Tellstick DMX driver need!

[tonic]

Is there anybody able to develop a driver to use the Tellstick usb as a DMX device?
The goal is to use existing DMX software (LightJams, Freestyler or Qlite Controller per example) to control rf chacon plugs for light effects. I'm not able to do it by myself...

[magwo]

What do you mean really? The TellStick will probably never be able to control DMX directly, nor will it be able to control W-DMX devices (they use WLAN frequencies). You would need an actual physical adapter to convert the 433 MHz signals to something DMX-ish to feed into a DMX plug or similar.

[xallers]

I think the OP wants to attach a dmx interface to a PC that also has a tellstick and receive commands on dmx channels which are then relayed to tellstick devices
to be honest it sounds like a simple scripting exercise assuming the OP has the requisite dmx interface hardware and software. of course it won't provide dmx quality of service but I'm guessing that isn't important.

[krambriw]

If so, the easiest way that would give full freedom and flexibility is to develop a DMX device plugin for EventGhost. Then you can link and relay between a huge range of different devices and technologies including TellStick.

Is this a typical DMX device you are talking about?
http://www.velleman.eu/products/view/?id=354968

Best regards, Walter

[PerA]

Is this a typical DMX device you are talking about?
http://www.velleman.eu/products/view/?id=354968

Probably not. That device sends DMX-signals through the USB-interface. I think he want's to read DMX-signals into the PC and then use tellstick to send signals.

http://www.thomann.de/se/daslight_dvc3_gzm.htm seems to handle incoming DMX-signal as well (i have never heard of the manufacturer though..)

[krambriw]

I think you misunderstood what I meant:

EventGhost would read/send dmx signals using the usb device. EventGhost would also do the same with the TellStick. All the needed logic in between the technologies could then be configured in EventGhost.

[xallers]

develop a DMX device plugin

My first line of attack would be find a dmx interface and software that can call the PC command line and simply configure tdtool commands into it
The problem here is finding the right dmx interface which probably needs advice from the guys on an event lighting forum

[tonic]

Hello Guys,
Thanks for your comment.
Here some explanation: many different software use DMX protocol to switch stagelights based on scenario/schedule or music tempo. Using a Midi keyboard could also be a way of switching. See my first email for software references.

DMX is based on RS485 protocol. It's a cabled architecture called "bus". Using "broadcast" message, it's not reliable and speak to every devices on the bus simultaneously. So each device must be addressed to be reacheable. Generally DMX is based on 512 adresses (see Wikipedia for DMX protocol explanation). It work seamly as Telldus product.

Many USB to DMX converters are available on the market. The most popular one is the ENTTEC Open DMX USB. Is based on an open architecture so it's easy to find drivers and source code.
You can find it following this link: http://www.enttec.com/index.php?main_me ... =downloads

Both ENTTEC and TellStick use the same USB chip (FTD2). So it mean that rewritting the ENTTEC driver to talk with TellStick may work. Adressing Light Plugs instead of RS485 devices to Switch on-off would be possible using a DMX software.

Does anybody is interesting on trying the dev?

[tonic]

Commonly I use FreeStyler.
Into the Interface Setup I select the Enttec Open USB and it recognize the USB Tellstick.
Look at this snapshot:
[img]Freestyler_InterfaceSetup.png[/img]
It sounds like the software accept to communicate with the Tellstick thinking is the Enttec DMX adaptor.

I create a Fixture called Chacon_Plug with only one channel: for the lamp switching on-off (255-0)

When adding it to FreeStyler, I choose RS485 address 1, no result....yet.

I need to find a way to address the plug with the rs485 address mask.

[jonash]

Hi,

This is not as simple as it looks. Both the Enttec and Tellstick uses the FDTI chip to communicate with the PC, and so far it might look good. But to proceed you need to know what is happening inside the boxes, and there things becomes slightly more complicated:

The Enttec device is actually completley built around the FDTI chip. This chip is a USB to Serial port converter, and it creates a virtual serial port on the PC. Out of the chip comes TTL level serial data. This I beleive is the same in both the Enttec and the Tellstick (I dont know the exact hardware in the tellstick). In the Enttec device this is then converted to RS485 for the DMX output. And that is all that exists in the Enttec device. There is no firmware that converts commands from the PC to actual DMX; this is done in your controlling software and it will send the actual DMX data out on the virtual com-port.

The Tellstick works similar, it is as far as I know the PC's driver software that creates the codes that the Tellstick sends out. But there is some timing done in the stick, and I believe there is a microcontroller there doing some of that work. So when you connect your DMX software to the tellstick you are sending it raw dmx data, and the stick (or the receivers listening to it) will not understand the data at all since they use a completley different protocol.

In order to do what you want to do, you need to put some software inbetween the tellstick and your dmx control application. This software would have to read the dmx data, parse out the channels you want to control the tellstick with, and then convert it into tellstick commands. You also need to sort out how to make the dmx software finding this "virtual comport" that your software needs to create to intercept the data. Or write your own driver, which does the conversion before forwarding the data.

Another thing you should consider is that the communction with 433 MHz as used by Tellstick is not close to being as fast as DMX. You are likley going to see some quite visible delay betweeen you issue the command and the lamp(s) reaction to them.

Regards
Jonas

[krambriw]

Does anybody is interesting on trying the dev?

Whats this all about? Is it a commercial project or do you have a private stage? If commercial, you should engage a software consultant doing this. For private usage, it does not seem very likely another fellow has the same need for this.

Best regards, Walter

[micke.prag]

@jonash: You are correct (at least the TellStick part). The protocol for TellStick is documented here http://developer.telldus.com/doxygen/TellStick.html

[tonic]

Well, thanks everybody. I think we have all the elements to. And no krambriw, this is not for commercial use, just because I have Chacon plugs for light control when I'm Djing some party with my friends. It's nice because you're not limited by an expensive DMX cable. However, I'm still not able to develop a driver alone, and no money to give to a consultant , so if somebody is interested in...

[jonash]

I was looking at the FreeStyler web page, and it appears that FreeStyler is supporting Art-Net as output as well. That is a ethernet based protocol, with an open protocl: http://www.artisticlicence.com/WebSiteM ... rt-net.pdf

My suggestion would be to write an application that acts as a Art-Net node, receivning the dmx data from FreeStyler. The application can then use this data to control a Tellstick attached to the computer. The only thing I am not sure about since I have not read the whole specification is if the software can run on the same computer as FreeStyler. But I would believe it can, since as far as I know you can use the same technique with some visualizers on the market (such as Capture).

That application should not be too difficult to write. You should however keep in mind that you cant throw different data at the Tellstick with the same speed as usual with DMX. The application would need to make sure that data is never sent faster than the Tellstick protocol can handle (keep in mind that normal DMX sends minimum 25 full packages per seconds).

[krambriw]

I still believe you should experiment a bit with EventGhost before doing anything else. No real development skill needed for what I propose here.

I have understood there is a virtual comport established when you connect the device to the PC?

You could try with the serial plugin available in EventGhost and see if you receive some messages from the port. This is the first trial.

Secondly, if it doesn't work immediately it might be needed to modify the plugin slightly (basically making a new copy for the Enttec device) and add the initialization string to it.

After this, messages should start to appear in the EventGhost log window. Once there, it is a piece of cake to bind those with actions to send Tellstick commands to control your Chacon devices.

Please register yourself at EventGhost forum and start a thread over there and I will support you (even without having a device I think it would be worth trying)

Best regards, Walter