PixCon16 - LOR Enhanced vs. E1.31 Help Needed

[George Simmons]

I'm running in LOR Enhanced mode.  I greatly dislike being unable to access the PixCon16 for configuration changes/adjustments except by physically taking my laptop out into the garage, disabling it's WI-FI, climbing up on a chair to reach and then disconnecting the LOR network from the board in order to directly connect a different ethernet cable into a different ethernet socket on the same board.  Then rinse and repeat in the opposite direction to see if I guessed the pixel string color order correctly.  Unless I'm missing something - always a possibility - this seems to be the price of running in LOR mode.  My E1.31 pixel controllers allow me to talk to them at any reasonable time of day directly from my keyboard without having to get up off my fat chair.

The PixCon documentation seems to discourage E1.31 based on it's complexity.  How much more complex are we talking than assigning an IP address and moving a few jumpers?  I don't give a rip whether I'm assigning unit ID's or Universes, but it isn't physically convenient to replace the PixCon until after the season.  Will E1.31 mode allow me to communicate/configure it as easily as my other pixel controllers? 

I'm all ears for advice, correction, information, suggestion ...

Thanks.

Edited November 28, 2016 by George Simmons

[k6ccc]

George,  I don't have any Pixcon controllers, so I'm guessing here.  What you describe for checking or modifying the configuration currently sounds like a royal pain!  For Christmas I run five SanDevices cards and regularly look at them to make sure they are all happy.  I take it that you can't have ethernet connected while using the Pixcon in LOR mode.  Too bad.  If you could have both connected, you could just run a second cable into your LAN switch for management access.

 

9 hours ago, George Simmons said:

without having to get up off my fat chair.

Is it the chair or the person sitting in the chair?  In my case I admit it's me that's fat...

 

[George Simmons]

Unfortunately Jim, it's beyond a pain.  It has become unworkable.  I don't have half a day I can spend running back and forth just to change the order of pixel colors.  With my my E682's and Falcon, I can do it in seconds.  I was hoping someone from LOR would jump in with infomation I didn't know, or maybe a process not documented in the manual or something.  I guess the fact that no one has tells me there isn't/aren't any other option(s).  As soon as I get caught up, I'm gonna try switching that beast over to DMX/E1.31 in a last-ditch attermpt to save it.

Edited November 29, 2016 by George Simmons

[k6ccc]

You didn't answer my supposition about running a separate cable for the LAN connection for configuration at the same time as a LOR network cable for running lights.  I'm therefore gathering that you can't simply have two cables - one for LOR networking and one for ethernet.  If one has to be disconnected for the other to work, that makes it harder, but maybe not that hard depending on what can't be plugged in at the same time.  For example, if the ethernet has to be disconnected in order for the LOR networking to be able to control lights, that may be fairly easy since presumably you could simply unplug the other end of the LAN cable at your switch or router, which presumably is fairly easy to access.  Even if it's not, add a short cable from the switch to a location that you can get to with either a female RJ-45, or a male RJ-45 and a double female coupler and plug the ethernet cable from the Pixcon into that.  If the LOR network must be disconnected in order to access the configuration page via ethernet, that may be more difficult depending on your LOR network configuration.

 

[Vince4xmas]

This too is my first year using the Pixcon16 and have experienced the same issue. It is painful and hopefully the next update from LOR will address this concern.

 

[TonyD]

I am able to simultaneously connect to the Pixcon16 via the "regular" ethernet connection and access it in the LOR Network Config AND run a sequence through a LOR Enhanced network connected to the LOR rj45 connector. So, if you can somehow connect the Pixcon16 "regular" network connection to your home network (that is accessible from your laptop also) "permanently" then you are good to go.

Tony

[George Simmons]

4 minutes ago, TonyD said:

I am able to simultaneously connect to the Pixcon16 via the "regular" ethernet connection and access it in the LOR Network Config AND run a sequence through a LOR Enhanced network connected to the LOR rj45 connector. So, if you can somehow connect the Pixcon16 "regular" network connection to your home network (that is accessible from your laptop also) "permanently" then you are good to go.

Tony

I'll definitely give it a try.  I thought I read somewhere in the documentation that you can't have simultaneous connections.  Thanks.

[k6ccc]

12 minutes ago, TonyD said:

I am able to simultaneously connect to the Pixcon16 via the "regular" ethernet connection and access it in the LOR Network Config AND run a sequence through a LOR Enhanced network connected to the LOR rj45 connector. So, if you can somehow connect the Pixcon16 "regular" network connection to your home network (that is accessible from your laptop also) "permanently" then you are good to go.

Tony

That makes it a lot easier!  Running a second cable is far easier than having to disconnect one or the other...

 

[George Simmons]

Thanks Tony!  Works like a charm.  I now consider the PixCon an ally rather than an adversary.

I think LOR needs to rewrite some of the Pixcon manual.  I read that tome from cover to cover no less than ten times and wasn't aware it was even possible to do.  Seems strange to produce such a board and then try to scare people off from using it's full potential, rather than maximizing it.   Knowing this LAST YEAR would have definitely made my life a lot easier.