American DJ QUAD GEM DMX User manual

Quad Gem DMX™ General Information

Unpacking: Thank you for purchasing the Quad Gem DMX™ by

American DJ®. Every Quad Gem DMX™ has been thoroughly tested
and has been shipped in perfect operating condition. Carefully check
the shipping carton for damage that may have occurred during ship­ping. If the carton appears to be damaged, carefully inspect your x­ture for any damage and be sure all equipment necessary to operate
the unit has arrived intact. In the event damage has been found or parts
are missing, please contact our toll free customer support number for
further instructions. Please do not return this unit to your dealer with-

out contacting customer support rst.

Introduction: The Quad Gem DMX™ is a DMX intelligent LED fixture.

When using DMX mode you can choose between a four channle mode
and a 10 channel mode. The fixture can operate in three different oper­ating modes; stand alone, sound-active, or in a Master/Slave configu­ration. The Quad Gem DMX™ comes with several built in programs.
When used as a stand alone unit or when used in multiples linked in a
master/slave configuration. For best results use fog or special effects

smoke to enhance the beams projections.

Customer Support: American DJ® provides a toll free customer

support line, to provide help and to answer any question should you
encounter problems during your set up or initial operation. You may
also visit us on the web at www.americandj.com for any comments or
suggestions. Service Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. Pacic Standard Time.

Voice: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]
To purchase parts online visit http://parts.americandj.com

Rev. 5/09

User Instructions

6122 S. Eastern Ave.

Los Angeles CA. 90040

www.americandj.com

Warning! To prevent or reduce the risk of electrical shock or re, do

not expose this unit to rain or moisture.

Warning! This may cause severe eye damage. Avoid looking directly

into the light source at all times!

American DJ®

American DJ® - www.americandj.com - Quad Gem DMX™ Instruction Manual Page 2

Quad Gem DMX™ General Instructions

Quad Gem DMX™ Safety Precautions

To optimize the performance of this product, please read these
operating instructions carefully to familiarize yourself with the basic
operations of this unit. These instructions contain important safety
information regarding the use and maintenance of this unit. Please
keep this manual with the unit, for future reference.

Quad Gem DMX™ Features

• DMX-512 Protocol Compatible (Four or Seven DMX Channels)

• RGB + White

• 3 Operating Modes - Master/Slave; Stand Alone; Sound Active

• Internal Microphone

• Digital Display for Address and Function Setting

• UC3 Controller (Not Included)

• 12 Sound Active Shows

• Power Cord Daisy Chain

Quad Gem DMX™ Warranty Registration

The Quad Gem DMX™ carries a 3 year (1095 days) limited warranty.
Please fill out the enclosed warranty card to validate your purchase
and warranty. You may also register your product online at www.
americandj.com. All returned service items whether under warranty or
not, must be freight pre-paid and accompany a return authorization
(R.A.) number. If the unit is under warranty you must provide a copy
of your proof of purchase invoice. Please contact American DJ® cus­tomer support for a R.A. number.

Quad Gem DMX™ Handling Precautions

Caution! There are no user serviceable parts inside this unit. Do not

attempt any repairs yourself, doing so will void your manufactures war­ranty. In the unlikely event your unit may require service please contact
American DJ®.

American DJ® will not accept any liability for any resulting damages
caused by the non-observance of this manual or any unauthorized

modication to this unit.

For Your Own Personal Safety, Please Read and Understand This

Manual Completely Before You Attempt To Install Or Operate

This Unit!

• To reduce the risk of electrical shock or re, do not expose this unit

rain or moisture

• Do not spill water or other liquids into or on to your unit.

• Be sure that the local power outlet match that of the required volt­ age for your unit.

• Do not attempt to operate this unit if the power cord has been
frayed or broken.

• Do not attempt to remove or break off the ground prong from
the electrical cord. This prong is used to reduce the risk of electrical

shock and re in case of an internal short.

• Disconnect from main power before making any type of connection.

• Do not remove the cover under any conditions. There are no user
serviceable parts inside.

• Never operate this unit when it’s cover is removed.

• Always be sure to mount this unit in an area that will allow proper
ventilation. Allow about 6” (15cm) between this device and a wall.

• Do not attempt to operate this unit, if it becomes damaged.

• This unit is intended for indoor use only, use of this product out­ doors voids all warranties.

• Always mount this unit in safe and stable matter.

• Power-supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to
be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them,
paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience recep-

tacles, and the point where they exit from the appliance.

• Cleaning -The fixture should be cleaned only as recommended by

the manufacturer. See page 14 for cleaning details.

• Heat -This fixture should be situated away from heat sources such

as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances (including
amplifiers) that produce heat.

• The fixture should be serviced by qualified service personnel when:

A. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the appliance.

B. The appliance has been exposed to rain or water.
C. The appliance does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a

marked change in performance.

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Quad Gem DMX™ Set Up

DMX512 IN

3-PIN XLR

REMOTE

CONTROL

INPUT

POWER

INPUT OUTPUT

SOUND

REMOTE

CONTROL

INPUT

POWER

INPUT OUTPUT

SOUND

REMOTE

CONTROL

INPUT

POWER

INPUT OUTPUT

DMX512

DMX+,DMX-,COMMON

1

2

3

Terminatio n redu ces signal errors and
avo ids signa l transmission probl ems
and interference. It is always advisable
to connect a DMX terminal, (Resistance
120 Ohm 1/4 W) between PIN 2 (DMX-)
and PIN 3 ( DMX +) of the last fixtur e.

1

2

3

1

2

3

DMX +

DMX -

COMMON

DMX512 OUT

3-PIN XLR

POWER

SOUND

REMOTE

CONTROL

INPUT

POWER

INPUT OUTPUT

1

2

3

Terminatio n redu ces signal errors and
avo ids signa l transmission probl ems
and interference. It is always advisable
to connect a DMX terminal, (Resistance
120 Ohm 1/4 W) between PIN 2 (DMX-)
and PIN 3 ( DMX +) of the last fixtur e.

Quad Gem DMX™ Set Up

Power Supply: Before plugging your unit in, be sure the source volt-

age in your area matches the required voltage for your American DJ®
Quad Gem DMX.™ The American DJ® Quad Gem DMX™ is available
in a 120v and 220v version. Because line voltage may vary from venue
to venue, you should be sure your unit voltage matches the wall outlet

voltage before attempting to operate you xture. Also be sure to only

use the included I.E.C. power cable supplied with the unit, this cable
matches the voltage and current requirements of the unit.

DMX-512: DMX is short for Digital Multiplex. This is a universal pro-

tocol used by most lighting and controller manufactures as a form of
communication between intelligent fixtures and controllers. A DMX

controller sends DMX data instructions from the controller to the fix­ture. DMX data is sent as serial data that travels from fixture to fixture

via the DATA “IN” and DATA “OUT” XLR terminals located on all DMX

fixtures (most controllers only have a DATA “OUT” terminal).

DMX Linking: DMX is a language allowing all makes and models
of different manufactures to be linked together and operate from a

single controller, as long as all xtures and the controller are DMX

compliant. To ensure proper DMX data transmission, when using
several DMX fixtures try to use the shortest cable path possible. The
order in which fixtures are connected in a DMX line does not influence
the DMX addressing. For example; a fixture assigned a DMX address
of 1 may be placed anywhere in a DMX line, at the beginning, at the
end, or anywhere in the middle. Therefore, the first fixture controlled
by the controller could be the last fixture in the chain. When a fixture
is assigned a DMX address of 1, the DMX controller knows to send
DATA assigned to address 1 to that unit, no matter where it is located
in the DMX chain.

Data Cable (DMX Cable) Requirements (For DMX
and Master/Slave Operation): The Quad Gem

DMX™ can be controlled via DMX-512 protocol.
The Quad Gem DMX™ can be a four or seven
channel DMX unit. The DMX address is set elec­tronically using the controls on the side panel of
the unit. Your unit and your DMX controller require
a standard 3-pin XLR connector for data input and
data output (Figure 1). If you are making your own cables, be sure

to use standard two conductor shielded cable (This cable may be
purchased at almost all professional sound and lighting stores). Your
cables should be made with a male and female XLR connector on
either end of the cable. Also remember that DMX cable must be daisy
chained and cannot be split.

Notice: Be sure to follow gures two and three when making your own

cables. Do not use the ground lug on the XLR connector. Do not con­nect the cable’s shield conductor to the ground lug or allow the shield
conductor to come in contact with the XLR’s outer casing. Grounding
the shield could cause a short circuit and erratic behavior.

Figure 2

XLR Male Socket

1 Ground

2 Cold

3 Hot

Figure 3

Special Note: Line Termination.

used, you may need to use a terminator on the last unit to avoid erratic
behavior. A terminator is a 90-120 ohm 1/4 watt resistor which is con­nected between pins 2 and 3 of a male XLR connector (DATA + and
DATA -). This unit is inserted in the female XLR connector of the last

Figure 1

unit in your daisy chain to terminate the line. Using a cable terminator
(ADJ part number Z-DMX/T) will decrease the possibilities of erratic
behavior.

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XLR Female Socket

2 Cold

XLR Pin Conguration

1 Ground

3 Hot

Pin 1 = Ground

Pin 2 = Data Compliment (negative)

Pin 3 = Data True (positive)

When longer runs of cable are

Figure 4