What is DMX512?
DMX512 is a technical specification for a specialized digital communication network system created in 1986 by an institute for theater technology of the United States. The system was designed with the intention of creating a standardized way of management of theater lighting devices such as light and dimmers. Since its foundation, however, it has also become the standard for checking other theater -related devices such as special effects. The typical system consists of a controller device and any number of slave devices required by theater production, such as moving lights, reflectors or fog machines.
After its creation, the standard DMX512 was updated several times in 1998 in 1998, when it is American national standards (ANSI) for use in the United States. The resulting standard was approved by ANSI and called "Entertainment Technology, UsitT DMX512-A, Asynchronous Serial Dstandard Data Transfer Igital for Lighting Device and Accessories."The teaching creation of the ANSI standard has been further modified to include newly developed technologies and is currently called "E1.11, Usitt DMX512-A."
In practice, the DMX512 network uses a controller such as the lighting control panel that corresponds to the standard, and a number of cables associated with each other in the daisy chain. Each device has a "IN" port that is used to control the device and port "out" or "thru", which connects to another device in the string. The last device in the string has a special plug installed for closing the network to the segment called "Universe". In some more advanced systems, there are specialized control panels capable of controlling several "universes".
The DMX512 system was originally designed to be the "Cabled" system; Due to the arrival of wireless technologies, Howver, the newer version of the standard included WiFi as a device control method. In thoseThe controller sends its signals through its standard cable to a special WiFi transmitter, where they are converted to WiFi signals and transmitted. Special receivers that convert the signal back to the standard DMX512 format, then pick up the WiFi signals, convert them and send them to the "in" ports of the device to be controlled.
In an effort to maintain the current of the DMX512 network system in 2006, a new two -way communication protocol was approved for the system. The new protocol allowed the signals to be broadcast for the first time to send the signals back signals, which significantly improves the system and types of devices capable of controlling. With the addition of lightweight streaming protocol approved in 2009, the system continues to grow in complexity and abilities.