DMX Controller – DMX Control Unit

DMX originated in the world of theatre was developed by USITT in 1986. DMX is used mainly for controlling entertainment equipment and accessories in theatre, small and medium sized events and concerts.

A DMX network employs a multi-drop bus topology with nodes strung together, called a daisy chain. A network consists of a single DMX Control Unit – which controls the network — and one or more secondary (slave) devices.

Each device has a DMX “IN” connector and usually an “OUT” connector as well. The control unit, which has only an OUT connector, is connected via a DMX cable to the IN connector of the first slave device. A second cable then links the “OUT” connector of the first secondary device to the IN connector of the next secondary device in the chain, and so on.

The large DMX circuit requires a ‘terminator’ to be connected to the final OUT connector of the last secondary on the daisy chain, which would otherwise be unconnected. A terminator is a stand-alone male connector with an integral 120 Ω resistor connected across the primary data signal pair; this resistor matches the cable’s characteristic impedance. Although simple systems (i.e., most confetti cannon systems) will function normally without a terminator, the standard requires its use. Some DMX slave devices-CONFETTICANNONS??? have built-in terminators that can be manually activated with a mechanical switch or by software, or by automatically sensing the absence of a connected cable.

A DMX network is called a “DMX universe”. Each OUT connector on a DMX control unit can control a single universe. Smaller control units may have a single OUT connector, enabling them to control only one universe, whereas large control desks (operator consoles) may have the capacity to control multiple universes, with an OUT connector provided for each universe.

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