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SwitchBlade™ X3 Manual Rev. A
© 2014 Blizzard Lighting, LLC
3. SETUP
Fuse Replacement
CAUTION!
With a flat head screwdriver, wedge the fuse holder out
of its housing. Remove the damaged fuse from its holder and replace
with exact same type fuse. Insert the fuse holder back in its place and
reconnect power.
Connecting A Bunch of SwitchBlade™ X3 Fixtures
You will need a serial data link to run light shows using a DMX-512
controller or to run shows on two or more fixtures set to sync in mas
-
ter/slave operating mode. The combined number of channels required
by all the fixtures on a serial data link determines the number of fix
-
tures the data link can support.
Fixtures on a serial data link must be daisy chained in one single line.
Also, connecting more than 32 fixtures on one serial data link without
the use of a DMX optically-isolated splitter may result in deterioration
of the digital DMX signal.
The maximum recommended cable-run distance is 500 meters (1640
ft). The maximum recommended number of fixtures on a serial data
link is 32 fixtures.
Data/DMX Cabling
To link fixtures together you’ll need high quality data cables (may I
recommend Cool Cables). You should use data-grade cables that can
carry a high quality signal and are less prone to electromagnetic inter-
ference
(Cough did I mention Cool Cables?)
For instance, Belden© 9841 meets the specifications for EIA RS-485
applications. Standard microphone cables will “probably” be OK, but
note that they cannot transmit DMX data as reliably over long distanc-
es. In any event, the cable should have the following characteristics:
2-conductor twisted pair plus a shield
Maximum capacitance between conductors – 30 pF/ft.
Maximum capacitance between conductor & shield – 55 pF/ft.
Maximum resistance of 20 ohms / 1000 ft.
Nominal impedance 100 – 140 ohms
