At DMX-tools, we strive to make our products reliable and easy to use.  But we realize we're not omniscient - in the process of writing an owner's manual, we can't anticipate everything that might go wrong.  These pages, then, are an attempt to guide you to solutions to problems not covered in the manual.

If you're new to stage and concert lighting, or just curious about how things work, you may wish to check out our DMX-512 Primer.  It explains the DMX-512 protocol in such a way that you don't need an engineering degree to understand it.

In designing the DMX-lator I, I needed to understand the analog-multiplex system I was translating to.  I couldn't find a published specification, so I hooked up my 'scope and analyzed the signals between my James Lighting MUX-64 controller and dimmer packs.  I later found (also through similar analyses) that most other systems, including NSI microplex and Sunn/ETA ultraplex work the same way.  I've decided to share the results of my research here.

If you have a specific problem, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions pages.  There are pages for general DMX-512 topics, as well as for each product individually.  If you don't find the answer there, feel free to contact us.

Finally, for the twidgets and techno-geeks among us, you can download schematics and calibration procedures for many of our products at For Geeks Only.