RDM Splitter Upgrade

Following the release of the RDM Standard V1.0 protocol as the long-awaited successor to RDM Draft V1.0, Artistic Licence has released an RDM Splitter Upgrade to convert its range of RDM splitters to support the new protocol.
Artistic Licence, a company which specialised in the design, development and manufacture of products for the architectural lighting and entertainment technology industry, has been shipping its three RDM Splitters - DMX-Split RDM, Rack-Split RDM and Rail-Split RDM - with RDM Draft V1.0 for the last five years in readiness for the moment when the RDM protocol had been finalised.
Now this moment has arrived, a simple upgrade module can transform all three Artistic Licence Splitters to use the latest Standard/HES version yet still be backwards compatible to the Draft version.
Customers can easily carry out the upgrade procedure themselves since it involves the replacement of a single chip only, with support manuals downloadable from the website at: www.artisticlicence.com.
Technical Director Simon Hobday said: "The upgrade will be especially valuable to customers who already own Artistic Licence RDM splitters and wish to upgrade them. However, as more and more manufacturers are implementing RDM in fixtures and controllers, the infrastructure of DMX distribution will need to be upgraded. We therefore see this of particular advantage to those upgrading their DMX system as a whole or investing in new fixtures that use the RDM Standard."
RDM allows bi-directional communication over the DMX512 cable using the twisted pair connected to pins 2 and 3, enabling RDM devices to send status and fault information back to the console. The bi-directional communication also makes it easier to mix DMX installations with sophisticated Ethernet protocols such as Art-Net or ACN.
RDM allows a console to set the base address of the lamp without the need for dipswitches. The console simply searches the DMX cable for all connected devices and automatically patches them.
The console can also use RDM to download personalities direct from a moving light so there is no need to waste time locating fixture libraries.
All RDM Splitter Upgrade modules are unique to Artistic Licence Rack-Split RDM, DMX-Split RDM and Rail-Split RDM which, between them, provide solutions across rack-mounted, DIN-Rail or stand-alone options.
All new RDM Splitter modules are shipping with the latest software included so no further upgrade is required.
Further information is available at: www.artisticlicence.com.
(KMcA/JM)