DMX512: How many channels for 8 bit/16 bit?

Q: Does each channel on the DMX512 Decoder require 2 DMX addresses? How does 8 bit and 16 bit differ?

A: Hi-Line's DMX512, used in conjunction with RGB/RGBW LED Strips, is fully configurable for either 8 bits or 16 bits.

If operating at 8 bits, the DMX512 controller will have 256 steps/levels of intensity (0-255) and would use one DMX address per channel. All 5 output channels are configurable and can be set to use one DMX address per channel, or even one DMX address for all 5 channels. 

For a complete list of configurations please download our user manual here and refer to section 6. "DMX Coding Mode Setting".

Using 16 bits will mean that the DMX controller will have 65536 levels of intensity (256 * 256) and would use two DMX addresses per channel, with the second DMX address being used for fine tuning.  In this situation, all 5 output channels are still configurable and can be set to use 2 DMX addresses per channel or for other configurations, such us 2 DMX addresses for all 5 output channels.

For a complete list of configurations please download user manual here and refer to section 6. "DMX Coding Mode Setting"