DIY Hardware for DMX LED Pot Control with WLED
Hackeriet at one point aquired a few Fun Generation LED pots, and one of the strong selling arguments for us was the knowledge that they supported DMX. “DMX (Digital Multiplex) is a protocol used to control devices such as lights or fog machines. The signal is unidirectional, meaning it only travels in one direction; from the controller or first light, all the way to the last. In its most basic form, DMX is just a protocol for lights, like how MIDI is for keyboards or DAW controllers.” 1 This is not a blogpost about DMX, in this blogpost we will focus on the hardware we put together to be able to control these lights via a web application called WLED. Bill of Materials Junction box Sacrificial XLR cable 5v power supply D1 mini (ESP-8266EX board) 2 MAX485 module A few header pins and wire of choice Junction box My thinking is that this box will probably live many hours on a floor and be in risk of poor threatment for much of its life, so I wanted something a bit rugged. Visiting my closest electronics dealer I just found one who felt right for me. It is 80x80x