System setup
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System setup
Warning! Before applying power to the VC-Grid:
• Carefully review the safety information starting on page 4
• Check that the installation is safe and secure.
Setting up for P3 display
A Martin P3™ system allows video to be displayed on an installation that consists of or includes VC-Grid
devices. When a P3 controller is connected to the data link and the installation is powered on, you can set
up all the devices on the link from the P3 controller. See the P3 controller user manual for details.
Setting up for DMX control
A DMX system gives 0 - 100% variable intensity control. Varying the intensity of red, blue and green LEDs in
RGB products provides RGB color mixing.
You can set up and control a VC-Grid installation over the data link using an RDM-compatible DMX
controller such as the Martin M-PC™ Windows application (running on a PC connected to a USB/DMX
interface such as the Martin USB Duo™ DMX Interface) or the Martin M1™ DMX/RDM control console. The
interface on the Martin M1™ monitor screen is basically identical to the Martin M-PC™ interface.
DMX control channels
DMX controllers send control data on DMX control channels in DMX universes. One DMX universe has 512
channels available. RGB control of each individually controlled element in an installation requires three
channels, white intensity control requires one channel.
A VC-Grid installation can be controlled as groups of pixels or as individual pixels:
• A group can consist of an entire installation, any part of an installation or separate VC-Grid modules. In
grouped control, all the LEDs in one group are controlled using the same DMX channels – three channels
for RGB products and one channel for WW, MW and CW products.
• If VC-Grid 8x8 25 modules are set up for individual pixel control, each of the 64 LEDs on a module is
controlled by its own DMX channels.
A VC-Grid installation uses the number of DMX channels required by the group or pixel (three channels for
RGB and one channel for WW, MW or CW) multiplied by the total number of groups or pixels in the
installation. For example, an installation with fifty RGB modules will require:
• 3 DMX channels if the entire installation is controlled as one group,
• 3 channels x 10 groups = 30 DMX channels if the installation is divided into ten groups that are controlled
individually,
• 3 channels x 50 modules = 150 DMX channels if each of the fifty modules is controlled as an individual
group, and
• 3 channels x 50 modules x 64 pixels = 9600 DMX channels if each of the 3200 pixels is controlled
individually (in this example, 19 DMX universes will be required because one DMX universe has 512
channels).
Individual and grouped control can be mixed freely in an installation. For example, some VC-Grid modules
can be set up for individual pixel control, other modules can be set up for individual module control, and
other modules can be put into groups for grouped control of multiple modules.
DMX addresses
The system must be set up so that each individually controlled group or pixel receives instructions from the
DMX controller on its own DMX channels. The DMX address, also known as the control address or start
channel, is the first of these channels. If a unit uses more than one channel, it uses the DMX address
channel and the channels immediately above it. For example, one VC-Grid RGB module controlled as one
group and set to DMX address 1 will use DMX channels 1 - 3. Channel 4 will be available for use as a DMX
address for the next device.
