Ether Dongle Question

[mmais68569]

I am currently using the standard Lynx Dongle & is working great for my show. I will be adding about another 100-120CH for next year which will get me up to around 230Ch. I do not think I will EVER get to or over the 512ch count.
Question:
I was going to build a second Dongle next year as a back up or to use in the shop while the show is running. Would a Lynx Dongle be the correct one or upgrade to the Either Dongle?

I sequence with LOR ( which as far as I know to date does not support the Ether) but run with xLights.

  Thanks for the help
        Mike

[jnealand]

A backup is always good.  If you don't see yourself getting into RGB and therefore big channel counts I would go with the current lynx dongle.  I have 3.  I also have an etherdongle because I want to get prepared for the conductor, but if you have no need in the foreseeable future I would be tempted to wait.  There always seems to be a ver 2 on the horizon even though we don't know it.

[mmais68569]

I have read that the conductor needs the Ether Dongle to work but will the two combined still run a low ch. standard DMX display. I like the idea of the conductor to run the show.

        Mike

[jeffcoast]

I have read that the conductor needs the Ether Dongle to work but will the two combined still run a low ch. standard DMX display. I like the idea of the conductor to run the show.

The Etherdongle can be programmed with a firmware that only puts out 4 universerses of DMX, so you could run a show up to 2048 channels. It outputs each universe on a different pair on the cat5, so you would have to split that off to use the different universes. You can do that with a Lynx Combiner, just used in reverse, the pixelnet out would be your DMX in from the Etherdongle, and each one marked "Dongle IN" would go out to your different controllers.

[Ron]

Ran my show with the ETD and DMX firmware this year.  Was the easiest year ever.  No issues at all.

Ron

[tbone321]

For the small increase in cost, it makes little sense to build another Lynks dongle.  You would be much better going with the Etherdongle.  Channel count has little to do with it.  With the EtherDongle you can tie it into your network allowing you to control the show wirelessly if you have a wireless network capability which in my opinion, is pretty cool.  There is also a new add-on card on the way called the Conductor which will allow you to run your show without a computer at all.  Any way you spin it, the Ehterdongle far outweighs the capabilities of the standard dongle and for the small cost increase, the decision is really a no-brainer.

[rimist]

How much is that small increase in cost?

[tbone321]

Somewhere around $20.00 but at even twice the cost it is still more than worth it. 

[rimist]

I'm was just wondering how much to budget for the two I just committed myself to buying

-Rimist

[rrowan]

I'm was just wondering how much to budget for the two I just committed myself to buying

-Rimist

Figure $100 each but if the coop gets a larger quantity ordered the price will go down

Rick R.

[SteveMaris]

I committed to two of them as well and have no clue what it does. I think the name Ether dongle sounds really cool so I want 2 of them.
I have a year to figure it all out.
I am a visionary if you think about it... 

[tbone321]

I'm was just wondering how much to budget for the two I just committed myself to buying

-Rimist

Figure $100 each but if the coop gets a larger quantity ordered the price will go down

Rick R.

I am pretty sure that there will be a plenty large quantity to keep that price down.

[chrisatpsu]

there's no commitment to buy an etherdongle right now, RJ's just checking to see how big of an interest there is.  It's like asking who wants pizza, before deciding whats for dinner.

mouser parts for the dongle are around $45-46.
you still have to get the case, and the pcb

i got one etherdongle in the last coop, and i think i paid under $100
so in that example, it was about twice the price of an etherdongle, but i get more options of what i can do.

The EtherDongle can output:
4 dmx unis (with DMX firmware)
4 pixelnet unis (with Pixelnet firmware)
technically, if you use the pixelnet firmware, and using 32 Active Hubs, you can get it to output 32 unis of DMX, but that is extreme)

PLUS, the EtherDongle have the ability to add "daughter boards" into the case to add on features.
you'll see people talking about the posibility of a conductor, and it would be nice to run a show without the need of a computer
last night, i saw on my porch with a laptop connected via wireless, and edited the show in vixen to see what the megatree was doing, i can't do that easily with a usb attached dongle!
also, this may be different for other people, but vixen seems to just flow more easily with the ED, than with the USB Dongle.

each person has their own needs, but if i had this as an opotion a year ago when i joined, i would have jumped straight into the ED then.

[rimist]

I realize it wasn't technically a commitment, however, to me it was. I missed the last co-op because I joined a few days too late. I needed to know for budgeting purposes.

-Rimist

[chrisatpsu]

$97 is what i paid for my EtherDongle in the coop.

there were 156 EtherDongles in the Coop.