leaves the DMX controller is sent to the first device, and from it to the next one. This is because all the devices that use this protocol have input and output connectors (male or female) that allow the connection between several devices sequentially.
How do DMX controllers work?
This type of controller bases its functioning in the use of channels to transmit control commands executed to the devices connected. Within the DMX512 protocol (the most widely used in the market) there are 512 channels, and 256 levels can be found in each of the channels. To give an example, in a multicolored flood light it is possible that the parameters from 1 to 15 correspond to the white tonality, from 16 to 30 to the blue tonality, and so on until reaching the 256th level.
Before starting to work with any DMX device, it’s very important to know the coding of the channels and different effects that can be achieved with their configuration. All DMX controllers come with their corresponding instruction manual in which the codes or sequences to follow are specified to obtain all the different effects and possibilities offered by this type of controllers.
Musical controllers
Within the general category of controllers, there is a specific category named musical controllers. These are capable of making lighting effects in consonance with the music that is playing at that moment. Its functioning is based on a microphone installed in the controller itself, which is responsible for transforming the sound received into an signal, thus producing flickers and sequencies to the beat of the music.
In conclusion
we can see that DMX controllers are a link used mainly to control the lighting of entertainment shows. In adition, it doesn’t just allow you to control lighting effects, but it is also possible to control fog machines, swivel heads and any other products that works with this protocol. DMX controllers are a basic element in any type of entertainment show, because it allows a wide variety of light, color and sound effects.
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