Products -> Lighting Controls -> ECG-DR4
The ECG-DR4 combines a PIC32 master controller with 4 slaves from an ECG-DMXRen8. All chips except the RS-485 drivers are SMD and permanently soldered to the board. This unit only comes as an assembled and tested unit and is also available with an optional silver aluminum chassis. An image of the completed board is shown above.
The board is approximately 12cm x 12cm and we have produced a custom silver aluminum case to match. Below is a photo of the board inside the case sans the front and rear panels. The panels are provided. We will update the photos soon.
The master section is a small 10/100Base-T controller designed for the E1.31 protocol and control of it's attached slave co-processors. It is communicated with via HTML for configuration and via UDP for packet reception/transmission. The master section includes a powerful PIC32 32 bit processor with 512KB of flash and 16KB of RAM. An additional 2MB of flash is supplied in an external SPI flash chip for HTML and configuration storage. It uses an ENC624J600 Ethernet controller chip and communicates with that chip in Parallel Master/Slave mode for speed. The board master section includes an on-board 3.3V LDO regulator, indicator LEDs, and option jumpers. An ICSP connector is provided for firmware updates. We expect to include a remote (via Ethernet) updating capability in future releases but initially it will require a PICkit 2, PICkit 3, or ICD 3 for updating the firmware.
The software currently supports E1.31 and Art-Net II protocols. Other protocols can be supported as needed.
Power is supplied as a regulated 5VDC using a barrel connector connected to a supplied 2A universal switching power supply. Power usage is estimated to be approximately 1 amp @ 5VDC. The power supply will be provided in USA, Australian, and EU versions.
The slave section of the board contains 4 DMX/Renard slaves. With software updates it should be able to support any RS-485 protocol. Each slave is a dedicated 40MIPS 16 bit PIC64GP202 processor with 64KB of flash and 8KB of RAM. Configuration and universe data is sent to the slaves via a 6Mbps SPI connection. Each slave then independently controls a single RS-485 connection and transmits the data out an RJ-45 connector using the configured protocol and speed to the attached controllers. The hardware includes jumpers to configure the RJ-45 to the DMX or Renard cabling specifications and to enable/disable a terminator and an RDM biasing circuit.
There is an ICSP connector next to each slave. Initial firmware updates will require a PICkit 2, PICkit 3, or ICD 3. We expect to allow remote firmware update via HTML screens on the master in a future release.
The current software supports DMX at 250Kbps or Renard at 9.6Kbps, 19.2Kbps, 38.4Kbps, 57.6Kbps, or 115.2Kbps. The hardware is capable of transmitting or receiving RS-485 and the software will include full Remote Device Management (RDM) in a future release.
Availability
Orders can be placed immediately by sending an email with shipping information and package ordered to: j1sales@joshua1systems.com
We will then send a confirmation email and invoice and expect PayPal payment to secure the order.
Packages and Pricing
The ECG-DR4 comes in several different bundles or packages.
USA S&H is for Priority Mail service. Expected delivery 2-3 business days.
Int'l Priority is for International Priority Mail service. Expected delivery 6-10 business days. No tracking available.
Int'l Express is for International Express Mail service. Expected delivery 3-5 business days, Tracking available.
The power supply is available in 3 models: USA, EU, Australian. We will assume the power plug style based on shipping address. Please advise if it is not obvious or if you want a different plug for some reason. The supplies are universal input and take 90-250VAC 50/60Hz.
Package ID Description List USD Wght USA S&H Int'l Priority Int'l Express DR4 Pkg 1 An assembled and tested (A&T) ECG-DR4 free standing board including 2A switching power supply $135.00 2lb $10.00 $37.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 1A A&T ECG-DR4 free standing board as above plus an authentic PICkit 2 $175.00 2lb $10.00 $37.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 1B A&T ECG-DR4 free standing board as above plus an authentic PICkit 3 $180.00 2lb $10.00 $37.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 1D A&T ECG-DR4 free standing board as above plus an authentic PICkit 2 and a full ICSP adapter kit $200.00 3lb $13.00 $43.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 1E A&T ECG-DR4 free standing board as above plus an authentic PICkit 3 and a full ICSP adapter kit $205.00 3lb $13.00 $43.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 2 An assembled and tested (A&T) ECG-DR4 including a 2A switching power supply w/silver aluminum enclosure $162.50 3lb $13.00 $43.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 2A A&T ECG-DR4 enclosed board as above plus an authentic PICkit 2 $202.50 3lb $13.00 $43.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 2B A&T ECG-DR4 enclosed board as above plus an authentic PICkit 3 $207.50 3lb $13.00 $43.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 2D A&T ECG-DR4 enclosed board as above plus an authentic PICkit 2 and a full ICSP adapter kit $227.50 4lb $15.00 $45.00 $55.00 DR4 Pkg 2E A&T ECG-DR4 enclosed board as above plus an authentic PICkit 3 and a full ICSP adapter kit $232.50 4lb $15.00 $45.00 $55.00 Additional Photos: