Forum

New Soundlight DMX Device

vvvv beta question
#1

Hi,

i just ordered a current soundlight-DMXUSB-device - appearantly they changed the model, and it won’t via dashard.dll with the DMX(soundlight)-node of vvvv any more:

“die Dashard.dll hat sich mit dem neuen Interface mit der “In” Funktion geändert (Interfaces mit Anzeige) und ist nicht kompatibel zur alten Version. Zur einbindung der neuen DLL kontaktieren sie bitte den Hersteller der Software bzgl. einer Treibereinbindung.”

What would you guys recommend to do? Return it? Or is there some hack to make it work?

Thanks a lot, help much appreciated!
Aksel.

#2

ui,

thx, a valuable information for me.

without knowing anything about that you could try one thing:

*place a copy of that new .dll right next to the vvvv.exe
*rename that .dll to Dashard.dll

maybe it is totally nonsense what i wrote here, but perhaps it’s woth a try.

in case it doesn’t work:
*wait for @oschatz answering here
or
*return that item

i know that @oschatz once upon a time integrated the Soundlight USBDMX2 Interface and has contact with Eckart Steffens (owner of Soundlight).
few months ago Eckart Steffens asked me for @oschatz. perhaps he wanted to announce that upcoming change??

#3

Aksel,

are you in hurry with your problem?
where are you located?

perhaps i can suggest you alternatives.

whats the max amount of DMXchannels you want to control?

#4

Hi Kalle,

thanks a lot for the quick reply. I am located in Berlin and fortunately not in a hurry :)

I got a dmx4all-adapter for my own domestic use, but i decided to switch to the Soundlight one because i need to control ~150 channels for a project test and figured the dmx4all one would be too slow for that. Even more frustrating the improved product does not work with vvvv.

As far as i saw there was no specific *.dll included with the USBDMX device, the dashard.dll i got i downloaded from their website and put it right into the vvv/bin folder. But neither vvvv nor their diagnosis tool recognized the device. The Easy Forgotthename software shipping with it found it though, so the USB itself seems to be fine.

After that the clipping you can read above is what the Soundlight techsupport wrote me this afternoon. So that would be official that the new Soundlight USBDMX device (the red plastic with out and in) is not working with the vvvv node, at least that is how i understand it.

Have a nice evening,
Aksel.

#5

…and put it right into the vvv/bin folder.

NOT the /bin folder!
vvvv’s root folder, same folder like vvvv.exe!

#6

Tried that before the /bin folder already. Either way, Soundlight says it won’t be working with the current device anyway. At least that is how i read their mail. Was not so misunderstandable.

#7

that reminds me of my old Soundlight SLESA IP DMX interface… see this thread: http://vvvv.org/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?comments_parentId=13576&forumId=18&highlight=slesa%20ip

maybe it can be fixed in one “aufwaschen”. this would make me happy zepi…

#8

yep; mr. steffens sent me some information about the developers kit here.

i do not have any information about newer models not supporting DASHARD.DLL anymore. if this is the case i would try to return the unit and get the older model.

in case we will start aufwasching i will think of zepi. perhaps we can set up a little hamachi/skype webcam thing to make his interface work over the network…

#9

yes, i guess swapping against an older model is the best way right now.

thanks a lot for your input!

have a nice day,
aksel.

#10

PS: Soundlight make it a problem to return the device - as they say they never guaranteed the device would be working with vvvv, and second the new device is the only one which they got in stock, the old ones are sold out according to them.

I can return the device anyway, but still got no working one which i need. By chance anyone got an older version he would be willing to sell me? :)

#11

btw. Markus Siwek (DMX4ALL) told me that he reworked his MiniUSB interface.
he thinks that he improved the perfomance by factor 4.

if this is also too slow:
consider buying an ArtNet-Node.
maybe expensive. but just plug your node somewhere in LAN…

#12

by reworking the howto i stumbled upon the Enttec ODE, which even seems to be cheaper…

i asked @west via skype:

…we are going to get one this week
…they said they can deliver from march first

#13

hi kalle,

wohow, that enttec-device seems perfect! i never used that kind of device, would you guess from their description it works with the artnet/dmx-node in vvvv?

thanks, aksel.

ps: i guess i owe you a beer!

#14

Well, This One works SUPER with the Artnet node from vvvv, so lets hope this is just a 1 port version ;)

#15

thanks kalle for sharing the tip with the Enttec ODE. i will order one to see if it works. who wants to use usb anyway.

#16

Another recommendation:

I lately did some installations using the “ELC dmXLAN nodes” link link with VVVV.
I especially used the dmXLAN node 08 and I can highly recommend it. I used it for receiving and sending DMX with the VVVV artnet nodes and it worked better and without any problems than any USB-Interface I used before.

Of course there are some possible improvements for the artnet-nodes in VVVV … we will see what improvements the next releases might bring !? link

Markus

#17

aksel, be aware it will sending data in art-net protocol and not in dmx, so you will need or dimmers receiving artnet, or art-net-to-dmx dongle.
art net is interresting if you are planning to work on a hudge multi computer installation, for example.
if i was you, i would buy dmx pro, wich allows you to send dmx easely, without many paramaters as network and computers that could interfereer in your research.

about speed, usb interfaces ar ok. if you are talking about LPT based interfaces, those one do not send a 512 channel buffer in one shot, but impulse by impule for each channel. wich means effectively latencies.
Im interrested by MSBerger opinion. you are working with art net dimmers ? ;-P

i have already ported the old usbdmx2 from soundlight for schwartzpeter (http://karistouf.free.fr/schartzpeter.html )
I can perhaps help ( if needed ) to work on the new dll .

let me know.
christoph

#18

the Enttec ODE receives ArtNet and outputs DMX.
Aksel already has one and seems to be pretty confident with it.
thats what he told me at the node08 during the DMXworkshop.

ArtNet has several interesting aspects.
wait for more about this.

#19

hi kalle,
yes I didn t well undrestood the post. sorry.
cheers

#20

hello,
i had the Dashard issue, but I copied dashard.dll from the Sunlite Suite directory to vvvv root. i now have a different problem, namely, when i load the patch i get:

no interface detected: driver error

when i enable the DoSend of dmx-(devices-soundlight-usbdmx):, i get:

no interface detected: port not open
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