DMX Basics: a course for beginners

Twelve short lessons about DMX itself, tied to no particular software. After them the words channel, address, profile and universe stop being a mystery, and the interface of any lighting program starts making sense.
The language of DMX
01What DMX is and why you need itIn plain words: what DMX-512 is, why a line carries 512 channels, how a computer runs your lights over a single cable — and what DMX does not do.≈9 minbeginner
02Channel and value: how a fixture reads a commandWhat a DMX channel is and why its value runs 0–255: 50 % intensity is 128. Ranges inside one channel and 16-bit fine channels for smooth movement.≈8 minbeginner
03Fixture address: how a command finds the right lightHow the start DMX address is calculated, what happens when addresses overlap, how to set one with buttons or DIP switches, and why the channel mode must match.≈10 minbeginner
04Fixture profile and channel table: reading the manualLearn to read a fixture's channel table: Dimmer, Shutter, Gobo, Pan/Tilt and value ranges. What a profile is and what to do when yours is not in the library.≈10 minbeginner
Fixtures and light
05The fixture zoo: who is who in a lighting rigHow PAR, wash, spot and beam differ, what strobes, blinders and hazers are for, how many DMX channels each fixture eats and where to start building a rig.≈9 minbasic
06Colour: RGB, RGBW, colour wheels and CMYWhy light does not mix like paint, why a dedicated white LED matters, how colour wheels and CMY work, and why one colour looks different on different fixtures.≈9 minbasic
07The moving head: pan, tilt, gobo, prism, zoomHow a moving head works: 540° pan and 270° tilt, why fine channels matter, what gobo, prism, zoom, focus and frost do, and how to cure a lost position.≈9 minbasic
Cables and hookup
08Cables and the line: connectors and the terminatorWhy fixtures are wired in a chain and never in a star, how DMX cable differs from mic cable, why a 120 Ω terminator matters and when to use a splitter.≈10 minpractice
09Interfaces, universes and network output (Art-Net and sACN)What USB-DMX interfaces exist, what a 512-channel universe is and when one is not enough, how Art-Net differs from sACN and how to send light over a network.≈8 minpractice
Practice
10The language of the lighting desk: scene, chase, fade, HTP and LTPThe vocabulary of any lighting desk: scene, chase, effect, playlist, fade, submaster, blackout. Plus a plain explanation of HTP and LTP.≈9 minpractice
11Planning the light in a room: layout, channels, power, riggingThe roles light plays in a venue, three typical layouts, adding up DMX channels and electrical load, the rules of safe rigging and why a safety cable matters.≈10 minpractice
12Troubleshooting and a glossary of termsNo response, flicker, or the wrong fixture obeying: a symptom-to-cause table and the order of checks. Plus a glossary of every term in the course.≈12 minpractice
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