Author Topic: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)  (Read 1876 times)

Offline drlucas

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For probably the first time in a while I was proactive with my planning and bought 100m of 3 and 4 conductor cable from Ray during my last order....figured I'd use it eventually. With the Zeus, how long can the cable be from the board to the first node? I'm hoping that I can run some cables now out to where the arches are going to be before the bad weather comes in November. I can always use SSC but would rather let the Zeus run the arches this season. Are there any known limitations with the length of cable runs and the Zeus from beta testing?

....and the bonus questions. Looks like payments are due shortly for the Zeus coop. If the stars all align and there are no back ordered parts the Zeus coop will be ready to ship likely in early November correct? I'm just wondering if I should make some alternative plans for the show just incase there are some delays.

Any insight to these questions are as always greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Ryan
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -

Offline Rainlover

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2013, »
I can answer the bonus question.
There is one part that has a long lead time. I hope that it ships sooner, but it looks like the middle of November.
Hopefully, everything else will be sorted and I can ship as soon as that part arrives.
Let's cross our toes and fingers.

John
Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!

Offline tbone321

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2013, »
The length between the controller and the first node is always a gamble.  The Zeus was not designed with this in mind and if you are running line 20ft or more, you may have issues.  The only way to really know is to use a SSC (ver 3 or 4) and put the same length and position between it and the first node and see what happens.  If it works that way, you have a pretty good chance with the Zeus and if not, then you probably have your answer. 
If at first you don't succeed,
your not cut out for sky diving

Offline keitha43

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2013, »
I know during the beta testing of v4 some were getting
12 feet to pixel nodes. Other types of lights varied. Testing is the only way to know for sure. Back in the older versions if too long, the 1st node would often be the wrong color and then randomly for example you turned on red only it might light up blue or green.

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2.


Offline jnealand

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2013, »
My plan for the zeus for this season is as a backup since co-ops always seem to take longer than I expected.  Also this is a v1 product and several times there have been multiple fine tuning of the firmware needed on v1 products to make everyone happy.  If it works I will use it, but for now it is part of my backup plan.  YMMV.  I always like to go with known and tested by me products so I am confident that all will be ready to go for the season.  I never got my pixel tree going last year until mid Dec but that was partly due to sequencing issues and integration with my old sequences.  I am just conservative about these things.
Jim Nealand
Kennesaw, GA

Offline drlucas

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2013, »
Good to know....thanks! I have two active hubs, but one is fully consumed from the megatree with just over 1000 flexstrip LEDs and then the rest of the house is sitting with about 800 lights.

I bought some second hand SSCs and they were modded....I'll send up some pictures and people can help me troubleshoot...basically when I plug in my test strip of lights they don't blink for a millisecond....usually that's how I know there is power going to them, then normally after I hit the transmit button to program the channel....I haven't tried to program yet because I get no quick blink out of the lights....never seen a data line from the output side of the SSC removed before and one of the resistors is cut...was done this way on all 5 of them that I have, so i'm assuming they work. that's my backup plan but I can see my channels are getting dwindled down quickly and the zeus and pixel net universe #3 was going to be my saviour....and then the other zeus was going to be my backup in the event of a show failure....

Fingers crossed though things get out before December, but i'll get to task on my backup plans just in case....maybe now is the time to post in the buy/sell if anyone has an active hub spare sitting around :)
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -

Offline drlucas

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Re: Zeus cable length (and coop timing - bonus question)
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2013, »
Productive night...fixed one bad node on the roof (no clue why, but i've had a node fail )....and I also figured out my planning for the channels for this season if I'm left with just two active hubs. I have just under 100 channels of dmx items and just over 6000 channels for RGB....can't wait to see some new nutcracker sequences for arches and straight lines
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -