Can I programme this...?

[lighting up Shakespeare]

Hi all,
I haven't actually bought a USBDMX box yet, just trying to figure out if I can use it for what I need...
My project is looking at Shakespearean stage lighting and trying to recreate the colour, intensity and flicker using LEDs. I've done various tests with LEDs so I know exactly what colour and intensity I need but need to sort the flicker bit out. I want the USB box to do the following:

Control 2 LED fixtures (RGBAW) with one set of values(i.e. red @ 70, Green@ 30, White@ 30, Amber@ 80)

Control 4 LED fixtures (RGBAW) with a different set of values

Have all the values able to be intensity controlled from one "fader" The colour that the mixed LEDs produces must stay the same

Probably most difficult - programme a random number generator in to the chip in order to create a flicker effect. I don't want this to be a programme where it repeats itself as I dont want people to be able to recognise a pattern.

Would a USB Box be able to cope with all this and how easy is it to do? I've done a little programming in C++ with my Arduino board but not much else.

Hope this makes sense and you can help.

Thanks
Emma.

[ben.suffolk]

Hi Emma,

The USBDMX box simply interfaces between the computer and the DMX line. So you don't program anything on the box its self, it would need to be a computer program that you write for this.

Having said that what you are trying to achieve should be quite simple, its just a case of some math. Do the fixtures you are looking at using have a master intensity channel? If not you will need to implement a virtual one in your software (this is where the math comes in).

Regards

Ben