DMX-512A FOR LED CONTROL: Getting Reacquainted With an Old/New Friend by Shoshanna Segal

1. Designers Lighting Forum
DMX-512A FOR LED CONTROL:
Getting Reacquainted With an Old/New
Friend
Shoshanna A. Segal, CLD, IALD,
LEED APBD+C
March 29, 2017

2. Credit(s) earned on completion of
this course will be reported to AIA
CES for AIA members. Certificates of
Completion for both AIA members
and non-AIA members are available
upon request.
This course is registered with AIA CES
for continuing professional
education. As such, it does not
include content that may be deemed
or construed to be an approval or
endorsement by the AIA of any
material of construction or any
method or manner of
handling, using, distributing, or
dealing in any material or product.
___________________________________________
Questions related to specific materials, methods, and
services will be addressed at the conclusion of this
presentation.

3. Learning
Objectives
1. Why a standards based system is a good idea
2. The basic organization and function of a DMX-512A System
3. How DMX-512A can be a useful tool in an architectural
environment
4. Requirements and terminology for specifying DMX-512A
system
At the end of the this course, participants will be able to:

4. Topics we will not cover today….
Earl Simmons, American rapper, record producer, and actor

5. … or this
Reebok’s proprietary foam compound used to provide cushioning and
shock absorption in basketball shoes

6. WHAT IS IT?
• a method of digital data transmission between
controllers and controlled lighting equipment
and accessories, including dimmers and
related equipment.
• intended to provide for interoperability at
both communication and mechanical levels
with controllers and receivers made by
different manufacturers.

7. BASIC DEFINITIONS
• Original Title –
• USITT DMX512 -
ASYNCHRONOUS SERIAL DIGITAL
DATA TRANSMISSION STANDARD
FOR CONTROLLING LIGHTING
EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES
– NOW
• ANSI E1.11-2008 (R2013)
ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY
• USITT DMX512-A
ASYNCHRONOUS SERIAL DIGITAL
DATA TRANSMISSION STANDARD
FOR CONTROLLING LIGHTING
EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES
DMX512-A
BUS
DAISY CHAIN
256
512

8. BASIC HISTORY
• Developed in 1986 by USITT
• Standard transferred to ESTA Technical
Standards in 1998

9. Why A Standard?
• Having a standard ensures that everyone using
the specific technology is complying with the
same set of rules. In this case that means…

10. Electrical Interface Standards
• EIA485 (RS485)

11. Physical Interface Standards
• 5-Pin XLR Connectors

12. Interface Standards
• 8 pin modular or RJ45
Connectors

13. Topology Standards
• MULTI-DROP BUS
TOPOLOGY WITH
• DAISY CHANINED
NODES
• ELECTRICAL
TERMINATION

14. BASIC DEFINITIONS
TOPOLOGY STANDARDS
• An electrical scheme to carry power
or data
• A bus can be Class I (Signal travels
with Line Voltage)
• or Class II (Limited power, often 48V
or Less)
• A bus can be rated (or limited) by
distance or cable length for
signal/power – as in the 1500’
mentioned in the RP
• The rating of bus components affects
the rated distance among or
between components (nodes) for
signal/power
• A bus can carry Digital or Analog
Communication
DMX-512-A
BUS
DAISY CHAIN
256
512

15. BASIC DEFINITIONS
DMX-512-A
BUS
DAISY CHAIN
256
512
TOPOLOGY STANDARDS

16. TOPOLOGY STANDARDS
THIS
NOT THIS

17. BASIC DEFINITIONS
• DMX-512-A breaks down
the control process into
256 digital steps.DMX512-A
BUS
DAISY CHAIN
256
512

18. BASIC DEFINITIONS
• 512 REPRESENTS THE MAXIMUM
NUMBER OF ADDRESSES OR DATA
SLOTS AVAILABLE WITHIN ANY
SINGLE DMX512 UNIVERSE
• EACH OF THE 32 NODES ON THE
BUS CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY
CONTROLLED BY SENDING
INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF 16
ATTRIBUTES.
• 32 x 16 = 512
DMX512-A
BUS
DAISY CHAIN
256
512

19. How is all of this used?

20. Lighting Control
Components
All lighting systems have essentially the
same components:
• User-Command/Sensor/Controller/
Dimmer/Switch
• Interface - translates signal to
action
• Power
• Regulator-
Driver/Ballast/Transformer
• Light Source/Luminaire/Light
Engine

21. Lighting Control
Components
All lighting systems have essentially the
same components:
• User-Command/Sensor/Controller/
Dimmer/Switch
• Interface - translates signal to
action
• Power
• Regulator-
Driver/Ballast/Transformer
• Light Source/Luminaire/Light
Engine

22. Lighting Control
Components
All lighting systems have essentially the
same components:
• User-Command/Sensor/Controller/
Dimmer/Switch
• Interface - translates signal to
action
• Power
• Regulator-
Driver/Ballast/Transformer
• Light Source/Luminaire/Light
Engine

23. Lighting Control
Components
All lighting systems have essentially the
same components:
• User-Command/Sensor/Controller/
Dimmer/Switch
• Interface - translates signal to
action
• Power
• Regulator-
Driver/Ballast/Transformer
• Light Source/Luminaire/Light
Engine

24. Lighting Control
Components
All lighting systems have essentially the
same components:
• User-Command/Sensor/Controller/
Dimmer/Switch
• Interface - translates signal to
action
• Power
• Regulator-
Driver/Ballast/Transformer
• Light Source/Luminaire/Light
Engine

25. How do we communicate with the
light source?
0-10V
PHASE
CONTROL
PWM

26. 0-10v systems
• Line voltage switches the
driver “on”
• Low voltage provides a
control signal indicating a
percentage of maximum
output
• Voltage drop is an issue as
the control signal is
weakened as it travels
• May result in output
differences along a single
control run
• 0-10v is an analog
control protocol
and it interfaces
with the LED
Driver with 2 sets
of wires
• Class I 120/277
line-voltage
switching
• Class II ≤48v
dimming control

27. ANSI C82.11 vs. ESTA E1.3
ANSI C82.11
• CURRENT SINK
• DRIVER PROVIDES CONTROL
VOLTAGE
• DIMMER IS PART OF DRIVER
• MAX OUTPUT AT ≥10V
• MINIMUM OUTPUT AT 1V
• MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL
“OFF”
• MAX # OF DRIVERS/CONTROL
LIMITED BY DRIVER CAPACITY
ESTA E1.3
• CURRENT SOURCE
• CONTROL PROVIDES VOLTAGE
FOR EACH CHANNEL
• DIMMERS ARE SEPARATE FROM
• MAX OUTPUT AT 10V
• OFF AT 0V

28. Phase Control Systems
• Modulates the
amount of time
full voltage is
applied
• 120 times per
second
• 2x frequency is
delivered via AC
(60Hz)

29. Forward Phase
Also called Leading Edge

30. Reverse Phase
Also called Trailing Edge

31. Pulse Width Modulation
• Controls the time-averaged
current through an LED and
therefore the intensity.
• LED is turned on and off more
quickly than is perceptible to the
human eye. The intensity is
approximately proportional to the
percentage of time that the LED is
on.
• Because it can control individual
LED’s PWM can be used for color
mixing as the relative levels of
each component color can be
manipulated to achieve the
desired color.

32. Why these are non issues with
DMX512-A?

33. Why these are non issues with
DMX512-A?

34. DMX-512A
PROS
• Stable protocol designed to
make products from
different manufacturers
work together; refined and
reapproved for over 30 yrs.
CONS
• “Old Technology”

35. DMX-512A
PROS
• Stable protocol designed to make
products from different
manufacturers work together
• Less gray area than other
methods – presence of a
written standard means you
either comply or don’t
CONS
• “Old Technology”
• Requires “special”
equipment

36. DMX-512A
PROS
• Stable protocol designed to make
products from different
manufacturers work together
• Less gray area than other methods –
presence of a written standard
means you either comply or don’t
• Technology designed for
mission critical live
performance
CONS
• “Old Technology”
• Requires “special” equipment
• Not every conference room
needs this

37. DMX-512A
PROS
• Stable protocol designed to make
products from different
manufacturers work together
• Less gray area than other methods –
presence of a written standard
means you either comply or don’t
• Technology designed for mission
critical live performance
• “Old school” nature of the
standard means relatively
few places to look when
problems do arise
CONS
• “Old Technology”
• Requires “special” equipment
• Not every conference room needs
this
• No inherent error checking,
communication is
unidirectional

38. DMX-512A
PROS
• Stable protocol designed to make
products from different
manufacturers work together
• Less gray area than other methods –
presence of a written standard
means you either comply or don’t
• Technology designed for mission
critical live performance
• “Old school” nature of the standard
means relatively few places to look
when problems do arise
• Wireless DMX
CONS
• “Old Technology”
• Requires “special” equipment
• Not every conference room needs
this
• No inherent error checking,
communication is unidirectional
• “But I want wireless”

39. This concludes The American Institute of Architects Continuing
Education Systems Course