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Overview

The Strobe generator creates a periodic on/off strobe effect on a single DMX channel. The strobe frequency and on/off values are fully configurable.

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Properties

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channel
DMXChannel
required
The DMX channel to strobe.
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valueOn
byte
default:"255"
DMX value when strobe is ON (0-255).
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valueOff
byte
default:"0"
DMX value when strobe is OFF (0-255).
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frequency
float
default:"1.0"
Strobe frequency in Hertz (Hz). Higher values = faster strobing.Common values:
  • 1.0 - 1 flash per second
  • 5.0 - 5 flashes per second
  • 10.0 - 10 flashes per second (fast strobe)

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Implementation

From ~/workspace/source/Assets/Plugin/Generators/GeneratorStrobe.cs:16-34: 
public void GenerateDMX(ref List<byte> dmxData)
{
    dmxData.EnsureCapacity(channel + 1);

    //use system time to determine if we are on or off
    var time = DateTime.Now.Millisecond;

    //now determine if we are on or off
    float period = 1000.0f / frequency; //in ms

    if (time % period < period / 2)
    {
        dmxData[channel] = valueOn;
    }
    else
    {
        dmxData[channel] = valueOff;
    }
}

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Configuration Example

generators:
  # Standard strobe at 5 Hz
  - !Strobe
    channel: 10
    frequency: 5.0
    valueOn: 255
    valueOff: 0
  
  # Slow pulse between two values
  - !Strobe
    channel: 1.15
    frequency: 0.5
    valueOn: 200
    valueOff: 50

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Use Cases

Fast strobe for visual alerts:
- !Strobe
  channel: 20
  frequency: 10.0
  valueOn: 255
  valueOff: 0
Slow pulsing effect:
- !Strobe
  channel: 5
  frequency: 1.0
  valueOn: 180
  valueOff: 30
Beat-synced strobe (120 BPM = 2 Hz):
- !Strobe
  channel: 1.1
  frequency: 2.0
  valueOn: 255
  valueOff: 0
High-frequency strobing (>10 Hz) can trigger photosensitive epilepsy. Use with caution in public spaces.

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