Tag Archives: PDF

A Guide: DMX, Computers, and LED Light Fixtures

A walkthrough for building a computer-controlled lighting system from the ground up.

Please Remember:

The opinions expressed are mine only. These opinions do not necessarily reflect anybody else’s opinions. I do not own, operate, manage, or represent any band, venue, or company that I talk about, unless explicitly noted.

Back in 2010, or thereabouts, I was finishing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. To actually graduate, I had to prepare a capstone project – a cross-disciplinary work that would show that I had actually internalized my coursework. I decided that I wanted to apply my knowledge to the process of building a DMX lighting computer with a remote.

I did actually build and test a prototype system. Indeed, a simpler system based on my project is what I use to drive the lighting rig at Fats Grill.

At the time, my perception of the project was just that it was a way to finish my degree. The ironic result of this was that the manual, which was clearly written as a document to help lighting techs do things, was never actually given to anyone who would do something with it.

That’s changing today.

I went through the project, corrected some things, removed some overly specific bits, and saved it as a PDF.

It’s completely free – Click here to download.