tombueng/lumigate

LumiGate is a DIY device that sits between a computer running lighting control software and physical stage lights. It receives lighting commands over a WiFi network using two standard professional lighting protocols, Art-Net and sACN, and then translates those commands into DMX512 signals that go out over a cable to the actual lights. DMX512 is the industry-standard wired protocol used to control dimmers, moving heads, LED fixtures, and most other professional stage lighting equipment. The device is built around an ESP32 microcontroller, which is a small, inexpensive chip with built-in WiFi. A separate RS485 signal converter module handles the electrical translation between the ESP32 and the DMX cable. The bill of materials lists five main components and the README walks through exactly how to wire them together with color-coded tables and a wiring diagram, so someone comfortable with basic electronics can assemble it on a breadboard. Once running, the device hosts a live web interface you can open in any browser on the same network. That page shows all 512 DMX channel values updating in real time, displays a list of active senders on the network, warns you if multiple senders are conflicting, and lets you manually override individual channels by clicking them and using a slider. There is also a blackout button that zeroes all channels instantly. The web interface updates at roughly 25 frames per second using WebSocket connections. Configuration is stored on the device so it survives power cycles. On first boot, the device creates its own WiFi hotspot to let you enter your network credentials. After that it is reachable by name on your local network. Firmware can be updated over the air, either through the web interface or by triggering a one-click update that pulls the latest build from GitHub. The project is well-documented with hardware pinout tables, step-by-step assembly instructions, and software build instructions for people who want to compile the firmware themselves.