So, not even sure this would work since we're in the digital realm on the snake side, but in the "copper" days, we would sometimes run a lighting DMX signal back thru the snake to FOH instead of running a separate cable. Anyone got a trick up their sleeve on doing this with the S16/X32 instead?
Hey James, yes that is very cool. But that is an example of using the OSC language to make the X32 into a light control surface. What John is asking is whether a DMX signal from a dedicated light control surface can pass through the X32, digital snake and come out of the S16 to communicate with the DMX lights at the other end.
I'm also curious whether that would work or not. Gut feeling is that it won't. The A/D normally is expecting an analog signal to convert to digital. When it encounters a digital signal (DMX) I'm not sure what it would do. Using the old analog snake is different. To the DMX it is just copper wire. Hopefully someone who knows better will provide this answer.
I have just talked with a friend who has a lighting company, and he has told me that DMX can not be sent down a digital snake. Only through copper, or by wireless transmitter, like a wireless mic unit.
DMX is 250kbit/s and would require 125kHz analog bandwidth. Next to that DMX uses voltages that might kill an analog input.
So, a 48kHz digital connection (with <24kHz analog bandwidth) will not easily transport a DMX signal.
Most affordable solution is probably using a separate DMX cable (or cat5/6 cable).
And another way. ArtNet is for lighting too (existing converters between DMX and Ethernet-protocol ArtNet).
I thing, that Ultranet using auxiliary TCP/IP channel in superMac (AES50) technology. So, is hardware aux ethernet way from X32 to S16, but Behringer must add feature in X32 for disable ultranet, and enable TCP/IP bridge between X32 and S16, and this channel will be used for lighting controll, for example, for DMX.
In this case, my theory for DMX transmitt by AES50 cable, is:
AES50 in the specifications is 100MBit ethernet. And 100MBit ethernet using only 2 pairs in the CAT5 cable. Next 2 pairs may be free for use. DMX need only one pair.
The Supermac (called Ultranet on the X32) and the AES50 uses only the physical layer of the ethernet protocol. If you are planning to run DMX over ArtNet, you will need to run a separate Cat5/6 cable. It is relatively cheap and easy to lay down (pull through). So it would only make sense to run them separate.
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