/PracticalDMX

A battery powered standalone sACN node for remotely running on-stage practical lights.

Primary LanguageC++OtherNOASSERTION

PracticalDMX

A battery powered standalone sACN node for remotely running on-stage practical lights.

The inspiration for this project came from a show I worked on that required lights on a moving platform.
The lights were "practicals" - lights on stage that need to look like real world lights. This is usually done by having the lights controlled by the lighting console, and having the console operator take a cue to turn on the light when an actor flips a non-functional switch. However, in this case, the lights were on moving platforms so couldn't be wired to either power or control. The solution was a battery powered system with a 12V lead acid battery, a switch, and a 2W 12V light fixture.
This meant that the actors had to actually flip a real switch to turn on the light.

This project is an sACN version of that. It's a module that is powered by a 12V battery, can run 12V lights, but appears as an sACN node. The lights can be completely portable, but can be controlled by a lighting console.

Software

  • Network configuration using WiFiManager
  • sACN receive functionality using E131 library

Hardware

  • NodeMCU Devkit
  • 0.96" I2C OLED display (From DIYMall)
  • Custom PCB
  • Four FQP30N06L N-Channel MOSFETs (From Sparkfun)
  • Four 10K resistors
  • Various connectors, headers, sockets

Project Status

  • PC Board designed and ordered
  • PC Board built and tested with 12V input power
  • Software done and tested, as much as possible without hardware

To Do List

  • Add code to allow for setting of universe and address offset
  • Test PC board with actual 12V LED lights
  • Add overcurrent protection to circuit
  • Create 3D printable case