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    king2756
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Seemingly rock solid understanding of dimmer doubling shaken by current show

OK here's our setup:

Ion console outputting to a Net2 Node.
Node output 1: Universe 1, Addresses 1-256
Node output 2: Universe 1, Addresses 257-512

-Sensor SP48 rack addressed at 101-196, multiplexing, DMX input from Node output 1 into Input A.
-Sensor SP48 rack addressed at 201-296, multiplexing, DMX input from Node output 1 into Port A, DMX input from Node output 2 into Port B, rack set up to accept first 48 dimmers from Port A second 48 dimmers from Port B.
-Sensor SP48 rack addressed at 301-396, multiplexing, DMX input from Node output 2 into Port A.

Why does this work?
Why does the Ion list the DMX address of dimmer 101B as 20,101 not 357?
How do you send DMX address 20,101 down a DMX512 data line?
Why can I not wrap my brain around this?

I've read all the Dimmer Doubling manuals.  I've read the Ion chapter that deals with patching and dimmer doubling.  I've done dimmer doubling on past shows where I could mulitplex a maximum of 256 dimmers in a universe but I never sent different parts of a universe down separate dmx lines.  Which FM do I need to read?

 

Thanks!

Will King

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  •   Looking back at your original description, are you sure that the second and third packs are dmx addressed as you describe on the pack?  I'd suspect that the second pack may start at 201 on the A dmx input but starts at something much lower, like 1 on the B dmx input.  Similarly, I would expect the third pack to probably be addressed at 101.  

    The big trick to all of this is tracking how the same data moves through the system and is represented differently in different places.   

    For example:  

    Console Patch Address
    (dimmer double offset 20,000)

    EDMX Address
    (on the network)

    Node Output DMX Address
    (EDMX start 1, dimmer doubled)

    Node Output DMX Address
    (EDMX start 257, dimmer doubled)

    1/1A

    1

    1

    none

    1/1B

    20,001

    257

    none

    1/257A

    257

    none

    1

    1/257B

    20,257

    none

    257

    Basically, the network dimmer doubling offset of 20,000 allows doubling dimmers higher than 256 without conflict.  Using that offset, if you're looking for the B side of dimmer X, you find it well out of the way up at dimmer 20,000 + X.



    [edited by: Tracy.Fitch at 11:21 AM (GMT -6) on Sun, Mar 27 2011]
  • in reply to Tracy.Fitch

    Tracy , you were correct!  On Rack 2, the start address for Port  B is 1, and on Rack 3 the start address for Port A is 45.  Why would this be?  I have read more on Dimmer Doubling and setting up a Sensor CEM to use both DMX Input ports but I still do not feel a whole lot closer to understanding this in a solid way.

    Does anyone have experience dimmer doubling a lot of dimmers in one universe that can give me some advice on what the different Start Addresses, First Dimmers, First UD #s mean and how to use them.  Also, I'm sure configuring the node has a lot to do with making the system work, but I have not found a lot of info on that either.

    And I am confused about where the system (in the console, in a node, in the CEM) is the translation made between the different formats (dimmer with the B suffix, 20000 offset, DMX512 that the CEM sees).  I hope that made sense.

    Thanks,

    Will

     



    [edited by: king2756 at 5:29 PM (GMT -6) on Sat, Apr 23 2011]
Reply
  • in reply to Tracy.Fitch

    Tracy , you were correct!  On Rack 2, the start address for Port  B is 1, and on Rack 3 the start address for Port A is 45.  Why would this be?  I have read more on Dimmer Doubling and setting up a Sensor CEM to use both DMX Input ports but I still do not feel a whole lot closer to understanding this in a solid way.

    Does anyone have experience dimmer doubling a lot of dimmers in one universe that can give me some advice on what the different Start Addresses, First Dimmers, First UD #s mean and how to use them.  Also, I'm sure configuring the node has a lot to do with making the system work, but I have not found a lot of info on that either.

    And I am confused about where the system (in the console, in a node, in the CEM) is the translation made between the different formats (dimmer with the B suffix, 20000 offset, DMX512 that the CEM sees).  I hope that made sense.

    Thanks,

    Will

     



    [edited by: king2756 at 5:29 PM (GMT -6) on Sat, Apr 23 2011]
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