Using a PIC Microcontroller for DMX512 Communication

DMX512 is a communication protocol used in most professional theater lighting components, including dimmers, scanners, moving lights, and strobes. This application note presents a solution for transmitting and receiving the DMX512 communication protocol that can be implemented using any PIC microcontroller offering a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) module. The PIC18F24J10, a general purpose device, is used in the code examples provided in this application note. The DMX solution is presented in two parts: the first explains how to generate and transmit the DMX512 packets, and the second explains how to receive the DMX512 packets.