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Controllers: matisse Light-Switch II configuration

The DIP switches on the rear panel set the operating mode. They need to be set differently depending on whether you are using remote panels.

Operating as a single Light-Switch

DIP SwitchFunctionSet to:
1TerminatingOFF
2Master/SlaveON
3Master/SlaveON
4Master/SlaveON
5SnapshotOFF
6RDM disableON

Operating as a master Light-Switch with one or more remote (slave) Light-Switch units

DIP SwitchFunctionMasterSlave
1TerminatingONOFF
2Master/SlaveONOFF
3Master/SlaveONOFF
4Master/SlaveONOFF
5SnapshotOFFOFF
6RDM disableOFFOFF

Important facts

  • The products use RDM to communicate with each other, so the RDM Disable switch must be OFF when using remote (slave) Light-Switch.
  • If there is a splitter between any of the Light-Switch units, the splitter must be enabled for RDM.
  • The DMX port is used for both output and snapshot (input). It changes direction based on the operating mode.
  • If a remote (slave) Light-Switch flashes the UP LED, this means it has not been connected by the master. (Check points above and wiring).

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Guides: Fail-Over

This note describes how Artistic Licence products can handle a sudden loss of data.

The term ‘fail-over’ has a subtly different meaning depending on the circumstances. The key difference is whether one looks at the situation from the perspective of the controller or the receiver. But in either case, the important consideration is that the lights go to a known condition when DMX512 data loss occurs.

Receivers

The majority of Artistic Licence receivers, such as sunDial, candlePower and Rail-Switch have the ability to detect loss of DMX and take action. The action can be to ‘hold last state’ which is the default for DMX512 equipment, or playback a preset scene. These features are all programmed via RDM (Remote Device Management).

Controller

Dealing with a controller failure requires a combination of products to detect the fault and then take action. There are two key approaches: merge and switch.

Merge

DMX mergers such a Rail-Merge and matisse f6 have the ability to hold last state. This means that if the DMX512 control signal is lost, they will keep outputting the last signal they received. This approach is useful in some circumstances but lacks flexibility.

Switch

Fail-over is further complicated when multiple universes need to be protected. Rail-Flip can protect four universes of DMX512. In automatic mode, it monitors the inputs and if it detects a loss of signal on any of the A-inputs, it will switch to the B-input. Additionally, the product uses relays to do the switching, so it also protects against power loss.

In this approach, fail-over switches to a second DMX controller, such as a matisse f6.

Gateways:

Gateways convert ethernet Art-Net or sACN to DMX512/RDM. So what happens if the ethernet control signal is lost? The premium range gateways such as dataLynx, netLynx and artLynx quad have fail-over detection. This means that you can program what the gateway should do in the event of network failure. The action can be to ‘hold last state’ which is the default, or playback a preset scene. These features are all programmed via DMX-Workshop or the gateway’s web browser.

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Developer: Art-Net – Identifying the source of an ArtTodData packet

The ArtTodData packet is used to encode a list of UIDs received from a particular physical port. This is the Table of Devices or ToD.

It is often useful to identify the physical port that generated the packet. Because Art-Net (for historical reasons) allows a variable number of ports to be encoded in an ArtPollReply, the calculation is not trivial.

ArtTodData->Port is limited to a range of 1-4. It is used in combination with BindIndex to identify the physical port that generated the packet. This is done by referencing data in the ArtPollReply with a matching BindIndex:

ArtPollReplyData->BindIndex == ArtTodData->BindIndex

An ArtPollReply can encode between 1 and 4 physical ports, defined by ArtPollReply->NumPortsLo. This number must be used when calculating the physical port in order to allow for the variable encoding.

The calculation is:

Physical Port = (BindIndex-1) * ArtPollReply->NumPortsLo + ArtTodData->Port

As most modern Art-Net gateways implement one universe per ArtPollReply, ArtTodData->Port will usually be set to a value of 1.

The following tables show how this works in practice:

A gateway that has 5 physical ports and encodes 1 port per ArtPollReply (the recommended modern implementation).

Physical port 1-xArtTodData->BindIndexArtPollReply->NumPortsLoArtTodData->Port
1111
2211
3311
4411
5511

A gateway that has 9 physical ports and encodes 2 ports per ArtPollReply (very widely implemented in Art-Net 3 era products).

Physical port 1-xArtTodData->BindIndexArtPollReply->NumPortsLoArtTodData->Port
1121
2122
3221
4222
5321
6322
7421
8422
9521

A gateway that has 9 physical ports and encodes 4 ports per ArtPollReply (very widely implemented in Art-Net 3 era products).

Physical port 1-xArtTodData->BindIndexArtPollReply->NumPortsLoArtTodData->Port
1141
2142
3143
4144
5241
6242
7243
8244
9341

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Interface: Setting Rail-Switch to trigger on loss of DMX512

There are numerous instances when it is usual to switch a circuit in the event of a DMX512 failure. Rail-Switch II provides this function using its Data Loss Mode (highlighted below). This application note shows how to use DMX-Workshop to configure the product.

Right click and select ‘Set Data Loss Mode’ from the popup menu.

Select scene 1 and press set.

Next, output levels to set the relays to the state to be used in a data failure. In this example it is just the first two relays on.

Right click on ‘Capture preset’ and select ‘Set Capture preset’ from the popup menu.

Select ‘Record scene 1’ and press record.

The Rail-Switch will now output scene 1 in the event of a loss of DMX512.

The standard product (firmware V8.23 or V8.27) will detect loss of DMX512 after approximately 1.8s. A fast response version (V8.25) is available which switches in under 0.5s.

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Controllers: matisse Light-Switch II – Switch-Edit lamp personalities

The Switch-Edit software is downloaded from the product page, under the Resources section.

Occasionally, after installation, the Switch-Edit software does not list any lamp personalities. This problem occurs due to the different international names for the ‘Program Files’ folder.

To fix this, use the menu: Tools – Fixture Library Folder.

Navigate to the folder shown below and press OK.

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Art-Net: I can’t find my gateway

I can’t find my gateway:

1) Check that you have the IP on your laptop setup correctly. It should be 2.0.0.1 and subnet 255.0.0.0

See: 0110 Art-Net Setting an IP address on Windows XP

2) You should be running DMX-Workshop as administrator.

See: 0801 Misc – Using Windows XP Compatibility Mode

3) To find out the IP address of your product, see FAQ Art-Net: Finding the IP Address of a product

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Interface: product connector adapters

Artistic Licence products use various connector types. The most common are XLR5, RJ45 and screw terminals. We offer the following adapter products:

Rail-Patch provides a connection between a 5-pin XLR connector and screw terminals for DIN rail products.

Henry/Henrietta provides a connection between a 5-pin XLR connector and an RJ45 terminal for rack mount products.

Gender 5MM is a Neutrik male-to-male gender changer to convert a DMX output to input (for use with our premium Art-Net gateways).

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DMX512: Resources

Application Note 0201 – DMX & RDM Introduction. This includes wiring details for XLR and RJ45.

Application Note 0205 – DMX & RDM Splitters. What are they and where to use them.

Application Note 0215 – DMX & RDM Marking. Howe to interpret splitter marking symbols.

Application Note 0210 – DMX & RDM Splitter Comparison. Compare Artistic Licence splitters.

FAQ:

Q: What is maximum cable length for DMX512?

A: 300m

Q: Can I use Cat5?

A: Yes

Q: How do I terminate:

A: With products that use an XLR, you can connect a terminator plug. With DIN-Rail products, there is an internal terminator which is connected enabled by fitting a wire link between TERM and DATA+.

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Guides: Power over Ethernet

Power-over-Ethernet or PoE defines the way that an ethernet cable can be used to send both power and data to a product. The product which uses PoE is called a ‘PD’ (Powered Device) and the product which supplies the power and data – often an ethernet switch – is called the ‘PSE’ (Power Sourcing Equipment).

PDs require differing amounts of power depending upon their design and the load they are driving.

PSEs are capable of supplying different amounts of power.

These variables are addressed by a number of IEEE standards:

  • PoE is described by IEEE802.3af-2003. It allows a maximum of 15.4W to be supplied.
  • PoE+ is described by IEEE802.3at-2009. It allows a maximum of 25.5W to be supplied.
  • PoE++ is in development and will be described by IEEE802.3bt-2017. It allows a maximum of 90W to be supplied using all 4 pairs. There are 4 different power levels available: 38.7W, 52.7W, 70W and 90W.

The wattages described above refer to the power made available by the PSE. As there are significant losses in the cable, the amount of power available at the PD is lower.

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Gateway: sACN and Art-Net implementation

The sACN (streaming ACN) protocol is supported in Artistic Licence ethernet products. The differences between Art-Net and sACN lead to some minor clashes which this document seeks to clarify.

Universe numbering

In Art-Net, universes are called Port-Address and number from 0 to 32,767. There are 32,768 unique numbers.

In sACN, universes number from 1 to 63,999. There are 64,000 unique numbers. The standard reserves the values of 0 and 64,000 to 65,535 for future expansion.

Clearly there is the potential for confusion over the number ‘0’. If a universe is set to ‘0’ and the sACN protocol is selected, Artistic Licence products will use a universe value of ‘1’ instead.

Merging and arbitration

The sACN protocol uses a concept called Component Identifier (CID) as a method to optionally distinguish unique streams of data, and a concept called Priority as a method to define the priority of a stream.

 

The following table defines how sACN packets A & B are arbitrated or merged when directed to same universe.

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Software products – Windows compatibility

After Windows XP, Microsoft significantly changed the way in which application software can communicate with Windows. This means that in Vista, Windows 7, 8 and 10 some of our software products must be run in a special mode. This mode is called Windows XP compatibility mode with administrator rights. See the application note.

The product concerned is Mic-Edit.

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Guides: LED dimmer selection

There are three key methods of dimming LED: mains, constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) .

  • Mains dimmers are used with LED replacement bulbs.
  • CC dimmers put out a controlled current, which means that the fixture does not need electronics for current control of the LED. This style of dimming is used for higher power LED products.
  • CV dimmers put out a constant voltage and the current control is done by the LED fixture. This type of dimming tends to be used for the lower power LED products such flexible tape.

It is important to choose the correct technology of dimmer as an incorrect choice will most likely damage the fixture. Below is a summary of the dimmers offered by Artistic Licence:

Mains

sunDial quad is DMX512/RDM controlled 4-channel, mains powered trailing edge dimmer. 1kW total at 230 VAC. 

Constant current or constant voltage

candlePower octo is a DMX512/RDM controlled LED dimmer with 8 channels. Each channel can be individually set to constant current (CC) or constant voltage (CV) dimming.

  • Voltage: 10-60VDC
  • Current Max: 2A per channel
  • Control: DMX512 / RDM
  • Form: DIN Rail

Constant voltage only

Rail-Pipe HC is a high current DMX dimmer for 2 x RGB circuits (6 channel).

  • Voltage: 12-24VDC
  • Current Max: 20A per product, 10A per RGB circuit
  • Control: DMX512 / RDM
  • Form: DIN Rail
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Developer: RDM – Manufacturer Specific PIDs

Manufacturer-specific PIDs are used to provide manufacturers with a mechanism to implement RDM commands that are not available in the standard RDM command set. The RDM standard says:

“Manufacturer-specific PID‘s shall be created in the range of 0x8000 – 0xFFDF. Uniqueness of PID‘s in this range is accomplished by associating the PID with the Manufacturer ID found as the most significant 16-bits of the UID. PID‘s in the range of 0xFFE0 – 0xFFFF are reserved for future uses of this standard.”

There are generally two categories of use:

1) To implement additional functionality that will be available to all.

2) To implement manufacturing specific commands that will be closed to all but the manufacturer.

The first option is simple to implement. The manufacturer-specific PIDs are defined and published using PIDs such as Supported_Parameters and Parameter_Description. From then on, it is the controller’s responsibility to ensure that it only sends you valid manufacturer-specific Pids.

The second option provides more room for error if the designer does not think through all scenarios. It is quite usual for manufacturers to use a manufacturer-specific Pid for functions such as ‘programme UID’. Clearly these are intended to only be used in the manufacturing process and chaos would ensue if they were activated in the field.

What can manufacturers do to protect against inadvertent activation of their manufacturer-specific Pids:

1) Not public the Pid in Supported-Parameters. This is sensible, but does not give any real protection. For example, network test software way well send un-published manufacturer-specific Pids to see whether the device responds.

2) Ensure that the responder will only accept critical manufacturer-specific Pids when it is in a “special configuration mode”.

3) Include ‘magic-numbers’ in the packet to ensure that manufacturer-specific Pids sent in error do not have unexpected effects.

4) Ensure that the responder will only accept critical manufacturer-specific Pids which have a source-UID containing the manufacturer code. This is the strongest protection.

An index of published manufacturer PIDs can be found at http://rdm.openlighting.org/pid/manufacturer

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Developer: Art-Net Version Numbers

Numerous of the Art-Net packets contain Version numbers.

These can be either the version number of Art-Net or the Node’s version number. The terms ProtVerHi / ProtVerLo are used to describe the Art-Net protocol version number. This has never been changed and is set at:

  • ProtVerHi = 0
  • ProtVerLo = 14

The terms VersInfoH / VersInfoL are used to describe the Node’s version number. This field is defined by the manufacturer and usually contains the firmware revision number. The ArtPollReply message contains this information.

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Developer: Art-Net – Multiple controllers

Art-Net allows and supports multiple controllers on a network. When there are multiple controllers, Nodes will receive ArtPolls from different controllers which may contain conflicting diagnostics requirements. This is resolved as follows:

  • If any controller requests diagnostics, the node will send diagnostics. (ArtPoll->Flags->2).
  • If there are multiple controllers requesting diagnostics, diagnostics shall be broadcast. (Ignore ArtPoll->Flags->3).
  • The lowest minimum value of Priority shall be used. (Ignore ArtPoll->Priority).
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Developer: Art-Net – ArtPoll and ArtPollReply timeout

A Node must respond to an ArtPoll with an ArtPollReply within 3 seconds. If the Controller does not receive a response in this time it should consider the Node to have disconnected. It is a requirement of Art-Net that all controllers broadcast an ArtPoll every 2.5 to 3 seconds. This ensures that any network devices can easily detect a disconnect.

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Developer: Art-Net – Implementing ArtPoll and ArtPollReply

In order to make a product visible in DMX-Workshop, the product must reply to an ArtPoll with one or more ArtPollReply. The screenshot below shows a Wire Shark capture of the ArtPollReply packets from a Data-Lynx IOP.

Common errors in formatting ArtPollReply are:

1) The text signature at the top of the packet is “Art-Net”. It is case sensitive.

2) DMX-Workshop only listens on Port 6454 (decimal).

If you have difficulty making your product visible in DMX-Workshop then submit a Wire Shark capture on a support ticket and we will try to help.

artpollreply in wireshark
artpollreply in wireshark

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Controllers: moody fade time detail

All versions of moody (with a DMX512 port) output a total of 42 slots (or channels) of data. The first 40 slots are filled with colour information in either 3 slot footprints for RGB or 4 slot footprints for RGBW. For example, the largest moody – the “moody y10” – outputs 4 x 10 slots.

moody products which produce less data will still output 42 slots – the unused slots are just zero.

The final slot: slot 42 contains the firmware version number.

The penultimate slot: slot 41 is used by the “moody f” series to identify the programmed fade rate. For those users wishing to programme an accurate fade time – the following table allows you to do so:

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Splitters: versaSplit part number reference

The versaSplit range provides a very flexible solution to DMX distribution. The number of product configurations runs to millions and so not every configuration is available from stock, but is built to order. The following guide is an overview of how to generate the part code.

There are four base units:

  • “mini” – vSplit mini (Desk / truss mount. 1 input module. 6 outputs. Ground referenced).
  • “mono” – vSplit mono (19 ” rack. 1 input module. 10 outputs. Ground referenced).
  • “duo” – vSplit duo (19 ” rack. 2 input modules. 8 outputs. Ground referenced).
  • “iso” – vSplit iso (19 ” rack. 1 input module. 8 outputs. Isolated outputs).

There are seven codes for the input modules:

There are three output connector options:

  • “3” – XLR 3 pin
  • “5” – XLR 5 pin
  • “8” – XLR 8 pin ethcon

If all output connectors are the same, just one number is needed.

The part number is constructed as follows:

vSplit “base unit” “input A module” – “Output connectors” – “input B module”.

Examples.

  • The part number for a vSplit mono with a 5 pin XLR input and all 5 pin XLR outputs is: vSplit mono xlr5-5.
  • The part number for a vSplit mono with a 3 pin XLR input and all 3 pin XLR outputs is: vSplit mono xlr3-3.
  • The part number for a vSplit mono with a 5 pin XLR input and all 3 pin XLR outputs is: vSplit mono xlr5-3.
  • The part number for a vSplit mono with a 5 pin XLR input and outputs 1-4 with 3 pin, outputs 5-8 with 5 pin and outputs 9-10 with ethcon is: vSplit mono xlr5-3333555588.
  • The part number for a vSplit duo with a 5 pin XLR input module and a blanking plate for the second input and all 5 pin XLR outputs is: vSplit duo xlr5-5-x.
  • The part number for a vSplit duo with a 5 pin XLR input module and a CRMX input module and outputs 1-4 with 3 pin, outputs 5-8 with 5 pin is: vSplit duo xlr5-33335555-crmx.

The table below shows the common vSplit mono and iso configurations.

The table below shows the common vSplit mini configurations. Please note that vSplit mini is only offered with XLR5 output connectors.

The table below shows the common vSplit duo configurations.

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Test equipment: Micro-Scope – adding a fixture

Most customers use Mic-Edit to create their own fixtures when required. However Artistic Licence does release occasional updates to the library. You can make requests using the following application form.

Additionally, if you have created fixtures you would like to share with other users, send the file to Support@artisticlicence.com.

Mic

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Controllers: dVnet – using dual-NIC configuration

dVnet has the ability to operate as a network translator / soft-patch. This can be done using one or two network cards.

The input protocol is always Art-Net and the output protocol can be selected between Art-Net, KiNet and sACN. This example describes how to translate Art-Net to KiNet on separate network cards. The Art-Net is assumed to be in the standard 2.x.y.z IP range with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0. The lighting console generating the Art-Net should be set to broadcast, the input network NIC of dVnet should be set to an IP address of, for example, 2.0.0.100.

Assuming that the KiNet is to output on the 192.168.10.x range (subnet 255.255.255.0) the output Nic should be set to an IP address of, for example, 192.168.10.100.

In dVnet, the output Nic must be selected as the active NIC in the driver window.

The attached files can be loaded to provide detail of the method by which the patch is set. In the first example, Art-Net is received on Pipes 101-110 and converted to KiNet Port Out protocol on pipes 1-10. These are unicast to 192.168.10.1 through 192.168.10.10

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Rail-DALI-DMX: Power cycle and fault conditions

Users who are more familiar with DMX512 than DALI can find the way DALI ballasts respond to power cycle or fault conditions confusing. A key difference between DMX512 and DALI is that DMX512 is continuously refreshing whereas DALI is not.

When a DMX512 fixture is power cycled it will immediately take the DMX512 level data. When a DALI ballast is power cycled it will go to a pre-programmed level called “POWER ON LEVEL”. It will stay at that level until a new DALI level command is sent. DALI-Scope can be used to both read and programme the ballast’s “POWER ON LEVEL”.

When a DALI ballast detects a fault, such as a brown out of the DALI BUS POWER SUPPLY it will go to a pre-programmed level called “SYSTEM FAILURE LEVEL”. It will stay at that level until a new DALI level command is sent. Dali-Scope can be used to read the ballast’s “SYSTEM FAILURE LEVEL”.

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Dali-Scope: Adding a ballast to an existing system

It is sometimes necessary to add a new ballast to an existing installation. Usually you will want to do this without changing the short addresses of the existing ballasts.

To do this you need to isolate the new ballast from the existing network prior to commissioning with Dali-Scope. This means that you should connect the new DALI ballast, the bus power supply and Dali-Scope together. If the new ballast has previously been assigned a short address, simply change the short address to the preferred address using Dali-Scope. If the ballast is in factory default state, run an “Automatic channel discovery”. This process will assign short address 1 to the ballast. Then change the short address to the preferred value prior to connecting it to the ballast network.

You can then connect the new ballast to the existing network.

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Gateway: Reset product IP address

Our gateway products, which include artLynx uno, artLynx duo, artLynx quad, artLynx RJ45, netLynx quad, rackLynx octo and dataLynx II all have a factory reset switch. To reset to factory defaults, hold down the switch and cycle the power. Once you have reset to the factory default, the IP address will change. See Gateway: Finding the IP Address of a product.

The IP address of legacy Artistic Licence network products can be reset to factory default using the front panel controls as described below:

cached

IP reset procedure (legacy products)

A: Set Sub-Net wheel and both Universe wheels to F, power off, power on.
B: Set Sub-Net wheel to 9, power off, power on, power off, set Sub-Net wheel to F, power on.

ProductIP reset procedure
AL5001A
AL5002A
Data-Lynx O/PB
Data-Lynx I/PB
Data-Lynx IO/PB
Down-LynxA
Up-LynxA
Net-Lynx O/PA
Net-Lynx I/PA
Cata-Lynx I/PA
Cata-Lynx O/PA
Ether-Lynx IIB
Art-Lynx O/PA
Art-Lynx I/PA
Art-PipeB
Art-RelayB
Multichrome E1 & E2A

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Rail-DALI-DMX: Quick start

Often a customer simply wishes to use Rail-DALI-DMX to convert a DALI channel to DMX. The following instructions allow this:

  • Open the top cover to access the DIP switches.
  • Set Switch-6 to off. This puts product in ballast mode.
  • Set Switch-3 and Switch-4 to off – this tells the product to emulate a single DALI ballast.
  • Connect the DALI input to your DALI controller and start discovery. Your DALI controller will discover one new ballast which you should address to a free short address – this is your virtual DALI address. (Your controller may do that automatically).
  • Connect the DMX output to your DMX receiver.
  • Any intensity changes sent to the virtual DALI address will appear on channel 1 of the DMX output.