Model NODE2 Installation and Operations Manual Doug Fleenor Design, Inc. 396 Corbett Canyon Road Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 (805) 481-9599 Voice and FAX Manual revision 1.0 December 24, 2015 Software V1.5 Page 1 of 8
Product description The NODE2 is an Ethernet to DMX bridging device. It accepts PLASA s Streaming ACN (ANSI E1.31), Artistic License's ArtNet (version 3 or prior) and other protocols including draft sacn, KiNeT (ColorKinetics) and ShowNet (Strand Lighting). There are two fully isolated DMX512 ports. The NODE2 may be ordered with two inputs, one input and one output, or two outputs. Each DMX512 port has a two-digit LED display and up/down buttons to select the universe number for the associated port. The decimal point LED on each display indicates an active data stream. The factory default configuration covers most applications. The front panel allows DMX512 universe selection for sacn (E1.31). A web interface is used for additional configuration changes. The NODE2 is powered by PoE (Power over Ethernet). It fits in many two gang wall boxes. Environmental Operating temperature: 0-40º C Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing Indoor use only Electrical ratings Input: Power Over Ethernet (PoE), 802.11af. Cabling A single CAT 5 (minimum) cable powers and supports data for the NODE2. A standard RJ-45 jack is supplied on the rear of the unit. An Ethernet switch which supplies PoE or a PoE injector must be used. Standard Ethernet installation practices must be observed. Jumper settings Five configuration jumpers are located on the rear of the Node2. Jumper options should be selected and set prior to mounting the Node2. Jumper functions are described in the table below. Jumper Installed function Removed function JP1 Front panel displays turn off after 30 seconds of inactivity Front panel displays are on at all times JP2 Port A up/down buttons operate normally Port A buttons are locked out JP3 Port B up/down buttons operate normally Port B buttons are locked out JP4 Normal operation Restore factory default settings JP5 Normal operation Force into boot loader mode Note that jumper settings are only read during power up. If a jumper position is moved, power must be cycled for the change to take effect. Mounting The NODE2 can be mounted in many standard two-gang electrical boxes. Extra depth is required for the electronics and to allow space for the network connection. The box must be at least 2.125 deep. Raco model 683SP is an example of a box which will work with the NODE2. Care must be taken to insure that no part of the electronics are touching the box. Do NOT attempt to install the NODE2 while power is applied. Page 2 of 8
Powering The NODE2 is powered using Power Over Ethernet (PoE). This simplifies installation by allowing the installer to pull a single CAT5 cable to the NODE2. The cable provides power and Ethernet signals. A PoE switch or a PoE power injector must be used to provide power to the NODE2. The diagrams below illustrate both methods of powering the NODE2. Network Setup There are a number of considerations when connecting and configuring a lighting control network. The first option to consider is whether the system IP addresses will be dynamically assigned by a DHCP server or if static assigned IP addresses will be used. Doug Fleenor Design's NODE2 is capable of either DHCP or static IP addressing schemes. Doug Fleenor Design recommends using static IP addresses in an entertainment lighting control network. In a static IP environment, the user will manually set the IP address of each unit in the network. Care must be taken to make sure that each NODE2 has the same subnet mask and that each unit has a unique IP address in that subnet. The NODE2 comes from the factory with a static IP in the range of 10.X.X.X, which is based on its MAC address. Note that when DHCP is enabled and no DHCP server is available (such as when physically connected to the console), the NODE2 will use its currently programmed static IP address. On loss of the Ethernet link, the NODE2 will revert back to its programmed static IP. In a DHCP environment, IP address, and Subnet Masks for the NODE2 are configured automatically from the DHCP server. Most routers have a built-in DHCP server. Doug Fleenor Design highly recommends the use of ANSI E1.31 Streaming ACN in networks for its scalability and higher performance characteristics. Streaming ACN has no restrictions on IP whereas an ArtNet IP must be in the range 2.X.X.X or 10.X.X.X with a subnet of 255.0.0.0. Other things to consider when designing and configuring a network. 1) Avoid mixing network protocols (For example: do not use Artnet and Streaming ACN in the same network if it can be avoided.) Page 3 of 8
2) When selecting of an Ethernet switch, a managed switch must be used. Most Ethernet switches now have broadcast storm control which must be disabled to allow entertainment lighting protocols to pass through. 3) Use the same subnet mask on all network devices, but be sure it is big enough to fit the number of devices on the network. 4) Doug Fleenor Design strongly recommends that lighting control networks should not be connected to the Internet. It is recommend that the lighting network is a completely separate network with no Internet access. 5) Be aware of the rules for Artnet IP addresses. Artnet requires the IP to be in the range of either 2.X.X.X or 10.X.X.X and the subnet must be 255.0.0.0. These must be followed for the NODE2 to inter-operate completely with other Artnet Gear. 6) If there will be more than 100 network universes in a connected network, a managed Layer 3 network should be considered. Using a web browser to configure the NODE2 The NODE2 has a built-in web server that allows remote configuration of a unit across the network. It allows for configuration of all aspects of the NODE2 including the name, unit description, network settings, and port options available for the current network protocol. To access the web server, the computer to be used must be physically connected to the same network as the NODE2. It must be in the same Subnet, have the same Subnet Mask, have a unique IP address, and have a web browser installed. To start the web server, open a web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, GoogleChrome, Safari, etc...). Type the IP address of the NODE2 in the address bar of the browser. After entering the address, press Enter on the computer keyboard. The Status Page from the NODE2 will be displayed. Determining the IP address and configuration of a device can be a challenge. The NODE2 is shipped with DHCP enabled, a default IP address in the range of 10.X.X.X, and the subnet mask set to 255.255.255.0. Before deploying the NODE2 into the field, it is recommended that each NODE2 is connected to an isolated network for configuration. This will allow configuration while the computer and the NODE2 are in close proximity to one another. If DHCP is enabled in the test network, the NODE2 will be assigned an address automatically. To determine what address has been given to the NODE2, the DHCP server's client table can be referenced. Alternately, a utility program can be used to locate all Doug Fleenor Design Ethernet nodes on the network. The node discovery program can be downloaded at: http://www.dfd.com/nodedisc.html If no DHCP server is present, the NODE2 will use its default IP address which is printed on a label on the back of the device. However, if the default IP address has been overwritten by previous configuration attempts, the NODE2 will use the user-created address. Page 4 of 8
The current status of the NODE2 may be observed on the Status Page. The uptime, number of power cycles, software version, DHCP status, IP address, Subnet Mask, MAC Address, DMX512 port Universe selection, and DMX512 port input/output status are shown. A menu bar at the top of the page has links to access the network settings and the DMX512 port settings. In addition, there is a check box to identify the NODE2. While checked, the LED displays on the currently selected NODE2 will blink. Page 5 of 8
The Network Configuration page lets you set the Device Name, Description, IP Address, Subnet Mask, DHCP settings, and Network Protocol. Be sure to click the Save Settings button on the bottom right of the page before navigating away from this page. If another page is selected before saving, all changes will be lost. If the IP, Subnet, or DHCP settings have been changed, care must be taken to ensure it will still be possible to connect to the NODE2 after saving the settings. The NODE2 may reboot after saving your new settings. Page 6 of 8
The Port A (left) and Port B (right) page allow setting of the attributes of the DMX512 ports. Be sure to click the Save Settings button before selecting another page. Using the front panel to configure the NODE2 If enabled by jumper selection on the rear of the unit, the front panel switches can be used to select the DMX512 universe number to be used by the associated port. Universe numbers 1 99 can be selected. The port direction (input or output) can only be selected using the web interface. By default, the LED displays will turn off after about 30 seconds with no button presses. If the display is off, the first button press will turn the displays on and the keypress will be discarded. After the display is on, each button press will increment or decrement the universe number. If a button is held, the selection will begin to increment or decrement rapidly. The final selection will be stored in nonvolatile memory so it will be retained over a power cycle. In addition to displaying the universe number, a decimal point in each display is used to show the presence of DMX512 data on the selected universe. This feature is useful when searching for active universes on the network. NOTE: The front panel buttons will not operate if a connector is plugged into the associated DMX512 port. The front panel switches for each port will only operate while there is no connector plugged into the associated DMX512 port. This feature prevents accidental changes to the system while it is in operation. NOTE: If the web interface is used to set a port s universe number to a value greater than 99, the front panel switches can not be used to change that port s universe number. The display will show - - on that port. The web interface must be used to select a universe number that can be displayed on the NODE2. This feature is useful for configuring a system when no local changes of universe numbers is desired. Page 7 of 8
Operation of the NODE2 Upon loss of DMX512 from the network, NODE2 output ports will continue to transmit the last received DMX512 data for three seconds. It then stops transmitting DMX512 and disables the DMX512 line driver allowing moving lights and dimmers to reset or to let a Preset10 take control of the line. Merging of levels on the NODE2 is done automatically. Up to six network sources per output port are allowed on the NODE2. This means that a single port on the NODE2 set for universe one can automatically merge six different sources which are generating universe one. In Streaming ACN mode, priorities of the stream are also taken into account. For example, the NODE2 will automatically merge six sources with the same priority. If a new source with a higher priority is received, the other sources will be rejected until the higher priority source is removed or times out. If a port is set up to input DMX512 in Streaming ACN mode, that port will be transmitted on the network with a priority of 100. This is the default priority for Streaming ACN. Restoring default settings To set the NODE2 to its default configuration settings: Remove power from the NODE2 Remove jumper JP4 Re-apply power, wait about 10 seconds Remove power from the NODE2 Re-install jumper JP4 Re-apply power The NODE2 will have DHCP enabled and the IP address will be the default as shown on the label on the back of the unit. Warranty Products manufactured by Doug Fleenor Design carry a five year parts and labor warranty against manufacturing defects. It is the customer's responsibility to return the product to Doug Fleenor Design (at the customer's expense). Doug Fleenor Design will repair the unit and return it to the customer (at Doug Fleenor Design's expense). If a trip is necessary to the customer's site to solve a problem, the expenses of the trip must be paid by the customer. 1. Note that this warranty is against Manufacturing Defects. It does not include damage due to misuse or abuse. Most non-warranty repairs are made for a fixed $30.00 fee. Page 8 of 8