My Background

So my original idea back when I last looked into this project was to show the traps and pitfalls encountered as a "Newbie" microprocessor programmer.  However I have to admit that I am technically a professional computer programmer, and I even have a First Class Honours degree entitled "MEng Electronic & Software Engineering".

Now you'd think that would mean I would know what to do to program Microchips, and I'd have a decent understanding about what is required and hence all this blog is a useless waste of time right?

Well throughout all my time at university I sadly tried to avoid every module I could linked to Microprocessor programming and as a result, I really didn't have a clue about where to start.  I had a number of phrases and idea's in my head which I'd heard other people talk about, along with some basic skills and knowledge of Electronics.

It's been a few years since I completed my University degree.  Since then I have programmed various applications as a 'professional' computer programmer.  This includes a fair amount of self-learning and writing programs using Java, FoxPro, ProC, C#.Net, VB.Net, Unix Shell Scripts and Pascal.

In all this time however I've started to wish more and more that I knew how to program Microprocessors, and wishing that I could understand all the required electronics to make systems.

Well that's my Software background... The other question I guess is why a DMX-512 interface...  DMX-512 is the format used to transmit signals from a Lighting control desk through to Lights and Fixtures in theatre's and Disco's.

I started helping out in theatres doing a little technical stuff at my school, running sound for the house play, learning a little about the lighting and the lighting desk.  Back then lighting was pretty easy since the school had an individual channel for every lantern, and there was even a gantry giving full access to all lanterns.  While I never quite made the main clicky technical team, I got an element of hunger for running lights.

On getting to university I joined the University Theatre society, where I spent a lot of my spare time helping to build sets and help with the lighting.  I lost out on becoming the Technical Manager in the last year, however I think that was probably for the best as it allowed me time to complete my final year project without spending too much time in the theatre.

Since leaving University I've been helping a lot at a local 'amateur' theatre.  While the theatre is technically amateur since everyone does it for fun and nobody gets paid, the shows are all carried out with a massive amount of professionalism which produces some really nice shows.

And with my time spent in the theatre, I keep wanting to create my own lighting controller.  Ideally to control some of the newish LED DMX controlled lanterns.  Playing Warcraft pulled me away from the theatre, and pulled my time away from this project.  Now however I want to try starting again, and if I have the time I want to finish it this time!