Excellent information about batteries.
Check out http://www.batteryuniversity.com — one of the best sites on the web for in-depth information about all kinds of batteries.
Jim
RC4
Understanding Spread Spectrum Radio
An excellent website with lots of great info about spread spectrum radio:
Spread Spectrum Scene at http://sss-mag.com/
Wikipedia also has several excellent articles about spread spectrum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_Spectrum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-sequence_spread_spectrum
Please feel free to post questions, comments, and other resources here.
Thanks!
Jim Smith
RC4
When I assign a DMX channel to a dimmer, the dimmer comes on and stays on. Why can’t I dim it?
This is the most common technical support call we get. (In fact, for weeks at a time it’s the ONLY call we get!)
There is another channel up in your system. You may not be aware of it or know what it is, but it’s there and it’s a lower DMX channel number than the one you want to assign to the dimmer. When you press the Set button on the dimmer, it finds the lowest DMX channel that is not off. Your dimmer found one, but it’s not the one you have in mind.
Common causes of this, in order of likelihood:
- House lights. We have seen many installations where house lights are assigned to a low channel, like DMX channel 1. And you have your house lights up while you’re assigning channels to your RC4Magic dimmers.
- Work lights. Same idea… your work lights are on, and they’re using a low DMX channel.
- A complex fixture profile sets some channels to something other than zero. In this case, when you clear your console and all channels are “off”, channels controlling moving-light motion axes, for example, might be at 50% to park the light at home position. You need all channels to be actual zero. Not home for your moving fixtures. Not the middle of a scroller gel.
How to find the problem:
The best way is to use a DMX data tester, like a Goddard Design DMXter, or a Fleenor Gizmo. Connect it right at your RC4Magic DMXio transmitter. Look at the channel levels. Find the first one that is not zero.
How to work around the problem:
Use an alternate source of DMX data to configure your RC4Magic dimmers. It may be an arduous task to figure out how to get your expensive and complex lighting console to actually clear all DMX channels. Instead, grab a Pocket Console or DMXter and use that.
It doesn’t matter what your data source is when you assign channels to dimmers. Channel 452 on your DMXter is the same as channel 452 in a universe of your console. The dimmer remembers your settings forever until you change them, so you can move your transmitter back to your lighting console and it won’t matter at all if other channels are up. It’s only a problem at the moment you need to press the Set button.
Is this hassle really worth it?!?!
Well… yeah. : )
Other DMX products provide dipswitches, or rotary controls, or a display and up/down buttons. Any of these options take up more space than the size of our entire DMX2dim 2-channel dimmer. You love the size of our little units. But now you have to figure out how to get one DMX channel on at a time. Only when you’re setting things up. Then you’re done.
Now that we’re in the age of Remote Device Management (RDM), settings could be done that way, with no switches on the dimmer at all. But you’ll need an RDM controller. Do you have one yet? Most of our customers do not. In a few years you will. We’ll be ready for you when you do. Have a look at our RC4Magic CS1 Control Surface — it’s a small DMX console with built-in wireless and RDM controller features coming soon.)
RC4Commander is an easy-to-use USB dongle and Mac or Windows program that lets you access features and functions in your RC4Magic devices on your PC screen. Power up a dimmer, read its settings, change them, send them back. This also lets you see which DMX channel was up when you pressed the Set button. That’s kinda handy, don’t you think? Call us for more information.
New! RC4Magic DMXioR3 and DMX2dimR3
The world’s most popular wireless dimming system continues to evolve and improve. The DMXio transceiver — the cornerstone of any RC4Magic Series 2 system — and the workhorse DMX2dim two-channel dimmer are now shipping in their third incarnations: the DMXioR3 and DMX2dimR3.
Utilizing a new class of low-cost but powerful 16-bit microcontrollers, the DMXioR3 maintains complete backward compatibility with the entire RC4Magic Series 2 product line while introducing several new features. Most notably, users can now select subsets of the DMX universe for transmission, and set RF output power over 5 steps.
By selecting 128-, 256-, 384-, or full 512-channel transmission, valuable radio bandwidth can be conserved when not needed. And, as is the case with wired DMX, using fewer channels accommodates faster refresh rates. If you’re looking for the smoothest most visually appealing LED dimming, for example, use 128-channel mode.
Improvements to the DMX2dimR3 are almost entirely in hardware. The maximum input voltage has been increased from 18V to 24V, dimmer electronics produce less heat, and internal thermal management is improved. The result is better surge handling and cooler long-term performance. The output indicator LEDs have been moved to align with the dimmer output terminals for more intuitive operation and troubleshooting.
More information is available in the Products section of the RC4 Wireless website. Details of operation can be reviewed by downloading the RC4Magic Series 2 R3 User Manual.
RC4 LumenDim3 Now Shipping
There’s a new player in the world of wireless DMX: LumenRadio of Sweden. New LumenRadio CRMX devices create a robust wireless system offering excellent range and performance, complete with full implementation of RDM (Remote Device Management).
The new RC4 LumenDim3 is the perfect wireless dimmer for LumenRadio CRMX systems. Using state-of-the-art technology to squeeze more power and features into a remarkably tiny package, the LumenDim3 is ideal for RBG LED dimming, multi-channel incandescent lighting, solenoids and relays, even motors. Dimmers are 16-bit (65,535 steps) and deliver an extremely smooth inverse-square-law (ISL) curve to make LEDs look great even at the bottom of the dimming range.
Basic features and functions are accessible, easily and simply, using 5 recessed buttons on the LumenDim3 itself. For access to more advanced features, RC4 provides a USB port and a Windows application. Best of all, however, is RDM support. Using any RDM controller — including LumenRadio’s outstanding SuperNova software — a wide range of parameters can be manipulated.
“The LumenDim3 is a new class of RC4 product,” explains James David Smith, president and chief product designer at RC4. “Technologically we’re breaking new ground in numerous ways. Most notable is our new ‘digital circuit breaker’ technology, where current draw on each dimmer is constantly monitored electronically and software will shut down the dimmer when a user-specified amperage threshold is crossed. Instead of a fuse that requires replacement when something goes wrong, everything is done internally with a combination of fast and accurate electronic hardware and expertly crafted firmware. Response is faster than a physical fuse, and you can fine-tune the setting to precisely reflect the real needs of your load. This is a real breakthrough in safety and ease of troubleshooting.”
LumenDim parameters include:
- DMX channel for each dimmer
- dimming curve for each dimmer
- over-current threshold for each dimmer (digital circuit-breaker feature)
In realtime, the user can check:
- battery voltage
- current draw of each dimmer
- internal temperature of the unit
The RC4 LumenDim3 is available from the RC4 website, and select dealers worldwide.