Testing a DMX line connected to an application controller via sACN

This article assumes that the sACN DMX licence has been enabled on the application controller, and the functionality has been activated. For more details on this, please see the following article: Enabling sACN control of a DMX line connected to a zencontrol application controller. Additionally, the software QLC+, available at https://www.qlcplus.org/download will need to be installed on the computer that you wish to test from.

To begin testing, follow the steps outlined below:

After starting QLC+ (otherwise known as Q Light Controller Plus), you will be presented with an interface that looks like:

Click on Inputs/Outputs along the bottom of the user interface. 

Select the universe that you assigned to the zencontrol application controller when enabling sACN. If the universe number does not exist, use the green plus button to add it.

Select your universe from the left hand side menu and look for an option called E1.31 with the IP address of the computer that represents the network connection that your zencontrol application controller is connected to. 

Once identified, select the Output checkbox. The below example shows that universe 1 can be reached via the E1.31 interface found on 10.1.1.230. 

This step requires knowing at least 1 DMX address connected to the zencontrol application controller, as this step is now about to attempt to map to it.

Navigate back to the Fixtures tab found along the bottom of the user interface.

Select the green plus button along the top to add a fixture, this will present you with a user interface to add a DMX channel to QLC+

Scroll down the list to find the Generic options

If you are not using RGB, choose Generic, but note that it does not matter, as this process its designed for simplifying device creation and does not make any difference in the way the control is created.

The only settings that matter are that the correct universe is selected and that the correct address is specified. If you wish to add multiple for testing, and the addressing is in sequential order on the DMX line, you may adjust the Multiple Fixtures option in the bottom right hand corner.

Once complete, select OK to add these fixtures to the software. The fixture will now represent in the software as such:

This concludes the set up process, assuming all steps have been configured correctly, you can now click on the Simple Desk option along the bottom of the user interface. This will present you with a user interface that can be used to test your sACN setup.

Adjust the sliders along the top half of the user interface. If sACN is correctly up and running, this will now begin to adjust your DMX lights attached to the zencontrol application controller

This concludes how to test a DMX line connected to a zencontrol application controller via sACN after enabling the sACN functionality.