The FEL-CD201 is the 32-channel flagship of the DMX decoder family. Constant-voltage PWM at 3 amps per channel — 96 amps and 2,304 watts at 24V — with RDM bidirectional control riding the DMX line, the OLED display at the unit, an 8 or 16-bit grey scale and the four control modes: DIM, CT, RGB and RGBW. The DMX512/1990 line lands on XLR-3R, RJ45 or the terminal block, the PWM frequency selects across 1K to 8K, and the DC5-24V supply takes the 5V strips the 12-24V decoders leave out. The body is a large flat L195×W145×H38mm plate at 810g — the biggest channel count in the range, running the whole multi-zone install.
Thirty-two channels at 3 amps
The decoder carries 32 constant-voltage PWM channels at 3 amps each — 96 amps across the box, and the power figures follow the supply: 480 watts at 5V, 1,152 at 12V, 2,304 at 24V. The channels group by the wiring the run carries: eight RGBW fittings at four channels each, sixteen dual-white fittings at two each, or 32 single-channel circuits. That is a whole fitout off one decoder and one address run — the step up when the builds outgrow the four- and five-channel units.
The four control modes
The decoder switches between four control modes, set to match the wiring: DIM for the single-channel runs, CT for the colour-temperature circuits, RGB for the three-channel colour builds, and RGBW for the four-channel fittings with white. The mode is part of the config, so one part number serves the mixed installs.
RDM and the OLED
The DMX512 line carries RDM — the bidirectional side of the standard — so the fleet is discovered, addressed and re-configured from the console instead of unit by unit. A 32-channel block of addresses stays manageable from the desk as the install grows. For the site work, the OLED display at the unit does the same job locally: the mode, the address and the settings read and set on the decoder, no laptop in the ceiling void.
8 or 16-bit, and the frequency
The grey scale selects between 256 levels at 8-bit and 65,536 levels at 16-bit. At 16-bit the fades move in increments no eye reads as stepping — the low end of the dim holds its line across all 32 channels at once. The PWM output frequency selects across 1K to 8K, set per install in the config.
XLR-3R, RJ45 and the terminal block
The DMX512/1990 line lands three ways: the XLR-3R for the stage and event cabling, the RJ45 for the structured-cabling installs, and the terminal block for the panels where the line arrives on stripped conductors. The daisy-chain continues out of whichever connection the run arrived on. The 32 channels take 32 consecutive DMX addresses — the address run set at the unit or over RDM.
Working envelope
Working temperature spans -20°C to +55°C, which covers the plant rooms, the ceiling voids and the riser cabinets the installs run the decoder in. The body is L195×W145×H38mm at 810g — a large flat plate, wider than it is deep, with the terminals and the display across its face. It mounts where the multi-zone build needs it: in the riser, the cabinet or behind the control rack.
Planning the install
Work the load per decoder against the strips: 3 amps per channel, 96 amps across the box, and the power band that follows the voltage — 480 watts at 5V, 1,152 at 12V, 2,304 at 24V. Leave headroom below the per-channel rating rather than loading to it. Size the PSU for the connected load plus margin, land the DMX on whichever of the three connections the run uses, and set the mode, the bit depth and the frequency per install. The daisy-chain carries the line to the next decoder as the install grows.
Choosing the decoder in the range
The DMX decoder family splits by channel count, body and output type. The CD201 is this 32-channel RDM flagship — the biggest channel count and power figure in the range. The CD202 carries 24 channels on DC5-24V, and the CD269 series runs the 24- and 32-channel sets on the DIN rail. The slim bodies cover the smaller sets — the CD204 single channel at 10 amps, the CD205 two channels at 8, the CD206 three-channel RGB, the CD207 the RGBW with the 9-amp white channel, and the CD208 the four-channel RDM decoder with the 16-bit grey scale. The CD206-4 and CD209 are the standalone stage bodies with XLR-3, the CD203 is the large shutter-capable box, the CD23 is the constant-current set for the bare 1-watt LEDs, and the CD250 is the IP67 outdoor unit.
