eDMX and TUBE Operators Manual
1. Avo eDMX Manual - Page 2 Useful Avolites phone numbers:Avolites England Sales and service* (+44) (0) 20 8965 8522 Service out of hours* (+44) (0) 78 3117 8888 Fax (+44) (0) 20 8965 0290 Email salesone@avolites.com Website http://www.avolites.com Distribution of Avolites products in USA:Avolites America Sales and service* (+1) 423 938 2057 Fax (+1) 423 938 2059 *Before contacting Avolites for service enquiry please ensure that you have the product serial number and the Software version.
1. Avo eDMX Manual - Page 3 1. 2. AVO EDMX MANUAL 1.1 About HOW TO SET UP AN EDMX SYSTEM FROM OUT OF THE BOX. 4 4 5 1.2 Working with the Tubes 1.3 TUBE facilities and connectors. 1.4 Connecting the Tubes to a PC. 1.5 Configuring the Tubes 1.6 Changing a TUBE from an Encoder to a Decoder and back again 3. WORKING WITH THE WAP 5 6 7 12 13 15 1.7 Configuring the WAP 4. A NOTE ON OTHER WIRELESS NETWORKS. 16 17 5. RUNNING A SHOW 17 6. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION OPTIONS. 18 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.
1. Avo eDMX Manual - Page 4 1. Avo eDMX Manual 1.1 About eDMX was designed to allow users to construct a wireless network over which dmx could be streamed to enable said users to get over obstacles that otherwise prevented them from deploying lights in certain locations. The hardware and software were designed by dAFTdATA Ltd for Avolites Limited. dAFTdATA have considerable experience within the IT networks world as well as lighting industry working in the fields of design and installation.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 5 2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. The Avolites eDMX kit is shipped containing the following components: • • • • 2 eDMX Tubes 1 Wireless Access Point (WAP) 3 Mains Cables 2 eDMX Serial Configuration Cables Overview of the equipment: • eDMX Tube: A device that takes in USITT DMX 512 and converts the data into IP (Internet Protocol) packets embedded within Ethernet Frames for delivery across a wireless Ethernet system.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 6 • • • • It is possible for a Tube to act as either an encoder or a decoder It is possible to have one encoder talking to 249 decoders on the same wireless network. It is possible to have 4 encoders talking to 60 decoders each all on the same wireless network. It is possible to extend the system to cover more than 4 universes by the addition of more wireless access points and the subsequent creation of more wireless networks. 1.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 7 1.4 Connecting the Tubes to a PC. The first operation that must be performed when reconfiguring the Tubes from their default shipping configuration is the connection of the Tube to a hyperterminal session on a suitable PC. The Tubes require no special configuration software, instead they utilise the HyperTerminal session software which is shipped with Microsoft Windows.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 8 Firstly a name for the session is required, this can be anything, but if the user is planning on reconfiguring the Tubes on a regular basis then an easily remembered name such as eDMX is ideal. Next you must set the hyperterminal parameter to use the COM port that you have connected the RS232 cable to. Next the hardware parameters have to be detailed, these are as shown below. eDMX Operators Manual.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 9 Finally when a successful connection is made then the user should be able to bring up the WENDI prompt as shown below by depressing the return key on the attached computer’s keyboard. Now that the Tube is in contact with the hyper terminal interface, it may be configured as to the user’s specification. The Tube has a simple RS232 interface which allows it to accept and display configuration data from command prompt style instructions.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 10 We will now detail each line respectively: IP Address This is the IP address of the unit. One of the benefits of the eDMX system is that it utilises full IP addresses which enable the routing of the eDMX data across all kinds of switched and unswitched networks. The IP address is the unique identifier for the Tube. No two Tubes or devices should be given the same IP address on the same network.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 11 assigning a new channel to the WAP as opposed to having to change every frequency manually on every Tube. More information on the WAP channel allocation can be found later on in this manual. We strongly recommend that you use Infrastructure Mode. SSID This is the Wireless networks SSID or name, it must be the same as the WAP and all other Tubes on the same network for every device to function accordingly.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 12 DMX Target This is the target address of the decoder to which the encoder will send its data across the network to. The default target address is 192.168.1.255. The usage of the address ending with 255 dictates that the encoder will send the dmx data out to every decoder on the same network.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 13 So to set the IP address for the Tube to 192.168.0.35 you would type “set ip=192.168.0.35” It is now imperative that you save the configuration of the Tube at this stage, otherwise when you reboot the Tube the IP address change will be forgotten. To do this type “save conf” When the configuration has been saved the prompt will tell you that the operation is successful. 1.
2. How to set up an eDMX system from out of the box. - Page 14 Now that the Tube knows that it is an encoder it is important to set the target address so that the Tube knows where to send the data. The Tube can either send the data to a single other Tube or it can send its data to multiple Tubes through the usage of the local network broadcast address. To send the data to one other Tube you would type set DMXTarget=IPAddress of receiver, so if we have two Tubes whose IP addresses are 192.168.1.1 and 192.
3. Working with the WAP - Page 15 more information can be found through the help files. To find help on any other parameter simply type show X, where X is the name of the parameter, for example show IP details the following: 3. Working with the WAP The WAP comes with its own configuration setup software which should be run according to the accompanying manual.
3. Working with the WAP - Page 16 legitimate frequency. The key to the channel concept is that if you change the channel of the WAP then EVERY device on the same SSID will move channels. So if you experience data corruption or interference whilst using the eDMX system you can instantly move to a clear channel. This ability to change channels during the show and ‘on the fly’ is one of the great advantages of the eDMX system above other similar systems and above traditional older wireless systems. 1.
4. A note on other wireless networks. - Page 17 4. A note on other wireless networks. There is a tool available as freeware known as “network stumbler” This is a PC based package that allows you to discover other networks which might exist. The software is free and downloadable from www.netstumbler.com. The software can be run on a laptop and shows instantly what channels are in use, the signal to noise ratio of the devices in question etc.
6. System Configuration Options. - Page 18 6. System Configuration Options. 1.8 Simple point to point DMX to Light DMX From Desk WAP (Wireless Access Point) Transmitter Receiver 1.9 Multiple receivers from 1 transmitter. Receiver DMX From Desk WAP Receiver (Wireless Access Point) Transmitter 1.
6. System Configuration Options. - Page 19 1.11 Multiple universes split across multiple waps DMX to Lights DMX From Desk Universe 1 Universe 1 Universe 2 Universe 2 Universe 3 Universe 3 Universe 4 Universe 4 WAP Receiver Transmitter 1.12 Extending WAP’s using cable DMX to Light DMX From Desk CAT5 Cable Link Receiver Transmitter Extending WAP’s using the Internet DMX to Light DMX From Desk Recei ver Transmitter CAT5 Cable Link router router INTERNET eDMX Operators Manual.
