Artnet SPI Controller Ethernet DMX512 16CH

The FEL-CA2 is the Ethernet controller for the SPI pixel installs — the box that sits between the show and the pixels. The media server or the console speaks ArtNet across the network; the CA2 receives it, decodes the show data and drives 16 ports of SPI pixel output at 3 amps each. The pixels run by the IC: the 2811-class strips, the APA102 dots and the rest of the compatible list the specifications name. And when the install mixes pixels with the CV decoder family, the dual DMX512 output ports bridge 2×512 channels out to the rail decoders downstream. Config happens in the built-in web server, the firmware upgrades online, and the DC5-24V supply carries a 5A fuse on board.

Sixteen pixel ports at 3 amps

The 16 output ports each drive 3 amps of pixel load, with a 5A fuse on board protecting the run. The pixel counts are per port: 340 RGB pixels on each of the 16 ports — 5,440 pixels across the controller — or 256 RGBW pixels per port, 4,096 across the 16. That is the high-density end of the strip and dot installs: the media façades, the pixel matrices and the long addressable runs that a CV decoder’s four or five channels cannot cover.

The pixel ICs it speaks

The output speaks the SPI protocols by IC name — 2811, 8904, 6812, 2904, 1814, 1914, 5603, 9812, APA102, 2812, 9813, 3001, 8806, 6803 and 2801 — the designations the strips and dots carry. The specifications list the full set, and the sales team confirms others beyond it. Match the IC on the strip to the port config and the pixels decode as addressed — no re-soldering, no protocol conversion boxes between the controller and the run.

ArtNet and sACN on the network

The Ethernet side speaks ArtNet on the V1 firmware, and ArtNet plus sACN (E1.31) on V2 — the two protocols the lighting networks run. One Ethernet line in carries the show data for all 16 ports, so the controller sits on the network like any other node: the console or media server addresses it, and the pixels on the far side follow. No DMX lines in from the desk unless the install wants them.

Dual DMX512 out

Two DMX512 output ports carry 2×512 channels out of the box. That is the bridge to the rest of the range: the CV decoders — the DIN rail family, the slim bodies, the stage units — all hang off DMX512, and the CA2 drives them from the same show file as the pixels. Pixels on the ports, decoders on the DMX, one network input feeding the lot.

Web server and firmware

The config runs through the built-in web server: the port setup, the IC selection and the network settings happen in the browser, on site or over the install network. The firmware upgrades online, so the controller takes new features and protocol updates without a trip up the ladder. For a box that lives at the centre of a 5,440-pixel install, that is the maintenance path the crews ask for.

Working envelope

Working temperature spans -20°C to +55°C, which covers the plant rooms, the riser cabinets and the racks the controller lives in. The supply is DC5-24V with the 5A fuse on board, and the body is L260×W146.5×H40.5mm at 1,100g — a rack-and-cabinet plate sized for the terminal blocks, the Ethernet and the two DMX ports across its face.

Where it gets used

The controller earns its place wherever the pixel count outgrows the DMX channel budget: the media façades and building outlines running thousands of addressable dots, the nightclub and stage pixel matrices, the themed-environment strips that chase and flow, and the creative signage builds. Wherever a media server or a console speaks ArtNet and the far side is SPI pixels, this is the box in between.

Where it sits in the range

The CA2 sits upstream of the decoder family: the Ethernet and ArtNet side of the signal chain, driving SPI pixels directly off its 16 ports. The CV decoder family — the DIN rail units, the slim bodies, the stage boxes — sits downstream of its dual DMX512 outputs, translating the DMX into constant-voltage PWM for the strips. The two together cover the install: pixels off the ports, CV strips off the decoders, one show file driving both.

Why do buyers pick the FEL-CA2 over the alternatives? Here is what we hear from customers:
5,440 pixels off one box. Sixteen ports at 340 RGB pixels each — the high-density installs that outgrow DMX channel budgets run from one controller.
The IC list is on the page. 2811, APA102, 6812, 2801 and the rest of the SPI protocols named in the specifications — match the strip, set the port, done.
ArtNet and sACN on the network. The V2 firmware speaks both — the protocols the lighting networks and the media servers actually run.
Dual DMX512 out. 2×512 channels bridging the CV decoder family downstream — pixels and strips off one show file.
The web server on board. The config happens in the browser, and the firmware upgrades online — no trips up the ladder for a settings change.
The 5A fuse on board. The output protection is built into the box at DC5-24V.

The FEL-CA2 sits between the show and the pixels — the Ethernet controller for the SPI installs that outgrow the DMX channel budget.
Media façades and building pixels. Thousands of addressable dots across the elevation, the ArtNet line in from the media server, 16 ports carrying the runs and the web server handling the port config from the office.
Nightclubs and stage matrices. Pixel bars, panels and mover-look rigs decoding live off the network, the dual DMX512 outputs bridging the CV strips and the rail decoders beside them.
Themed environments. The chase-and-flow strips through the set pieces, the IC list matching the dots the scenic shop installed.
Broadcast and TV sets. Pixel backdrops under the camera, sACN on the V2 firmware feeding from the lighting network with the rest of the rig.
Creative signage. Addressable lettering and shapes, the web server handling the port config without a site visit.
Downstream, the CV decoder family — the DIN rail units, the slim bodies and the stage boxes — hangs off the dual DMX512 outputs, running the constant-voltage strips under the same show file.