SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus DMX to LED Shield

The SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus DMX to LED Shield is a versatile tool for sending and receiving DMX data. This shield is compatible with the onboard XLR-3 jack or ArtNet and is ideal for developing custom DMX fixtures or enhancing current fixtures with ArtNet capabilities. It adheres to the DMX standard, providing electrical isolation between the controller and communication side to prevent ground loops.

The shield can be powered either through the screw terminals or the USB connection from your microcontroller that's plugged into the shield. The screw terminal is a 2-pin 3.5 mm screw terminal capable of accepting 26-16 AWG wire with a strip length of ~5-6mm. It is crucial to power the shield with 5V to ensure proper power for RS485.

The outputs are conveniently broken out to poke home connectors, which are compatible with APA102 LED strips and LuMini devices. The shield is designed to work with the SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM or any board with a Feather footprint. This includes Feathers and Feather-Wings. To bring the poke home connectors up to 5V logic, there is a logic level converter between the microcontroller and LED data pins, as many Feather boards operate at 3.3V logic.

The SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus DMX to LED Shield features dimensions of approximately 6.67 x 6.86 x 3.49 cm. It includes three mounting holes for 4-40 screws and populated female headers for the ESP32 Thing Plus to interface with. The 5VDC power input is via a screw terminal compatible with 26-16 AWG wire. The shield offers XLR-3 male and female connectors and a poke-home connector for sturdy but temporary addressable LED connection without soldering, compatible with 24-18 AWG wire. It also has optocouplers for power isolation with a Common Mode Rejection (CMR) at 1000V/ μs and a 5V DC-DC converter with isolation for ground loops, outputting 5V at 200 mA. The isolation voltage is 1 kVDC (1 min.) with an isolation resistance of 1 GΩ. Lastly, there are 3.3 V to 5 V Logic converters between LED poke-home connectors and Feather headers.

For more detailed information, the SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus DMX to LED Shield comes with a schematic, Eagle Files, a Hookup Guide, Arduino Libraries, and a GitHub Product Repository.