Protocols
The Art SSC and Art IO are ;tted with several communication ports and supports various protocols. This
chapter describes these protocols.
DMX-512
The Art SSC has two DMX outputs ports and one input. Connect your lighting ;xtures either to the DMX
OUT A port or DMX OUT B. Use a 5-pin XLR cable to connect the Art SSC's DMX OUT port to the ;rst
;xture, from then on daisy-chain to all other ;xtures.
The Art IO has one DMX port which can be set either as input or as output. The DMX signals are
available on the screw terminals. You can create an adapter cable for connecting to XLR connectors
using the pin-out below.
3 Pin Adapter
If your cabling or ;xtures are using a 3-pin XLR connector then you can obtain - or
create yourself - a 5-to-3-pin adapter.
For both 5-pin and 3-pin connectors the pin-out is:
1 = GND
2 = Data-
3 = Data+
(on the 5-pin XLR pin 4 & 5 are not connected)
Cable
Use a shielded twisted pair cable for DMX cabling. The cable should be terminated with a 120 Ohm
resistor.
Overcoming DMX-512 Limitations
DMX-512 is a very successful protocol with, however, a few
limitations. The maximum number of attached devices is limited
to 32 and they all have to be connected in bus-topology having
one cable running via each device. Furthermore, a DMX cable
should not be longer than 300 meters.
The DMX Branch/4 DMX Splitter from Elation Professional helps
tackle those inconvenient limitations of DMX-512. The Splitter
takes a DMX signal and sends it out again on its 6 DMX output
ports allowing a star-topology for ePcient cable usage. Each
output port is capable of driving 32 more devices. The Splitter can
also function as a signal booster as each port supports another 300 meter long connection.
Art-Net
The Art-Net protocol primarily transfers DMX-512 data over Ethernet. The high bandwidth of an
Ethernet connection allows Art-Net to transfer up to 256 universes. The Art SSC supports 2 universes
outgoing Art-Net and 2 universes incoming.
The broadcast messages sent out by Art-Net do put a certain load on the network, therefore it is
recommended to disable Art-Net when not in use.
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