glocklueng / esp8266_artnetnode_dmx

ESP8266 based WiFi ArtNet to DMX - Supports 2 full universes

ESP8266_ArtNetNode_DMX

ESP8266 based WiFi ArtNet to DMX - Supports 2 full universes

I am currently working on an Instructable for this project. I will post here when it's ready.

##ABOUT This turns an ESP8266 into a wireless ArtNet Node. It will connect to most standard wireless networks and allow a 2 full universes of DMX data to be output.

Configuration is done via web browser. Simply connect to the IP of the node. Note there is no password requirements. It is assumed that the WiFi network is secure. It is recommended to use authentication and MAC filtering. The MAC is provided at the top of the config page.

If the device is unable to connect to the WiFi (as will happen the first time it's run) it will start a WiFi hot spot after a preset time (default 30 seconds). The name of the hot spot should be the node's name followed by a random number. The password is artNodeXXXX (where XXXX is the number following _ from the SSID). If no clients connect to the hotspot within 1 minute, the node will reset and try again.

##FIRMWARE UPDATE Firmware update is supported by web upload. Simply goto the devices IP in a browser and upload the new firmware at the bottom of the main config page. This is much easier than using a serial upload method - especially if the device is in an awkward to get to spot.

##FIRST RUN On the first run, power on unit and wait for the artNetNode_XXXX WiFi to appear on your laptop/phone... Connect to the network within 1 minute. Point your browser to 192.168.4.1 and enter the settings desired. Click save and reset button and it should now connect to your WiFi.

##CHANGE SETTINGS LATER If the device connects to your WiFi successfully, simply head to it's IP in your browser and do as above. Note that you can change ArtNet settings and they will take effect without a reset. If the node fails to connect to your WiFi, it will start a hot spot after the preset time.

##GENERAL USE Once you have the device connecting correctly and the ArtNet settings done, try sending some data from your console. I reccommend sending directly to each device (rather than using ArtNet broadcast) as this will reduce network load. If you have heaps of devices (40+) connected to the same ArtNet Sub & Uni, then it's probably better to use broadcast - but I don't see why anyone would do this.

If the device is working correctly, I would recommend setting the hot spot timeout to a higher number.

##WIRING I wont supply pin specific wiring as there are many different versions of the ESP8266. Note that a clean 3.3V supply with 300mA or more is highly recommended for stable operation.

  vcc        3.3V
  rx0        for flashing - must be 3.3V TTL.  Can use a voltage divider if needed
  tx0        DMX-A Output or verbose debug output and also flashing
  tx1        DMX-B output - must use RS485 chip
  gpio1      hold to ground while reseting to enable flashing
  gpio12     LED-A dmx indicator
  gpio13     LED-B dmx indicator
  reset      hold to ground to reset

##DEBUG MODE For debugging, define VERBOSE (uncomment below) to get serial output at 115200 baud. This will show SSID and passwords in plain text. It also causes a minor hit to dmx timings, so leave it disabled for normal use. It will however allow you to see when ArtNet packets and polls are recieved, how many channels in the packet, any http requests...

##CREDITS I have used a ton of sites and forums for information, ideas and code snippets. I would like to thank the amazing communities surrounding the Arduino and ESP8266 devices.

The main libraries/sources of code are:

• espDMX written by myself, https://github.com/mtongnz/espDMX
• ESP8266 core for Arduino, https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino
• ArtNet Library written for Arduino by Chris Staite, yourDream

##FILES

  ESP8266_ArtNetNode_DMX.ino  This is the main file. It contains the includes as well as the setup and loop functions.
  artNet.ino      All artNet functions
  eeprom.ino      Functions for saving and loading settings to eeprom
  globals.h       Global variable definitions
  webServer.ino   Web server functions, CSS file, and HTML files.  Remote firmware upload.
  WiFi.ino        All WiFi functions including hotSpot