Author Topic: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?  (Read 4877 times)

Offline Penfold

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 175
  • Brownsville, TX
I think this is more of a clarrification for me than anything else.  As I understand it a Pixelnet Dongle will be wired for a pinout of RGB Pixels as opposed to a Lynx Dongle which has a different pin out.  Is that right or is it one dongle does it all as long as you make sure your crossover cable has the right pinout?

Also, from what I have read and looked at the RGB pixels don't need an optocoupler and triac to run as long as you have a driver board for them like say a TP3244 Pixel controller, or will the RJ Pixelnet Dongle only work with an RJ Pixelnet Controller?

Also, the RJ Pixelnet Controller looks like it has an INSP for the SMD PIC if I am guess that right.  As soon as the PIC is solder can it be programmed with a pickit 2 via the INSP?


 
♪Chicken go cluck, cluck
Cow go moo
Piggy go *snort* *snort*
how bout you?  ♪

Offline taybrynn

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2042
    • RockinChristmas
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2011, »
The only difference is the firmware you put onto the Dongle PIC chip.

The hardware is the same build either way.

If you put on the pixelnet firmware for the DMX Dongle, you then can connect that Dongle to a Smart String Hub (SS HUB).
From a SS HUB, you can optionally also use the DMX512 port on the hub (and can select which 512 are shared between pixelnet and DMX).
If you put the pixelnet firmware on a DMX Dongle, you pretty much need to have a SS HUB and likely also SSC (smart string controllers) and
DMX items ... can mix.

If you put DMX Dongle firmware on the DMX Dongle, then its a straight 512 channel DMX dongle and you can connect only to DMX items ... like Lynx Express controllers and any other DMX items you might want to run.   You will not be able to use it for smart strings.  But of course, you can use it for a season as a DMX dongle and then the next season as a pixelnet dongle by simply re-flashing the PIC.

Your right, the RGB smart string items don't use triacs and are 12v also ... using the SS HUB for centralized power supply (typically).  If you happen to run a Lynx Express (LE) ... then those are conventional AC controllers which use triacs ... and are just DMX controlled.  You can control then via. DMX or via. Pixelnet using the DMXOUT port on the SS HUB. 

RJ and his designs give you lots of options.

Hope that helps.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2011, by taybrynn »
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Offline caretaker

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1770
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2011, »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Also, the RJ Pixelnet Controller looks like it has an INSP for the SMD PIC if I am guess that right.  As soon as the PIC is solder can it be programmed with a pickit 2 via the INSP?
The Lynx Ether Dongle requires a PICKit 3 to program, the PICkit 2 will not program the the newer PIC on the Ether Dongle.

A clarification: the LYNX USB dongle flashed with the DMX firmware will output 512 channels (1 universe) of DMX. The LYNX USB dongle flashed with PixelNet firmware will output 4096 channels of Pixelnet or a combination of up to 512 channels of DMX and 3584 of PixelNet (or combination there of). The difference is you need a Pixelnet Hub to use the Pixelnet firmware. For DMX the Lynx USB Dongle uses the Orange/White with Orange pair of a cat5/6 cable. Pixelnet Uses all 4 pairs. 
Jeff Squires
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Offline jeffcoast

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 318
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2011, »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Also, the RJ Pixelnet Controller looks like it has an INSP for the SMD PIC if I am guess that right.  As soon as the PIC is solder can it be programmed with a pickit 2 via the INSP?
The Lynx Ether Dongle requires a PICKit 3 to program, the PICkit 2 will not program the the newer PIC on the Ether Dongle.

A clarification: the LYNX USB dongle flashed with the DMX firmware will output 512 channels (1 universe) of DMX. The LYNX USB dongle flashed with PixelNet firmware will output 4096 channels of Pixelnet or a combination of up to 512 channels of DMX and 3584 of PixelNet (or combination there of). The difference is you need a Pixelnet Hub to use the Pixelnet firmware. For DMX the Lynx USB Dongle uses the Orange/White with Orange pair of a cat5/6 cable. Pixelnet Uses all 4 pairs.
Further Clarification: 1 Lynx Dongle with pixelnet firmware still only uses 1 pair. But the Hub itself can accept input from 4 different dongles on 4 pairs and you can select which pair to use. You have to use a combiner from the 4 dongles. You might be thinking of the Etherdongle which is basically 4 pixelnet universes in 1 device. It does use all 4 pairs.
Jeff Cook
Orlando, FL

Offline caretaker

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1770
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2011, »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Further Clarification: 1 Lynx Dongle with pixelnet firmware still only uses 1 pair. But the Hub itself can accept input from 4 different dongles on 4 pairs and you can select which pair to use. You have to use a combiner from the 4 dongles. You might be thinking of the Etherdongle which is basically 4 pixelnet universes in 1 device. It does use all 4 pairs.

 <fp.  Thanks for the further clarification, I new I was forgetting something...
Jeff Squires
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Offline rm357

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1282
  • 31088
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2011, »
The pixelnet universe is 4096 channels. The Smart String Hub has a pic on it that will mirror 512 of the channels on a DMX channel. The DMX has to start on an 512 channel boundary (1, 513, 1025...), but does not remove those channels from the pixelnet data stream.

Pixelnet is a custom format that runs at 8 times the DMX data rate and is simpler to implement - no funny timing to worry about like DMX, just strait serial with a data value of 170 reserved as the synch mark.

There are now two dongles, both can be programmed foreither DMX or pixelnet. the etherdongle generates 4 universes and uses all four wire pairs. The USB dongle uses only the first pair. There are combiner/splitter boards available that can either combine the output of 4 USB dongles onto one ethernet cable or split the output of an etherdonle with each output having a different universe on the first wire pair.

RM

RM
Robert
Warner Robins, Georgia, USA

Offline Penfold

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 175
  • Brownsville, TX
Re: Pixelnet Dongle, Lynx Dongle what's the difference?
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2011, »
Thanks all for your input!  I am still trying to wrap this around my little mind.  I am looking at Pixelnet to become my mode of blinkiness as it appears to lend itself well to RGB pixels which is what I want to breakout into.  This is more food for thought and I really appreciate the input.  Thanks guys! 
♪Chicken go cluck, cluck
Cow go moo
Piggy go *snort* *snort*
how bout you?  ♪