Skip to content

craig

On Termination, Part One

(This is an old post, but I do plan on posting an update, someday, when I get a digital scope.) [lighting nerd speak] The USITT PLASA specification for DMX-512A requires that the last physical device in any DMX link, whether it connects to one device or 31 others, be terminated with a 120Ω resistor. This is to prevent unwanted “reflections” coming down the line and corrupting the DMX data. Here’s the theory: DMX-512 signals travel at around 60% the speed of light. Although fast, this is not instantaneous. When a signal traveling at over half the speed of light hits the end of a cable, a percentage of the signal is reflected back down the signal chain. Each digit of… Read More »On Termination, Part One

Review: Chauvet Maverick Storm 1 Wash

The form factor of any particular object may serve to obfuscate its unique features, to whatever extent they exist. Humans are wonderful at categorizing – at placing the things in our environments into kinds and sorts as a mental shortcut. Where this fails us is when it causes us to overlook what lies beneath the surface, to ignore the incremental but very real evolution of a familiar object. For instance, the humble LED wash light. There will always be similarities between luminaires – these are, after all, lights, but a peek beneath the hood will reveal the craft and care that goes into a fixture, and perhaps reveal an interesting trick or two the engineers have dreamed up for us.… Read More »Review: Chauvet Maverick Storm 1 Wash