Beta-Portable Wired/Wireless DMX Tester (See first post for specs and features)

[dlhoppe]

...turned the template into a label to cover the self-inflicted wounds... 


-Paul

Paul,

Very cool!

[holland lights]

You can use a vinyl cutter for a dremel tool and it would make the job alot easier to accomplish.I already have had my holes cut out for awhile now. Only thing is i didnt realise it; but i cut the hole around the led display just a 16thth of a inch to much.

[PJNMCT]

ok it worked. Who would of known to do that. Now how do you get the neat graphics that are on the tester in the picture?

I've got to say that i cheated a little bit. I added some random graphics I found on the net to the CAD program used to create the original template.

As you can see, I saved the cad file as a pdf to make it easier for others to keep the correct dimensions when they printed it out..

I was hoping that someone knew how to add graphics to the pdf to use it as a label.

I can post the cad file but I would rather someone figure out how to add the graphics to the pdf.

-Paul

[PJNMCT]

...turned the template into a label to cover the self-inflicted wounds... 


-Paul

Paul,

Very cool!

WRONG.

What's cool is the tester - love it, VERY handy, great job.

Thanks for putting all the work into this - that includes all the people that have contributed in some way!

-Paul

[joatman66]

I was hoping that someone knew how to add graphics to the pdf to use it as a label.

I can post the cad file but I would rather someone figure out how to add the graphics to the pdf.

-Paul

I can take care of the graphics end if you want.  PM me or upload files here and I can do the rest.

-Aaron

[PJNMCT]

I was hoping that someone knew how to add graphics to the pdf to use it as a label.

I can post the cad file but I would rather someone figure out how to add the graphics to the pdf.

-Paul

I can take care of the graphics end if you want.  PM me or upload files here and I can do the rest.


-Aaron

Hi Aaron,
Is there a certain program you use to incorporate the graphics?
-Paul

[joatman66]

I was hoping that someone knew how to add graphics to the pdf to use it as a label.

I can post the cad file but I would rather someone figure out how to add the graphics to the pdf.

-Paul

I can take care of the graphics end if you want.  PM me or upload files here and I can do the rest.


-Aaron

Hi Aaron,
Is there a certain program you use to incorporate the graphics?
-Paul

Illustrator would be my first choice.  It would depend on how well the CAD file plays with others.

-Aaron


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[bcstuff]

Just as a quick search, Adobe says that Acrobat Pro 9 will convert DWG files to PDF, in addition to some free programs available on the net.

I have Adobe Master Collection CS4 in case you guys need help to convert it.

Brian

[PJNMCT]

This is why I want to try to find something that will take a base pdf (as opposed to a dxf/dwg) and add graphics to it.

-Paul

[PJNMCT]

At a quick glance, I think this will do what I had in mind.

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-Paul

[dlhoppe]

Since we're playing around with graphics, I thought I'd putz around with Cindi's vinyl cutter and see what happens. I'm not much of an artist, but I bet this would produce a nice result in the hands of someone more creative.


Dave

[mokeefe]

Well, some personal issues finally cleared enough for me to put together my beta board (V2) of the DMX Tester.

The build went very smoothly. Anyone who has put together something like the Lynx Dongle will have no problems with this build. I basically followed the the same steps that were used in the build video although I think it would have been almost as easy to do even without the video.  The only parts that confused me slightly were the the 3 capacitors that went into areas on the board with 3 holes instead of 2.  I installed them the way the build video showed.  I would recommend that a build manual clearly explain how to install those 3 caps once this is available via coop.  I did substitute in a ST485BN chip as has been previously discussed in this thread. I have not cut holes in the case yet for mounting so I did all my testing without the case.

As a beta tester I always hope to find issues I can report back, but in this case "it just works".  I ran through tests on one of my LE's and was unable to find a problem testing the channels, values, and features like "pulse".

I didn't have a chance to install the wireless option on the board yet, but I may get to that this weekend.

This is clearly a tool that many DLA members will want to have for both troubleshooting and testing components of your display.  Kudos to David and his team.

-Mike

[dlhoppe]

Mike,

I have covered the 3-hole capacitor issue among other things in the manual. See the wiki under "DMX Devices". 

Please note that the photos in the manual are not final. I'm still hoping to get a better sequence of photos. They will be changed soon.


Dave

[mokeefe]

Thanks Dave,

I didn't even realize there was a build manual done yet.  Just goes to show how easy this unit is to build even without a manual. I have photos I shot during my build that I will pass onto you.

-Mike

[dlhoppe]

An update on 3-hole cap locations...

We're going to go with 2-hole to eliminate any possible confusion. It's very low-risk change to the PCB. The manual will be updated accordingly.


Dave