Choosing an ArtNet device

Questions
1

Hello,

I have been wanting to expand my visuals using lights (and possibly lasers) but wondering where to start… someone told me to just get a cheap ArtNet node and a dimmer pack to begin with some lights, but I didn’t get a chance to get clear product suggestions…

I know a simple and reliable product is the ENTTEC Open DMX Ethernet shown in this VDMX tutorial: https://vdmx.vidvox.net/tutorials/sending-dmx-values-from-a-vdmx-color-picker
But I was wondering if there were other cheaper device options out there. What do you guys suggest?

2

Not sure what purpose you are using it for, but Advatek Pixlite is an LED pixel controller with a DMX out. https://www.advateklights.com/shop/ ~$129

Last USB to DMX box I made was from a $5 FTDI chip. (pros and cons for the DIY DMX route).

Madmapper recommends the showjockey boxes and recently I bought a ADJ Products EZ Kling is an RJ45 to DMX for $100 and it works great.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the suggestion! LED pixel controllers sound interesting… thought I’m looking more into standard show lights to put on stage or in the space.

haha, yeah, I considered the DIY route when I saw this tutorial using an FTDI chip as you mentioned: https://stevenbreuls.com/2013/05/diy-usb-dmx-dongle-interface-for-under-10/ haven’t tried it yet though. What are the pros and cons?

However if it’s just USB to DMX, does it work with ArtNet in VDMX? Because I thought that was only possible using Ethernet.

4

The pros are a working USB DMX device for under $10. The Cons are a lot of FTDI chips are fake and can malfunction. On top of that, Apple / Mac does not play will with the FTDI chips and the drivers. Two out of the three FTDI chips I ordered were bad. It took a lot of head scratching before I realized it. Then after getting the one working, I still had to play around with enabling/disabling the FTDI driver, multiple computer restarts, and various USB ports before it became stable. Definitely not a professional solution.

That being said, the ADJ EZ Kling is the least expensive Artnet DMX device that I have found (plus you can skip the USB and send everything over network). It’s larger than the Enttec’s, but also half the price and works about the same.

5

I’m looking to control some led tube using this interface Enttec ODE Mk2 with POE
any recommandations using Ethernet and VDMX for dmx control ?