Wireless Ver2 update

[bisquit476]

Hey, I was at Walgreens today too, happy pills, very very happy pills.

[egenoup]

Can't wait for beta testers to finish...   

soooooo may COOPs, sooooo little money!!!
 

[csteph7]

I was wondering if anyone new how the Beta testing was going.  I am waiting for my 6 express form the last coop and can't wait to get my hands on a the new wireless transmitters....it will save me drilling a whole in my wall to get the cat 5 outside .  The wife is not too happy about that plan.

[WWNF911]

Sometimes it's just easier to ask for forgiveness. 


Leon

[wbuehler]

So far my testing is going great, I'll post some video later

Bill

[bisquit476]

Thanks for the update Bill,

Bill

[RJ]

Not meaning to leave everyone hanging but we do betas in private to allow the tester to be totally objective and say what needs to be said without concern for what it might make others think. No rushing it is ready when the beta tester say that it is ready. I can say I am getting some very good reports on it. Better range and easier to build for the users with no variations from one to the next was the goals and it looks good at this point. No changes have been made or requested yet to them. 

RJ

[RJ]

Later today we enter the last stage in the beta with the release to the beta testers of updated firmware for their Ver 1 wireless to begin testing of it with it on Ver 2 systems. Some of the guys found out that with out the upgrade the channel one worked fine anyway so we kind of are ahead on this but with this they can verify the operation on all channels with the older wireless. The older RX and EX/RX units will still get a range boost with just a change to a Ver 2 unit being used as your TX. Remember with the ver 3 there is only two devices now. A "Wireless unit" which is both a TX and a RX depending on where the jumper is set.  And there is an EX/RX which the only change to it is two leds have been added to show Power and Data.  The Wireless unit in "TX mode" has about 3 times the output power of a version 1 TX. They are also much easier to build since there is no modifications to the RF module and no external antennas to mess with. This in turn makes them cheaper also and the whole unit fits in the case. Once the beta guys finish and give me the go ahead I will ask them to post to this thread their experiences and thoughts on the differences and overall of the version 2. Everyone of them have been using the Version 1 units so they have the expirence with both to talk about it. Some have video they want to show and a few have even done maps of their neiborhood and where they had been able to put units that works as well as where it did not. Many times there were doing this with the units laying flat on the ground (far from optimum for range). We already have a Coop Manager lined up to do a coop so we are close to a coop of this.

RJ  

[Rod R]

RJ,

Thanks for the heads up,  looking forward to the coop.

Rod

[trekster]

RJ,    Not to jump the gun or get a quote that I will hold you to but can you give a guess on the cost of one of these.  Ballpark?  I will be using 8-9 LE's.  So I figure needing 10?  Just wondering if it will be out of range for this year on the cost for me.  This is my first year.  I know the cat5 cable is the cheap way to go but just wondering.

Thank You!

Ron

[RJ]

Can't tell you what the coop cost will be but the one off cost is about $40 for the Wireless units including the parts, wall wart and pcb.

The EX/RX is the same as the ver 1 plus the .10 for the two leds and resistors.
Coop price of course will be less.

RJ

[trekster]

Thank YOU!

That is what I wanted to know.

Ron

[csteph7]

Thanks for the update RJ....I am ne to the DIY and can't wait for the coop and I have been setting money aside so it is great to hear that the beta test is going well

[crazybob]

RJ, what channels are you talking about for wireless? I thought wireless transmits an entire DMX universe, and the equipment hooked to each receiver could each be set to their own channel?
Also, will the LED's on the Ex/Rx stick out of the Express case, or will the case need to be opened to see DMX status?

[RJ]

Sorry to confuse!  Channel as in Freqency it is on. When yuo hear us talk about universe #1 and universe #2 we are talking about what freqency that unit is on. you can run three different "Channels" or "Universes" so you can handle 1536 channels total on the wireless.

RJ