1.2 DX3 Architecture
The DX3 rack takes in the following protocols:
Two DMX512A data links
Three Lehigh Collage architectural links for up to 128 zones of control over 16 areas
On-board Ethernet for rack communication or DMX over Ethernet
Dry contact for fire alarm input
On-board bypass switch to allow dimmers to turn on without the electronics module
Additional I/O modules are available for numerous other input signals
Output signals include the following:
Phase loss signal for use with emergency sensing
DMX512A for driving other DMX-enabled devices
Up to four racks can be slaved together to provide full control over a complete system.
1.2.1 Memory
Memory is stored in each dimmer rack that houses an SCM control module in electronic Magnetic
RAM (MRAM). This provides a full backup of the rack configuration so that SCM control modules
can be swapped out without having to worry about losing the memory. Additionally, there is a Flash
memory on each SCM control module as well as the ability to store the configuration on a removable
USB drive. Use the Rack Control Interface menus in Section 7 to access each of these memory
locations for both storing and recall. It is a good practice to save your configuration whenever you
make changes to the presets or to the configuration.
1.2.2 Ride-Thru Feature
The DX3 rack has a unique Ride-Thru feature that protects the system from momentary power outages
by holding up the power to the main processor for a minimum of 8 seconds to both reduce the reboot
time and back up the memory. This feature keeps the power applied to the main electronics via two
“super-caps” and will allow the control to reboot almost immediately (3-4 seconds) upon restoration of
main power. Upon power failure, the electronics immediately backs up the configuration to MRAM
and shuts down the SCM in an orderly fashion, much like a smart UPS will do to your computer.
DX3 relies on a power good signal to indicate if DC power is present or not, and a cap good signal
indicating that the super capacitors are fully charged. DX3 monitors the power good signal for DC
power loss. When this occurs it checks that the cap good signal indicates that the super capacitors are
charged. If cap good is valid, the backup configuration is stored to MRAM. In addition, DX3 also
places the constraint that main power must have been present for at least 10 seconds prior to dropout in
order for it to write to MRAM.
DX3 Manual
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