DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx Smart String => Topic started by: TheQueb on November 12, 2012,
-
I jumped in to the DIY market with the purchase of eight Smart String Controllers, an Active hub, a couple of Lynx dongles and some pixel base strings and modules during the off-season.
After building everything I was pleasantly surprised that everything worked during testing. I can get blinky-flashy-color-changing goodness from my elements using any of the test utilities but damn if I can wrap my head around getting this hardware to work in LOR S3, Vixen and/or Xlights, Vixen being new to me I'm fumbling may way around it. I haven't even started trying to get them to work with my existing hardware which consists of five AC d-light controllers and one DC d-light controller. My preference, sequencer-wise, would be to use LOR S3 and maybe schedule and output through Xlights. My setup this year will be as follows:
5 - D-light controllers, non-dmx, running through a d-light dongle
8 - SSC v3's from RJ at diylightanimation, running pixelnet through a lynx pixelnet flashed dongle, controlling four-30 pixel arches, eight-8 segment fasteddy coro canes and some coroplast RGB lit gifts in front of my z-tree.
Can someone hold my hand through setting this up in LOR?
-
One, make sure you have the latest version of LOR S3 (3.80) Then see the last posting here http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=9246.0 Also check over at the LOR forums as there is a lot of information there (you have to dig a little) Basically I understand it now (Correct me if this wrong) that using Pixelnet in LOR S3 the pixelnet channels are just set to DMX channels.
-
If you plan to use xLights to play your LOR sequences, you don't use DMX channels. You use regular non-DMX networks and xLights translates that to its own Network configuration. If you plan to use the Conductor, this is critical.
BUT
If you don't plan to play your show with xLights or use the Conductor, then LOR S3 3.8.0 Advanced License can run just about any combination now. You just use DMX channels.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
-
I'm attaching a simple diagram of my setup. Maybe it'll help. All the DIY stuff will be a total of 600 channels (200 RGB) so I'm guessing I'll have to output through X-Lights. I don't have a problem with that. I just can't figure out how to setup in LOR. Jumpers here and there, SSC Utility, Channel names and numbers, etc...
Oh and I have a Lynx Express that I could throw in for good measure also. Can I use it via the DMX out on the Active hub? If not, I have another Lynx Dongle flashed with DMX firmware but I'll be running low on USB ports on my show'puter.
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/56045_3445961886454_139039370_o.jpg)
-
You can plug an LE (or any other DMX device) into the DMX out of the active hub; that's what it is for.
/mike
-
The d light boxes use the LOR wiring I believe, so the DMX will be on different wires then the Lynx uses. There is a cross over diagram in the wiki. I have run the LOR and Lynx networks side by side and the LOR scheduler worked excellent. You will not see the non LOR boxes in the hareware detection. You have to go to networks and selected the dongles or adapters your using. I did use Xlights for testing my DMX tho.
-
The dlight boxes have the same pinout as LOR, but for dlight to support DMX, you need to replace the Dlight's PIC to use the dlight open DMX firmware. (LOR boxes will auto switch when DMX is detected.)
Your best option is to run xLights to schedule your show. Run two networks. One for Dlights and the other for PixelNet.
PixelNet
USB Lynx Dongle (Pixelnet) -> SSHub -> SSCs -> SmartStrings
-> DMX Out -> Lynx Express
DLight (LOR Protocol)
LOR USB adaptor -> Dlight
-
My d-light boxes aren't running DMX firmware so I'll be using my d-light dongle for those. With help from JonB I've gotten a few thing accomplished today. I got some blinky flashy on my SSC's but my pixel count is 200 so 600 separate RGB channels. I'm running my d-light stuff as LOR on Regular network, Units 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. I'm running my lynx pixelnet dongle as LOR on Aux A, Unit 1, Channels 1 to 512. How do I get the 600 channels that I need to cover my pixel count? I tried Unit 2, Channel 1... and when playing through Xlights my 6th and 7th pixels lit up but not as I had sequenced. I had only sequenced 1 channel but the two pixels lit... ???
-
I should have been more clear. How do I get above 512 when assigning channels in LOR S3?
I was playing around in S3, outputting with Xlights and I setup a basic 3 RGB channel sequence to test with and see if I could figure out how to get just 3 pixels to do what I wanted.
I set up the first one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
I set up the second one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 4,5, and 6 for the RGB.
I set up the third one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 02, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
I then put a 5 second fade from red to blue in all three channels and saved it. Exited S3 and went in to Xlights to play the sequence.
I have 3 SSCs hooked to my active hub but when playing this test sequence I only get output to one of the SSC strings and it's on Pixels 1,2, 6 and 7. ??? Pixels 1 and 2 do the same thing: fade from green to blue. ??? Pixel 6 fades from red to off and pixel 7 fades from dim green to bright green ??? ??? ???
-
Normally when over 512 dmx channels you then start a second DMX universe channels 513 to 1024
Not a clue how its done in LOR.
Rick R.
-
i editted my post and added while you were posting... Don't know if you saw that
-
I should have been more clear. How do I get above 512 when assigning channels in LOR S3?
I was playing around in S3, outputting with Xlights and I setup a basic 3 RGB channel sequence to test with and see if I could figure out how to get just 3 pixels to do what I wanted.
I set up the first one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
I set up the second one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 4,5, and 6 for the RGB.
I set up the third one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 02, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
xLights channel # = ((LOR Unit Number - 1) * 16) + LOR Circuit Number
Your first line should be DMX channels 1, 2, 3
Your second line should be DMX channels 4, 5, 6
Your third line should be DMX channels 17, 18, 19
-
Ok I can calculate the channel numbers this way. Is each ssc considered a different unit number? Or could I set each element as a different unit number? ie Could I set my 4 arches, which are all on the same ssc, as 4 different unit numbers? My 8 canes, all on the same ssc, as 8 different unit numbers? My 8 RGB presents, all on the same ssc, as 8 different unit numbers? Or... Are the ssc's each a unit number? Am I making sense or am I just rambling? Lol
-
I guess what I really need to know is which software recognizes and addresses what commands go to the Smart string controllers? With the SSC utility I set one of my controllers up starting at channel 1, the next one starting at 401 and the third one starting at 601.
-
Arch 1 will have starting address of 1
each node requires 3 channels (1 each for Red Green Blue) x 30 Nodes = 90 channels per arch.
Arch 1 Node 1 Red (address 1)
Arch 1 Node 1 Green (address 2)
Arch 1 Node 1 Blue (address 3)
Arch 1 Node 2 Red (address 4)
etc. etc. etc.
Arch 2 will have starting address of 91
Arch 3 will have starting address of 181
Arch 4 will have starting address of 271
Candy Cane 1 starting address 401 (these only use 24 channels each 8 nodes x 3 channels)
Candy Cane 2 starting address 425
Candy Cane 3 starting address 449
Candy Cane 4 starting address 473
Candy Cane 5 starting address 497
Candy Cane 6 starting address 521
Candy Cane 7 starting address 545
Candy Cane 8 starting address 569
Present 1 sa 601 (These will only use 6 channels per present)
Present 2 sa 607
Present 3 sa 613
Present 4 sa 619
Present 5 sa 625
Present 6 sa 631
Present 7 sa 637
Present 8 sa 643
Hope that helps you some.
John
-
I can't pick anything above 512 in LOR S3 though...
-
Last year I did as you stated, Aux A with unit 1, channel 1-512 and that worked for my needs and used S3 with xlights and a pixelnet dongle to run the show plus the regular network for LOR and a iDMX for Lynx.
This year I added a lot more SSC's so I tried adding as you stated adding unit 2 and that did not work with a second 512 so I read somewhere that you need to add the channels in S3 as in 16 channel units on aux A. This worked and got past the 512 limit. Yu need to add a Device, device type is RGB Device (non-CCD)and select your network, and upto 48 channels in 16 channels per unit ID.
But I had issues with xlights at Halloween and 600 pixels with the dongle. Xlights kept locking up and had to be killed with task manager, so I have since converted to the ED and setup 8 dmx universes using E1.31 and it works right from S3. This is how I will be running this year, but I need to do additional testing. Dennis Cherry commented in a different thread that when you go from universe 1 to universe 2 the pixelnet will connect and kept the channels correct.
My LOR boxes and Lynx boxes will be on the 1st universe and I will use the DMX out on the active hub. My house is all Lynx and the yard is LOR boxes for DMX so I will have 1 conversion cable to go from DMX standard pin out to the LOR pinout and run LOR via DMX. Universe 2-8 are pixelnet on 3 different elements.
Plan B will be dongles but I have confidence with the ED.
Craig
-
Nope John. LOR won't let me assign a channel higher than 512.
-
Nope John. LOR won't let me assign a channel higher than 512.
Neither does the DMX and E1.31 standards. You have to create second, third, etc universes
E1.31 universe is the standard that the etherDongle uses and that outputs up to 16384 channels but only 512 at a time.
If Aux A = 1 to 512?
can you have Aux B that is 512- 1024 but its really 1-512
That does help?
-
This is my current understanding:
If you have a Pixelnet dongle as the second network device in xLights, then xLights puts anything using AuxA out to the Pixelnet dongle.
First xLights network device is sent the Regular Network
Second xLights network device is the Aux A Network (aka, Network="1")
Third xLights network device is the Aux B Network (aka, Network="2")
In LOR, with some effort, you can create 3840 channels in the Aux A network (Unit01, 01 up to UnitF0, 16) hex numbering
But xLights expects 16 channels per Unit for its formula.
Since LOR won't name a Unit ID above F0, you therefore can't use all 4096 Pixelnet channels. (at least, I haven't found a way)
-
I should have been more clear. How do I get above 512 when assigning channels in LOR S3?
I was playing around in S3, outputting with Xlights and I setup a basic 3 RGB channel sequence to test with and see if I could figure out how to get just 3 pixels to do what I wanted.
I set up the first one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
I set up the second one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 01, Channels 4,5, and 6 for the RGB.
I set up the third one as Device Type: LOR, Network: Aux A, Unit: 02, Channels 1,2 and 3 for the RGB.
xLights channel # = ((LOR Unit Number - 1) * 16) + LOR Circuit Number
Your first line should be DMX channels 1, 2, 3
Your second line should be DMX channels 4, 5, 6
Your third line should be DMX channels 17, 18, 19
So what do I do when I get OVER 512 on my xLights channel #? I have 200 nodes or 600 separate channels. I thought about grouping my arches into two or three node groups but that would only eliminate 80 channels at most. Oh and the Gifts are grouped into two nodes each so that's another 8 for 88 total. That gets me to 512 but there's got to be a better way. What if I had made a mega tree from the 8 SSCs that I bought?! lol
-
This is my current understanding:
If you have a Pixelnet dongle as the second network device in xLights, then xLights puts anything using AuxA out to the Pixelnet dongle.
First xLights network device is sent the Regular Network
Second xLights network device is the Aux A Network (aka, Network="1")
Third xLights network device is the Aux B Network (aka, Network="2")
In LOR, with some effort, you can create 3840 channels in the Aux A network (Unit01, 01 up to UnitF0, 16) hex numbering
But xLights expects 16 channels per Unit for its formula.
Since LOR won't name a Unit ID above F0, you therefore can't use all 4096 Pixelnet channels. (at least, I haven't found a way)
I probably screwed up the formula somewhere but I made an excel spreadsheet with the formula we talked about and in my spreadsheet some of the xlight id's were duplicated across Unit id's. Am I wrong?
-
If you only have 16 channels per controller then it can't. If you 512 it will.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
-
The dongle does 4 512 DMX universes to Pixelnet. Each universe would be a separate unit in LOR set up because LOR only speaks LOR and DMX. What Rrowan was saying the 1st 1-512 would be unit (aux a) in LOR. the second universe would be unit (aux b) 1-512...etc. That means your light # 513 would be unit b-1. The third unit would be c-1 = your channel 1025 and so on. The dongle converts the DMX commands to RJ's pixelnet. That's why people are looking for better options then LOR S3 when you are using many hundreds or thousands of channels. It works but setting up takes a while. I have not used it in this way but there some that have and it has been explained on a past thread.