DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx EtherDongle => Lynx Conductor => Topic started by: sittinguphigh on November 24, 2013,
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On my conductor I have a test program from early this year.
I want to test the conductor and a new string on lights.
The conductor will not connect.
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Update to newest firmware and download new control panel. Dont forget to use ogg files instead of mp3
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
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Has this has been a problem? It work earlier this year.
I was wondering if I missed something?
I think programming the ehterdongle first and test it out should be the first set.
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Do you have the etherdongle or conductor firmware on your conductor? It needs to be flashed with the conductor firmware to work.
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Do you have another Kingston flash drive since I see it at the bottom of your screen shot? Remember you use the utility with a usb cable to create your password and copy your files and create your show and schedule on the flash card via a reader. Then you close down the utility and remove the flash card and put it in the conductor and hook it up via a network cable and run the utility. That looks like a screenshot of when you are hooked up via usb since I can see the flash drive and the computer time info is not populated.
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I'm using RGB lights with a etherdongle/conductor threw the Cat 5e Ethernet Cable.
I'm trying to do a test with the conductor. If I have sequence in the flash drive shouldn't it connect.
From earlier this year I have a test sequence in the flash drive.
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After you have copied the files onto the flash drive and used the utility to put the password and create the show and schedule while in the card reader, you then take the flash card out of the reader and insert it into the conductor and power it up. Then open the utility to talk to the conductor through the cat5 cable. Assuming you have the conductor firmware loaded on the etherdongle.
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After you have copied the files onto the flash drive and used the utility to put the password and create the show and schedule while in the card reader, you then take the flash card out of the reader and insert it into the conductor and power it up. Then open the utility to talk to the conductor through the cat5 cable. Assuming you have the conductor firmware loaded on the etherdongle.
I open up the conductor control panel if I have a sequence in the flash drive it should connect. Correct.
If I open the conductor panel up without a password should it connect?
What is the conductor telling me if it will no connect?
This is what is on the flash drive.
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Have you update to the new firmware and utility this year? I see you have an mp3 file and the new version only works with ogg files. So you should not have been able to create a musical show with the mp3 file. Once you have created all the necessary files on the flash card it must be installed into the conductor before the conductor will boot up. You can't open the utility until the flash card is installed into the conductor and it is powered up for it to connect.
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Here's how I set mine up:
Firstly, the Etherdongle/Conductor doesn't need to be connected via Ethernet to an Access Point/ Router, you only need this if you want to connect to the Etherdongle/Conductor remotely from an Android device or via a PC .
The conductor gets installed on top of the Etherdongle and the latest Firmware flashed onto the Etherdongle. Format your flash card with the correct setting.Set up your sequences, music, password, shows and schedule on the flash card by setting it up locally on your PC via the USB to flash card adapter.
Then insert the card into the conductor flash card slot.
Connect the Etherdongle with the conductor via hard wired ethernet to a router, make sure that the router is set up correctly (check firewall settings and that it support multicast and that the radio WLAN is set up with the correct name), you need to name the SSID name that the router will broadcast, I just set the SSID name as say "Wireless LAN" and set up the Wireless password (see below).
There are different security types for Wireless Access, I personally use WPA2-Personal and set the encryption to TKIP
e.g to do this open up your network connections and right click on your wireless connection and select properties, you will need to set up:
1. Security - WPA2-Personal
2. Encryption - TKIP
3. Network Security Key - "This is a pass phrase" so you could type something you can remember like "thelazybrownfox"
Power up the Etherdongle and Conductor.
You can also connect to the Etherdongle/Condutor via a PC, but you use a different application located
here -> http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=5767.0;attach=9894
After installing the App, go to the Wireless settings on your PC and connect to the Wireless router (look for the name of the Access Point e.g the SSID name you set up above, e.g it would be Wireless Lan as describe above) and use the same password and security that you set up on your router (it will need to be the same security setting, e.g. something like WPA OR WPA2 etc).
This will then allow you to be connected to the same wireless network that the router is providing. This wireless router is connected to the Etherdongle/Conductor via the Ethernet Cable.
Fire up the Conductor control panel on yout PC. It will ask for the password that you set up on your Flash card, type in that password.
And viola, you will be connected to the Etherdongle/conductor.
It will probably report the Conductor Status as waiting, so if your schedule is set to start as say 7pm, and it's 3pm, it will report Conductor Status as "waiting"
You can't change the show, schedule or sequences or music on the flash card, but if it's in waiting status, you can manually play the show ONCE though by selecting the show on the card and click play.
Once the show starts at say 7pm, you can stop the show, and you can also see what sequence is playing, how far it's played of the current show and sequence, you can also set the volume of the left and right hand channels, sync PC and conductor time etc.
That's about it.
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I don't see the *.sch file (Schedule file) on the CF card. You will also need to schedule a show to run via the CP Utility and thus it will create the *.sch file. This file is also needed before the Conductor will "connect".
Denny
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I'm is testing mode. I'm all over the map here. What program do I use to program the flash card for scheduling?
It looks like I'm missing that in the flash card.
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You use the same utility assuming you are using the one posted for 2013 firmware. Put the flashcard in a usb flashcard reader and format the card as per the instructions included with the firmware. Copy your .seq and .ogg files to it. Then use the utility to set up your password and create a show and then a schedule. Then remove the card from the reader and close the utility. Put the card in the Conductor and plug in your network cable and power the conductor up. Then open the same utility and it should see the Conductor if nothing is wrong. The files are found here - http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=11905.0
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What utility?
Will the test program work with new firmware?
Do I have to redo the flash card?
I use Google chrome. Do I have to use internet Explorer.
Were's the instruction on how to do firmware? Been a while?
I have a pickit3.
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All the programs, instruction manual, and firmware files are in the first post here- http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=11905.0 Read through the thread and instruction manual and you will understand.
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I had similar issue. Reflashed card to 16kb and all good here.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
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Completely lost. Read the manual can't get past formatting card. What program do you use to format? Have no idea how to do firmware with pick3.
Don't know how to reflash card or what it is.
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Try going into "Computer Management" then "Disk Management" then right click on your flash card to format it. Change the allocation size to 16kb and the file system to Fat32 like the instruction manual says. Do you have a pickit 3 to program the PIC? Flashing the card means to reformat the card correctly and to copy the .seq files and .oog files back to it and set up the password, show, and schedule.
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An example of how to load firmware on a PIC can be found here in the WIKI- http://diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=PIC_Programming_with_the_PICkit_3
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Yes I have a pickit3.
Format completed.
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screen print in tools where you choose the format function. There should be an options dialog in there someplace when you do the formatting an it lets you pick the fat type etc.
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Should I re-flash the conductor and SSC firmware it was flashed last year?
What do I use to convert test .seq and test audio to .ogg and load to cf card in card reader?
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Yes the firmware for the conductor changed in 2013. As explained in this thread- http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=11905.0. If your SSC's are at v3 you do not need to reflash them. Your test.seq is okay. You can use "Audacity"(search for it on the internet) to convert your .mp3 to .ogg. Windows explorer can copy the .seq and .ogg files to your cf card.
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Reflash conductor.
SSC is v3 no need to reflash.
Audacity is one program that can convert the seq and audio to proper language for the conductor to read. Thought we had one on DLA that does that to?
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Audacity is a free download and works great
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
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Is audacity for audio language change?
I have no idea how this thing works.
I don't ever remember using this.
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Yes it can convert the .mpg to ogg. The older control panel let you use mp3's but there were some people whose music and the sequences would become slightly out of sync so RJ switched to .ogg to fix that issue. It is all explained in the Conductor operation manual (one of the downloads in the thread I gave a link to earlier).
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I found the test files audio and sequence.
I use the Audacity for the audio. Can't figure out how to start working that program.
Now what program do I use for the sequence file so I can use it on the conductor?
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If it is in .seq format it is already in conductor format.
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OK. But I still need to know how to change my vixen programs over when I program. Is it xlights?
Were do I start in the Audacity program? How to I get the audio into the program and change it over?
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Xlights can convert vixen to conductor format. The Conductor operaton manual available in the thread I linked to earlier explains how to export to ogg using Audacity if you read down far enough. That manual explains a lot.
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The heading is not copying over from Audacity. Is this a big deal.
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You will have to forgive me. I'm not very computer savvy.
What program do you use for pickit v3.
I'm using smart strings with a conductor.
PIC Programming
Pickit2 Stand Alone Programmer Appver 2.61
Pickit3 Stand Alone Programmer Appver 1.0
Pickit3 Stand Alone Utility v3 Beta Not recommend with Smart Strings Devices - Use ver 1.0 above.
Updated Device Database File: PK2DeviceFile.dat (Includes support for PIC32MX795F512L) *You will need to rename the file from .hex to .dat before copying to your PICkit3 installation folder. SPECIAL NOTE: Some users have experienced issues with flashing the EtherDongle PIC using the v3 Beta. If you have flashed the EtherDongle using v3 Beta and it does not appear to work (no PixelNet output), re-flash the PIC using the v1 Stand Alone Utility above.
Check for latest version of Pickit2 Programmer Software
Check for latest version of MPLAB IDE
Always check the latest version of the software on their site. If a new version come out please update the link or let us know.
Is MPLAB® X IDE v1.95 the one correct.
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Pickit3 Stand Alone Programmer Appver 1.0
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conductorV69.hex
My computer will nor except this file.
Is there a program to download?
What's is this about? Under etherdongle. Was this the first etherdongle only.
NOTE: DON'T USE THE 49.9K RESISTORS FROM THE FIRST COOP, RJ IS GETTING REPLACEMENTS. THEY SHOULD BE 49.9 OHM
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The Resistor issue was for the very first run coop only.
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In the picket standalone programmer v1 that is the file you browse to when you get to the step of "file" "import hex". This is after you have chosen the correct chip in the scroll window. You might do a search on the forum for Pickit and read through the threads on tips for using the program. The note as it says was only for the first Coop.
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How do you know the conductor programmed?
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I would first erase the firmware and see if it is successful. Then program it and watch the data area. After erasing the data will show zeros. When the program takes the zeros will change to other values.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2.
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I erased the firm ware of the conductor. Then imported the hex file information from the down loads. Did it about five times and it keeps failing. I erase the file and no zeros come up. Not sure what to do now?
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Try clicking the target power check box to tell the Pickit to power the PIC and try it again.
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power up the conductor then do it.
RJ
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I flashed the conductor.
I put the testlight sequence in the flash card.
I converted the audio to ogg and inserted it in the flash drive.
But the audio doesn't show up on the conductor program.
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Does it say Lynx Conductor Control Panel V3 at the top? If not use the correct utility available here-
http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=11905.0 and of course you have to have the flash card in the usb reader and have created your password first and then create your show and schedule.
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So is this a update of the old conductor panel?
Or a whole new conductor panel?
So do you need the first conductor version on your computer?
I have tried both ways.
I can't get the new version to come up.
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This is the one that goes with the v69 firmware released earlier this year.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2.
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So is this a update of the old conductor panel?
Or a whole new conductor panel?
So do you need the first conductor version on your computer?
I have tried both ways.
I can't get the new version to come up.
Modify message
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The version 3 conductor panel works with the v69 firmware. Were you successful programing the etherdongle with the conductor firmware v69?
Was the etherdongle working with the etherdongle firmware prior to flashing with the conductor firmware?
Did you format with 16k and Fat32?
Did you create a password?
Did you create a show?
Did you create a schedule?
Are all filenames, show names, and schedule names 8 characters or less?
If the answer to all these is yes I would take a toothpick and try to move each pin on the flashcard socket sideways to see if one or more is loose.
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The version 3 conductor panel works with the v69 firmware. Were you successful programing the etherdongle with the conductor firmware v69?
It looks like the program took to the etherdongle/conductor.
Was the etherdongle working with the etherdongle firmware prior to flashing with the conductor firmware? Yes it was.
Did you format with 16k and Fat32?Yes
Did you create a password?Not yet
Did you create a show?No audio will not not show up
Did you create a schedule?no audio will not show up
Are all filenames, show names, and schedule names 8 characters or less?not yet
If the answer to all these is yes I would take a toothpick and try to move each pin on the flashcard socket sideways to see if one or more is loose.
Conductor stays on conductor version 1
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Delete your old "conductor control panel" folder in your "DLA" folder on your hard drive and install the V3 control panel in the first post on this thread- http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?topic=11905.0
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Conductor not connecting.
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After you have created your show, schedule, and password, close down the utility then remove the card and put it in your conductor. Connect your network cable between your computer and the conductor and then power up the conductor. Give it a few minutes for your computer to detect the "unknown network" then use the utility again. It should connect now unless you have a problem. From your screen shot you still have your flashcard still in the flash drive instead of in the conductor because I still see it under "select flash drive".
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Now the flash drive is not showing up.
On the conductor or the computer.
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Does it say it is connected? Anything show up in the box that says "shows available on card"? Or the "active schedule" dropdown? You won't see the flashcard at the bottom if connected to the conductor. You will only see that when you have the card in the card reader(to create new shows and schedules). This utility does different things when connected to the card reader and different things connected to the conductor.
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No shows. No connection.
Should the flash card disappear in the computer?
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Yes because you no longer are using the reader. If the conductor was connecting you would see the show name you created if your flash card is in the conductor and it is powered up within the "shows available on card box. I would check your cf socket for pins not soldered good with a toothpick and magnifying glass.
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No I put the flash drive back into my computer and it doesn't show it in existence on the my PC. Disappeared. I can't look to see if the files in the flash drive are ok. My USB flas drive shows when I plug it in.
All pins are OK.
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If you put it back into the usb reader and can't see anything on it via Windows explorer then you have a problem with the flash card itself. You can try reformatting and starting all over(or another same brand card). If you are able to reformat at 16k allocation and Fat32 then-
1. Copy your .seq and .ogg files back into the drive(names should be 8 characters or less)
2. Use the V3 utility to create your password, your show, and your schedule (names should be 8 characters or less)
3. Close your utility and move your flashcard from the usb reader to the conductor
4. plug in your network line from your computer to your conductor and power up the conductor
5. After you see the unidentified network(may take a couple of minutes) open the utility and see if it connects
6. If it does you should see your show name in the area that says "shows available on card".
7. If it still doesn't connect you may have to find someone locally with a working conductor to help you determine if it is a problem with your conductor or your computer(assuming you have tried disabling your firewalls and antivirus)
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Very Strange.
This what shows up.
I tried to use the conductor and can't get in.
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Your flash card is the Kingston. I can see it in your screenshot.
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That is a different one. That is the USB port kind.
The other one is the cf card.
It was working fine. Then it stop showing it in the conductor and my PC.
I will use my friends computer to test the cf card.
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OK. Found my computer cf reader went bad. Got a new one.
Now the cf card has all the programs in it.
The conductor will not work.
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Here are some things I would check. What version of PicKit3 are you using to flash the conductor? I believe you need to use v1 from the Wiki. Are you connecting directly from the PC to the etherdongle? If so, you may want to try a cross-over cable. Some older PCs will not auto detect and switch. Also, try to disable you Windows Firewall. This will ensure that packets from the Etherdongle are not being blocked. If you have more than one network adaptor (wireless) disable wireless. Check the battery on the RTC.