u/rubidioflute

Good morning,

I recently purchased a Showtec NET-2/5 node to Thomann through my workplace to control out shows with MagicQ and the Artnet Protocol, and I am experiencing issues with the merge function.

Here is my situation: I have an upcoming show at a theater (which I will only have access to on the day of the event) that uses a Piccolo LT DMX console. Given the nature of our production, I will have pre-programmed all the lighting in Chamsys MagicQ (running on MacOS without Chamsys hardware, just the node).

To execute this, my MacBook will connect to a router via Ethernet, and the router will connect to the node. The LT console will connect to the node via DMX.

The node's input port is configured as: Input, Art-Net, Network 0, Primary 3.

For my tests at home, I am using a Chamsys Mini Connect I could borrow, connected to a separate computer to emulate the LT console and outputting DMX directly into the node. This second setup is not connected to the router in any way.

The signal to the venue's rig will be sent via DMX from the node's output port. This output is configured as: Art-Net, HTP, Network 0, Primary 0, Secondary 3.

The problem is that during my tests at home using a single RGB LED PAR, the setup is not behaving as expected.

The moment I combine both the Ethernet and DMX signals, it stops responding correctly. Either signal works perfectly on its own.

I have tried the following: sending intensity from one PC and color from the other. The result is that the fixture stays in white, or certain colors don't work. Thinking that the intensity channels might be overwriting the color channels, I tried another approach.

I launched a cue stack from one of the computers, leaving the other with all playbacks (PB) deactivated and its faders down. The result is exactly the same: a fixed white light. When I press release, it does turn off.

Finally, I tried the simplest scenario: controlling both intensity and color from the same computer, without the second computer actively sending any signal. The result was still the same.

I would like to know if this is the expected behavior (which I highly doubt) or if there is a solution. Could this be an issue caused by sending two signals from MagicQ that requires a specific software configuration? Will it work normally with the Piccolo LT? Or will I encounter the same issue with the LT, but with a way to properly configure it?

Thanks a lot