peperoni usb dongles

[ryanww]

Are those available in the US?

Would the Enttec Open DMX USB or the DMX USB Pro work with the Pepperoni driver or would you ever be interested in adding a driver for either of those?

Ryan

[samsc]

so far - i believe the peperoni ones seems to be the most reliable.
though i havent checked in a while.

did you send them an email about distributors?

[ryanww]

I did last night and they replied back saying that they have no US distributors but it would be about 210 US converted from euros including shipping which isn't all that bad. The Enttec USB PRO is probably 30 bucks less.

[jkumin]

I did last night and they replied back saying that they have no US distributors but it would be about 210 US converted from euros including shipping which isn't all that bad. The Enttec USB PRO is probably 30 bucks less.

Ryan,

I don't want to sound like your mother telling you to wear galoshes when it's raining, but I had to write to point out something you may have overlooked. The difference between the Enttec DMX USB Pro and the Peperoni line is a lot more than $30, if you look at the model that has isolation.

Perhaps you have an isolated splitter in your setup that takes on this responsibility, but for all those readers who don't know it, the use of isolation in PC-based DMX control hardware interfaces is an important concern. It's not just a marketing buzzword. Enttec makes a product that doesn't have isolation, which costs $60 US. If you're really budget-conscious, you could go there, but be forewarned....

At the factory, we have a collection of them that people sent back after they were the victims of ground loops between dimmers and the computer and other hardware. In some cases the USB port was also taken out. There is a time when you can get away with non-isolated hardware but most people reading this forum will have too much invested in their systems to risk it.
To protect your CPU, make sure you either purchase an interface that is isolated, or get an external splitter with that capability and use it all the time.

Hoping you all practice safe dmx.

Jeremy Kumin
Enttec US Sales

[ryanww]

Yea, I know.. I have seen it as well.. Large ground potentials don't do electronics well..

I now have a Pro and a normal.. neither of which I really use though.. No one really makes software for them anymore. I was hoping someone would make some cool software but most of that has stopped.. I wish the cat software would work with the pro

[Peter]

Yeah, me too. The pro works great with arkaos and DLight (a simple but very effective lighting soft, no moving heads though)

[samsc]

you need to be careful not just with dmx and usb - but with anything you plug in.

serial ports- i blew up a powerbook with a serial lead-

audio input and output - audio often needs to use isolating transformers - if you plug into external equipment - on many shows i do the audio gear is on a different phase!

you have to be careful with monitors too, and make sure you are on the same phase as the video people.

[kmclights]

This debate seems to be going in two directions. One has to do with isolation. The other has to do with Catalyst suddenly deciding to not listen to the peperoni interface.

I'm moving a show that I first used the peperoni on into the West End this week and started tech today. I quit the application and restarted it and all of a sudden my DMX triggers stopped working. Unplugged the USB end, replugged it, and all was fine. Glad to see that someone else has seen this happen.

Richard, you seem to suggest above that peperoni may have changed and that may be effecting why Catalyst stops listening randomly. I'm writing to the makers of perperoni now. What should I be asking about to help isolate this problem?

Thanks,

Kevin

[samsc]

and ups's uninterruptable power supplies can play havok with ground potentials and communications.