Technical Theatre
I've worked on numerous theatrical events - musicals, concerts, discos, presentations, and dance shows. Although I've always focussed on VFX, I greatly enjoy stepping in to mix sound, improvise lighting, build set and rig equipment. Between cues, I always find time to document the event, for publicity and nostalgia alike. Visit my LinkedIn profile to see the full list of projects.
DMX Controller
A portable DMX lighting controller with OLED display and minimalist control interface. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, the device can operate for 3 hours driving a DMX universe.
At its core is an Atmega328P-AU microcontroller, which manages the user interface and outputs DMX data. The data is then coupled through to a galvanically isolated RS-485 transceiver module with additional ESD protection.
Electronics Design and Prototyping
The image shows a compact LED dimmer which can drive up to 36 W of LEDs from an 802.3bt PoE PSE. It can be controlled using ArtNet v1 and configured using a web interface. It mounts to DIN rail and has an LED display for rapid DMX addressing.
The design incorporates two switch-mode power supplies and a 10Base-T ethernet interface.
All prototypes are hand soldered using an iron and hot air.
Cue Lights
Presenting the fifth version of my budget cue light systems; using an ESP32, this portable device acts as a cue controller by creating its own wireless network. Crew can use any devices such as phones, tablets or laptops to view cues in outstation or overview mode.
