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Electronic Theatre Controls Inc

Maintaining DMX Path When Removing a Desire XTI Fixture

There may be a time when you need to remove a Desire D40XTI or D60XTI fixture from an installation for maintenance or other reasons.  Removing the Fixture plug will break the DMX daisy chain to all other fixtures downstream of the fixture removed.  This is because the cabling allows for DMX signal to pass to the fixture and then back to the termination board where it is then passed on to the next termination card. This is also handy to remove a fixture from a DMX line to assist in trouble shooting a DMX run during installation or service.

To maintain the flow of DMX information to the remaining fixtures, you can insert a Desire DMX Bypass Plug into the fixture header while the fixture is removed. You can purchase the Desire DMX Bypass Plug (Orange Weidmuller ETC Part # 7410K4006 / Blue CUI p/n 7410K4013) through your local ETC Dealer, or you can make one yourself. 

To build your own, you will need an 8 Pin Phoenix connector and three conductor wires approximately two to three inches long. If you are using 22 AWG stranded wire typical in Belden 9729 or equivalent, you will need a Screw type version of the connector (ETC Part #J3407-F).  If you are using a solid core Cat5 cable, you will need in IDC version of the connector (ETC part # J3409-F).

You will want to take the first conductor and land one side on pin 1 and the other side on pin 4.  The second conductor should land on pins 2 and 5, and the last conductor should land on pins 3 and 6.  Pins 7 and 8 are not used.  

 The length of wire can be just long enough to reach the terminals, or long enough to form a convenient loop.  A short tube of heat shrink can also be used to keep the wires tidy.

The Image below shows an example of the two wire type versions of the Desire DMX Bypass Plug

Desire DMX Bypass Plug.png

  • Figure 1 - Desire DMX Bypass plug versions.
  • Cat5 IDC with no loop on the left, 22 AWG Screw type with Heat shrink loop on the right.
 

 

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