Newbie Tutorial on PSoC Express and DMX Control

[claytor1999]

I have NO programming experience and would like to understand the major components required to allow DMX512 to interface with PSoC Express. Are there any basic tutorials which give a high level overview of the process? To detail my level of ignorance: what I'd like to know is how to use DMX512 software (like freestyler) to turn on/off my CY3261A-RGB in real time using PSoC express and the I2C-to-USB bridge. I apologize in advance if this question is too lame to be answered... I just want a simple project to understand the basics of PSoC Express and DMX512 and the Cypress components necessary to make it happen. I've read the CY3261A-RGB tutorials included with my board but am still having trouble with the DMX512 portion of the equation.

Thanks

[slandrum]

With no programming experience, you are going to have a very tough time with this project.

DMX512 is a lighting sytem protocol with a specified serial communication layer. The serial communication is 250KBaud over RS485. The DMX protocol makes use of break signals, which the PSoC serial modules are not set up well to deal with.

[yzr]

You may find some useful information from these App Notes at www.cypress.com
AN49187 - UART to DMX Bridge
AN47023 - DMX Rx in EZ-Color Controller

The best way to set up DMX system in PSoC will be using the DMXRx UM. This tool will allow you to create receiver nodes without having to understand the ESTA spec or the PSoC digital/serial blocks. The UM allows you to choose first Slot ID to capture data from and number of Slot IDs to capture with a max of 512.
The UM is available in CY8CLEDxx parts.

[claytor1999]

Thanks for the information - I appreciate the help.

[yzr]

This is an App Note for integrating DMX receiver in the PowerPSoC parts. With this approach the LED drivers and microcontroller processing DMX data are on a single chip.
The project files are available at www.cypress.com

[pfiff]

Hi claytor,
lets say im an "expert" about DMX512 because i'm working since years at a light company in Austria and i can recommend write your own dmx receiver.
The most dmx receiver i had seen in my life weren't good and take the Psoc much time in the ISR.
The basics are:
DMX512 has 512 Data Bytes, 1 Startbyte,
a dmx frame is init with a break with min. 88usec (low level) and a Mark after break with min. 8 usec, then the Startbyte (= Startcode) is usually 0 and then the 512 Databytes.

Place a UART and use the framing and the overrun error to sample the break, then sample the Startbyte and the following bytes.
I think you have to learn "programming" to write a fast and working well dmx receiver.

If you have problems, send me a pm, and i will send you some code fragments,
SORRY guys i'm not allowed to post my dmx reciever.
BTW search the forum for DMX, there are many posts which helped me also a lot.

Bye,
pfiff

[enore.grattoni]

We are designing a slave DMX unit with on CY8CLED16,
The microcontroller we choose is not importamt for my question because this can be
etended also to other PSOC microcontrollers.
We design DMX with two separate module RX8 + PWD because we need to implement some
manufacture command and an automatic address setting procedure.
Problem is that the PWD module that works about 128 KHZ and sample 8 clocks at this frequency
the DMX stream, sometime is active for some combination of the stream.
This I think is logic because the sample 128 khz cover almost 2 character transmitted but if we
set some different value to two adiacent character we can get a false break detection.
This is my problem, may be also I am wrong.
My idea is that a better way to detect DMX SPACE that is the starting point of the stream is to
base this detection on framing and overrun error due to SPACE lenght that trigger a framing error.
Somebody can discuss this item with me?
I will shift to this second system because I have no result reliable and that cover DMX timing
specification.
What I see is some false PWD interrupt.
I take out output signal of PWD to observe this.
I also need to invert input to let PWD work.
Waiting some tip or idea
Thanks

[enore.grattoni]

Sorry for last post.
PWD + Rx8 block together are working in PSOC.
There was a problem reconfiguring example to another microcontroller.

[john310]

Does anyone know of an MC best from Atmel, the bit 10 has over 3 PWM outputs? Should not just be a huge part in how the ATmega128 ...

A would prefer outputs me what the size of a Atmega8 with 3 10-bit. The Atmega8 yes only 2 10 bit capable PWMs ...

It would possibly be the whole of ralisieren via an interrupt? i.e. when the 10-bit timer happened Atmega8 of some value, that then a software interrupt is triggered and a bit is set or deleted? Would be something like SoftwarePWM.

namely my Moodlamp wanted to expand from 8 to 10 bit resolution. Everything is controlled via 3 potentiometers. Since the Atmega8 indeed 10-bit AD converter has, everything would fit together .. except only that the A 10-bit PWM output is missing ...

[slandrum]

John - if you are looking for Atmel and Atmega parts and solutions, you are likely to find your answers on the Atmel and Atmega websites and forums.