More "efficient" DMX channel ArtNet DMX types

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1

Tl;DR, can we create additional DMX types to control more LEDs with a limited number of DMX channels

Context: I have a 66x9 2D matrix, almost 594 LEDs (some are “skipped” in the ledmap). I run soundswitch software which integrates with my DJ software to create light shows and outputs DMX / ArtNet to my other lights (moving heads). I use LedFx with the audio piped in from my DJ software to power my LED strips which has been great, but I want to take advantage of having my LED strips in sync with the colors and chases that my other lights have which soundswitch controls. In short I want soundswitch to manage my LED strips too.

Issue: Soundswitch only supports 2 universes of 512 DMX channels each, about 50 of them are already taken by my other lights. Given how many LEDs I have in my strips, it’s too many to be powered by the RGB mode in E.131/ArtNet (3 DMX channels per LED).

Suggestion: Would it be possible to have a more “efficient” use of DMX channels? Two ideas:

  1. RGB and RBGW DMX channels per segment. Each 3 or 4 DMX channels would control a segment.
  2. RGB and RGBW DMX channels with configurable LED width (e.g. every X LEDs are part of a single DMX channel). Only issue here is with the last pixel in the segment. I wouldn’t want it to bleed over into the next segment on the same DMX channel (e.g. there’s 3 pixels left in segment 1, and the DMX pixel width if 5, I would not want the first 2 pixels of segment 2 to be controlled by the same DMX channel as the last 3 in segment 1).

Thanks!

2

You can already use “Grouping” in the segment settings for that. You’re limited to a single segment for DMX input when using that though, “Main segment only” has to be enabled in Sync settings.

3

I tried enabling “main segment only” and it caused some weird behavior, I must have made an error.

I’m trying to better understand, I’d be able to have the whole segment operate as a single DMX block (e.g. RGBW 4 dmx channels), but could only do this for one segment only?

4

Well you would make your entire string of leds be a single segment, and if you need different areas then map that out in your lighting software.

5

I think the requested function makes a lot of sense. I would also like to see the implementation of a new DMX/Artnet mode. Similar to the Segment Effect mode, this mode should allow control per segment, but with only 3 (RGB) or 4 (RGBW) channels instead of 13. This would greatly simplify the use of addressable LEDs in stage lighting.

Kilrah’s solution is impractical because the available channels are limited, thus severely restricting the number of LEDs. A 5m long LED strip with 60 LEDs/m has 300 controllable LEDs and therefore already occupies 900 channels, almost two entire universes. Many DMX controllers only provide one or two universes without an additional charge.