DiyLightAnimation

Hardware => Lynx Express => Topic started by: bmsgaffer86 on December 30, 2009,

Title: DMX Protocol / Wire length
Post by: bmsgaffer86 on December 30, 2009,

Hey all. I am setting up my show for new years and have a question.

What is the max length for the DMX protocol on a CAT5 wire? I have an animation that I am running along a fence in my backyard for new years. It is approx 120-200 feet away (depending on where i have to put my computer). Can the protocol handle that without problems?

I was going to have a single board computer mounted in the lynx box and remote into it, but that is not going to end up working (my SBC is not powerful enough for animation).

Thanks for your quick help!

Brandon

Title: Re: DMX Protocol / Wire length
Post by: rrowan on December 30, 2009,

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Hey all. I am setting up my show for new years and have a question.

What is the max length for the DMX protocol on a CAT5 wire? I have an animation that I am running along a fence in my backyard for new years. It is approx 120-200 feet away (depending on where i have to put my computer). Can the protocol handle that without problems?

I was going to have a single board computer mounted in the lynx box and remote into it, but that is not going to end up working (my SBC is not powerful enough for animation).

Thanks for your quick help!

Brandon

No problem at all. I think its around 1000 feet. Of course that is not counting a splitter adding more to the length.

Cheers

Rick R.

Title: Re: DMX Protocol / Wire length
Post by: dmaccole on December 30, 2009,

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What is the max length for the DMX protocol on a CAT5 wire?

RS-485/EIA-485, the electrical protocol on which DMX-512 is based, has a spec'd maximum length of 1200 meters or about 4000 feet (roughly, three-quarters of a mile).

\dmc

Title: Re: DMX Protocol / Wire length
Post by: deweycooter on December 30, 2009,

I ran cat5 probably 300ft, maybe more.  Watch this video (http://www.vimeo.com/8346312), when you see the part that has the drive down the street, there is cat5 ran all the way down the right side of the street - from the first house, down the fenceline on the right side of the street, through 5 front yards and to the house to the left of the big tree.  2 main runs, one about 125 ft, the other is 150 - 200.