Console Wing Boards

Introduction

Here I present some printed circuit boards (PCBs) that can be combined to form the physical interface for a stage lighting console. An example for an enclosure is also supplied.

The Goals

The main goal is to develop a modular lighting console hardware that can be combined in a wide variety to build the lighting console you always wanted to have, but because you are bound to what the manufacturers have to offer, where not able to get.

use open source tools only - everyone should be able to change it to their needs.
I use SMD parts except for the buttons, faders and encoders. Its more professional and I can put more on less space. Thruhole parts are used because SMD Buttons and faders are more likely to disconnect from the PCB pads when they are put under mechanical stress.
PCB size of 100mm x 180mm for command button and fader boards.
standard parts, easy to buy from stock distributors.
should be able to comunicate with other microcontrollers or with a PC

Console Mockup

If you put some of the boards described here together and add a simple housing like the one below, you get the hardware of a simple lighting console.

2 x New Fader5 board (not yet manufactured and not yet documented)
1 x CommandButton3x9 board (manufactured but not yet documented)
1 x CommandButton5x9 board (not yet manufactured but simmilar to CommandButton3x9)
2 x Button5 (manufactured but not yet documented)
1 x four port DMX512/RDM level shifter board (manufactured but not yet documented)
1 x RaspberryPi Bridge Board (work in progress)
1 x RaspberyPi4
1 x RaspberryPi Touchscreen Display

I did not model in the connecting cables between the boards. It was just for me to see how a case could look like and to see how the boards fit in. I used FreeCAD to model the case. I exported STEP and WRL files from KiCad and imported them into the FreeCAD model for a realistic look.

5x9 Button Board

One or more of these boards can be used to form a command keyboard or a button only playback wing. It has a matrix of 5x9 backlit cherry MX1 keys. The intensity of the button LED is controlled for each LED individually. The outlines are choosen so that the boards can be placed side by side without any gap between the kaycaps.

CommandKeyboard3x9

One or more of these boards can be used to form a command keyboard or a button only playback wing. It has a matrix of 3x9 backlit cherry MX1 keys. The intensity of the button LED is controlled for each LED individually. The outlines are choosen so that the boards can be placed side by side without any gap between the kaycaps.

Button5x Board

This board is usefull if you need a single row of fife buttons, for example as screen select buttons beside a display or for page selection right by your fader board.

Evaluation Board

Sometimes you would like to play around with components like encoders, buttons, faders and more without the need to build everything from ground up. You would like to have an evaluation board that has exactly the components you barely need every time. You often use an existing board and ripp off everything you do not need and connect your stuff via wires. I created this board as an evaluation board, that fits on a breadboard and can also be soldered on a simple single sided pcb you can build at home. This can be used as the first version to play around and try your idea. It has all the software support you need to communicate to the host and for faders, buttons and leds build in. This is the perfect start for your new wing design. You can use the kicad schematic to add your own components later. I will continue to write KnowHow articles as the development progresses. It is called LcdBridge, because I had the idea while I wanted to have a module to drive one or more text LCDs. I plan to rename it in the future to wingevb.

The Encoder 1x Board

This board is mounted below an encoder. Use up to 16 of these per bus to have up to 16 encoders somewhere in your console. This is neat if you would like to play around with the ideal encoder placements or have an encoder here and there in your console. If for example you use an encoder for the grandmaster or have one encoder beside every display.

The UMP Host Adapter

Bring out a UART Multidrop Protocol bus to a SUB-D9 connector for plugging another wing in externally.

The UMP Device Adapter

Use this on one side of the bus in your external wing together with the UMP Host Adapter on the other side of the bus cable in your wing.

RaspberryPi Adapter Board

The Raspberry Pi is very popular and you can barely get around it. That is why I build an adapter board that can be used to connect the different boards together, including the Raspberry Pi, to form a full console. I made it to be very flexible. It has an ICE40 FPGA, for those who have a Raspberry Pi 1..3, with only one serial port or would like to have the FPGA do the DMX512/RDM transfers or would like to connect 8 DMX512/RDM level shifters to the Raspberry Pi. Those who would like to use the UARTs or the Raspberry Pi4, can leave the FPGA unpopulated and place other 0R resistors. This board is work in progress and thus is not complete. For example the 1.2V for the ICE40 is completely missing.

DMX On A Stick

This design is work in progress. It is one of these very small DMX512 Interfaces hoocked up to a USB connector. Attach a cable with an XLR3 or XLR5 connector and you have DMX512/RDM. It has a microcontroller that handles all the low level DMX512 and RDM timings for maximum thruput. It has no isolation. I try to find components to make the isolation as small as possible, but this is not an easy part.

IoController

This design is in a very early stage and I do not even have any concept pictures. If you would like to plug together a physical interface with one or more of the UMP based PCBs and would like to hook it up via usb and would also like to have one or two DMX512 ports as well as some I/O's this board is the right choice for you. The microcontroller uses the same protocol as the micro-usb-dmx interface for DMX512 and a HID protocol for bridging the UMP events.

MicroZedDmxCarrier - MicroZed carrier for up to 22 DMX512 ports and 4 PMOD headers

The MicroZed DMX-Carrier can host one MicroZed module and has connectors for up to 22 DMX512 ports and 4 PMOD headers.

DmxIo2 - two port RS485 level shifter board with XLR5 connectors

This board contains two isolated RS485 level shifters and XLR5 connectors. You only deal with 3.3V digital levels and do not need to care about the other stuff. This one uses a PMOD compatible connector layout.

DmxIo4 - four port RS485 level shifter board with XLR5 connectors

This board contains four isolated RS485 level shifters and XLR5 connectors. You only deal with 3.3V digital levels and do not need to care about the other stuff.

DmxTestAdapter

The adapter contains the FPC connector from the 4 port DmxIo board and a pin header or socket with a 2.54mm pin pitch in thruhole technology. You can also place a socket from the bottom of the pcb if you would like to have a pin header on your copper breadboard.

Fpc22ToPinHeaderSmd

The adapter contains the FPC connector from the 4 port DmxIo board and a pin header or socket with a 2.54mm pin pitch in SMD technology.

Last update: 2020-12-20
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