usbdmx.com Home of the opto isolated, bus powered, DMX512 interface with both in and out universes. Cheap and simple to build. USBDMX logo

Output Universes

A DMX universe is a collection of 512 data channels. A DMX Interface connected to Chameleon can be used to output a universe.

All channels in Chameleon are connected to one of the output universes.

NOTE: You should always connect all your DMX interfaces to the USB port before starting Chameleon, and never unplug them from the USB port until Chameleon has finished running.

Opening Interface Preferences

To configure the output universe preferences you will first need to open the preferences window. You do this by selecting Preferences... from the Chameleon menu. The Preferences window will initially show the General settings for Chameleon.

You should click on the Interfaces icon at the top of the preferences window. This will display the current interface to universe patching.

Interface Preferences
Interface Preferences

The list shows all the universes and which interface is currently patched to that universe. You can also see how many channels are patched to the universe.

Auto Patch

By default Chameleon is set to Auto Patch mode. This means that when Chameleon starts it will locate all connected interfaces, and automatically patch them to the next available universe.

Manual Patch

If you wish to manually configure the universe patching, simply click the Auto Patch check box to disable Auto Patch mode. Chameleon will remember this setting next time it starts, and will load your manual patch configuration.

To add a new interface simply select it from Pop Up List an click the patch button. This will patch the interface into the next available universe. You can reorder the interfaces by simply dragging them to a new position in the list.

NOTE: When you reorder the interfaces, any channel patched to the universe will be automatically re patched to the new universe. That is to say the channel patching follows the interface, not the universe.

As well as physical interfaces you have connected to the USB port, you can also add one or more dummy interfaces. These allow you to patch channels to a universe without requiring an interface.

If you have previously patched a specific interface, that is no longer connected to the USB port when Chameleon starts, it will be replaced with a Dummy interface.