Testimonials

Listen to what people in the industry are saying about the Open Lighting Project:

We used the OLA responder tests during the development of the ImageCue™ RDM implementation. It was an invaluable tool which gave us confidence that ImageCue met the RDM specification. Our manufacturing process uses OLA running on a Raspberry Pi with an ultraDMX RDM Pro dongle. We use OLA’s RDM software to factory configure each ImageCue and to embed a unique serial number read from the carton and enclosure bar codes to an internal EEPROM. The technician then initiates an OLA DMX script that completes a functional test and “burn-in” of each unit. We currently have six of these stations with each Raspberry Pi being controlled by a single PC using SSH. Developing such a programming and testing suite from scratch would have delayed our product launch significantly.

– Bill Hewlett, CEO and Developer, ImageCue LLC

OLA provided the backbone of an agile “constellation” of simulated candelabras installed in set pieces for Ballarat Lyric Theatre’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ staged in the historic (and naked-flame-prohibited) Her Majesty’s Theatre. Thirteen battery-powered A-model Raspberry Pis, running OLA, controlled 13 strings of WS2801 RGB LEDs.  OLA on each RPi received wireless ArtNet and output serial data to the LED strings. This video shows some of them in action… http://youtu.be/0yRgqjLY68I

– Scott SnowdenMystic Entertainmentz

The OLA responder tests really help to improve my confidence in a product’s RDM implementation.  Being so quick and easy to set up and run, they are thus far, the only easy way to determine how deep a developer has gotten with RDM, and provide invaluable feedback I can pass on to developers when debugging problems.

– Peter Kirkup, VP of Entertainment for LumenRadio AB

When developing new RDM devices, particularly designs with subdevices, sensors, and other complexities, a comprehensive testing process is mandatory.  The OLA / RDM Responder Tester stands out for it’s ability to verify performance not only of the functions we are intentionally coding for, but also myriad combinations of other commands, including out-of-spec data packets.

I particularly like confirming that we are sending the most appropriate NACK responses, and not failing to respond to commands and functions outside the scope of a particular device.  There is simply no better way to build the most robust RDM responder possible.  With the OLA / RDM Responder Tester, I can be sure my devices are bulletproof with virtually any controller.

– James Smith, President and Chief Product Designer for RC4 Wireless

One of the major drivers for the success of DMX512 was its open, non-partisan, nature. Nobody owns it, and everyone can use it freely. Manufacturers left their egos at the door with the goal of allowing any controller to talk to any product. The OLA project takes this principle further and not only supports open protocols for lighting control, but provides open source software that gives a framework that anyone can develop under. In my own case I’ve found their RDM Responder Test suite invaluable when trying to evaluate products in an objective manner. OLA provides an independent resource and a common platform to take lighting control protocols forward.

– Mike Wood, Mike Wood Consulting