Art-Net in the Ether with RDM

The recent LDI exhibition in Las Vegas saw Art-Net’s full feature set being used. Operating over a wide area of the show floor via a radio link, Art-Net linked four booths - ACT Lighting, Wybron, Goddard Design and Artistic Licence - onto one lighting network. Remote configuration of all Ethernet nodes and ongoing monitoring of the network was done via Artistic Licence’s DMX-Workshop. Art-net was used not only to transmit DMX512, but was for the first time used together with RDM (Remote Device Management) compatible products. RDM products could be addressed, interrogated and updated remotely over a wide area network. The RDM products used were a Wybron CXI colour changer, and Goddard Design single-channel DMX converters, while the Artistic Licence booth made use of a Hubbell Entertainment HX 250 Profile - an RDM compatible moving light.

Remote access to the network from any part of the show floor was made possible with Net-View from Artistic Licence, which allows users complete control of their network from a PDA. Channels or memories can be transmitted and the network can be monitored simultaneously. Over the three days of the show the Art-Net network proved its reliability despite the large volumes of information being transmitted and the regular product demonstrations undertaken on various booths. LDI showed the worth of both Art-Net and RDM by seamlessly combining the leading edge technologies of four disparate companies into one fully featured lighting network.(Lee Baldock)

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