Author Topic: Pigtails  (Read 2385 times)

Offline twooly

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Pigtails
« on: June 16, 2012, »
Can someone tell me why 2 pigtails?  Is it Dix in/out?  If so does it matter which one you use for in/out?
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Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2012, »
It is for daisy-chaining from one device to the next.  Either can be in or out.
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Offline urthegman

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2012, »
Sweet!!! So, if we would like all of our Aether II units to do the same thing, 4 channels is all that we would need to program???

Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2012, »
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Sweet!!! So, if we would like all of our Aether II units to do the same thing, 4 channels is all that we would need to program???
Your entire display could be 3 or 4 channels.... LOL.

But, yes... if you wanted you could have a single DMX USB dongle to generate 4 channels and have it control hundreds of aethers to do everything in unison -- if they all shared the same start channel.
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Offline urthegman

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2012, »
So if I had red trees as channel 1, green trees channel 2, blue trees channel 3, white trees channel 4 and programmed the Aethers to start on channel 1, then they would be red when channel 1 was on, green when channel 2 was on etc.??? Is that what you mean?

Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2012, »
let me add something, in case that it isn't clear.
the ability to daisy chain is similar to the LEs, the MR16s, the Hubs, etc.  You can bring in the DMX line on an input line, and if you choose you can carry the DMX to another device through the "output".

There are some devices that will "strengthen" the DMX signal, and others like the Aether2 that would simply extend the same cabling to another device.

DMX is a "bus" protocol.  All of the dmx-enabled devices see all of the channel data, but only act upon the channel data that the device is configured to use.

By having 2 pigtails on the aether2, it allows you to connect an input line to EITHER pigtail.  if you have another aether or LE, or any other dmx device you could choose to have them use the same channel assignments or have them use unique channel assignments.

So... 4 channel COULD be used to control your aether, but must people would respond -- "why would you limit yourself in that way?"  If you select unique channels, then you have the ability to control each aether with different timing, coloring, or intensity.  If you wanted all aethers to do the same thing at different points in the song -- then send each of the channels the same instructions!

hope this helps.
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Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2012, »
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So if I had red trees as channel 1, green trees channel 2, blue trees channel 3, white trees channel 4 and programmed the Aethers to start on channel 1, then they would be red when channel 1 was on, green when channel 2 was on etc.??? Is that what you mean?

so many ways to answer this...  the question leads me to believe that you have non-RGB equipment -- like an LOR or Lynx Express and in it you have incandescent, or LED strings.  Maybe you have a row of trees with red leds strings on each tree, and all connected to channel 1.  On the same trees you have green strings, annd they are green, etc.

I think you are suggesting that aether floods can be placed in the display and use the same channel assignments to light up in unison with the trees -- using the same red, green, blue, and white channel assignments.  sure.  that would work.


there is ALSO so many other ways of implementing this.  I don't know how you plan to connect the trees... but (assuming you had the controllers and channels to do this...) each tree might be assigned a different channel number, and for each color...  1 could be tree1-red, 2 could be tree1-green, 3 could be tree1-blue, 4 could be tree1-white, and carry that to the next tree with 5=tree2-red, 6=tree2-green, etc.

Setting your channels up in this way lets you light all of the trees together in red, or green, etc.  AND it allows you to do each tree separately -- walking the green up and down that line of trees.

aethers are no different in the ability to to it all together or independently.  aethers ARE better in blending colors.  conventional strings won't give you good blends of pink, purple, or the millions of color combinations possilble with RGB.  but you still can do a lot of fun stuff!!
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Offline urthegman

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2012, »
Very clear. I wanted to see if there was an easy way to program them, my plan was too accent the colors that were going on at a given point in a sequence. I like to balance the display by keeping some of the elements in the display simple while all the RGB elements are going crazy. I'm hoping time permits me to free up my windows, which are currently just white, red or green to white 1-6, red 1-6, and green 1-6 like your example above. Thanks for your help, I have to go replace some of the green fuses from my hubs, which I am embarrassed to say, I am becoming a lit-tle too good at  <fp.!!!

Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Pigtails
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2012, »
last week i fixed the last of my fuses. :)  good thing I bought them with the quantity discount. :)
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