RDM will have a major impact on all areas of lighting control. In essence, RDM allows data to flow in both directions on a DMX512 cable. Existing DMX equipment uses the first three pins of the XLR connector to send control data from the console to the moving lights or dimmers. RDM allows data to return (still using the first three pins) from the moving lights and dimmers. There are many benefits, but most significant is that the console can now ask ‘Who's out there?’. The moving lights reply in sequence, telling the console who they are, and how many channels they use.
Then the clever part - the console can automatically assign DMX start addresses to all of the moving lights! No more climbing around the truss looking for that mis-patched light! RDM also allows the status of devices to be monitored, so users could opt to receive a warning when the smoke fluid runs low or a dimmer channel overheats.
The new DMX splitters provide all the electronics needed for this next generation of technology and of course work perfectly with 'ordinary' DMX512.
(Ruth Rossington)
