DiyLightAnimation
Fun => The Porch => Topic started by: RJ on June 21, 2012,
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For those that are asking, While I did run out of time in every class so not everything got into them at the academy. I had the DSC there at the show and it was used to show the Conductor off in the conductor class.
It is finished beta and we are lining up a coop manager for it. I will have some pics for it in the next couple of days and they will be posted to the wiki with info on it.
RJ
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Yay! Can't wait!
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Very nice.
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Rj, I am looking forward on some them
8)
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<res. <pop.. <;d
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WOOT WOOT MY WAIT IS ALMOST OVER!!!!
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So are the dumb string controllers 5 VDC, 12VDC or ???
Dimmable?
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12v dc (Common Anode) three channel dimmer to run the dumb strings/strips/ect.
RJ
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cool thx
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Can I suggest that the info on DSC is pretty light?
The wiki has nothing yet, the assembly manual is also missing detail.
I'm looking for more info on how DSCs can be integrated into your display... does the RJ45 connect using powered DMX? Do I need to have a Active Smart String hub? Do I need a Passive hub?
More details will be a big help in understanding what I need as support infrastructure.
I'm wondering if it is possible to use a Lynx DMX USB dongle, with a 12v power supply -- and a chain of DSCs and have everything I need.
Thanks!
Steve
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The dumb string is just exactly like a SSC, it is a pixelnet device but instead of controlling the smart strings it runs the three channel 12 common anode strings that you see common. It only runs on 12v and uses a hub. It is no different than a SSC controller except what lights hook to it. You use the SSC utility just like a SSC to program the starting channel it simply ignores all the info but the start channel.
RJ
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The DSC fronted is just like the SSC. So basically however you connected the SSC you can do the same with a DSC.
The difference is the output side which uses a 4 wire lights without any smarts in the nodes
Rick R.
RJ beat me to it.
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Very cool guys, this should be a good bridge for a lot of our RGB items that don't need a per-pixel design, like minitrees...
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The dumb string is just exactly like a SSC, it is a pixelnet device but instead of controlling the smart strings it runs the three channel 12 common anode strings that you see common. It only runs on 12v and uses a hub. It is no different than a SSC controller except what lights hook to it. You use the SSC utility just like a SSC to program the starting channel it simply ignores all the info but the start channel.
RJ
What hub is needed? Passive or active and what is the differnce between the two? Thanks!
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The dumb string is just exactly like a SSC, it is a pixelnet device but instead of controlling the smart strings it runs the three channel 12 common anode strings that you see common. It only runs on 12v and uses a hub. It is no different than a SSC controller except what lights hook to it. You use the SSC utility just like a SSC to program the starting channel it simply ignores all the info but the start channel.
RJ
What hub is needed? Passive or active and what is the differnce between the two? Thanks!
Active and Passive are nearly the same... Active has a DMX-out jack, Passive does not.
Either will work.
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Thank you. Active is what I would need.
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Will the DSC work with a regular Dongle??
Mike
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Will the DSC work with a regular Dongle??
Mike
The DSC works just like SSC. You plug them into a hub. The hub can be driven by Pixelnet dongle or EtherDongle with Pixelnet firmware.
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will there be a link in the wiki for dumb strings though Ray W. Or will we have to find our own place to purchase them.
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12v common anode ( common positive) 4amps or less per dsc.
Ray had the ones that are shaped like the smart.strings. a lot of people buy off other places like ebay. I usually wait to buy 5m strips that have free shipping. 5m meter strips will have to be cut to 4m or less to meet the 4amp requirement.
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Assuming that I have sufficient power, can a single Hub run both SSCs and DSCs at the same time?
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Assuming that I have sufficient power, can a single Hub run both SSCs and DSCs at the same time?
Yes
Just watch your current draw and number of channels
Rick R.
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What kind of price would you consider to be fair for ( lets say ) 5 mm strip
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Will the DSC work with a regular Dongle??
Mike
It will if you flash the dongle for Pixelnet.
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So I know these need to be 12v strings, but can the chipset vary ... or is it still limited to certain items like smart strings are, which seem to be TM1804 based.
My impression is that these could maybe work on strings that just mix a RGB for the entire string and thats all they can do, right? And they would be 3 channels of pixelnet to drive them.
Could a thread be started at some point to help identify products that would work with the DSC ?
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What kind of price would you consider to be fair for ( lets say ) 5 mm strip
Wide range of prices and variables
Waterproof and to what ip rating
5050 verse 3528 or other
#leds per meter
Rgb or single color
Around $20 to $25 for 5m of 5050 SMd rgb, 60 LEDs per meter Is a good price
Can find lower, but I am Usually skeptical after reading details
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So I know these need to be 12v strings, but can the chipset vary ... or is it still limited to certain items like smart strings are, which seem to be TM1804 based.
My impression is that these could maybe work on strings that just mix a RGB for the entire string and thats all they can do, right? And they would be 3 channels of pixelnet to drive them.
Could a thread be started at some point to help identify products that would work with the DSC ?
There is no chipset ... Thus the "dumb" nomenclature
Yes, one color at a time per controller for whatever length you connect to that controller
12v common anode (+) and 3 other wires ( 1 per color) is only requirement, other than current limits
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One example.
There are many more
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/IP68-DC12V-input-12mm-through-hole-LED-channel-letter-RGB-color-100pcs-a-string/701799_522236867.html
Rick R.
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There is no chipset ... Thus the "dumb" nomenclature
Thanks !!
I guess you have to be kind of smart to understand dumb strings.
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So basically we can use the dumb string lights as we would regular lights, but we can make them any color we like?
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So basically we can use the dumb string lights as we would regular lights, but we can make them any color we like?
If by "regular lights" you mean a string of 12v RGB nodes or a strip... then you are right.
if you can take your string of lights, connect a power supply to that string and it simply works with 12v applied... you should be good. Note that the red/positive line from your power supply should connect to the common/12v+ or shared line on your string of lights. The black/ground would connect to the blue line and you'd get blue, green line and you get green, red... red. and if you connect ALL 3 lines from the string to the ground you would get the mixture known as white. :)
The DSC is inserted between the power and the string, and it controls the light levels for each of the 3 lines.
Hopefully, my description did not make things worse...
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[I guess you have to be kind of smart to understand dumb strings :)/quote]
:)
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Just to add to the confusion...
The basic assumption folks have been making is that you would use this with RGB LEDs, but the controller doesn't really care... It's just a 12v three channel controller. It could be three separate strands of mini lights, as long as the total voltage per strand is 12v and you don't exceed the ~4 amps total available from the smart string hub (~1.3 amp per channel). It's powered from the hub and only talks pixelnet.
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12v common anode ( common positive) 4amps or less per dsc.
Ray had the ones that are shaped like the smart.strings. a lot of people buy off other places like ebay. I usually wait to buy 5m strips that have free shipping. 5m meter strips will have to be cut to 4m or less to meet the 4amp requirement.
The typical 30 LEDS/M strips are 1 amp per channel for 5 meters so no cutting necessary on them. 60 LEDS/M is another story.
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Now that the coop is open, there will probably be a lot of noobs (like me :-) coming to this thread trying to answer the question, "What do I need these for?" :-) So -- I'm going to ask some really *dumb* questions.
I've gathered from reading this thread that these can be used in place of SSC's when you only need one color, right? But -- why do such a thing? Are these that much cheaper than the SSCs? IOW why not just use SSCs and program them to whatever color you want? The RGB light strings are the same in either case, right?
Also, if these just do one color, why not just use a Lynx Express and normal colored lights? The only answer I can think of is that these can be programmed to any color you want, whereas with normal strings they are fixed in color.
One final question. I would also assume that (unlike normal colored lights) these can be programmed to *change* color during a sequence, right? So the only (functional) difference between these and smart strings is that all of the lights within a string will always be the same color. Have I got it now?
Thanks in advance for more "illumination" :-)
Gary
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The DSC controls a different type of lights. Dumb Strings as I termed them have no brains in them and are just a string of red leds, blue leds, green leds. You apply voltage to them with no data. you can make the string any color you want but the whole string changes to the same color no control over each node as you have in smart stings.
So DSC is for Dumb strings, SSC is for Smart String they are not interchangable.
Dumb strings are a little cheaper.
You can do the same with with SSC by putting it into string mode it will act like a dumb string.
hope this helps.
RJ
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So some more *dumb* questions. I did not find this information in the wiki so asking here.
How many nodes do we select in the SSC utility? 1 or 3 or ?
Alan
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It really doesn't matter what you set that to because the DSC ignores that. About the only thing that you can set is the start channel and that's all you need to worry about.
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Ok maybe got that done, it flashed blue while in programming. I suppose that is what it is supposed to do.
Next I am trying to find some software that will let me play with the colors and such. Nutcracker can turn it red, but I cannot find any other settings in there to do something else besides turn it red.
Off to the software forums now!
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X-Lights has a test utility that will let you play with the colors.
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I figured out xlights to test 1 string. I was a bone head and only choose one channel to test! when I chose 513-515 it works just dandy!
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