DMC+
Dragonframe Master Controller +
User Guide v1.1
DZED Systems LLC
407 Bryant Circle, Suite B
Ojai CA 93023
U.S.A.
support@dragonframe.com
+1.800.530.9124
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 1
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 2
Introduction
The DMC+ is an advanced motion control coordinator for use with Dragonframe
software. It provides eight powered stepper motor drivers, plus eight step and direction
signals at speeds up to 200kHz, a camera trigger, DMX512 lighting control, limit switch
inputs, and a set of triggers for interfacing with an external device.
Safety Notice
Always use caution and common sense when operating motion control devices.
•
Stand clear of your rig as much as possible.
•
Begin with slower speed settings, and slowly work towards target speeds.
•
Stand within reach of the E-STOP button on the case, or attach an external
emergency stop switch that you can keep near you.
Technical Specifications
Maximum stepping pulse rate
200,000 steps/second (200kHz).
Powered drivers
8 Geckodrive 250x.
Stepper driver current (A)
1A/2A/3A user switchtable.
Stepper driver voltage (V)
30V.
Outputs for stepper motors
Channels 1-8. Powered at 1A/2A/3A and 30V.
Pg. 5
Outputs for step and direction
8 differential RJ45 jacks. for channels 9-16.
Pg. 6
Camera trigger
One with separate metering and shutter options.
Pg. 7
DMX512
One output to control up to 99 lights.
Pg. 8
I/O triggers
For interfacing DMC+/Dragonframe with another
external device.
Includes a relay, logic level out, a switch input, and
an emergency stop input.
Pgs. 9-10
Limit switch inputs
16 on DB25 (8 sets of low and high limits for motors
1-8).
Pg. 11
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 3
Installing Software Drivers
In order for Dragonframe to detect the DMC+ you may need to install FTDI drivers on
your computer. Run Dragonframe, go to the Help menu and select “Install FTDI
Drivers”.
Connecting to Dragonframe
Connect the provided USB cable between the DMC+ and a computer running
Dragonframe. Power on the DMC+. In Dragonframe, go to the Scene : Connections
settings and press “Add Connection” to create a connection. Choose “DMC+” as the
device type, and find the DMC+ in the Location drop-down list.
On a Mac OS X system, you should see a device with “DMC+” in the name.
On Windows, all ports show as “COM##”. However, if you go to the Windows Device
Manager you can find the DMC16 and see its port number.
Refer to the Dragonframe User Guide and online tutorials for how to program moves
and lighting sequences.
Updating Firmware
We may occasionally notify you of new firmware updates for the DMC+.
To update the firmware:
1. Download the firmware file from our site. It should end with “.flash” or “.flash.txt”.
2. Turn off the DMC+.
3. Start Dragonframe.
4. On Windows and Linux, you will have to open a scene or create a new one to get
access to the Help menu.
5. While holding down the E-STOP button on the front of the DMC+, power it on. You
should see the LEDs moving up and down repeatedly.
6. Choose Help : Update DMC Firmware.
7. For the Firmware, press the Choose button and find the firmware file you
downloaded.
8. For the Device, choose the DMC+ device that you have connected.
9. Press the Start Upgrade button.
10.You will see a progress bar, and the firmware upgrade should complete in under 30
seconds. If it fails, or takes longer than that, you can retry the procedure.
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 4
Stepper Motor Connector
There are eight 5-pin XLR powered stepper motor driver outputs, labeled 1 through 8.
Each output is driven by a Geckodrive G250x.
Use a 5-pin male XLR connector to wire your stepper motor to the output of the DMC+.
NOTE: These are high-current, powered outputs. Take caution when wiring up to them.
Wiring
1. A
2. A-
3. GND
4. B
5. B-
The current output to your motor runs at 1A, 2A or 3A. This is controlled by the switch
on the front of the DMC+ for each channel.
The voltage for each channel is 30V. This is not configurable.
Choosing a Stepper Motor
You must choose a stepper motor that can run at 1A, 2A or 3A and 30V.
Here are some motors we recommend (many others will work as well):
Anaheim Automation 24Y204D-LW8
NEMA 24, high torque step motor, 56 mm length, 2.0A, 8 lead wires, dual shaft.
(This motor is used to drive the Volo’s track and swing axes.)
Anaheim Automation Nema17
(This motor is used to drive the Volo’s pan/tilt/roll head.)"
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 5
3
2
1
4
5
RJ45 (Ethernet) Connector
There are eight RJ45 jacks on the rear of the DMC+. Each jack provides differential step
and direction signals for one axis. The jacks are numbered 9 to 16 and correspond to
motor/axis numbers.
Note: These outputs are compatible with the Arc Motion Control Octodrive.
Wiring
1. step +
2. step -
3. dir +
4. +5V
5. GND
6. dir -
7. +5V
8. GND
Differential Signals
The two pairs of signals, step+ / step- and dir+ / dir-, form differential pairs. Differential
signals are relative only to each other and not to a common ground, which makes them
less susceptible to noise. Some stepper motor drivers expect a differential signal.
If you want to use the differential signals with a motor driver that is not expecting
differential signals, you can decode them on the receiving end using a “differential line
receiver”. An example differential line receiver is Texas Instruments AM26C32CN. You
can find this part at Digi-Key.
Single Ended Wiring
If you want to use the RJ45 jacks for step and direction, but do not have a differential
receiver, you can just use the step+ and dir+ signals, along with the GND provided on
pins 5 or 8. This non-differential wiring option is more susceptible to noise, especially
over long cable runs.
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 6
CAMERA Connector
The camera connector can be used to trigger a DSLR camera for go-motion shooting.
This is a 3-pin male XLR receptacle.
Wiring
1. Common
2. Shutter
3. Meter
To create your own connector cable, typically you would buy a wired remote shutter
release for your camera and dismantle it. Most shutter releases have three wires: a
common wire, a metering wire (connected to common when the button is pressed
halfway) and a shutter release (connected to common when the button is pressed fully).
USB vs Hardware Shutter Release
Dragonframe can achieve fairly accurate shutter release timing over USB. However,
USB can be prone to random timing delays, especially if your cable run is long.
If you need perfectly repeatable go-motion shots you will probably need to use the
hardware shutter release through the camera connector.
Configuring Dragonframe to Use a Hardware Shutter Release
Normally Dragonframe controls the camera shutter release over USB. To allow the
DMC+ to control the shutter electrically, you need to configure Dragonframe:
1. Open Preferences : Capture and check the Allow external shutter control
checkbox. This will make a new camera setting called SHUTTER.
2. In the Camera Settings area of the Cinematography workspace, set the
SHUTTER to EXTERNAL or EXTERNAL BULB."
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 7
DMX Connector
The DMX connector provides DMX512 signal over a 3-pin XLR cable. DMX512 (or
DMX) is a standard protocol for controlling lighting. When paired with one or more DMX
dimmer/switch packs, you can control up to 512 different light channels.
Note: Although 5-pin XLR is the official standard for DMX512, many consumer DMX512
products use a 3-pin variant.
Wiring
1. GND
2. DMX-
3. DMX+
You may be tempted to use a standard microphone cable for DMX connections.
However, we strongly recommend you use a cable designed specifically for DMX.
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 8
TRIGGERS Connector
The TRIGGERS connector provides a variety of inputs and outputs for connecting
Dragonframe to external devices. The triggers are configured through Dragonframe’s
Scene:Triggers settings.
L+ / L- (Logic Level)
Logic level (+5V) outputs. L+ is normally low (GND) and goes high (+5V) when active.
L- is the normally high (+5V) and goes low (GND) when active.
These two outputs are always tied to the same event—they cannot be programmed
independently.
SW (Switch)
The switch input can be used to trigger Dragonframe. You should attach a normally
open switch between SW and GND (either one).
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 9
GROUND
LOGIC+
LOGIC-
SWITCH
E-STOP
GROUND
RELAY
RELAY
GROUND
LOGIC+
LOGIC-
SWITCH
E-STOP
GROUND
RELAY
RELAY
GROUND
LOGIC+
LOGIC-
SWITCH
E-STOP
GROUND
RELAY
RELAY
E-STOP (Emergency Stop)
The E-STOP input can provide a secondary emergency stop button. You should attach
a NORMALLY CLOSED switch between E-STOP and GND. If you do not have your
own e-stop switch to attach, you must use a wire to connect E-STOP and GND. If you
do not, the DMC will think the e-stop is activated and will not move any motors.
RLY (Relay)
The two RLY outputs provide a relay connection for triggering an external system. A
relay closes the circuit between your two connected wires when it is activated.
Trigger Connector
If you need a replacement trigger connector, look for Phoenix Contact part #1781043 at
Mouser, Digi-Key, or any other electronic component site.
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 10
GROUND
LOGIC+
LOGIC-
SWITCH
E-STOP
GROUND
RELAY
RELAY
GROUND
LOGIC+
LOGIC-
SWITCH
E-STOP
GROUND
RELAY
RELAY
LIMIT SWITCHES Connector
The LIMIT SWITCHES connector provides high and low limit switch inputs for up to
eight motor channels over a DB25 cable.
Each switch must be NORMALLY CLOSED.
You configure which limit switch set is used with an axis in the Arc axis configuration
settings.
Wiring
1. Limit 1 Low
2. Limit 1 High
3. Limit 1 Common
4. Limit 2 Low
5. Limit 2 High
6. Limit 2 Common
7. Limit 3 Low
8. Limit 3 High
9. Limit 3 Common
10. Limit 4 Low
11. Limit 4 High
12. Limit 4 Common
13. Limit 5 Low
14. Limit 5 High
15. Limit 5 Common
16. Limit 6 Low
17. Limit 6 High
18. Limit 6 Common
19. Limit 7 Low
20. Limit 7 High
21. Limit 7 Common
22. Limit 8 Low
23. Limit 8 High
24. Limit 8 Common
25. Unused
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 11
Replaceable Parts
Make sure to unplug the AC cord before opening the case and replacing parts.
All of these parts can be found on Mouser or Digi-Key.
Fuses
The fuses are small white ceramic fuses with metal ends, housed in an off-white plastic
holder.
Most of the fuses are 375mA, although some one (LIMIT SWITCHES) is 62mA.
375mA: Littelfuse 0154.375DR (0.375A OMNI BLOK 154)
62mA: Littelfuse 0154.062DR (0.062A OMNI BLOK 154)
Trigger Connector
If you lose the green trigger connector (or somehow destroy it) you can order a new
one.
Part: Phoenix Contact #1781043
RJ45 Step/Direction Output Drivers
If the step and direction signals on one or more channels stops working, the problem
could be a blown differential line driver.
Part: TI AM26C31CN
Motor Drivers
If you somehow blow a driver, you can replace it.
Geckodrive G250X with male headers.
Dragonframe DMC+ User Guide Pg. 12
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