Beginners
Basic Info
- What is Light Animation? = Some brilliant answer should be place here - Maybe RJ can help LOL
- What is DMX? = DMX is a standard in the theater lightning. But why is it used for diy christmas lights?
- What is a wiki? It is a repository of all the information we can get into it on everything.
- Where can I start looking for other help pages in the wiki? Help Categories
- Coop - Cooperative Order (what we call when we all get together and make a big order for a large quantity of parts to build an item and then sort it into parts kits and send them out. This save money since the parts are much cheaper in large quantity.)
- PCB - Printed Circuit Board (the electronic boards we have produced to allow people to solder parts on and create the devices we build to control the lights.
How does it connect together
- Start off with a computer that uses windows as the operating system. Why windows? because the program that "talks" to the controllers is built with .net 2.0 and the program is called Vixen
- The next part we connect a Lynx Dongle to the usb port on your computer and then that connects to Lynx hardware using a Ethernet cable (cat5) or even a Lynx Wireless Transmitter and then to the Lynx Hardware.
How do I order stuff from DLA
- ALL Lynx pcb (printed circuit boards) are from RJ
- DLA runs something called coops which is a way to get the pcbs and most of the time part for the pcbs (the parts is normally the more expensive stuff)
Hardware
What does what? Need more information see our Equipment page which includes Assembly Manuals, Special software called firmware and a parts list (BOM) for each piece of hardware
The Lynx Express is a 16 channel all in one controller like the Lynx but using the standard phase angle dimming with some advancements built in. The dimmer will be based loosely on the Freestyle and will fit in the same case. While based off the Freestyle the device will use much a more powerful controller to allow me to make the dimming absolutely smooth. From level 1 to level 256 you will have the exact same output change like the Lynx could do.
It will have the SSR's on board. It will have the wireless connector to plug the wireless board into so it will be wireless ready.
The difference is it will be programmable from your computer for not only start channel, using the configuration software I will provide there will be no jumper for programming you just use the software to do it. It will also have the ability to do something I call light normalization.
As we all know LED's and incandescent lights do not dim on the same curve. They come on at different points and their brightness curves do not match very well. But even inside of these different types each brand sometimes dim different also. I have a number of different Led's and they all have differences although slight.
My new setup allows you select the type of lights you have on each controller when you program it and then have it use this custom curve to make every light in your show come on the same amount at level 1 and max out at level 256. And be at 50% output at level 127, etc. It will do this not on a few points in the curve but on each of the 256 levels to make them match exactly.
This is what I call light normalizing. Like audio normalizing when you make all your MP3's play at the same loudness so one is not blowing your ears off and the next can hardly be heard.
The benefit to you will be you can just program your show with out regards for what is on what channel and the results should look much closer to what it looks like on the adjustable preview in vixen.
The cost of the Express is projected without case at $50 on a qty 50 coop and about $60 on single one time order.
RJ
The Freestyle is a External SSR based Controller that will operate 1 to 32 4 channel standard DIY SSR's giving you 128 channels of lighting control from one controller. It has it's own built in power supply that can operate on 120v/240v AC. Plug it in to power and send it your DMX signal and you have from 4 to 128 channels. It is a very cost effective setup costing about what most 64 channel controllers cost. I was designed to fit its case well and is coop at diylightanimation as a kit complete with all parts, pcb, and case for around $75 so just add solder.
It is also offered as just a pcb board for those that wish to buy just the pcb.
RJ
The MR16 Controller is a specialized controller for the purpose of controlling your MR16 light Canons. It has 16 channels of independent dimming control. Each channel is design to handle 12 MR16 spot lights. It is setup to allow you to operate 4 cannons which include up to 12 Red, Green, Blue mr16 each. with each color of each canon on its own channel to allow blending of color. It uses simple spade connects to connect to it so you can any suitable cable and use female spade connectors to interconnect. It uses DMX and has perfectly smooth dimming with no flicker. It uses any external 12v supply you choose to use($19 computer supply works well). It has been tested with two different sets of MR16 available from Wirekats coops. It is design to fit into a nice small weather resistant case.
One controller can handle up to 192 MR16's if the external power 12v power supply can supply the 35 amps needed to handle them.
RJ
