How to build a DMX-512 control system for your lighting requirements

Light makes our life easy. While nowadays, light not only functions as illumination, but also aesthetic means to make life beautiful. Our dual color LED strips and RGBWW 5-in-1 LED strips are able to create hundreds of different lighting ambience by controlling the color temperature, hue, saturation, color changing, etc. To meet different functional needs, Our LED strips are a good choice.

For achieving these controls, a logical system is necessary for users. At present, DMX-512 should be the best choice for you, which can realize hundreds of channels’ simultaneous control, individual control as well as flicker-free lighting. 

In this article, you will find the method of how to build a DMX-512 control system for your lighting requirements.

First of all, what is DMX-512 lighting control system?

"DMX" stands for "Digital Multiplex Signal".

DMX-512 is a serial protocol, digital, unidirectional, and with no error checking.

In a single DMX-512 system, it can provide 512 nos. internal signal processing channels. Which means that you are able to control 512 individual lights, such as 512 pieces of single LED chips, 512 pieces of LED lights, or 512 rolls of LED strips, simultaneously with different signals by setting DMX addresses.

Well, here the question brings, what components consist a complete DMX-512 lighting control system?

For simple understanding, the picture above shows all items included in a DMX-512 system, including DMX Master Console, DMX decoder, male-female signal cables, LED driver and the LED lights. 

DMX Console
DMX Decoder
DMX Male-Female Cable
LED Driver

To build the DMX-512 lighting control system, there are 3 steps as follow.

• To count the Number of lights or sections you would like to Control

The number of different lights or groups of lights that you would like to individual control over is important because each light or group is going to need an individual specific DMX address through a DMX Decoder. It is also important to know how many channels or colors that each light is going to need in order to be controlled.

For instance, assume you have 10 lights need to be set up in the system and to be controlled separately. That is to say, you will need 10 channels DMX decoder to connect all lights in each channel, and to set up 10 different DMX addresses (ADD 1, ADD 2,……ADD 10) for 10 lights. Furthermore, you will also need 10 channels of DMX Console to transfer singles to each channel on DMX Decoder. In the end, you will need to do program in order to create singles for controlling each light.

So, it is necessary to determine the number of lights or group of lights you want to control in the system somehow. For our High CRI LED strips, bi-color version will need two channels, RGB LED strips will need 3 channels, RGBW LED strips need 4 channels and RGBWW LED strips need 5 channels. Our DMX decoder has maximum 5 channels, which enables our RGBWW 5-in-1 LED strips to be controlled in the system.

If need to increase a group of lights, such as another roll of RGBWW LED strip, you will need another DMX decoder to connect with this new roll of RGBWW LED strip and connect two DMX Decoders in series by DMX Male-Female cables.

• Determine the Wattage of each Fixture or Section you would like to Control

After making sure how many lights or group of lights you would like to control, you will get the total wattage of whole system, and the voltage as well. For example, when controlling 5 rolls of our LED strips, as the voltage of our LED strips is 24V and the maximum of power consumption is 90W, you will need a power supply with 550 watts (20% more tolerance) in total, or 5 power supplies with 110 watts.

• Hook up your DMX Control System for Programming

When you got all stuffs, what you need to do is to connect all items together. The connection method is shown in the picture below.

We also provide a simple version DMX-512 system, which replaces the DMX Console with our WIFI control kit, as you can see in the picture below.

Thus, a complete system has been set up. What you need to do next is programming to realize the control mode you need.