Design Spot 575B™
©Elation Professional, Los Angeles CA. 17 Design Spot 575B™
7. UNDERSTANDING DMX DMX-512: DMX is short for Digital Multiplex. This is a universal protocol used by most lighting
and controller manufactures a s a form of communication between intelligent fixtures and
controllers. DMX allows all makes and models of different manufactures to be linked together
and operate from a single controller. This is p ossible as long as all the fixtures and the
controller are DMX compliant. A DMX controller sends the DMX data instructions to the fixture
allowing the user to control the different aspects of an intelligent light. DMX data is sent out as
serial data that travels from fixture to fixture via data “IN” and data “OUT” XLR terminals
located on the fixtures (most controllers will only have output jacks).
DMX Linking: To ensure proper DMX data transmission always use proper DMX cables and
a terminator. When using several DMX fixtures try to use the shortest cable path possible.
Never split a DMX line with a “Y” style connector. The order in which the fixtures are
connected in a DMX line does not influence the DMX addressing. For example; a fixture
assigned a DMX address of 1 may be placed anywhere in the DMX chain, at the beginning, at
the end, or anywhere in the m iddle. The DMX controller knows to send data assigned to
address 1 to that fixture no matter where it is located in the DMX chain. The Design Spot
575B™ can be controlled via DMX-512 protocol. T he Design Spot 575B™ is a 15-channel
DMX fixture. The DMX address is set electronically using the controls on the LCD menu.
Data Cable (DMX Cable) Requirements (For DMX and Master/Slave Operation): Your
fixture and your DMX controller require a standard 3-pin or 5-pin XLR connector for data input
and data output (the figure b elow is of a 3-Pin XLR connector). If you are making your own
cables, be sure to use two conductor shielded digital DMX cable rated at 120 ohms; this cable
is designed for DMX transmission and may be purchased from your Elation dealer or at most
professional lighting retailers. Your cables should be m ade with a male and female XLR
connector on either end of the cable. A DMX line must be daisy chained and cannot be split,
unless using an approved DMX splitter such as the Elation Opto Branch 4™ or DMX
Branch/4™.