little_cat.exe
Documentation

(Raw UDP / ART-NET to DMX hardware engine)

schwartzpeter'suite
http://karistouf.free.fr/schwartzpeter.html


Little_cat  can receives levels from 0 to 255 emitted in UDP by any program that can do it ( vvvv, puredata, max,...).
Little_cat talks to DMX hardware selected and feeds it with levels received.

Little_cat listen to UDP client either this one is on  -  same computer
                                                                         -  other computer from your network
So Little_cat is a server.

Little_cat is the extraction of Schwartzpeter's Dmx procedures.

It is freely given to community of Stage, Art and Performance, in an idea of inter-operability and cooperation.

Little_cat works in 2 modes:

it can listen - RAW UDP ( easy to create under PD, VVVV, MAX, java, python, etc)

                    - or a classical Art-Net signal, with 16 universes possible to choose from


Here is a sample of Raw UDP communication:



*Configuration :

To configure little_cat.exe

Open file and edit  config_little_cat.txt

interface=4
udpport=11059
remote=0
artnet=1
universe=0

5 parameters:

*Interface number to talk with :
0    No hardware
1    Soundlight USBDMX 1 et 2, and all interfaces using Dashard.dll
2    ENTTEC OPENDMX
3    LPTDMX ( ELEKTOR)
4    ENTTEC PRO
5    DMX512-ONLINE.NET
6    SUNLITE and all interfaces using Dashard2006.dll
7    USBDMX.COM
8    DMX4ALL
9    VELLEMAN K8062D

*UDP PORT to listen. This port must be set if you are in RAW UDP. The client must emit on same port.

*Remote: option no more present.

*Artnet: if Artnet is set to 1, you are waiting for Art-Net protocole emitted by a Art-Net compliant client ( schwartzpeter, vvvv, chamsys, ...).
Port is automatically set as an Art-Net Port : 6454.

*Univers: Only with Art-Net. You can select the universe to listen : from 0 to 15. Sub net is not supported.


Do not put any space or return after the last parameter.



*Usage :

*Launch little_cat:

Little_cat go search
-for dll of specified hardware
-for hardware
-open the hardware.

If this procedure failed, a "BIP" can be heard.
Look at informations on start up that you Dmx Hardware is well detected.

*To Quit: [ESCAPE]

*UDP RAW:
On each reception of a 512 chanel message a  * is printed to screen.
Dmx communication is done on each received message.


*ArtNet:
On each reception of a 512 channel Art-Net message a . s printed to screen.
Dmx communication is done on each received message.






Some specificities for certain DMX hardware :

Many Dmx interfaces have followed Enttec in its chipset choice to produce dmx signal.
So FTDI driver may be founded communly on certain computers.
If you select USBDMX.COM and plug your ENTTEC PRO, Usbdmx.como will appear as present. but will not work. So pay attention to the configuration of little_cat.
 
Following interfaces are using FTDI VCOM: Enttec Open / Enttec PRO / DMX512-ONLINE.NET / USBDMX.COM / DMX4ALL

*Concerning Velleman Interface, to fight its desespearing slowness, you can set in VELLEMAN_K8062D.txt the number of channels to send. If set to 48, for example, channels will be send from 1 to 48, but not the 49 to 512.


*Third Party software with Raw UDP:

Create a Raw UDP for little_cat would be very simple, from  vvvv,  Pd or Max MSP... or flash, or java, or C, or python, etc  ...

see enclosed patch for vvvv.


Specifications :

Sending UDP RAW:
little_cat is waiting in UDP for an array:  unsigned char Data[512]
0 is channel 1,  511 is channel 512
Ex. ch 12 @ 100%: Data[12]=255