Pixcon16 and uMP3g3 Gen3 miniDirector

[CTIjohn]

Is it even possible to use an uMP3g3 Gen3 miniDirector with the Pixcon16?

I'm having a problem with these two work together.

I have an animation sequence running fine with the laptop. Have the Pixcon16 set up to run in ELOR mode at 500k Regular network (not using AUX network) using the 485-HS USB Connector.

I used the Hardware utility, LOR MP3 tab to create the files needed to save in the SD card.

Setup: run show when powered up in a loop. no triggers used. CheckMarked on for SD card for gen3 or newer director with 1 port selected.  CheckMarked on for can not be interrupted if input are triggered. Selected 500k (Gen3 Divice only) and checkmarked on for ELOR mode (same setting i've set to talk to the Pixcon16 with the laptop). Then clicked on save to SD.

I insert the SD card to the mini, connect the mini the Pixcon, and last, connect an external 12VDC power to the mini. The Status light on the mini turns on (stays on). Status red light on the Pixcon16 stops blinking and stays solid on but no light show. Ten to twenty seconds later (after powering the mini) the status light on the mini turns off but the status light on the pixcon16 is still solid. Once i remove power from the mini, the status light on pixcon16 starts to blink.

using software 4.3.24 Pro

latest firmware on both mini (uMP3g3-V5_36) and pixcon16 (V_1.4.12)

Would appreciate any help and/or advice with this.

Thank you.

p.s. I don't know if its of any use but I notice that the files created in the SD card is 1KB in size but the actual .las file size is 617KB   Could that be the problem, it is not creating the file properly?

[dibblejr]

I'm not sure about the file compression down to 1kb is correct. That seems kind of small.

What mfg of SD card you using?

JR

[CTIjohn]

I think I found the solution to my problem. I got the mini working with the pixcon16 after tinkering with it for the past 2 days.

The problem, in my case, was having loops with in my animation sequence. I have a section in my sequence to loop 20 times (and loop faster after each loop) before it continues with the rest of my show.

When running the show to the pixcon16 with my laptop using the sequence editor, no problems with the loops in it. But once I transferred the show to the SD card, poof!! nothing. No show. But the mini and the pixcon16 was always communicating with each other (more on that later)*.

My only clue I had to run with was that the hardware utility was only creating a 1KB file in the SD card, even though my *.las file (my saved show file) 617KB. Something didn't seem right, something was missing.

I remember reading somewhere in a help file document (not sure which one: Light-O-Rama v4.3.24 help, Pixcon16 manual, or uMP3g3 manual) that the mini doesn't like loops, that it will ignore them. What it turns out is that the hardware utility not only ignores the loops but it ignores the *.las file all together if it sees loops in your show. There is no warning about it when you input your show sequence in the hardware utility, no indication that your file might not work, it checks the file and accept it. Everything seems all is correct. Once you create the file in the SD card, it does not save the show sequence. Just the hardware requirements for your mini.

So I went back to the sequence editor and removed the loops and saved as a new show file. Fired up the hardware utility once more and did everything one needs to do to make the new SD file and boom! It worked! Went in to see the file size in the SD card and yup, a bigger file, 306KB.

Removed the SD card from laptop and put it back to the mini. Added power to the mini and BOOM!!! I have a show running.

Now I have to create a new show without using loops and look the same as my original show. I'm not looking forward to this. it's going to be a long, long day. But at least I'm happy that I got this working.

 

 

* The status light on the mini is weird (in my opinion). I noticed that once you put power to the mini, there is a delay to when the show stars. But once it starts, the status light on the mini turns off. I thought i lost power to the mini but the show was still running and restarting at the end show. So i unplugged the power plug on the mini to check my power source, thinking i lost power, and the show stopped and the pixcon16 turned off the pixels that were on when the show stopped. The status light on the Pixcon16 started to blink, it lost signal.  

Is this normal for the mini to do that? To turn off the status light even though it still has power to it.

If this is normal, then that is a bad use of the status light. How would one know if there is power to the mini other than not having a show running?

I just thought that was just weird.

 

1 hour ago, dibblejr said:

I'm not sure about the file compression down to 1kb is correct. That seems kind of small.

What mfg of SD card you using?

JR

I'm using the SD card that came with the mini. Kingston 8GB class4 card