DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx Smart String => Topic started by: Gary on December 26, 2014,
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I'm considering adding pixels to my display in the next few years, and being the type of guy I am, I'm absorbing as much information as I can so I can plan my display before I buy anything. Sooooo many messages, wiki entries, and videos! I do have a few questions:
I remember that instead of unsoldering and re-soldering fuses from/to active hubs, somebody mentioned having a plug/socket. Where do you get those? Have there been any rumours of re-doing the circuit board to accept automotive-style blade fuses like the Zeus does?
Also, is there an article that explains universes in respect to DMX and Pixelnet? I'd like to know about Pixelnet channel limits regards to how large a channel range one Active or Passive hub can handle. I was also wondering how DMX is handled in Pixelnet so I can continue to use some of my older equipment (i.e. Are Channels 0-512 in Pixelnet reserved for older DMX devices? If so, how about multiple DMX universes to accommodate the people who had more than 512 channels in the pre-Pixelnet era?).
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Hi Gary,
I was also wondering how DMX is handled in Pixelnet so I can continue to use some of my older equipment (i.e. Are Channels 0-512 in Pixelnet reserved for older DMX devices? If so, how about multiple DMX universes to accommodate the people who had more than 512 channels in the pre-Pixelnet era?).
Once you flash your DLA USB Dongle or EtherDongle to Pixelnet, the Smart String Active Hub can output DMX (reason why the active hub has a pic on it) universe. The universe is selected by the jumpers on the hub. i.e.: If the hub is on Pixelnet universe 1 then the dmx channels will be dmx universe 1, if the hub is set for pixelnet universe 2 then the dmx universe 2, etc. The wiki has a link to Chart (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart) showing how the Pixelnet universe and dmx relate along with channel numbers. The "reserving" of DMX channels is really only in our minds. For example if you decided that DMX channels will use Pixelnet Universe 1. Channels 1 to 512 DMX and you have a Smart String Controller (SSC) with 50 nodes (50 X 3 = 150 channels) using Pixelnet channels 1 to 150 both the first 150 dmx channels will do exactly the same thing as the 50 nodes pixelnet channels. Clear as mud??
I'd like to know about Pixelnet channel limits regards to how large a channel range one Active or Passive hub can handle.
Each hub can do a full pixelnet universe. See if this document from RJ helps explain it some http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3554.0;attach=6084
Both above links are in the Equipment Page Smart String Library http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=Equipment#Library
At the end of the day Pixelnet is just a modified dmx string to handle larger channel counts.
Hopefully that helps some.
Rick R.
P.S. With doing RGB display hopefully you are using software design for it. Like NutCracker, LSP, Vixen 3, etc.
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Some things to get straight in my mind:
This question is more to satisfy my curiosity rather than being a problem I need solved/answered: In the "old fashioned" world of USB Dongles and Express controllers, if I was brave/crazy enough to have over 1000 channels, that would require 2 DMX universes, correct? The Express controllers' setup allows to set a start channel up to 512 (well, when I tried it, it goes up to 599... huh?). How does one access the second universe--do you need another USB Dongle for channels 513 to 1024, and therefore need a separate set of cables running around the yard to those controllers (which see channel 513 from the second universe as channel 1)?
Next question(s):
According to this document (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart), 4 PixelNet universes allows up to 16384 channels. If I want more than that, I would need another Etherdongle and a set of data signal wires snaking around the yard? In order to do that, I would hook up a router/switch to the computer's Ethernet port, and hook up the Etherdongles to the router/switch? How much network bandwidth does an Etherdongle with all 16384 channels being used to transmit 30-ish frames per second for a typical 100 megabit network card?
Looking at photos of the Active Hub board, it looks like there are two sets of jumpers to choose between Universes 1 through 4. I suppose the option is there for because 16 strings of 128 pixels equals 6144 which is more channels than one universe of 4096 can accommodate. How do you determine which SmartString output jack is on which universe?
Also, I was wondering how to plan channel numbers based on how data is transmitted over the wires. Here's a hypothecal situation: Let's say that I have a megatree using 16 100-pixel strands that will inevitably have pixels die during the season, but I want to have spare 128-pixel strands that could be used for multiple purposes (i.e. quick swap out of a 100-pixel strand in my megatree, a 50-pixel strand in a mini tree, a 128-pixel strand on my bushes, etc.). Does the Smart String Utility allow you to set up each controller to control only the first x number of pixels and leave the rest dark (i.e. I don't want the next first 28 pixels from the second strand in my megatree to be appearing on the first spare strand I installed)? (Note that I tried running the Smart String Utility to try to answer my own question, but I get an error message indicating that C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\DLA\Smart String utility\1.0.0.0\config.xml is missing)
I was also wondering how Pixelnet transmits its data. Let's say that I have a 100-pixel string of lights starting at channel 1 (channels 1-300), and I have another string starting at channel 1000 (channels 1000-1300) with no other strings in between. Does Pixelnet transmit data for all channels between 1 and 1300 about 30-ish times per second, or only the channels that are in use? Or is this more a matter of the software being used to run the show?
P.S. Yes, I was thinking about what newfangled software to use instead of Vixen 2.1... I was leaning towards Vixen 3...
P.P.S. And about the issue of soldered-in fuses... what workarounds have there been for allowing quick unplug/plug-in swaps of fuses?
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Some things to get straight in my mind:
This question is more to satisfy my curiosity rather than being a problem I need solved/answered: In the "old fashioned" world of USB Dongles and Express controllers, if I was brave/crazy enough to have over 1000 channels, that would require 2 DMX universes, correct? The Express controllers' setup allows to set a start channel up to 512 (well, when I tried it, it goes up to 599... huh?). How does one access the second universe--do you need another USB Dongle for channels 513 to 1024, and therefore need a separate set of cables running around the yard to those controllers (which see channel 513 from the second universe as channel 1)?
Yes you would require a seperate USB dongle on another com port to control channels 513 through 1024
Next question(s):
According to this document (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart), 4 PixelNet universes allows up to 16384 channels. If I want more than that, I would need another Etherdongle and a set of data signal wires snaking around the yard? In order to do that, I would hook up a router/switch to the computer's Ethernet port, and hook up the Etherdongles to the router/switch? How much network bandwidth does an Etherdongle with all 16384 channels being used to transmit 30-ish frames per second for a typical 100 megabit network card?
Looking at photos of the Active Hub board, it looks like there are two sets of jumpers to choose between Universes 1 through 4. I suppose the option is there for because 16 strings of 128 pixels equals 6144 which is more channels than one universe of 4096 can accommodate. How do you determine which SmartString output jack is on which universe?
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I may be corrected here but I believe the both pixelnet jumpers must be on the same universe (number) although thinking about it you should be able to set the first 8 seperate from the second 8.
Also, I was wondering how to plan channel numbers based on how data is transmitted over the wires. Here's a hypothecal situation: Let's say that I have a megatree using 16 100-pixel strands that will inevitably have pixels die during the season, but I want to have spare 128-pixel strands that could be used for multiple purposes (i.e. quick swap out of a 100-pixel strand in my megatree, a 50-pixel strand in a mini tree, a 128-pixel strand on my bushes, etc.). Does the Smart String Utility allow you to set up each controller to control only the first x number of pixels and leave the rest dark (i.e. I don't want the next first 28 pixels from the second strand in my megatree to be appearing on the first spare strand I installed)? (Note that I tried running the Smart String Utility to try to answer my own question, but I get an error message indicating that C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\DLA\Smart String utility\1.0.0.0\config.xml is missing)
I was also wondering how Pixelnet transmits its data. Let's say that I have a 100-pixel string of lights starting at channel 1 (channels 1-300), and I have another string starting at channel 1000 (channels 1000-1300) with no other strings in between. Does Pixelnet transmit data for all channels between 1 and 1300 about 30-ish times per second, or only the channels that are in use? Or is this more a matter of the software being used to run the show?
Yes the SSC is what determines how many nodes to turn on, if you put a 128 count string on a SSC programed for 100 nodes the last 28 will not light up (dependent on other programing settings ie: the first 28 nodes may not light up)
P.S. Yes, I was thinking about what newfangled software to use instead of Vixen 2.1... I was leaning towards Vixen 3...
P.P.S. And about the issue of soldered-in fuses... what workarounds have there been for allowing quick unplug/plug-in swaps of fuses?
There are several out there, use the one you feel comfortable with. As far as fuses, there have been a couple of work arounds and we don't know what the future design of the Active hub will be, RJ may redising it or come up with something new.
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Regarding fuses... I've been repairing my hubs by soldering the replacement fuse to the BACK of the board. You can leave the original fuse in place on the front of the board, it has no function once blown.
to solder on the back, I position the first lead against the 'stub' of the original fuse as it protrudes from the back, and solder against it. then I position the other lead and solder against the original fuse's other protrusion. then I trim off the leads.
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The fuses are not that big of a deal, I've blown 1 in 2 years of running. It is just that you cannot fix it out in the field, you pretty much have to unplug everything and pack it to the soldering station to fix em. Most of the time you can just fix what caused the fix to blow and move the cord to another spot and fix it after season. If you have 16 items plugged into a single hub, time for a second hub to spread the love a bit.
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Looking at photos of the Active Hub board, it looks like there are two sets of jumpers to choose between Universes 1 through 4. I suppose the option is there for because 16 strings of 128 pixels equals 6144 which is more channels than one universe of 4096 can accommodate. How do you determine which SmartString output jack is on which universe?
I may be corrected here but I believe the both pixelnet jumpers must be on the same universe (number) although thinking about it you should be able to set the first 8 seperate from the second 8.
Anyone else to comment on the usage of the jumpers and/or how multiple Pixelnet universes are handled on one Active Hub?
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I guess that asking a million questions in one post makes it hard to find all the questions to answer. Anybody have an answer to this one(s)?
According to this document (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart), 4 PixelNet universes allows up to 16384 channels. If I want more than that, would I need another Etherdongle and a set of data signal wires snaking around the yard? In order to do that, I would hook up a router/switch to the computer's Ethernet port, and hook up the Etherdongles to the router/switch? How much network bandwidth does an Etherdongle with all 16384 channels being used to transmit 30-ish frames per second for a typical 100 megabit network card?
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Oh, and an answer to this one would be great too. I was wondering how "dead space" in my channel numbering scheme would affect me...
Note: My question has been altered slightly to make it a bit less ambiguous:
I was also wondering how Pixelnet transmits its data. Let's say that I have a 100-pixel string of lights starting at channel 1 (channels 1-300), and I have another string starting at channel 1000 (channels 1000-1300) with no other strings in between. Does Pixelnet transmit data for all channels between 1 and 1300 about 30-ish times per second, or only the channels that are in use? Or does it transmit all 4096 channels in the universe no matter what? Or all 16384 channels in all 4 universes?
...Or... is this more a matter of the software being used to run the show that determines what is transmitted over the wire?
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Looking at photos of the Active Hub board, it looks like there are two sets of jumpers to choose between Universes 1 through 4. I suppose the option is there for because 16 strings of 128 pixels equals 6144 which is more channels than one universe of 4096 can accommodate. How do you determine which SmartString output jack is on which universe?
I may be corrected here but I believe the both pixelnet jumpers must be on the same universe (number) although thinking about it you should be able to set the first 8 seperate from the second 8.
Anyone else to comment on the usage of the jumpers and/or how multiple Pixelnet universes are handled on one Active Hub?
The Pixelnet and DMX communication is done using 2 wires -- a Pixelnet+ and a Pixelnet- or a DMX+ and a DMX-.
RJ designed the board to use one jumper to select the Pixelnet+ source... and another jumper to select the Pixelnet- source. When you configure the Pixelnet universe, be sure to move each jumper so that they match the selected universe.
If you didn't get the overall way that pixelnet is transferred.... the EtherDongle (EtD) will generate 4 pixelnet universes. Each universe is transmitted over one twisted pair of wires. A Cat5 cable has 4 pairs of wires (8 wires altogether), so the EtD can send its 4 universes over a single cat5 cable.
The SmartHub receives the 4 pairs as input, and can pass all 4 pairs on to another hub using the pixelnet output connectors.
BUT the smart hub only delivers ONE universe of data to the attached smart string controllers (SSC). Using these jumpers you select which ONE of the 4 pairs that the hub provides to the SSCs.
So, to recap... a pixelnet universe has 4096 channels over 2 wires (a pair)... and the cable can send 4 universes (4 pairs) for a total of 16,384 channels. The hub only serves on universe -- one of the 4 availalble, and has 4096 channels for the SSCs.
What about the other row of jumpers, labelled 1-8? This selects one 'page' of channels in that 4096 block of pixelnet channels and exposes them as DMX channels. The DMX port can mirror 512 DMX channels that are pulled form the 4096 used by the SSCs. using them as DMX channels does not prevent you from using the same channels as pixelnet with the SSCs.
An SSC connected to the hub only knows about its world of 4096 channels... even though the hub can select from more universes, the SSC will ONLY be configured to use a channel in the range of 1-4096.
Similarly, a DMX device will only be assigned a channel in the range of 1-512 -- it doesn't know anything about the other channels in the pixelnet universe, or even the presence of other pixelnet universes.
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For convenience/simplicity RJ designed the EtherDongle to be zero-config. It listens over the network using multicast traffic, and it doesn't need to be assigned an IP address.
This means that if you put another EtD on the network, you will have the SAME channels seen by both EtD devices. THese are E1.31 universes #1-#32
What's that...? you want more? :) Well... RJ did create some alternate firmware images that will allow the EtD to listen to E1.31 universes #33-#64 and another for #65-#96. You need a Pickit3 to replace the firmware in your EtD to listen over these new universes.
And, yes... with additional EtDs introduced, you'd have new cables going out to your display. Many people will assign channels based on the layout of the display to minimize overlapping the controllers, and the EtD universes. In my display, I have 32-universes driving the lights on my house, arches, meteor tubes, etc. And I have another 64 universes driven by separate devices located with my large pixel tree and the ground lights around that tree.
Since the EtD gets its data from an Ethernet network you will need to connect the EtD back to your show computer (PC, Conductor, Falcon Pi Player, etc.) Switches are used to join these devices together.
Regarding the speed of the network... wireless is not recommended to send data... but a wired connection will work well.
Normally, we use 50ms timing (20 updates/sec). Each E1.31 universe is 512 bytes plus some header overhead. With (2) EtD and 64 universes, you have 20 updates * 64 universes * 512 bytes
... about 700K/sec. That is about 7mb/sec. So, you have plenty of bandwidth on a 100mb/sec wired connection, even with 2 EtD being used.
But, what if you want MORE???!! Use a conductor or Falcon Pi Player... these devices have the sequence data stored locally on a flash card, and the sequence data never moves across the wire. You synchronize with small packets that CAN operate over a wireless network... this solution is hugely scalable!
I guess that asking a million questions in one post makes it hard to find all the questions to answer. Anybody have an answer to this one(s)?
According to this document (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ChannelChart)), 4 PixelNet universes allows up to 16384 channels. If I want more than that, would I need another Etherdongle and a set of data signal wires snaking around the yard? In order to do that, I would hook up a router/switch to the computer's Ethernet port, and hook up the Etherdongles to the router/switch? How much network bandwidth does an Etherdongle with all 16384 channels being used to transmit 30-ish frames per second for a typical 100 megabit network card?
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I wouldn't worry about dead space. Extra channels will not affect performance. The EtD, conductor, etc. are all designed to send the same sized packets of data regardless of whether the data has anything useful. Pack the channels close together if you are trying to share the same hub for a tree... or reserve space for future growth, it works well in either case.
I prefer to reserve blocks because it is often a pain to reassign channels to each device (each SSC, LE, MR16, etc.) if I want to move things around each year.
Oh, and an answer to this one would be great too. I was wondering how "dead space" in my channel numbering scheme would affect me...
Note: My question has been altered slightly to make it a bit less ambiguous:
I was also wondering how Pixelnet transmits its data. Let's say that I have a 100-pixel string of lights starting at channel 1 (channels 1-300), and I have another string starting at channel 1000 (channels 1000-1300) with no other strings in between. Does Pixelnet transmit data for all channels between 1 and 1300 about 30-ish times per second, or only the channels that are in use? Or does it transmit all 4096 channels in the universe no matter what? Or all 16384 channels in all 4 universes?
...Or... is this more a matter of the software being used to run the show that determines what is transmitted over the wire?
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Thanks, Steve! Your info is sooooo helpful... is this all this documented anywhere? I poked around in the Wiki and found most of the info I was looking for, but you filled in all the blanks for me for me to plan my layout.
P.S. Is anybody allowed to update the Wiki? I'd be willing to place this treasure trove of info on there.
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Thanks, Steve! Your info is sooooo helpful... is this all this documented anywhere? I poked around in the Wiki and found most of the info I was looking for, but you filled in all the blanks for me for me to plan my layout.
P.S. Is anybody allowed to update the Wiki? I'd be willing to place this treasure trove of info on there.
I think everything is available in bits and pieces throughout the forum.
sometimes the info is inferred by a knowledge of how other pieces work.
so I can't point you to a wiki page.
anyone is free to create a wiki account and update the wiki.
i keep thinking I'll spend time working in the wiki... but I limit myself to creating/updating tables of data based on available time.
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Thanks, Steve! Your info is sooooo helpful... is this all this documented anywhere? I poked around in the Wiki and found most of the info I was looking for, but you filled in all the blanks for me for me to plan my layout.
P.S. Is anybody allowed to update the Wiki? I'd be willing to place this treasure trove of info on there.
Yes you can edit the wiki once I change your wiki account to real dla user. I had to do that to stop the spammers.
I would be happy to see folks updating the wiki. Plus I can help out with any questions or problems.
Rick R.
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Okay, I'm sooo proud of myself now... I edited my first Wiki pages! :D
Added/Edited the bullet points at the top:
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ActiveHub16Use
Added some bullet points at the bottom:
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=EtherDongleUse
Hope you don't mind my plagiarizing some of your writing, Steve!
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Looks good, gary!
some additional comments...
a pixelnet usb dongle will produce only one pixelnet universe...using the first pair of wires (pins 1+2). in this setup, the pixelnet jumpers on the hub will only work if they are set to universe 1 -- the other positions will have no data.
an etherdongle produces 4 pixelnet universs,,, 4 pairs.
using a (de)combiner kit you can combine up to 4 pixelnet usb dongles into a single cat5 with 4 pairs... this will produce the same 4-universe (16384 channels) that you get with an EtherDongle... and all 4 universes can be selected on the smart hub.
Okay, I'm sooo proud of myself now... I edited my first Wiki pages! :D
Added/Edited the bullet points at the top:
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ActiveHub16Use (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=ActiveHub16Use)
Added some bullet points at the bottom:
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=EtherDongleUse (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=EtherDongleUse)
Hope you don't mind my plagiarizing some of your writing, Steve!
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Then you also my want to include the combiner and that it will allow you to use up to 4 USB dongles on one Cat5 cable.
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using a (de)combiner kit you can combine up to 4 pixelnet usb dongles into a single cat5 with 4 pairs... this will produce the same 4-universe (16384 channels) that you get with an EtherDongle... and all 4 universes can be selected on the smart hub.
Updated:
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=CombinerUse
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Hey, another question:
Regarding the 4-port passive hub, there are no jumpers to determine the PixelNet Universe like on the 16-port Passive (or Active) hub. How is it done?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=PassiveHub4Use
Edit (something that came to me as I was brushing my teeth to go to bed!):
I think I may have answered my own question: just use the PixelNet combiner in reverse (i.e. Place your Pixelnet Input Cable into the Output Jack) and plug your 4-port Passive Hub into the desired universe of the Combiner's Input?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=CombinerUse
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Hey, another question:
Regarding the 4-port passive hub, there are no jumpers to determine the PixelNet Universe like on the 16-port Passive (or Active) hub. How is it done?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=PassiveHub4Use (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=PassiveHub4Use)
Edit (something that came to me as I was brushing my teeth to go to bed!):
I think I may have answered my own question: just use the PixelNet combiner in reverse (i.e. Place your Pixelnet Input Cable into the Output Jack) and plug your 4-port Passive Hub into the desired universe of the Combiner's Input?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=CombinerUse (http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=CombinerUse)
The normal use is to plug a cat5 cable into one of the (16) powered pixelnet jacks on the active or passive source hub. the 4port throws away the power on 6 of the wires and replaces it with the power connected to the 4port power terminals. So, you don't select the universe on the 4port hub, it inherits the same universe selected at the 16port.
howerever, there is another option... knowing that the pixelnet out connector carries 4 universes, you could connect the pixelnet out connector to the 4pt hub if you simply wanted to get the first universe (regardless of how the 16port is selected). if you want universe 2, 3, or 4 -- then use the (de)combiner board to break out the pairs -- the pixelnet out goes into the combiner board, and the 4pt hub connects to one of the 4 ports that have the 4 separated universes.
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Doing this would probably cause many unpredictable signal issues due to open ends at the end of the runs with no termination resistors. I would not put things like this in the WIKI because they could cause issues with some displays.
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Hey, another question:
Regarding the 4-port passive hub, there are no jumpers to determine the PixelNet Universe like on the 16-port Passive (or Active) hub. How is it done?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=PassiveHub4Use
Edit (something that came to me as I was brushing my teeth to go to bed!):
I think I may have answered my own question: just use the PixelNet combiner in reverse (i.e. Place your Pixelnet Input Cable into the Output Jack) and plug your 4-port Passive Hub into the desired universe of the Combiner's Input?
http://www.diylightanimation.com/wiki/index.php?title=CombinerUse
The 4 port passive hub does not have any universe selection because it was NOT designed to be used for that purpose. You will notice that it also doesn't have a PixelNet output either. The purpose of the 4 port passive hub was to add a few more ports to a 16 port passive or active hub. Even though it can be used the way you suggested above, that is not what it was designed to do and can cause signal reflection issues when used this way. I would limit what is put into the WIKI to how the components were designed to be used and leave the creative ideas to the forums where they belong.
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I had the need for one more additional port and the 16 port would have been way overkill. So I used the out on the other 16 port into the combiner and then selected the numbered port on the combiner into the 4 port input (port 2 in my case). Gave me universe 2 on my 4 port.
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There are a few differing opinions here. Reflections or no reflections? Perhaps they can solved by method of arm wrestle. Or RJ can chime in.
I'm looking at my planned layout and spreadsheet with channel counts, and it would be nice to get a small number of Universe 2 pixels (i.e. 4 ports worth) near a Universe 1 controller.
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The point that I was making is that the WIKI should only list what the device was designed to do, not the creative out of scope ways that people come up with to use them.
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You could use a 4-port passive hub with a custom universe-swapping cat5 cable connected to one of the PixelNet outputs (not SSC outputs) of the active or passive hub. This cable will take the place of the non-existent universe selection jumpers on the 4-port passive hub. I can show you how or make you one if you will be down in the area anytime.
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Yeah, I was thinking about that possibility but didn't go so far as to putting any thought into specific wiring diagrams, but how is this solution any different at stopping reflections? If the end of an electrically conductive path is inside a CAT5 jack, or in a CAT5 plug plugged into the jack, or at the end end of a CAT5 cable plugged into the jack... what difference does it make?
I'm not an electrical engineer, so I don't know. I just work here. :D
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reflection is a real issue to me... i take special effort to ensure that my input and output pigtails are both directly connected to aether2 board instead of sharing part of the wire and splicing away from the board.
that said, I have not had any issue using the combiner to split the 4-pair pixelnet out. YMMV
I had thought that at least the active hub regenerated the pixelnet output for increased range. using a regenerated signal would seem to isolate the rest of the circuit from reflections in my non-EE thinking. but what do I know...? :)
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Yeah, I was thinking about that possibility but didn't go so far as to putting any thought into specific wiring diagrams, but how is this solution any different at stopping reflections? If the end of an electrically conductive path is inside a CAT5 jack, or in a CAT5 plug plugged into the jack, or at the end end of a CAT5 cable plugged into the jack... what difference does it make?
I'm not an electrical engineer, so I don't know. I just work here. :D
As Steve mentioned, the Active hub regenerates the signal on the two Pixelnet output ports so there shouldn't be a reflection issue if the 4-port passive hub is connected to one of these ports. On the Passive hub, I don't know that there would be a reflection issue either, but it may be trial and error. The Passive hub does not have any terminators onboard so whatever of the 3 universes that you are not using are just 'hanging' there unconnected to anything. Daisy-chaining a 4-port passive hub off of one of these wouldn't seem like it would make it much worse than it already is especially if you are using all 4 outputs on the hub. The preference would be to use an active hub with regenerated output signal though, so there is no possibility of reflection back to the source.
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I did the following and it worked just fine for me, didn't see a single issue.
ETD -> Active Hub (Universe 1) -> Passive Hub (Universe 1) -> Combiner -> 4 Port Hub (Universe 2)
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The plot thickens. <pop..
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