Introduction: Built-in FB4 hardware moves show-data conversion inside an RGB laser fixture, cutting external ILDA boxes and letting network daisy-chaining keep multiple projectors in sync.
The signal chain for multiple laser heads usually runs through boxes, not just cables. Analog ILDA output from a converter box reaches each projector over a 25-pin cable, and every converter needs its own power feed. Add projectors and the bundle grows. Built-in FB4 control moves the converter inside the fixture: show data arrives over Ethernet, conversion happens on the fixture, and the external box disappears. That change is small on a spec sheet but large on a stage, and it shapes how synchronization and cabling decisions play out for a multi-laser rig.
In a conventional setup, the computer running the show holds the timeline, an external FB4 or other interface box converts that stream to the analog signals a laser scanner understands, and a 25-pin ILDA cable carries those signals to the projector. The FB4 interface documentation describes the integrated approach plainly: when FB4 hardware is built into a laser fixture, the network media server and the ILDA conversion travel with the projector instead of sitting in a separate box on the truss. The fixture still converts digital show data into analog scanner commands; the difference is where that conversion happens and what leaves the rack. The scanner itself does not care where the numbers came from, only that X, Y, and colour values arrive on time. Practically, the built-in version turns each laser head into its own network endpoint. Ethernet enters the fixture, and a second port lets the next projector join the chain, so a row of eight lasers can share a line instead of feeding back to one box. Power savings on converters are real, but the bigger change is in setup. Cues are addressed per fixture, firmware updates can travel over the network, and a single cable swap no longer takes down an entire group of projectors. The A17 line carries both FB4 built-in versions and standard interface versions, keeping the 3-pin DMX512, 25DB ILDA, easy ILDA, and Art-net ports on the standard models, so the same fixture family supports two different signal philosophies. A programmer who has only worked with external converters will notice the difference the first time they assign addresses on a switch and watch the whole row respond.
Synchronization across laser heads is really a timing problem. If Projector A and Projector B are supposed to sweep in step, their scan data needs to arrive with consistent timing and predictable addressing. Network direct drive handles this by treating each fixture as a node on a switch or daisy-chain rather than a terminal endpoint hanging off a converter. The show server sends one stream, the network distributes it, and each projector executes the slice it received for its own address. That is the concept behind FB4 network direct drive, and its practical gains show up in a few specific ways:
When the daisy-chain order is planned correctly, adding another head to the network costs one more cable rather than another whole converter line.
Built-in FB4 is one control architecture among several, and there are good reasons to keep an external converter in the mix. Older projectors that predate network control still accept analog signals through a standard 25-pin DB25 connector, where differential pin assignments carry X, Y, R, G, and B signals to the scanner and color modulators. A mixed rig with one new network-native head and three older ILDA projectors needs a converter or adapter, so a single FB4 box that outputs ILDA still earns its space in the case. Bench testing is another case: engineers who tune scanner linearity or measure blanking latency often prefer the analog output they can probe physically with a scope. Venue infrastructure also plays a role. Some houses are wired for DMX512 or an existing ILDA patch and have no spare network switch or Ethernet cable path, so a fixture that speaks DMX512 on 5/17/18/27/52 channels or accepts an easy ILDA connection drops in without a network rewire. Multi-channel control standards like those published by the ESTA Technical Standards Program exist in part because addressing, refresh behavior, and timing have to stay consistent when many fixtures share a control layer, and analog ILDA workflows remain part of that picture. External conversion is a compatibility layer that keeps older and mixed inventory working through the next production cycle. Rental houses that carry both generations of projectors often keep one or two external converters in the case as insurance for exactly this reason, and for a single cluster of heads that only needs straightforward look cues, DMX512 on its own is often enough.
Built-in FB4 changes where the conversion happens, not what the show is. The data still leaves a media server, still reaches a scanner as analog commands, and still relies on accurate timing to look right. What shifts is the box count, the cabling on the truss, and how cleanly a programmer can address a row of projectors. The A17 family's FB4 built-in versions sit alongside standard interface versions, and both patterns coexist in real touring inventory. For anyone planning a multi-laser rig, understanding that split is what makes the network decision feel like a wiring choice rather than a creative one.
A：Built-in FB4 adds the network media server and ILDA conversion hardware inside the fixture itself. Instead of a separate external converter box feeding analog signals to the projector, show data arrives over Ethernet at the fixture, which handles conversion on its own. This cuts the number of external boxes and cable runs on a multi-projector rig.
A：When every projector in the rig has built-in FB4 and all show data travels over Ethernet, an external ILDA run is not part of the signal path. Analog ILDA remains relevant when a rig mixes network-native projectors with older units that only accept a 25-pin DB25 connection, so a converter box still has a role in mixed inventory.
A：Network direct drive treats each projector as an addressed node, so the show server can send cues across a switch or daisy-chain rather than routing analog channels through separate converters. The result is fewer cable runs, predictable addressing per fixture, and playback that stays aligned when several lasers are meant to read as one graphic.
[FB4 interface [Complete Help Docs]](https://wiki. pangolin. com/doku. php? id=hardware:fb4)
[hardware:ilda_connector [Complete Help Docs]](https://wiki. pangolin. com/doku. php? id=hardware:ilda_connector)
