Eaglesclaw Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) Just hooked up my Lixada RGBW Heads for their first test run. They are connected to the RS485 port on my ALPHAPIX 16 controller. They are set for 11 channels. I used DMX intensities ramping from 0 to 160 just to see where they fall. Now to set down and figure out which numbers to use to bring them to the front. Really was easier to set up than I thought it would be. No special equipment other than the controller. Any thoughts on easy ways to program to a song? Edited December 17, 2017 by Eaglesclaw 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsmith37064 Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 WOW! Those look really good. Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtomason Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Are they weatherproof? They don't look like it. If not, how will you protect them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 7 hours ago, gsmith37064 said: WOW! Those look really good. Nice job! Thanks 7 hours ago, jtomason said: Are they weatherproof? They don't look like it. If not, how will you protect them? I have a 30 gallon aquarium that I'm going to try. They'll sit on my roof so I'll build a platform to mount them up a bit higher so the aquarium will just slip over them. If the aquarium works then I'll work on a way to secure it. Due to how late in the season it is, I'll only get them into a few songs. I'll update a video once I get them weatherproofed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMurray Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 3 hours ago, Eaglesclaw said: Thanks I have a 30 gallon aquarium that I'm going to try. They'll sit on my roof so I'll build a platform to mount them up a bit higher so the aquarium will just slip over them. If the aquarium works then I'll work on a way to secure it. Due to how late in the season it is, I'll only get them into a few songs. I'll update a video once I get them weatherproofed. Glass or plexi? That sure would be heavy to mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 1 hour ago, BMurray said: Glass or plexi? That sure would be heavy to mount. Glass. Heavier will be better with winds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
default Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 16 hours ago, Eaglesclaw said: Any thoughts on easy ways to program to a song? Nice Lights, they move considerably faster than mine. When I sequenced mine I made a drawing to reference different areas of the yard that equated to a DMX value. Meaning, if I wanted the lights to spin and raise to the flag at the top of the pole, I recorded that locations DMX value (where the lights illuminated the flag) so i could move the lights there from any position they might currently be in. As far as easy sequencing, I haven't found a way, it is all very tedious. It is worth it, but takes alwhile to sequence these. In the thread below I posted some info on my setup some time ago. In order for you sequencing of the lights to be consistent, the lights must be oriented in the same direction each time they are set up. That is, if you plan to have them stop and light up a flag for example the must start from a predetermined spot, that matches your sequencing. I found it necessary to have these lights hooked up and running as I sequenced, so that I had the timing of the lights timed with the music. It was also helpful when to know when to change the gobo pictures. Good luck. On a whole different topic, are you the one that setup water jet nozzles and used LOR to sequence them On/Off, duration, etc.? If so, could you start another thread with some info on that setup. I played around last summer with building Laminar nozzles and I might be interested sequencing them and would like to see how you did yours. TIA Alan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) Hi Alan. I finally got the starting and ending positions figured out. Now it's been quite a bit easier. Here is where i'm at now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unn9jTKC4nA As far as the fountain, yes it was me. Didn't do anything more with it this year as i had a full plate, but i was just telling my wife i will finish it this coming year. Here is the link to the post i started. Any questions please feel free to ask. Jerry P.S. Mine didn't come with gobo pictures. Just straight LED's Edited December 17, 2017 by Eaglesclaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, default said: Nice Lights, they move considerably faster than mine. In the basic settings on mine there is a setting for fast or slow. Mine is set to fast. Double check your settings to see if that helps. Jerry Edited December 17, 2017 by Eaglesclaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCRail Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 I'm really glad to see this thread because I've been wanting this type of light but not for $2K. My initial searches for the product that you mention, Lixada, turned up quite a few sources, including Amazon for $109 and also 4 for $239? They appear to be the same 50w lights. Quite a difference depending on the vendor. Any tips on purchasing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted December 19, 2017 Author Share Posted December 19, 2017 2 hours ago, PCRail said: I'm really glad to see this thread because I've been wanting this type of light but not for $2K. My initial searches for the product that you mention, Lixada, turned up quite a few sources, including Amazon for $109 and also 4 for $239? They appear to be the same 50w lights. Quite a difference depending on the vendor. Any tips on purchasing? I bought mine on eBay for just over $180 including shipping for the set of 4. Looks like they've gone up about $10 since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big joe Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 very nice!! what about fog? do you need fog to see these at night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 If you want to see actual beams then yes. They are only 10 watt lights. But for the price I'll deal with lights just bouncing off backgrounds and whatnot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed K Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 On 12/16/2017 at 7:52 PM, Eaglesclaw said: Just hooked up my Lixada RGBW Heads for their first test run. They are connected to the RS485 port on my ALPHAPIX 16 controller. They are set for 11 channels. I used DMX intensities ramping from 0 to 160 just to see where they fall. Now to set down and figure out which numbers to use to bring them to the front. Really was easier to set up than I thought it would be. No special equipment other than the controller. That is a really an impressive demonstration of sequencing the moving heads. And they do move so fast (compared to info on other threads and the Aussie's DMX moving head videos that caution not to expect the heads to move very fast). Thanks for posting your demo. I only use LOR, but I use both LOR's enhanced network for only my LOR controllers (e.g., CCRs), and use my Ethernet network for all my E1.31 controllers. I have a number of AlphaPix controllers, run directly from my PC's Ethernet port (so, all over Cat 5). I use the AlphaPix DMX ports to run some props (e.g., floods). But, I only use Pixel Editor and SuperStar to build all my sequences. I only use Sequence Editor to quickly create sequences to test pixels of all kinds (it's so easy now to add RGB devices to SE). This all requires ensuring LOR's Network Preferences are correctly set. That all said, have you written a sequence in PE or SS to control your DMX moving heads? Can you provide a link, or provide a name, for your DMX moving heads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
default Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ed K said: That all said, have you written a sequence in PE or SS to control your DMX moving heads? Ed, Here are some links discussing moving head lights and other DMX controlled props (which is what the moving head lights are) In some of the threads I show pics of what some of the sequencing looks like. Give these a read to get an understanding for what it takes to sequence for these. Alan... edit: lol I forgot the to add the links Edited January 17, 2018 by default Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed K Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Before I posted that question, I looked at about a dozen posts/videos about sequencing DMX moving heads (LOR forums, DIYChristmas forums, Aussie group videos from 2017). Viewing these convinced me that I can attach the heads to a DMX port on one of my E1.31 controllers (and inject power). What I have not found is sequencing the heads with SS. I don't yet know the moving heads mfgr/brand used in this video, but when I finish a sequence in SuperStar that controls the moving heads, I'll post what I learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
default Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Ed K said: What I have not found is sequencing the heads with SS. I don't yet know the moving heads mfgr/brand used in this video, but when I finish a sequence in SuperStar that controls the moving heads, I'll post what I learned. I could be wrong but I don't think it is possible to sequence the moving head light in SS. If you prove me wrong, I would really like to see how you do this. Sequencing for these props (within LOR) is very tedious and it is very helpful to have the lights (props) hooked up and running to test as you sequence (as Eagleclaws video shows) Below is a gif of what sequencing looks like in SE. You are constantly changing the DMX value to specific values to make the lights (props) operate the way they should. Each light (prop) has a certain DMX value that when triggered will tell it what it is suppose to do and in many cases you have to enter multiple DMX values on a number of channels to make the prop do what you want. For instance a DMX value of 128 may turn on the color green on the color channel, but also you need to enter a value on the rotate channel to turn the prop at the same time. etc.... Hope that makes sense. As I said if you get this to work in SS, please post your results. Alan... Note the different DMX Intensity values. Edited January 17, 2018 by default Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed K Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 10 hours ago, default said: Hope that makes sense. As I said if you get this to work in SS, please post your results. Yes, makes perfect sense, thanks for the help. Another similar SE video also explains very clearly how setting different intensity values, on a specific channel, impacts the activity (e.g., tilt, rotate) and color of a moving head. Also, the group hosting the Australian meetings in August 2017 posted one video on programming the heads, with some excellent info on how it works. They use XLights, which has a mode just for the heads, but the presenter went through each channel, and the value ranges in each that cause some action. The values on each channel range from 0 - 255. SuperStar allows a user to set colors, with RGB values that range from 0 - 255. So, I'm hoping there is a slight possibility that SS might allow setting values by channel, with some twisting. I can ask Brian for his thoughts on controlling the moving heads with SuperStar. I read LOR documentation provided about the beta S5, and I don't see any S5 moving head effects similar to XLights. I first need to identify DMX moving heads that are decent for Christmas lights. I like the single beam heads v. the 7 - 10 LED heads. I'm open to suggestions for manufacture/model. I just want to pilot test this concept first using only SuperStar, and maybe PE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglesclaw Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) Hi guys, Let me share some of my experience so far with the moving heads. First i don't see it being impossible using SS but would not be easy. You have 2 channels that control tilt & pan. It might be possible to program those separately in SS. Then you have 4 channels that control the color of the light, RGBW. Those don't turn on the light, it just tells what color to use when you turn on the light which is a separate channel. You also have a channel for strobe effects. Then you have to consider intensities as 0 - 255 would give you undesirable results. My heads rotate I believe 540 degrees 0 being 0 and 250 being 540, so you have to figure out the range you will use. They tilt about 300 degrees so you can see how those would also be affected. I will try to run a short run with SS this weekend and let you know. I think SE is going to be easier. Also using DMX intensities and LOR ramps give you different effects. You can mix both. Intensities were quicker as they tell it where to go and it jumps to that position. When i wanted the head to move slower I used ramps Once I figured out my range. The heads then slowly follow the ramp to the new position. I haven'y done much recently as I've been trying to make them work with DMX wireless controller. Not having much luck here as the receivers seem to respond too slowly. Anyways if I get a chance this weekend I will share my results. Jerry Edited January 17, 2018 by Eaglesclaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed K Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 7 minutes ago, Eaglesclaw said: I will try to run a short run with SS this weekend and let you know. You're way ahead of me, thanks for your efforts. To use SS for controlling the heads, I'm just guessing that you'll have to put some specific data in the prop's definition in Visualizer to allow SS to control the heads. Can you tell us the exact rotating heads you're using for testing the concept? Also, are you using XLR cables, which I believe is required to get signals to the heads. When I receive the heads and XLR cables (to be ordered), I'll also give this a try and report back. My preference is to keep all my sequencing inside SuperStar, including the heads. More seamless, though it might be tricky to lay effects on the rotating heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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