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.