Table of Contents

Network/USB Tab

Edward Updated by Edward

Universe

The first column of information cannot be edited and identifies the universe by a number. The first row is different from all the rest as it defines the input configuration for the merge options described above.

Device/Protocol

Use the drop-down boxes provided in the device column to configure the input or output hardware used by the software to communicate with your DMX system. There are two types of hardware interfaces: USB and Ethernet. The list contains the brands/models or the protocols currently supported.

NEO Notes & Tips: After selecting or changing the hardware for the input device or any of the output universes, you will need to click the “Restart DMX System” button for the changes to take effect.

Port/Universe - Some device options have several output ports available. Each port is a separate DMX universe. In the case of USB hardware this will refer to a physical connector on the device. For Ethernet hardware the number of ports can be as many as the protocol supports.

The drop-down box in this column will only list the available ports for the selected device. For USB hardware you must have the device connected for the port to be selected.

When selecting the device, the next available port number will be chosen automatically and populated into the port/universe field.

Network Interface - When using any of the Ethernet based protocols you may need to configure the network interface that the software will use to communicate with the DMX system.

By default, the system will be set to output to all available network interfaces. However, if you want to restrict the output to a specific device, use the Network Interface drop down provided. A network interface is identified by the IP address to which it is bound.

Frame Rate - Some of the USB hardware provides the ability to set the DMX frame rate. Use this control to define the frame rate you want to use. You should not change this from the default (40 fps) unless requested to by support staff. Changing this frame rate may stop your DMX output from working correctly.

Priority - Streaming ACN only. As in [DMX] systems, the most recent E1.31 Data Packet from a single source supersedes any previous packets from that source. However, a receiver conforming to this standard may receive data for the same universe from multiple sources, as distinguished by examining the CID in the packet. This is a situation that cannot occur in conventional [DMX] systems. The priority value is used by receivers in selecting between multiple sources of data for a given universe number. The legal range for this field is 0 to 200. Priority increases with numerical value, e.g., 200 is a higher priority than 100.

For a given universe number, an E1.31 receiver gathering data from multiple sources shall treat data from packets with the highest priority as the definitive data for that universe.

Information - The “information” column of the grid will display any additional data that could be obtained about the port.

For USB devices, this will often show the firmware version and device serial number. For Ethernet options this will usually show the official name used to identify the port on the network.

Description

An editable field to add user information about the interface (its location or purpose, for example).

ArtNet & sACN Unicast Options - The ArtNet and sACN DMX over Ethernet protocols also support a unicast option. By default, these protocols broadcast the data onto the network, meaning that all devices on the network receive all data. For large installations this can mean that all devices are receiving and handling a lot of data.

Unicast transmission of the DMX data means that the data packets are sent only to the devices that need it. The data packets for Universe 1, for example, will only be sent to the devices that need Universe 1. This mode also helps with network management as many Ethernet switches can struggle with continuous broadcast data.

In order to use Unicast transmission NEO needs to know what devices are outputting each DMX universe. The ArtNet protocol has a discovery process that can configure this automatically (assuming the device supports the ArtPoll message). For sACN the Unicast routing must be configured manually by editing a file.

To turn on Unicast communications double click on any line of the device settings page that is set to ArtNet or sACN to open the advanced protocol options. If you are using both protocols, you must configure each one separately.

Tick the check box labelled “Use unicast communications” to enable this system. Below this check box any devices found or configured will be shown.

To manually configure Unicast routing, create a .CSV file in the NEO install directory called “unicast_list.csv”. Each line has 3 fields – IP Address, DMX Universe and Description. For Example: 10.27.34.73,1,"Desc 1"

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