Sean Meighan

Welcome => Do You Need Help? Post it here => Topic started by: geoffhoops63 on January 14, 2025, 01:45:24 PM

Title: Using Xlights with DMX Moving Heads
Post by: geoffhoops63 on January 14, 2025, 01:45:24 PM
Hi All

I'm in desperate need of lots of HELP lol.
I have been using xlights for around 12 months now and its fab. Definitely got he bug. Did my first show at Christmas and everyone seemed to love it (or they were just being polite lol).
I decided to go into the DMX rite to add another dimension to the show, but know absolutely zilch about DMX.

i purchased a moving head from good old AliExpress. Yes I know, cheap isn't best, but to get me started, why not.
Knowing nothing about DMX, I thought. ok, get a usb to DMX cable (with FDTI chip, whatever that is.) plug it in and hey presto, let there be light. No No No, that didn't work. The PC will recognise the cable and FDTI drivers, but the Moving Head is not being recognised at all through the USB port.
Can anyone out there advise on the best way to connect the light to use with xlights.
Do I need a dongle, an interface (which I assumed the cable with the FDTI chip i purchased was. Do i purchase one of these ENTEC Open DMX USB Interface things.
Basically, what do i need to do to get this damn light working with xlights on a bit of a budget. Please HELP!!! its driving me bananas.

I fully appreciate any help you may be able to give me, before this Moving head moves very quickly, straight through the living room window lol. I also have a DMX controller but cant use that with xlights, so that's probably going in the bin, after all, it's been a good 4 hours since Amazon delivered it :(.

Its probably something very stupid, I need to do or purchase, but I did explain I have not a clue about DMX which is basically very obvious. On a more serious note, any help would be absolutely brilliant, thanks all. May all your DMX fixtures be doing much better than mine are.
If I can get this thing going, then I will be looking at some better quality lights and try and put on the show of all shows next Christmas.
 




Title: Re: Using Xlights with DMX Moving Heads
Post by: MikeKrebs on January 14, 2025, 09:54:48 PM
The forum is acting funky...not taking my reply saying I already replied. But I don't see it. So apologize if it turns out to be multiple replies.

Tell us about your light (does it have a manual?), tell us how your configured it, how you cabled it and how you set up the controller in xLights.