5 Tips for Using DMXcat

DMXcat® gives lighting professionals the power to turn on, test, and troubleshoot any DMX device – from simple LED PARs to complex moving lights – every day for lighting projects around the world.

Our goal is to make it even easier for professionals like you to use DMXcat. We’re providing the following five tips, based on the questions our tech team has received over the past three months, so it’s even easier for you to use.

1. How do I connect to a fixture without internet access?
   When you “Favorite” a fixture in your DMXcat app, it saves that fixture’s personalities to your smartphone. Once your preferred fixture is a “Favorite”, fixtures are not only easier to access, they also become available to you even when you cannot access the internet.
2. How do I delete a preset from the DMX Controller app?
   Simply swipe it left and press “Remove”.
3. How can I diagnose issues with fixtures in a DMX line?
   The Analyze DMX function in the DMX Tester app can give you valuable information about the data coming from your lighting controller that can help diagnose the problem. The three sections that provide the most immediate help are: “Number of Slots”, “Update Rate”, and “Received Start Codes”.
4. How do I set my moving light to the home position?
   Use the 3-dot menu in the Fixture Controller app to reset all the DMX values for your moving light to their default home positions.
5. How can I test individual fixtures?
   Set the Transmit Speed Preset to “Max” in the Transmit DMX screen of the DMX Tester app. This will send DMX at the fastest rate the DMX512 specification allows. If the fixture misbehaves, slow the speed down until you get consistent control. Most lighting consoles and DMX gateways can have their DMX speeds adjusted without affecting any output on stage.