Before starting development, it’s crucial to understand the project’s requirements. These specifications outline what the software or system must fulfill to operate properly. Please review the serial number, RDM (Remote Device Management), DMX (Digital Multiplex), and DFU (Device Firmware Update) requirements below.
Serial number (S/N)
The fixture must have a unique serial number, which should be visible on the fixture. This serial number is used to identify the fixture in the app. The serial number can be any number smaller than 72057594040000000. Ideally, the serial number has two parts. The fixed front part shows the fixture type and hardware revisions, while the incremental back part can interpret it as a numerical value by the users.
Example serial number:
1000100100
Front Part: Is used to derive fixture type and hardware revisions.
Back Part: Is incremental number so users can recognize it is fixture 100.
Firmware Versioning
We require a semantic versioning scheme.
[Major,Minor,Patch,Release] (Semantic Versioning) Every part is 8 bit and we have added a Release part to indicate if it is an relese Version or not. Release have to be 255 in order to be public available via the server. Otherwise the server will reject your software because it is only an developer Version.
RDM (Remote Device Management)
A working RDM interface is essential for the complete implementation. Here’s a link explaining how RDM operates. Please take a look:
- RDM Manufacturer ID
A 16-bit (2-byte) value assigned by ESTA to each manufacturer.
This ensures every manufacturer can create globally unique identifiers.
Think of it like the “Organizationally Unique Identifier” (OUI) in Ethernet MAC addresses. Examples:
VCS Vision Control Solutions GmbH : 0x0969 - RDM UID A 48-bit (6-byte) unique identifier for every RDM-capable device.
Format: [16-bit ManufacturerID] + [32-bit DeviceID]
The DeviceID is assigned by the manufacturer, unique per device. Could be sequential, random, or based on a serial number. Example:
Manufacturer ID = 0x6574 (ETC)
DeviceID = 0x12345678
RDM UID = 0x6574:12345678 So this UID uniquely identifies one physical RDM device in the world. - RDM DeviceModelID A 16-bit value that identifies the model of a device, within a manufacturer’s range.
Assigned by the manufacturer, not by ESTA.
Same manufacturer can have multiple models, each with its own DeviceModelID. Example:
Vision External Module: DeviceModelID = 0x0001
Vision Core Module: DeviceModelID = 0x0002 Both still under ManufacturerID 0x0969, but distinguished via DeviceModelID.
- Standard RDM Commands like DeviceInfo should be supported. A detailed list is provided in Software documentation.
- Custom RDM Commands. We need you to support some simple custom PIDs to get/set all required information.
DMX (Digital Multiplex)
We have some specific requirements to control your fixtures properly. The refresh rate over our protocol is fixed set to 20ms. Components which can be implemented have some requirements too:
- LED Color Control
- Supports up to 6 Colors
- Supports up to 100 pixel individually
- 8 bit or 16 bit linear
- Reaction speed should be instant (Snap). For smoothing the dimming use our code template.
- LED White Control
- Supports up to 100 pixel individually
- 8 bit or 16 bit linear
- Reaction speed should be instant (Snap). For smoothing the dimming use our code template.
DFU (Device Firmware Update)
For software updates a bootloader on your controller is necessary. In the example you can find a simple bootloader. We support dual and single bank bootloader.