Gilderfluke&Co DMX-512 Output MultiShow Brick - Manual (Page 5)

Overview:
The BR-MultiShow Brick is a unique product in the Gilderfluke & Company lines. It is neither
a Smart Brick nor a Dumb Brick. It is a stand-alone DMX-512 output show controller. The BR-
MultiShow Brick can have up to 265 shows loaded on it. Up to eight of these shows can be
played back at the same time, completely independently of the others.
One way you might want to think of this is as eight separate distributed Dumb Brick sys-
tems, which happen to share the same DMX-512 output cable. All eight shows can be run-
ning completely independently of the others. Each has its own inputs that tells it when to
start or stop. Each can be told to loop one or more shows, or to stop and wait for the next
trigger at the end of the show.
The data from these eight show sequencers are combined into a single DMX-512 out-
put stream. Up to 256 channels worth of analog or digital output cards, dimmers and other
DMX-512 compatible equipment can be attached to the DMX-512 output. Any individual
DMX-512 channel can be controlled by any of the eight sequencers. Its neighbors can be
controlled by the same, or any other sequencer. Even a single digital output bit within a
channel can be controlled by a different sequencer than its neighbors.
Thirty times each second, all 256 channels of Eprom show data are transmitted through
the Z-Brick and DMX-512 data outputs. The DMX-512 output can be used to control light
dimmers, automated spotlights, color changers, fog and wind machines, or any other
pieces of equipment which will accept standard DMX-512 inputs. The Z-Brick output can be
used for additional digital outputs through one or more Z-Bricks.
The BR-MultiShow Bricks can be mounted in one 1Ó wide slot in any of our Brick Card
cages. The BR-MultiShow Bricks can be used in conjunction with any selection of digital or
analog output Smart Bricks, Electronic FeedBack (EFB) Smart Bricks and Z-Bricks. Since the
output from the BR-MultiShow Bricks is DMX-512, additional card cages and other DMX-512
compatible equipment can be located at up to a mile from the cage that holds the BR-
MultiShow Brick.
Card cages with one, two, three or sixteen slots are available from Gilderfluke &
Company. The card cages provide all the connections for power supply, control signals
and outputs that any Brick card will need. Several different styles of output connectors are
available on the one and two slot card cages. The sixteen slot card cage mounts in seven
inches of standard 19Ó rack space (4-1/2 Òof space behind the panel).
Power requirements for each BR-MultiShow Brick is 9 to 24 VDC. The BR-MultiShow Brick it-
self draws approximately 200 ma..
The DMX-512 standard was developed by the United States Institute for Theatrical
Technology (USITT) for a high speed (250 KBaud) asynchronous serial data link. Although it
was originally designed for controlling light dimmers, it is now supported by hundreds of
suppliers throughout the world for controlling all kinds of theatrical equipment.
Even though the DMX-512 standard calls for up to 512 channels of data, the DMX-512
transmission from PC¥MACs is limited to 256 eight bit wide channels. You can address your
DMX-512 compatible output devices to respond to any address between 00 and 255.
Addresses above the 256th are used in PC¥MACs for transmitting a checksum. The BR-
G ILDERFLUKE & C O .¥ 205 S. F LOWER S T . ¥ B URBANK , CA 91502 ¥ 818/840-9484 ¥ 800/776-5972 ¥ FAX 818/840-9485
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