Renard Standard Setup
This is a work in process, so check back from time to time for updates.
This page is intended to provide a simplified set of instructions for configuring and installing the Renard dimmer controllers. The information provided on some of the other pages has so many options that it is likely to be confusing, and the information is not organized in a way that is easy to use. This page is an attempt to provide instructions that are less confusing and easier to use.
Simplified Connection Instructions
These instructions assume that
A) Renard8 boards will be configured with non-PWM firmware, and will get both unfiltered power and the zero-crossing signal through the RJ45 input connector.
B) Renard16 boards will be configured with PWM firmware, will get filtered power through the RJ45, and will generate the zero-crossing signal on-board.
C) Renard24 boards have unknown configuration.
D) Renard64 boards will have all of the 64 Channel LEDs installed, and all of the PICS will be programmed with the PWM firmware, and will get the zero-crossing signal through the RJ45 input connector.
E) Ren-C boards will get power from the attached Grinch/595 board, and will get the zero-crossing signal through the RJ45 input connector.
F) Ren-T boards are assembled with 300 mA transformers.
There are other options possible for almost all of these boards, but these instructions do not address those alternate configurations.
Determine Number of Serial Ports
Before you reach this point you should decide how many Renard-dimmable Channels that you will be using, the baud rate and the refresh interval. For the first year you should limit the number of channels to 64 or less. A lot of other people are using 57600 for the baud rate and 50 ms for the refresh interval, so these are good numbers to choose. Once you know these values, go to this chart to determine the maximum number of channels per serial port, and use that to determine how many serial ports are needed.
Determine Which Controllers are Connected to Each Serial Port
The first rule here is to make sure that the number of channels on each serial port does not exceed the value from the section 1.
The second rule is to place the Renard16 boards on their own serial port, or at least at the end of each 'chain'. The reason for this is that they normally don't pass the zero-crossing signal through from RJ45-input to RJ45-output, since they require a DC signal on the relevant pins.
Other than this, the controllers can be mixed and matched on each serial port so long as they are all configured for the same baud rate.
Determine DC Power Requirements
A) The Renard8 requires about 50 mA unfiltered DC (e.g. output of the Ren-T)
B) The Renard16 requires about 160 mA filtered DC (e.g. output of a PC Power Supply)
C) The Renard24 has a built-in power supply, and therefore does not need an external low voltage DC supply.
D) The Renard64 requires about 1 mA unfiltered DC (for the zero-crossing), and about 1A of filtered, regulated 5VDC (e.g. from a PC Power Supply).
E) For Ren-C, skip this step (since the power comes from the Grinch/595 board)
Determine How Many Ren-T Boards are Needed
A) For Renard8, use one Ren-T Board for each 6 Renard8 boards.
B) For Renard16, don't bother with Ren-T (unless the distance from the PC to the first controller is more than 100 ft).
C) For Renard24, you don't need a Ren-T (unless the distance from the PC to the first controller is more than 100 ft).
D) For Renard64, one Ren-T board for each 300 Renard64 boards (LOL), since the Ren-T board is only used for the zero-crossing signal.
E) For Ren-C, one Ren-T board for each 300 Ren-C boards. The Ren-T board is only used for the zero-crossing signal.
Determine How Much Other Power Supply Capacity is needed
A) For Renard8, no other power supply is needed (Ren-T supplies everything).
B) For Renard16, an external DC supply providing 8-12V, 160 mA is needed (must be filtered, doesn't need to be regulated).
C) For Renard24, you don't need any external power supply.
D) For Renard64, an external 5VDC supply (with 1A output for each Renard64) is needed.
E) For Ren-C, no other power supply is needed.
Cables Required
TBA