Setting up Channels on LSP

[urthegman]

Anyone?

[taybrynn]

Yes.

Each SS Hub is a Pixelnet Universe, or handles one.  Thats a zone in LSP, whether you physically get there using 4 cables, or using a pixelnet combiner to deliver all four universes on one cable.

You set the DMX jumper on each SS Hub to determine which pixelnet channel range will OUTPUT to the DMX OUT (512 channels).

To your display items, its always DMX 1->512 coming off each SS Hub DMX-OUT ... but to LSP, your just sequencing to 100% pixelnet channels.  It just happens that some of them are also being emulated (or tee-d) to the DMX-OUT (and Pixelnet Out, but don't use both Pixelnet and DMX unless you want to do that).  But you can assign all or just portion of the DMX-OUT per SS Hub to DMX stuff, and the rest is Pixelnet by default.

Again, yours only sequencing to Pixelnet as far as LSP is concerned. 

If you setting up your DMX stuff all the same, off each DMX-OUT on each SS Hub ... then you would use the same DMX channel assignments (for those tubes, say) ... and they would different pixelnet channels, but might show up as 1->480 pixelnet for each set of 10 snow tubes (assuming 48 per tube x 10 tubes).

Just remember that whatever you set the SS Hub DMX jumpers to will just change the pixelnet channel range that also emulates into DMX 1-512 on the local SS Hub DMX OUT.  So many people here talk about using the jumper for the first 512 channels for DMX ... so the first 512 of each Pixelnet Universe would also be going to DMX if you want to use it for DMX.  If you only used 480 (for example), then on Univ#1 ... PN1-480 would go to DMX1-480 and you could use 481->4096 for PN still.  On Univ#2, assuming same jumper setting on that SS Hub, PN ch#4097->4578 would go to DMX1->480 and you could still use PN ch#4579->8192 for PN still.

You can see that to LSP ... your just sequencing pixelnet channels ... but because of how you configure you SS Hubs (DMX jumper) ... you emulating DMX512 to the snow tubes on DMX ch#1-480 every time ... but your never really sequencing to DMX directly, but just to Pixelnet.

Again, I'm just giving a 480 ch DMX snow tube as an example, but you might be doing other stuff with your DMX ...

[urthegman]

Thanks Taybrinn,Tbone,Dmoore,Smartcontrols,Caretaker,RJ and Jeffcoast I think I get it. Let me put it on paper before I start celebrating!!! LOL

[urthegman]

Ok here goes:
Ether Dongle ----> Hub 1 Pixelnet Universe 1 Channels 1-3,780 for 14 of the 90 node flexible strips (leaving channels open for a possible 15th 90 node strip)
Hub 1 ----> Hub 2 DMX jumper on DMX Universe 1 for 480 DMX channels 4,097-4,576 (note: skipping one channel for possible Madrix DMX commands), Pixelnet jumper on Pixelnet Universe 2 for 2,880 channels 4,578-7,458
Hub 2 ----> Hub 3 DMX jumper on DMX Universe 1 for 480 DMX channels 8,193-8,672 (note: skipping one channel for possible Madrix DMX commands), Pixelnet jumper on Pixelnet Universe 3 for 720 channels 8,674-9,394
Hub 3 ----> Hub 4 DMX jumper on DMX universe 1 for 480 DMX channels 12,289-12,768. Pixelnet jumper on Pixelnet Universe 4.
Will this work? I know I have channels open, can I save them for expansion next year or will they cause problems this year? Thanks for your patience as I fumble my way through this.
 

[taybrynn]

Looks right to me.

Just map out the pixelnet channels you need in LSP and don't map out the channels you are not using.  You can track them in a spreadsheet or something on the side if you want.

If you add the controllers into LSP as 'display elements' (as dmoore calls them) ... then your mapping out the PN channels you are using  for each display element ... and the ones you don't use don't get in the way (because they are not mapped out).  So your kind of adding a controller per display element, in a lot of cases.  Its all up to you.  FOr your snow tubes, you might have one controller per ... but have a single channel controller for the optional/expansion Madrix control.

You will all be in a single LSP output "zone", since with the etherdongle you can get all 4 PN universes on a single interface .... you lucky dog!

[urthegman]

I really can't thank you enough, very kind! I will set this up tomorrow unless UPS delivers the dongle parts first. LOL If you're ever in New York, dinner is most definitely is on me. Well, lots of work setting up channels on LSP to do, I'll keep you posted on how all this pans out. George

[urthegman]

Remember that creating a DMX universe out of pixelnet is a conversion process.  First it would need a processor to read the pixelnet stream and perform the conversion needed to create the DMX outputalong with a set of jumpers to tell it where in the pixelnet stream to pull the DMX from.  Then you would need another RS-485 chip to generate the output signal to the RJ-485 jack you were talking about to connect to the DMX devices along with the rest of the support circuitry for these chips.  The problem is that these components take up space which would mean a new board design, and the expenses from that along with more protyping and beta testing.  To me it's not really worth it. 

What I would suggest if the need becomes great enough is a separate DMX only converter board that would plug into one of the active hub ports and only contain the DMX conversion circuitry and a single DMX output.

Not really knowledgeable about all this, but I am learning an awful lot as I progress here so please excuse the insane question I am about to ask. But could I run a V2 dongle off of my final hub to control my third and last Universe of DMX?

[smartcontrols]

The V2 dongle would not accept the Pixelnet input. If it would work for you, you could run the V2 dongle off a second USB port from your show computer. Or

In post 161 you mentioned that all your DMX universes are doing exactly the same thing. If that is still true you could think about putting a DMX splitter after your 3rd hub and sending the same data to both your 3rd and 4th DMX locations. They would both get the same data, so they would both have too be doing the same thing.

 

[smartcontrols]

One more thought. Your concern about the 4th power supply if you do decide to run a 4th hub. That 4th hub would only be running your DMX and would not have any lights powered by it. Therefore you would only need a small amount of power to power the electronics on it. If you put the 12 volt input option on it you could power it off of  the 12 volt output from one of the other hubs. The same way the 4 port passive hub can be powered.

[urthegman]

What type of DMX splitter would I use? My next headache is setting up the controllers for the DMX programmable snow tubes. I guess the easiest way for programmings sake would to make three sets of 10 16 channel RGB controllers with the appropriate channels that I listed earlier.

[taybrynn]

There is a Lynx DMX splitter in the WIKI.  There was a recently a COOP for it.  It take DMX in and puts like 4 DMX signals out.   That might work if you want exactly the same thing on all sets of snow tubes.  Then you would sequence to just one DMX universe, then use the DMX splitter to replicate to everything connected to it.  Not sure thats what you want to do, but would simplify things if thats what you wanted to do anyways.

[urthegman]

That definitely sounds like it would make my life a lot easier. Let me post it under wanted and see what happens. If I don't get a bite I will get a board and buy the parts from Mouser. Thanks once again, George

[rrowan]

Normally stuff posted in the beta area is not suppose to be posted in the pubic forms

Just saying to be careful

Cheers

Rick R.

[urthegman]

Consider it removed.