American DJ
®
- www.americandj.com - Quad Gem DMX™ Instruction Manual Page 6
American DJ
®
- www.americandj.com - Quad Gem DMX™ Instruction Manual Page 5
Power Supply:
Before plugging your unit in, be sure the source volt-
age in your area matches the required voltage for your American DJ
®
Quad Gem DMX.™ The American DJ
®
Quad Gem DMX
™
is available
in a 120v and 220v version. Because line voltage may vary from venue
to venue, you should be sure your unit voltage matches the wall outlet
voltage before attempting to operate you fixture. Also be sure to only
use the included I.E.C. power cable supplied with the unit, this cable
matches the voltage and current requirements of the unit.
DMX-512:
DMX is short for Digital Multiplex. This is a universal pro-
tocol used by most lighting and controller manufactures as a form of
communication between intelligent fixtures and controllers.
A DMX
controller sends DMX data instructions from the controller to the fix
-
ture. DMX data is sent as serial data that travels from fixture to fixture
via the DATA “IN” and DATA “OUT” XLR terminals located on all DMX
fixtures (most controllers only have a DATA “OUT” terminal).
DMX Linking:
DMX is a language allowing all makes and models
of different manufactures to be linked together and operate from a
single controller, as long as all fixtures and the controller are DMX
compliant.
To ensure proper DMX data transmission, when using
several DMX fixtures try to use the shortest cable path possible. The
order in which 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 a DMX line, at the beginning, at the
end, or anywhere in the middle. Therefore, the first fixture controlled
by the controller could be the last fixture in the chain. When a fixture
is assigned a DMX address of 1, the DMX controller knows to send
DATA assigned to address 1 to that unit, no matter where it is located
in the DMX chain.
Data Cable (DMX Cable) Requirements (For DMX
and Master/Slave Operation):
The Quad Gem
DMX™ can be controlled via DMX-512 protocol.
The Quad Gem DMX™ can be a four or seven
channel DMX unit. The DMX address is set elec-
tronically using the controls on the side panel of
the unit. Your unit and your DMX controller require
a standard 3-pin XLR connector for data input and
data output (Figure 1). If you are making your own cables, be sure
Quad Gem DMX™
Set Up
Figure 1
to use standard two conductor shielded cable (This cable may be
purchased at almost all professional sound and lighting stores). Your
cables should be made with a male and female XLR connector on
either end of the cable. Also remember that DMX cable must be daisy
chained and cannot be split.
Quad Gem DMX™
Set Up
Notice:
Be sure to follow figures two and three when making your own
cables. Do not use the ground lug on the XLR connector. Do not con-
nect the cable’s shield conductor to the ground lug or allow the shield
conductor to come in contact with the XLR’s outer casing. Grounding
the shield could cause a short circuit and erratic behavior.
DMX512 IN
3-PIN XLR
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
DMX512
DMX+,DMX-,COMMON
1
2
3
Termination reduces signal errors and
avoids signal transmission problems
and interference. It is always advisable
to connect a DMX terminal, (Resistance
120 Ohm 1/4 W) between PIN 2 (DMX-)
and PIN 3 (DMX +) of the last fixture.
1
2
3
1
2
3
DMX +
DMX -
COMMON
DMX512 OUT
3-PIN XLR
Figure 2
Figure 3
1 Ground
1 Ground
XLR Male Socket
XLR Pin Configuration
3 Hot
2 Cold
2 Cold
3 Hot
XLR Female Socket
Pin 3 = Data True (positive)
Pin 2 = Data Compliment (negative)
Pin 1 = Ground
Special Note: Line Termination.
When longer runs of cable are
used, you may need to use a terminator on the last unit to avoid erratic
behavior. A terminator is a 90-120 ohm 1/4 watt resistor which is con-
nected between pins 2 and 3 of a male XLR connector (DATA + and
DATA -). This unit is inserted in the female XLR connector of the last
unit in your daisy chain to terminate the line. Using a cable terminator
(ADJ part number Z-DMX/T) will decrease the possibilities of erratic
behavior.
DMX512 IN
3-PIN XLR
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
SOUND
REMOTE
CONTROL
INPUT
POWER
INPUT OUTPUT
DMX512
DMX+,DMX-,COMMON
1
2
3
Termination reduces signal errors and
avoids signal transmission problems
and interference. It is always advisable
to connect a DMX terminal, (Resistance
120 Ohm 1/4 W) between PIN 2 (DMX-)
and PIN 3 (DMX +) of the last fixture.
1
2
3
1
2
3
DMX +
DMX -
COMMON
DMX512 OUT
3-PIN XLR
Figure 4
