12
DMX Cables
The ballast uses 5-pin XLR male and female
connectors to receive DMX signals from the
Dimmer Board and jumper the Ballasts in a series.
DMX pin-out wiring follows the USITT DMX 512
standard:
Pin 1: Shield
Pin 2: Data –
Pin 3: Data +
Pin 4: Spare –
Pin 5: Spare +
Note: Pin four and five in the ballast are
connected internally as Pin four to four and
Pin five to five. Connecting Pin four and five as
the pass-through allows secondary data to be
passed through for other equipment.
Do Not use Microphone Cables
and other general purpose, two-core cables
designed for audio or signaling use. They are not suitable for DMX 512. Problems
due to incorrect cabling may not be immediately apparent. Microphone Cables may
appear to work fine, but systems built with such cables may fail or be prone to random
errors. Cable must comply with EIA-485 (RS485).
Auto Terminate Feature
4Bank DMX ballasts (457 Series) have an
“
AUTO TERMINATE
” feature. The last ballast that
does not have an XLR cable attached to the DMX
“Out” port will automatically terminate.
Any theatrical lighting board with DMX 512
protocol can be used to individually turn on/off
lamps in a fixture.
4Bank DMX ballasts can be jumpered using the
IN and OUT ports. As many as 100 ballasts can
be jumpered on one chain as long as the DMX
cable run remains under 1000 feet or 40 x 25ft
DMX cables.
Note:
When operating ballasts at great distances from the dimmer board, it is
recommended to use Opto-Isolators to provide DMX signal amplification.
