DMX512 Solution

[Hasnat]

Is DMX engine and decoder smoothly workable for Control4 at this moment? 

please suggest me if any better option you already feel.

 

Thanks In Advanced.

[msgreenf]

https://www.blackwiredesigns.com/store/advanced-dmx-for-control4/

[ILoveC4]

I use that solution and love it. 

[JSTRONG]

I use it on 16 12v lights and its as responsive as native C4 Lighting

 

[Cyknight]

The C4 Enttec isn't as smooth, which is what I assume you're talking about - the linked driver above is much better (though still can get laggy in very large DMX setups)

[jackstone]

On 10/29/2019 at 3:43 PM, Cyknight said:

The C4 Enttec isn't as smooth, which is what I assume you're talking about - the linked driver above is much better (though still can get laggy in very large DMX setups)

There is always a way to optimize large DMX setup by following some best practices, I can help on that, and the result will be zero lag, trust me.

 

 

[Cyknight]

7 hours ago, jackstone said:

There is always a way to optimize large DMX setup by following some best practices, I can help on that, and the result will be zero lag, trust me.

 

 

LOL. I'll have a check, though we're awaiting a different set of decoders that may be the issue handling the ~500 addresses per controller (x3).

[jackstone]

On 11/25/2019 at 7:38 PM, Cyknight said:

LOL. I'll have a check, though we're awaiting a different set of decoders that may be the issue handling the ~500 addresses per controller (x3).

Crappy decoder exist but this is not usually the cause of a sluggish system... To keep thing responsive, check those brief advises:

What to do in large project:

- Get most of the config on hardware, not software: Try to put more decoders on the same channel. You don't have to set every decoder to a separate channel if they will be controlled a single group of light you want to stay together. I usually use separated decoder for load balancing for if 3 decoders is needed to control all the low voltage can light in the room, the three decoder will be set a the same channel and thus only one DMX Dimmer driver is needed to control the load in the project, try to avoid using group or scene if the loads are always controlled altogether. You can take advantage of the three channel RGB decoders that way, by overlapping some channel you can connect more loads to be controlled by the same channel, this is by far the most optimized way to build a DMX system for homes, I've done a 15 000 sq ft home with just over an hundred DMX channels, and the whole home is low voltage DMX lighting, and the system is ultra responsive.

- DON'T put Group Dimmers in Scene (NEVER do that!) Everyone do that, please stop!

- Try to not use C4 Scenes in general, if possible... Try to use Group Dimmer instead, as much as possible, but not in scene, hope that make sense. Scenes are great in smaller project though, and they will react perfectly synchronous.

- Try to use Sequential group in any of the group driver (even Effect Switch), if possible. this is highly optimized and will always react quicker than a large random number of channels.

- Don't run too many fast RGB effects at the same time (unfortunately, this require lot of commands to be send to the DMX Engine and may slow down the system a bit). Slower color changing effect are highly recommended and those will impact way less the overall response time.

- Try to take advantage of the Hardware Scene on the DMX Engine, you can "Snapshot" the current state of a range of channels and save it to one of the 64 built-in hardware scene, recalling those is lighting fast, perfect for all on/off or some commercial project.

- If Navigator feedback is not that important, you can enable the High Performance Mode from the DMX Engine driver, this will prevent any bidirectional communication and speed up a lot the system if it is used for driving a large number of color changing effect or if it is the kind of project that run autonomously. Don't do that if you're dealer with a customer that constantly look at his phone app and call you if he see a light ON in the app that is not really ON in his home.

- Disable Polling in the DMX Engine driver, it help a little to speed up the system, but not a lot. It is use only to monitor the communication with the DMX Engine and also to keep track of the current DMX light state to bring it back after an outage, it's far from being 100% required...

 

Sorry for the long post. Hope that'll help...