Type of Hardware to setup ArtNet or sACN

[EandresTCMA]

Hello everybody,

Here once more with need of your help...
I have a laptop that runs a Titan Mobile Console, of which 3 of the 4 DMX Ports are been used. Universe 1 -port 1 - is dedicated to conventional/dimmer (Colortran i96 and ENC 12); Universe 2 -port 2 is DMX-1 (moving lights, ETC S4 LED Cyc, and Wash LEDs fixtures) and it is full. Universe 3 -port 3 is DMX-2 and it goes thru a ShowBaby-6 Tx Wireless DMX to a ShowBaby-6 Rx on stage ( Elation SixPar-300s and Elation Rayzor-360z). This only leaves me with some unused channels on DMX-2, and port 4 available.

As we continue to update and increase our inventory, and our clients requests and needs for connectivity increases, I see that I will be out of physical dmx ports very soon! So, ArtNet or sACN seems to be the logical solution.

Here is the problem , I am not sure what hardware I need to make it happen, nor how to connect it all! And then how to setup the Titan Mobile to take advantage of the new 16 universes.
I have search the internet, but it seems everyone has a different topology and hardware. What has worked for you guys? What hardware you recommend (brand/model); what connects to what ?, and, what goes where??? Please shine some light my way. I can't keep getting Show-babies! ...

Thank you all in advance for your guidance and help.

Eddy.

PS. we have 3 Ethernet Cat-5e ports terminated on our control booth from the stage already that are available for use.

[niclights]

You just need an ArtNet to DMX converter. Something like this or this.

Connect to the console via CAT5. Go to System/[DMX Settings] where it should appear in the available Art-Net nodes. Then simply assign the universes to the lines as required (for example ArtNet Universe 0 to line 1, ArtNet Universe 1 to line 2 etc.) The ports on the ArtNet box are then just like the local DMX outputs on the console.

You could either use a combination of the existing local ports + ArtNet (for example add a cheaper 4 port unit) or go for something like 8 ports and move entirely to ArtNet.

[EandresTCMA]

Thank you Niclights for your help buddy!!!

One more question, if I may,... you mention that I could also use a combination of the physical port(s) + ArtNet/sACN..., here is the question: I have the Titan Mobile console and an ETC Ion console connected to a Doug Fleenor A/B Switch as redundancy. Both consoles have the same patching for Universe 1 (conventional/dimmers) and Universe 2 (moving heads and LEDs). Theoretically speaking, I could keep these two physical DMX ports assigned and connected to the A/B switch , and start assigning from Universe 3 forth to the ArtNet/sACN node???

If I were to go full ArtNet/sACN, would it still be possible to have the two consoles connected to the ArtNet network??? ( different console manufactures create conflicts... correct?)