DMX Sunlite not working

Hello vvvvizards,

I need to control a lot of RGB light fixtures using VVVV. I thought on using DMX, with a USB Controller from Sunlite (SIUDI-5A model). First I couldn’t get VVVV to recognize the controller, so I read and read, and found the thing about the DASHARD.DLL. This did not work, however. Then a friend found that we had to put WINUSB.DLL on the root folder of VVVV too, then it worked: the DMX (Devices Sunlite SLESA) even shows this output pins as as ready and connected, and the controller shows “PC” on the seven-segment display it has.

BUT! I had this fixture connected via 3-pin XLR cable. All is well when I use the native software of the controller (Easy Stand Alone), I can control all channels as expected, but in VVVV nothing happens. On the Renderer (TTY), it keeps showing some “Range” error I can’t remember right now.

Also, it came to my attention that this node accepts 128 slices on input. DMX universes have 512 channels, so it should be a spread of 512 slices, right?

Please help.

you may use also little_cat, wich works perfectly with siudi 5 family, see my user page here:
http://vvvv.org/users/karistouf

this is a third party software, but aniway you may apperciate it ;-)

Hi karistouf, thanks for the reply.

I have already used little_cat, interface 6. It reports that everything is okay, but the seven-segment display on the controller does not show “PC”, meaning that it it currently being controlled by the PC. It remains at “OF”.

Also, when I use VVVV to send RAW data via UDP node, on the right port and the right address (which happens to be localhost), little_cat DOES show the “*” being printed, but nothing happens in my light.

Thanks anyway, little_cat is a big help!

there is a hidden info in the nodes help string (see on top in inspektor):
Needs ‘dashard2006.dll’ in \bin directory
have you tried that?

not sure about the 128. just try putting a spread of 512 values in there and let us know what happens.

hi candian. you use seven.

this sounds for little cat:

-driver issue. does your dmx hardwrae works with any other app on this PC ?

-seven paranoia and server/client blocking action seems not being the case, as you have the ‘*’ of incoming data.

-make little_cat setted with administrator rights in its properties and xp compatibility ( right click on the exe). This should work.

@joreg: thanks, man. i’ll try that.

@karistouf: yes, i use windows 7, and yes, it does work with the native software of the controller. it’s called “easy stand alone”. i donwloaded it on sunlite’s site. so i think it’s not a driver issue. i’ll try ro run little_cat with xp compatibility. the interface number 6 is correct, am i right?

thanks for the replies!

Hi candian.
Hum be aware that sunlite has done a driver for sunlite 6C with retrocompatibility to 5 family that is not working for everybody.
Littlecat and schwartzpeter will work only with 5c and original 5c XP driver (see the CD).

So when you have installed on seven i presume you have search for the driver on internet … and that s this one that was installed

Putting this driver on my laptop for series 6C makes me no more possible to discuss with 5C. And impossible to put out from windows the inf ugly file. So i cant now no more use my 5C on this laptop.

Unfortunately, if this is the problem, little cat neither schwartzpeter or whitecat may help you, has the inf files delivered by sunlite are not good.

Nicolaudie developper’s is informed of that, but unfortunately they don t see where exactly there could be a problem … they stay on their systems and software and everything works for them. Third party software will suffer certainly from this statement: they do not see any trouble.

once more you see the most important argument for using ArtNet-interfaces:

no problems with drivers…

hum… no troubles with enttec for usb part. i agree about the question of drivers wich is really painfull sometimes ( too much work to rewrite )

with artnet some troubles with power on/off. sometimes you need to unplug it to get the device work properly