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So I got an ipad 2 and I really like it, it's my first ipad. I'm in the UK and have Sky TV. There's a sky app that shows the tv listings and if i set something to record, my box will record it. I can also do this from my iphone and it is very useful.

I was thinking about other things people have developed like that blood pressure monitor that interfaces with the ipad.

I would love it if i could control my lights from my ipad, change a setting on my fridge etc for Home Automation.

Reading the rumours that apple are trying to license airplay with video to TV manufacturers, it's seems a logical step to try and create a modified version of this for other devices,i would love to have a Home Theater

What other things do you think the ipad could be used for around the house?

Hi Sam

There are a number of ways one can do this, none of them perfect.

First off, canibalise a USB mouse, and connect the mouse buttons to a DMX relay board or box, and then by just setting a channel to full for half a second you can get the next slide up.

I think that Screen Monkey (free, from here can display PPT presentations, and if it can do this to your satisfaction, then the Professional Edition (£120) can be triggered from DMX, and so should do what you want.

If a Ma can send strings out of the RS232 port, then another possibility is TriggerPoint.

Let us know what you decide to do, or if you find another solution.

Does anybody know of any way to get a GRANDA MA to trigger a powerpoint presentation. Thanx Sam.

Thankyou so much for the info in this post, i will pass it on to the programmer and see which route he wants to go.

As a systems designer, you have the choice of supporting one or more comercial off-the-shelf USB interfaces, or designing your own.  The latter approach is often used by manufacturers as a software protection dongle to stop software piracy, if the software only works with your interface, then you dont need to worry about software distribution.

If you have no fixed ideas about which interface to support, then the first choice has to be the Entec USB pro, which has the advantages of being reasonably priced, widely used, has API programming information available for it, and the API is non-demanding.

There is a cheaper version, the non-pro, but that requires a lot more effort on the part of the developer.

The fact it is widely used means that if you come up with a great piece of software, then people can convert to using it without needing to buy more hardware.

And "reasonably priced" is relative; Chamsys can deliver a USB dongle direct to your door anywhere in the world for £10.

It might pay to look at the Chamsys MagicQ software anyway, as it supports a wide range of interfaces, and by looking at their list perhaps you could see if you too want to support any of those.

Also there are a number of DMX over ethernet protocols you may wish to support, possibly ArtNet (hatefull protocol, especially in the V1 implementation), or the much more modern ANSI E1.31 - 2009 Entertainment Technology – Lightweight streaming protocol for transport of DMX512 using ACN.

Big fan of show control; shall send you a PM.

hi Guys, literally just joined the forum and am in need of some help, i am currently designing a show control program from scratch, and the guy who is going to code the software needs the tech specs of the DMX hardware that sits between the PC and the lights, any help and direction to the material i need would be greatly appreciated
                                                                     Michael

Hi, electrically, a DMX512 device (other than the console) is wired the same as it always was, so the input and output sockets are connected together pin for pin, and the transceiver chip connected to the sockets.

You might want to lokk at http://www.rdmprotocol.org/

I am sorry about this basic question but I can't get the answer from searching on the web.

DMX and RDM equipment have In and OUT connectors/ports, how are they connected internally? Are the relevant pins of the connectors daisy chained i.e. PORTIN +ve is connected to PORTOUT +ve and this is then connected to +data output of the transceiver? Or is each connector/port connected to its own RS485 transceiver?

Will the connectors for RDM equipment be connected internally the same way as that for DMX?

I am sorry I just can't visualize the connections from the specifications of DMX and RDM.

Hope you can help. Thanks.

Here you can get some help regarding your problem:

http://forums.elationlighting.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4981062842/m/397109006
http://www.onstagelighting.co.uk/lighting-equipment/stage-lighting-control/dmx-lighting-systems/
http://blog.whitesites.com/SDE-Lighting-60-watt-LED-Intelligent-DMX-Scanner-Review__634347414945312500_blog.htm

So I am wondering what combination of platforms are the best for experimentation or further development.

I'm quite taken with the Propellor chip, and the work that this mob have done to build biggish LED projects using modest technology.

Also is this Wikipedia sentence accurate? 
"Consequently, it is strongly discouraged[who?]  for use in safety-critical applications such as controlling pyrotechnics or laser lighting displays, where audience or performer safety is at risk."

Absolutely.  DMX512 has no error checking or correction on the protocol, so it can and does get corrupted.  Most desks update at something like 40 times per second, so having the wrong data values for 1/40th of a second isn't a big deal for a light (even a mover) but if that erroneous data means "fire the pyros" then bad data for 1/40th of a second is enough.

So the general rule is that Dmx512 on its own is not sufficiently safe for anything where there are safety of life issues, so pyros, flame projectors, moving set pieces etc.

Note I said "on its own": There is a happy medium using traditional "dead man's handle" technique.  Using this arrangement there is a manual button that has to be held down by an operator with full view of and responsibility for the dangerous thing, say firing pyro.  The pyro is electrically interlocked with the deadmans switch, so it cant go off unless the operator is actually holding the button.  So DMX512 says "fire the pyro now", and the deadmans button says "yes, it is safe to do so".

With this arrangement even if there is a mistiming through corruption, the actual authority to fire is vested in a person, not a system or a protocol.

I don't know of any lasers that are directly controlled by DMX512; its simply far too slow.  Generally the laser is programmed using its own control system, which includes such features as audience scan prevention, and then DMX is used to select which preprogrammed look the laser system will generate.