Output to serial Com port (RS 485)
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Hi. I recently purchased a USB>RS 485 serial adapter to use with Q Light but I cannot seem to get Q Light to recognize it. I am plugging it into a box that i built to convert RS 485 to DMX. I have installed the drivers, but the device does not show up in the mapping menu in QLC+.
I had heard that the Enttec DMX interfaces also work on the RS 485 standard, so I figured I may be able to get QLC to think my device is an Enttec device, however I don't know how I would get the Entec device to show up in the mapping menu either.
I appreciate any suggestions anyone might have!
It has to be an FTDI-based converter due to the unusual bit rate used by DMX; any old converter will not do. Additionally, a simple serial converter is not recommended because it is likely to cause flickering lights. There are many discussions about DMX interfaces in this forum so a search is recommended. ("Anyma" is a good keyword for the stuff I keep going on about!)
Does it have to be RS 485 or would a FTDI RS 232 work as well?
RS232 wouldn't work as it's the wrong voltage levels and not balanced. However, if you enjoy hardware hacking you might find that the converter contains a separate RS232 driver chip and if you can get at the data input to it you can feed the signal to a MAX485, 75176 or equivalent. But I warn you, results are likely to be disappointing.
DMX IS RS485, I guess you meant RS232->DMX conversion
Many FTDI chips should work, as long as the driver/programming model is the same.
Please tell us your system and version
Start QLC+ with -d 0 parameter and check the output. Windows version has special window for that. The output should contain a list of detected devices (serial, name, vendor). Device detection is based on this info. If you can relate your converter to any of the supported ones, you may use the ftprog tool from FTDI to set the values so that QLC+ recognizes the device. Post here the relevant part from the output, and tell us what type is it (most probably Enttec Open DMX USB) and I'll tell you the proper name/vendor/serial number.
If your device is not in the list, then all hope is lost :)
I am running QLC+ 4.7.0 on Windows 7 (although i ultimitely need it ti work on a Windows 2000 PC that my school is using for lighting - and no, getting a new PC unfortunately is not an option). My school is also not willing to spend the money on a real interface like the Enttec Open DMX. That is why I was trying to do it cheaply by using a USB>RS 485 and then RS 485(9 pin)>DMX in/out.
What is the cheapest USB>RS 485 cable I could get to do this? (I already built a box that has 9pin RS485 on one end and connects the T+/T- to a DMX out and R+/R- to DMX in)
As I said above, Anyma. It's a better and cheaper interface than the Enttec Open DMX which is just an FTDI serial dongle so is prone to data loss and hence flicker.
I was looking for something with DMX input too though, which the Anyma does not do, correct?
I guess I will have to look into a better solution even if it costs a little more. But thank you for all your help everyone!
Well I have now purchased an FTDI RS485 adapter and it finally outputs! But I cannot get it to select it as an input device.
Are there additional drivers I need to install?