LSP & Smart String Controllers

[mmulvenna]

I think Hybrid mode refers to an ability in the programming of the smart strings, whereby you have the best of both worlds: string mode (i.e. red for all, green for all and blue for all ... all nodes on the string) and pixel mode (rgb for each pixel).  So if you had a 128 pixel S String, in hybrid mode 1-3 would be the string mode operation of R,G,B (for all pixels) so 1=red for all, 2=green for all, 3=blue for all ... and 4-131 would be the RGB for each of the 128 pixels so pixel 1 would be 4,5,6 (4=r,5=g,b=6) and pixel 2 would be 7,8,9 (7=r,8=g,9=b), and so on.

Again, talking about programming the smart strings, then you would see in LSP as 131 channels x3, so 393 total.

That my understanding of Hybrid mode (coudl be a tad off) ... but I about died of excitement when I watched RJ' video on it last night ... and he was showing both modes and the prorgamming, etc.

i think we are saying the same thing, just using different numbers Ricks example used 60 nodes which is what I responded to. Please feel free to correct me if i am mistaken

[LondoB5]

I saw a great video on using Light Show Pro with CCRs. Should be similar with smart strings....

Check this out if you haven't seen it. It may help.

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Light Show Pro looks like kick-arse software...as soon as I get a lynx together, I'm going to demo it and possibly buy it.

[mmulvenna]

I saw a great video on using Light Show Pro with CCRs. Should be similar with smart strings....

Check this out if you haven't seen it. It may help.

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Light Show Pro looks like kick-arse software...as soon as I get a lynx together, I'm going to demo it and possibly buy it.

it is similar but I don't think CCrs have the hybrid or the entire string mode. Again, please correct me if i am wrong

[Trepidati0n]

I was going to do tihs myself, but I figure mmulvenna would be the better choice since he probably is the resident expert on LSP .  Could you make up a nice video on doing "smart string" and put in on vimeo. I think it would answer a BUNCH of questions, epsecially if you take into account what has been posted in this thread.  I think doing that would go a long ways to focusing the questions people have and allowing the LSP coders to understand the user's goals.

[mmulvenna]

Doing it now........ Video is uploading will post link when completed

[mmulvenna]

Here is a link to the LSP forum where the video is located. This is how I would configure them in LSP. I don't have hardware to test this with yet, so these instructions could change slightly. Please feel free to correct or question any observations I have  made in the video.

Please remember, the SSC mode is configured using RJ's configuration software not by LSP.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login The video will be the last one listed. Feel free to watch any of the other videos in the link.



 

[Trepidati0n]

Thanks for that video.  I think I can answer my question more focused now.

You said to start at channel 1.  Could we not start at channel one in order to "sub-divide" them so I can apply them more deftly to layers and whole sections.  I like the fact that I can, LSP, collapse a section of nodes and apply affects as a whole (string mode) or tweak it in node mode.

Having them all under one big controller would make this much more tedius.  I have attached example of what I mean.  Thanks in advance.

[mmulvenna]

Yes you can do that. What you are really doing is just building  controllers  in the software so the channels are easier to manage. You just need to make sure that the correct channel numbers are assigned.

You can start the channels with any number you want as long as it matches the SSC configuration.

So you could manage 1 ssc with as many controllers as you would like to build. You could have an ssc that has 50 (150 RGB) nodes or build 10 different controllers of 5(15 RGB) nodes each to handle it.

You just need to be careful not to overlap channel numbers. You can actually do this if you want but it would get pretty confusing to manage let alone make sure that subsequent channels are configured properly.

Hope that helps and that my old feeble brain is properly understanding your question.

[Trepidati0n]

It is the answer I was hoping for.  I think this question will be important to many people.  Just hope it works out that way with actual hardware.

[dmoore]

If you set the number to 128 you would actually have 384 channels. If you set it to 43 you would have 129 rgb channels.
Am I misunderstanding your 128 number?

So the string mode vs. pixel mode ... thats all set using RJ' SS setup software, right?

So if you set the strings into string mode there, then you set up as 3 channels in LSP, so 3x3=9 RGB channels total.

And if you set the strings up as 128 nodes, then it show up as 128x3 channels in LSP.
Correct?

Correct me if I’m wrong but the major reason for the macros/string mode is to accommodate software that doesn’t easily handle huge channel counts, cases where people don’t need the individual pixel level control or that have issues with the amount of data required to update a large quantity of pixels.  In the “ideal” world, the controller doesn’t need to do macros as that functionality is performed in the software.  So, if you setup LSP so that a 128 pixel SS was a 128 channel RGB controller (384 DMX channels) and you wanted the entire string to be blue, you could just select the entire controller in the grid and select “ON” and it will prompt you for the color you want and you would select blue – then the entire string will turn blue.  With the macro mode, you would just setup a single three channel RGB controller in LSP and set it to the three RGB DMX addresses on the macro-enabled SS controller and you’d again do the same thing.  The difference is, that with the latter, you completely lose the ability to control all the pixels individually and can only address them as a single color (RGB).  So, since LSP isn’t restricted in its ability to handle large channel counts and PixelNet will handle 2,048 channels, I can’t imagine why the macro mode would be useful in that situation.

[dmoore]

Thanks for that video.  I think I can answer my question more focused now.

You said to start at channel 1.  Could we not start at channel one in order to "sub-divide" them so I can apply them more deftly to layers and whole sections.  I like the fact that I can, LSP, collapse a section of nodes and apply affects as a whole (string mode) or tweak it in node mode.

Having them all under one big controller would make this much more tedious.  I have attached example of what I mean.  Thanks in advance.

What mike showed in the video (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login) with the 51 pixels (153 channels) wouldn’t be generally necessary in LSP and if you ever use something like transitions to auto-sequence, it will cause havoc if you are applying a transition to an entire controller (which is often the case).  I’d personally recommend setting it up in the second method shown by Mike – you get complete control of ALL the pixels and if you want to apply an effect to the entire string all at once (say, fade entire string red to green) you can collopase the controller and then apply the effect to the complete controller.  This way you have the ease of setting effects to hundreds of channels with one effect OR you can control each individual pixel (manually or via Transitions).  When used with LSP, I’d recommend against string mode.

[Trepidati0n]

I don't want, eventually, to have 4000+ nodes under a single controller in LSP.  There is no way, mentally, for me to wrap my head around that.  That would be like deleting the LE controller and just putting down a DMX universe and call it a day.  Conversely, it would be like saying splitting up a LE into four seperate 4 channel controllers isn't of value either (think mini trrees).

I thiink there might be a balance in the middle though.  Right now LSP is flat in how it lists controllers.  However, because it can collapse and because I can asign nodes indiviudally, it gives it a bit more power to segment things.  However, What happens if LSP had a way of effecitvely making sub-sections off the main controller...sorta like a directory strucutre:

Code: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Top Controller
- Mini Trees
    - Mini Tree #1
        - Pixel 1
        - Pixel 2
        - ....
        - Pixel n
    - Mini Tree #2
        - Pixel 1
        - Pixel 2
        - ....
        - Pixel n
    - ......

- Mega Tree
   - Spine #1
        - Pixel 1
        - Pixel 2
        - ....
        - Pixel n
   - Spine #2
        - Pixel 1
        - Pixel 2
        - ....
        - Pixel n
   - ....
- House
   - Houe Roof
      - Section 1
      - Seciton 2
      - ....
   - House Windows
      - window 1
      - Window 2
      - Window 3
      - ....
   - Garage
      - Left
      - Top
      - Right
- .....


All I know is I like the fact I segement pixels however I want.  I like the fact I can assignment multiple segments to a single layer and apply effects.  However, I do see your point of keeping all nodes under one controller but would find that impossible to handle over the longer term.

[mmulvenna]

Thanks for that video.  I think I can answer my question more focused now.

You said to start at channel 1.  Could we not start at channel one in order to "sub-divide" them so I can apply them more deftly to layers and whole sections.  I like the fact that I can, LSP, collapse a section of nodes and apply affects as a whole (string mode) or tweak it in node mode.

Having them all under one big controller would make this much more tedious.  I have attached example of what I mean.  Thanks in advance.

What mike showed in the video (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login) with the 51 pixels (153 channels) wouldn’t be generally necessary in LSP and if you ever use something like transitions to auto-sequence, it will cause havoc if you are applying a transition to an entire controller (which is often the case).  I’d personally recommend setting it up in the second method shown by Mike – you get complete control of ALL the pixels and if you want to apply an effect to the entire string all at once (say, fade entire string red to green) you can collopase the controller and then apply the effect to the complete controller.  This way you have the ease of setting effects to hundreds of channels with one effect OR you can control each individual pixel (manually or via Transitions).  When used with LSP, I’d recommend against string mode.

I agree with David that is is not necessary to use String or HYBRID mode in LSP if you intend to use node control. I also agree with Trepidati0n in the fact that is is easier to understand if you separate the controllers into logical units rather than one large physical unit and LSP can accommodate what David and Trepidati0n  are saying.

As I said in post number  22  "So you could manage 1 ssc with as many controllers as you would like to build. You could have an ssc that has 50 (150 RGB) nodes or  build 10 different controllers of 5(15 RGB) nodes each to handle it."

[dmoore]

Having them all under one big controller would make this much more tedious.

I'd agree with Mike - I'd make the "controllers" in LSP (which could or could not releate to physical SS controllers) never larger than a single element or larger than a single DMX universe.  This will make creating layers and transitions easier.

Here is another really useful tip if you are planning to use transitions - Make sure that your display photo used for the visualizer is perpendicular and completely centered and is low res (320x240).  Be sure you watch You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login from 1:00 to 1:30 on how to define your pixels as single-pixel per channel section.  Also make sure that you properly measure out the physical strings as to where they will appear on your actual house.  Getting "close" will result in poor results when used with the transitions.

[taybrynn]

So I could take a single 128 node SS (call it SS#1), and say I determine that I can install them onto a mini megatree as up1,down1,up2,down2 segments.

In that example, I could lay them up in LSP SS1-up1 (1-32 RGB channels)., SS1-down1 (33-64 RGB channels), SS1-up2, and SS1-down2 ... and then LSP could
treat each of those segment (SS controller segments) like individual 32 channel/node RGB strings  (96 channels) ?