Members ckcondon Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 Posted in lighting forum, but there's usually not much traffic there. I know a lot of you guys do lighting as well. I picked picked up a new Obey 3 DMX controller thinking it would be an easy solution for running my Irradiant par-56's. Apparently not. I thought they were 3 channel, but they don't seem to work with the Obey 3. What lights does this thing control, and is there any workaround for the led pars? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 You might have to write your own fixture controls if your fixture is not in a library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 Your new controller is good for fixtures with 3 or less channels, I guess. You just need a larger controller or go to a laptop, USB>DMX dongle, and something like Freestyler software. I could see where the controller might not do a damn thing to your lights if they are 4-channel fixtures arranged:1 - Red2 - Green3 - Blue4 - Intensity/Strobe Without having a 4th channel, no dimming - just black, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ckcondon Posted October 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 I had an Obey 70 that I never used because the setup was just too much trouble for a couple of lights. Figured for $50, the obey 3 could be a cool solution for some led pars I already have.Lately, I've just been using a couple of colorstrips on auto and that's good for most of the tiny stages we play.I can just return the controller if it doesn't work with anything I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 From the Chauvet website: Obey 3 Compact DMX-512 controller for LED fixtures (3-channel mode only) Channel 1: red Channel 2: green Channel 3: blue Honestly, if the Obey 70 is something you don't care to master then think about ditching your LED fixtures and go with standard cans and dimmers. IMHO, watching a band's blinky LEDs chase is mildly entertaining for about 30 seconds...then it's just plain annoying. The Obey 70 is NOT overkill and should be about as dirt-simple for running your LED cans and strips as you can get. It has some more features than you will need, but you've already got the gear and buying a smaller-looking controller will not really change the work you need to do and you'll appreciate the features later. DMX is strange animal at first. Keep at it and the will just happen for you at some point. Start with reading your controller's manual and google DMX tutorial. Sit down in your house (not at the club before a gig) and hook up one light to get the feel for addressing, changing values for each channel, and saving scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ckcondon Posted October 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 Honestly, if the Obey 70 is something you don't care to master then think about ditching your LED fixtures and go with standard cans and dimmers. IMHO, watching a band's blinky LEDs chase is mildly entertaining for about 30 seconds...then it's just plain annoying. The Obey 70 is NOT overkill and should be about as dirt-simple for running your LED cans and strips as you can get. It has some more features than you will need, but you've already got the gear and buying a smaller-looking controller will not really change the work you need to do and you'll appreciate the features later. Not that "I don't care to master it". It was just not the tool I need. No need to program a bunch of scenes and chases when we don't have someone to run the light show. My feet are occupied and no one else wants to be responsible for dancing on a foot controller while playing and singing.Honestly, my 3 colorstrips on slow pattern change (not blinky) and a couple of led scanners is more lightshow than most bands bring to the venues we play. Most patrons are very complimentary of the look. I only have a few led pars, and I though this might be a way to integrate them. No biggie if I can't. I can return the Obey 3 and sell the cans. I've already sold off all my old incandescent par cans, dimmers and truss since it hasn't left the garage in years! Look, I love "The big rock show". My early bands all had massive PA systems and 100+ can light shows. We also had techs to set them up and run them. Now that I'm doing most of it, smaller and easier is the rule of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 You write your own presets using as many DMX addresses per fixture as you need. If your fixture needs 4 channels, you program the 4 channels and control as needed. Store looks in memory and all 4 channels change as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 You write your own presets using as many DMX addresses per fixture as you need. If your fixture needs 4 channels, you program the 4 channels and control as needed. Store looks in memory and all 4 channels change as needed. How's he gonna write the presets when he has 4 channel led fixtures with 3 channel controller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 I was thinking of the Obey 70. The Obey 3 is a one trick pony that IMO is pretty useless unless that's the ONLY trick you need and your fixtures support it. I should have looked up the Obey 3, it's not what I thought it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members witesol Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 the little obey 3 can run Blizzard Pucks, the original rgb ones, and Blizzard Colorstorm 252, a rocking strip light they make. It will also run the Chauvet Slimpar series i believe. i bought an Obey4 which i like for quick and simple. the irradient cans are 5 channels? the first 3 are RGB dim. won't the obey 3 control that? you've got the cans accepting ch 1, 2 and 3? perhaps ch 4 and 5 might be master dimming, strobe or effects and are set to zero ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted October 27, 2011 Members Share Posted October 27, 2011 I hear ya, ckcondon - my point is just that it's kinda all or nothing with controlling DMX. The task doesn't really change or get easier with a smaller controller. You have to address fixtures, program the controller, know what the value ranges and functions are for each fixture channel, etc. I could see a rack-mounted DMX controller similar to the Obey 70 sitting on stage somewhere where a band member could press a single button and change the scene between tunes, toggle to a new chase, scanners lamp open/closed, strip lights react to sound, or having a few buttons set for Hi, Med, Low front light intensity for different situations, etc. A slightly upgraded "set it 'n forget it" rather than a midi-controlled tap dancing thing for full on rock show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted October 28, 2011 Members Share Posted October 28, 2011 I was thinking of the Obey 70.The Obey 3 is a one trick pony that IMO is pretty useless unless that's the ONLY trick you need and your fixtures support it. I should have looked up the Obey 3, it's not what I thought it was. Yea I own the Obey 70 myself and like a a lot along with this http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk/calc.asp which speeds up things up using the calculator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.