Monday, April 15, 2013

Low priced DMX RDM Shield for Arduino



Hi all,

After releasing the 2.5kV Isolated DMX Shield for sale (which might not be that attractive to hobbyist because of the price) I have released a simple MAX485 based DMX RDM shield as well. You can buy the DMX Shield for Arduino on Ebay or visit my store on Ebay.

On the shield you can use the jumpers to select whether you would like to connect your Receive and Transmit to the RX and TX pins or to connect them to Digital pin 3 and 4. You can select default Slave mode (DMX Slave only) or control read and writes via Digital pin 2 (In case of DMX Master or DMX Slave with RDM support).
And ther fourth jumper allows you to enable or disable the shield, this is handy in case you use the USART to control the shield and want to update your software... now you only have to disable the shield by placing a single jumper and you are free to go.

This shield works together with the Conceptinetics DMX Library for Arduino, Tinker-it DMX Master and other DMX libraries written for Arduino or AVR.

The shield comes pre-assembled in a box with NEUTRIK XLR Sockets (1x male, 1x female), in comparison with other shields I have seen that use cheap sockets from other brands.
To keep the shield at an affordable price I have populated them with 3 pin XLR sockets, 5 pin versions are only made on request.

The isolated version can be found in the same Ebay store as well, see the picture on the left. This one is standard available in both 3 pin and 5 pin version. **This version is USART only.

If you have any questions about this shield let me know... I am happy to help you.

42 comments:

  1. Just ordered one of these! Seems like the perfect fit for my project. Thank you so much for your work and keeping the price down!

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  2. I'm really excited to being using your DMX shield as a slave for some projects at the theatre I'm a member of.

    We don't want to use the regular tx/rx pins so would like to use D3 & D4 instead. Can you give any advice on how to do this? Is it possible to use the conceptinetics library or easily modify it?

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    1. The IO pins 3 and 4 have been introduced to be compatible with other libraries and for possible future use. The Conceptinetics library is an UART based library so it won't work on the normal IO pins. A possibility would be to use an Arduino with multiple UARTS and jump wire the shield to one of the other RX/TX pins so you can keep on using the first serial port for other things. The RDM based library has a configuration option to do that (see wiki on sourceforge) but you have to do some hacking in your serial library to make sure it won't use that particular port.

      So far there are no plans in developing a software slave that can operate on IO pins 3 but that doesn't mean it will never be there. it is an Interrupt pin (at least on the UNO) so it should be possible without to much hassle.


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  3. Hey,
    dit is voor mij een perfecte oplossing maar ik vraag me af of de adressering (dmx) in de code gebeurt

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    1. Ja, dit wordt in de code geregeld.. je kan zelf natuurlijk iets met dip switches o.i.d. maken zodat je dit van buitenaf kan instellen

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  4. Tonight I tried using this library (which seems great, from what I can see!) on a project where I'm using shift registers, which rely on the hardware SPI. When I try and compile my code with both your library and the PWM/shift register library (ShiftPWM), I get error messages. As soon as I comment out all references to one or the other library, things are just fine. I suspect both libraries are attempting to use the SPI at the same time.

    Any suggestions for how to get around this issue?

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    1. The library does not make any use of the SPI bus, it is more likely that your other library makes use of the hardware serial library... maybe for debugging purposes but that is hard to say without an error description

      You might want to take a look at: http://sourceforge.net/p/dmxlibraryforar/wiki/Compiling%20issues/

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  5. Hi,

    I am looking to purchase the item to for ART-NET input -> DMX output... Would that be possible?

    Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. You probably can but you will have to either write the art net code yourself or find a suitable library for that.

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  6. The latest build of LXConsole (http://lx.claudeheintzdesign.com) includes some sketches for Art-Net and sACN to DMX using an Arduino, Ethernet Shield and DMX Shield. The plan is to make these available for download from the website. But its not done yet (1/8/14) Email if you'd like a copy.

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  7. Hi, i'm using your CTC-DRA-10-1 Dmx Shield to control fixture with a pressur sensor. But to do a proper calibration I need to be able to see some reading while the shield is on my Arduino Uno. I first tried with the Serial Monitor but I can't do it, if I understood well, because of that :
    Since the library uses the Arduino's primary USART it is not possible to use it together with the Hardware Serial libraries in your project since that will cause conflicting ISR (Interrupt service routine) routines.

    So I tried to send my data on the LCD screen that came with the Arduino starter kit (16x2), but i'm still enable to make it work. The LCD screen work pretty well without the Dmx Shield. And I'm using pin 7-12, so it won't interfere Pin 2 your shield is using.

    #include
    LiquidCrystal lcd(13, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7);

    #include
    DMX_Master dmx_master ( 512, 2 );

    Is there something I can do ?

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  8. Hi!!! Can I use Arduino with a program known as Freestyler once I've buy this shield?
    I need to build an Open DMX Interface as well as this:

    http://www.enttec.com/index.php?main_menu=Products&pn=70303

    Can I?

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    Replies
    1. It is possible to turn it into an openDmx Dongle in combination with an FTDI driver.. .however it could safe you a lot of effort and trouble by just buying an OpenDMX dongle or one of those cheaper clones

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    2. Can you describe how that works? i'm interested in a pc-controllable solution, too.

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  9. Hello,
    Thank you for your shield.
    I use the CTC-DRA-10-1 with the software LightfactoryV2 and the interface ENTTEC DMX USB pro MK2. In DMX slave mode that works.
    But in RDM slave mode the card does not react and Lightfactory does not detect the presence of a RDM device. Would you have an experience with this material ?
    Thank you in advance.
    Christian

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    Replies
    1. I will look into this and hopefully I can come with some updates on the RDM part of the library soon.

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    2. There is a new alpha version available on source forge which should fix some bugs in the RDM part of the library.

      I can not verify whether it works in Lightfactory... the Enttec RDM controller however does.

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  10. Hello,
    Thank you for your previous answer.
    Can you indicate me which control software(s) of light and which interface(s) ( USB / DMX) you use in the RDM slave mode ?
    Thank you in advance.
    Christian

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    Replies
    1. You could use OLA for testing RDM, works fine with the MKII after the latest update. However, I wasn't able to get RDM working in Light factory V2 in combination with an Enttec MKII PRO , this surely looks like light factory doesn't see the MKII as an RDM device. Maybe you can explain how you manage it to get this work?

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    2. Hello,
      Thank you very much for your help, now it works !!
      I use software "ENTTEC RDM Controller" (free version) to define the address of de card, and QLC+ to use the association : Arduino Uno + Conceptinetics + power interface + RGB LEDs panel. Now all is ok, as you can see on these pictures.
      http://www.ma-boite-a-archives.fr/RDM_Conceptinectics_RGB.zip
      I préviously contact LightFactory about the RDM configuration and this is the answer :
      Sorry the RDM features are not currently supported in the Mk2 device. This only works with the Enttec USB/RDM Pro. 
      So I can use the projecteur with LightFactory, but not configure his address with this software, but it doesn't matter.
      The next step : to test the projector with OLA, probably with a Raspberry Pi.
      A question however : for R1, R2 and R3, why don't you use the values 562Ω, 133Ω and 562Ω specified in ANSI E1.20 ?
      Thanks for all.
      Bests regards
      Christian

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    3. I don't think the difference between an E24 560Ω resistor and a E48 562Ω resistor is really worth arguing about for this type of application. If you have read the ANSI E1.20 well you should have read that ... I quote 'This standard does not mandate a specific bias circuit.' . The values that you referring to are provided as reference together with an example circuit.

      The terminator resistor is normally only placed on either end of the line, that is why it hasn't been soldered on. you can either do it yourself or terminate your network properly in another manner (like using an XLR with a resistor soldered on the inside.

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    4. Before I forget, ... normally these resistors should only be installed on 1 node , can be on multiple nodes but then you need higher resistor values :)

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  11. Sorry, I saw 5600 and forgot that it's 560 Ohms in fact. Here is my mistake.
    Bests regards

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  12. I am trying to use the CTC-DRA-10-1 with the Conceptinetics 'DMX_Master' example to control Chauvet 200b and Chauvet SlimPAR 56 LED lights. The lights flicker a little but are not controlled correctly. Are there some settings that need to be changed to make it work? Thanks!

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  13. Hi David,

    I've previously ordered a CTC-DRA-10-1, and it's been working great for my prototype. The next step is to productize into a custom PCB, and I'm looking for a solution with isolation. Are you willing to share your electrical schematic for the CTC-DRA-13-R2 with me? (I don't need a physical schematic, as the PCB has no use for the DMX shield.)

    Thanks!

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  14. Hi
    Where can I download a drawing with dimensions
      I need to cut panel for connectors for CTC-DRA-10-1. I need accurate drawing with dimensions
    Thanks and it realy good job
    thank you!

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  15. Hi

    Firstly great shield and great code examples, makes it very easy to use.

    I was wondering if it is possible to use you shield as Master and Slave device at the same time? I have some older / cheaper less tolerate DMX products. What I am looking to do is to be able to strip any RDM if there is any from the output and have the ability to change the refresh rate but leave all the data the same.

    Do you think this would be possible? Any pointer would be greatly appreciated all code will be published, and freely available if I get anything working.

    Thank you in advanced.

    Tim

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  16. Hi can I boards in Holland? I need them asap for a project I'm working in. Great Job!

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    Replies
    1. I meant buy... buy this shield in holland...

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  17. Can this shield be used with (or adapted to use with) an Arduino Due? I already have a Due in the project and it would be handy if I didn't have to drop an Uno in just for the DMX interfacing....

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  18. ik krijg de shield niet werkend samen met de arduino.
    is er ergens een tutorial over hoe ik de jumpers moet zetten en of de switches op de lampen.

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  19. Maybe a stupid question, but can this be used with QLC+ to drive PAR lights like an ENTEC or an openDMX interface? If so, which software do i have to load into the arduino?

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  20. Does this device have power supply restrictions? because I've tried it and it only works with arduino powered by usb, it does not work with auxiliary power input

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    Replies
    1. Hi There,

      There is no limitations on this, the DMX shield is connected to the 5V pin of the Arduino and works with either USB or other power source connected to the arduino

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  21. Hi there, I've posted on the Arduino forum about the ground issue i'm having with my DMX Shield and LED circuit but haven't found a solution yet so was hoping you may be able to share some wisdom.

    The model of DMX Shield I have is (ctc-dra-10-1) and the Arduino is UNO. The 'DMX_Simple' library didn't work so I switched to the 'Conceptinecs' library which does work.

    I have 2 problems which I suspect may be interlinked:


    1. The LED only lights up/reads the code when my FINGER touches the pins of the DMX shield that insert into the left side of the Arduino (digital) = 0, (RX) 1, (TX) 2. I guess this is linked to some grounding issue but it seems strange as I assumed this was built into the shield/Arduino already... my only reasoning is that there is some fault in either the shield or Arduino which is also strange as they are both new.

    Here is a video to see this bizzare finger control in action.


    2. The second problem is I can't overwrite the original code I sent to the Arduino - even though i'm receiving upload done messages, the LED only plays the sequence of the old code, which is a multi-colour strobe sequence. I uploaded the code below which is the standard test but as you can see from the video the LED is reading a previous code.

    Could it be that there is some electronics problem that has rendered the DMX_Shield/Arduino UNO faulty and this is why it only works when my finger touches the pin and it won't let me change the code?

    Thank you in advance!

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    1. >The LED only lights up/reads the code when my FINGER touches the pins of the DMX shield that insert into the left side of the Arduino (digital) = 0, (RX) 1, (TX) 2.

      I have this problem too. Is there a fix, please. i'm using the DMX shield CTC-DRA-10-R2

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  22. @dvdmeeren Is it possible to use this shield with an Arduino board (or similar) that runs at 3V3, as long as the pinout is uno-compatible, and the board's IO pins tolerate a 5V signal? Ie. I plan to use this shield in receiver mode with a Teensy 3.2 (I know I'll have to wire the shield up manually as the pinouts are incompatible. The teensy will tolerate a 5V input, but I'm planning to use it's 3V3 power supply to power the shield. If the shield receives power at 3V3, will it work? Or will I need to implement a separate power supply to power the shield?

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    1. I forgot to mention, I'm planning on using the isolated version: https://www.tindie.com/products/Conceptinetics/25kv-isolated-dmx-512-shield-for-arduino-r2/?pt=ac_prod_search

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. I want to use CTC-DRA-10R2 with Arduino Uno as DMX Master to try conect to Vixen program, but show an error when i want to use Serial.begin. How I will can fix this problem.

    Thanks

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  26. Hi dvdmeeren,

    I bought several CTC-DRA-10-R2 to develop my DMX/RDM inline, I've done several tests to learn about RDM and DMX and their shild was very useful, but now I really need to develop inline DMx/RDM. It will not be manageable, I will use my current DMX inline and put in it a PIC-18 to hear the conversation and toggle the conversation direction between the controller and the slaves, have you ever done something like this before? could you help me?

    Thank you very much.

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