PixelNet and e1.31 (just want to make sure I understand)

[DanHouston]

In reading about PixelNet it is taking 64 universes of DMX and collapising that down to 4 universes of PixelNet? So is the mapping from a seqencer just sequential:

DMX Universe 1 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 1 Channel 1
DMX Universe 2 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 1 Channel 513
.
.
DMX Universe 64 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 4 Channel 3585

(I may have done the math wrong there, but want to confirm generally how it works from Sequencer to Etherdongle and then Etherdongle out to the yard).

Thanks,
Dan

[rrowan]

I think one Pixelnet universe Ethedongle is 32 dmx universes

as per RJ's chart that I added to and put in the wiki
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its in the Pixelnet library You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login Called Online Chart first row middle column

Hope that helps

Rick R.

Edit - Sorry I met Etherdongle and not pixelnet universe. As the other members have mention
or 4 pixelnet universes

[DanHouston]

I gave each wire in the CAT-5 a universe, instead of pairs

Thanks Rick!

[Steve Gase]

actually, 1 pixelnet universe is 4096 channels.  1 dmx universe is 512 channels.  so... one pixelnet universe is equivalent to 8 DMX universes.
 
a USB dongle, flashed with the pixelnet firmware will generate 1 pixelnet univers.
 
frequently we talk about 16,384 channels, because it is possible to run 4 pairs of wires in a cat5 cable.  4 pairs of wires could carry 4 DMX universes -- coming from 4 USB dongles with DMX firmware (4x512=2048 channels of DMX) -- or the same cat5 can carry 4 pixelnet universes -- coming from 4 USB dongles with pixelnet firmware (4x4096=16,384 channels of pixelnet).
 
A single EtherDongle has the capability of doing 4 DMX universes  --- OR the capability of doing 4 pixelnet universes by using all 4 pairs.

[DanHouston]

Gotcha.

[smeighan]

In reading about PixelNet it is taking 64 universes of DMX and collapising that down to 4 universes of PixelNet? So is the mapping from a seqencer just sequential:

DMX Universe 1 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 1 Channel 1
DMX Universe 2 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 1 Channel 513
.
.
DMX Universe 64 Channel 1 - PixelNet Universe 4 Channel 3585

(I may have done the math wrong there, but want to confirm generally how it works from Sequencer to Etherdongle and then Etherdongle out to the yard).

Thanks,
Dan

Each hub is 8 universes or 4096 channels

My 1st hub, Channels 1-4096
My 2nd hub, Channels 4097-8192
My 3rd hub, Channels 8193-12288
My future hub, Channels 12289-16384

In vixen and nutcracker i just create sequences from 1 to 12,100. 12,100 was the number of channels i had this year.

If you go over 16,384 channels ( I may this year go to 18,000) then you need another etherdongle.

1 etherdongle drives 4 hubs, 32 universes, 16384 channels
2nd etherdongle will drive the next 16K channels

The only issue i needed to be aware of is if a string of lights spans a hub, you cant do that. so if i am channel 4000 and want to start a string of 120 nodes (360 channels) only the first 32 nodes (96 channels) will work.

I handled this in nutcracker by being able to adjust the offsets between strings. I will be adding to the nutcracker target generator the ability to start on any channel and to also start the string on different channels. This will allow the hybrid mode to work. This is where the  first three channels of a string are RGB and then the real first pixel starts on channel 4.

[chrisatpsu]

as far as best practices, you need to have your dmx equipment channels between 1 - 512, and you need to have your pixelnet channels between 1 - 4096
ok, that's for settings the device's start channel.

the next step is to worry about any active hub jumpers, this is where you need to know what channel block from that particular hub you need to mimic to a dmx universe.

finally, your sequence channels, and you equipment channels don't have to match. Your sequencing software supports more than one type of device. If you start your sequence with a usb dongle, or even LOR equipment, then you add the etherdongle to handle the channels after that, channel 1 on the active hub, wont match channel 1 in your sequencer.

for example, i could run a hill320 controller as my first 320 channels in vixen, then have my etherdongle setup for the channels after that.
channels 1-320  -   hill320 controller 320 channels
channel 321 in vixen - etherdongle - pixelnet universe channel 1

[DanHouston]

Chris,

Since it is e1.31 to the etherdongle shouldn't it be DMX channels/Universes coming in?

[chrisatpsu]

when you're setting up your Etherdongle (example with pixelnet firmware)

you might need to setup the software as E.31 dmx universes in the settings of the output controller, but that's only in the configuration of your "network"
your sequencer doesn't need or care about the "universes"  i was pointing out that there can be instances where channel 1 in pixelnet isn't always channel one in the sequencer.

[DanHouston]

That's true, and something I had not really thought much about.....

I wonder what the sequencers are sending out behind the scenes. The e1.31 protocol has DMX Universe and Channel# information. So if in a sequencer I say that for my e1.31 device output starts at channel 330 do they say well that is considered Universe#1 Channel#1 for this device? (easy enough to test when I get home by looking at the packet). I guess it could get even more interesting ins something like HLS where it asks for universe number as well as channel number.

[rm357]

Each e1.31 universe is 512 channels and runs from channel 1 to channel 512.
Each e1.31 universe has its own IP address.

Universe 1 is at IP address 239.255.0.1
Universe 2 is at IP address 239.255.0.2
.
.
Universe 65535 is at IP address 239.255.255.255
(Actually, I think there are some reserved addresses that you cannot use, but I hope you get the idea - that would be over 33 million channels. You better be running gigabit ethernet if you want to support that many channels at a decent frame rate...)

How you software configures the channels and the order of the universes is all in the setup. You have to map the blocks in the order you want...

The etherdongle pixelnet firmware takes 32 contiguous blocks of addresses and outputs them as 4 pixelnet universes. There are three versions of the firmware out. One supports blocks 1-32, the second uses blocks 33-64, and the last one supports universes 65-96. The last two firmware loads you will have to look for in the forums - I didn't see them in the wiki.

Found them...
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[n1ist]

I added that link to the wiki.
/mike