Receiving Unit Options for P10 Panels

[Ebuechner]

The fpp 2.0 software still is a work in progress you may not run the panels yet.

Unfortunately because you bought the pi 3b+ that's the only image that's going to run on it.

 

[MGoBlue102]

5 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

The beaglebone set up can run the panels fine but I'm partial to using the color light card with a pi because it runs the panels at a higher refresh rate which gives a better-looking result. 

You might benefit from getting on a zoom session with somebody with some one-on-one. 

Oh, I am not sure what that zoom session is.   Pi with hat was first thought, then pi to receiver was second then bbb with hat was third.  Going to try each and every config.  Then recently I started thinking of how I could still keep my LOR controllers in play as well.  Ultimately, all my components do not need to be individuals going rogue with their own controllers.  They all need to be connected and sequenced.  Right now, it is either xlights or lor sequencing that I will attempt to use once I know hardware is all good.

[Ebuechner]

Zoom is a way of doing a computer conference between two or more people that allows you to share computer screens video and audio.

You can find the link for it on xlights.org

[dkulp]

11 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

The beaglebone set up can run the panels fine but I'm partial to using the color light card with a pi because it runs the panels at a higher refresh rate which gives a better-looking result. 

This is entirely dependent on the number of panels per output on the BeagleBone.   With less than about 6 or 7 P10 panels per output, the Beaglebone will drive them faster than the colorlight.   We actually have to lower the refresh on the outputs because it starts driving them too fast and we get some ghosting on some of the slower panels.    The ColorLights/Linsn does have the advantage of the 12 or 16 outputs so the panel chains can be kept shorter.      However, the colorlight/linsn stuff is more complex as you have to setup stuff in two places (FPP and the card control panel thing) and adds extra latency of a couple ms (at least) due to the extra hops for the data, particularly for bridge mode.

[MGoBlue102]

Just now, Ebuechner said:

The fpp 2.0 software still is a work in progress you may not run the panels yet.

Unfortunately because you bought the pi 3b+ that's the only image that's going to run on it.

 

Oh, hate to hear that.  I was trying to figure out if my solder job was bad on the adafruit matrix hat that i put on the pi since fpp was running fine, I figured it could be nothing else.  The panel just lit up the red bulbs only in any of the test patterns I used.  Maybe I need to get an older PI too.  I took the adafruit hat off and tried to undue the solder to redo but no luck.  

[Ebuechner]

5 minutes ago, dkulp said:

This is entirely dependent on the number of panels per output on the BeagleBone.   With less than about 6 or 7 P10 panels per output, the Beaglebone will drive them faster than the colorlight.   We actually have to lower the refresh on the outputs because it starts driving them too fast and we get some ghosting on some of the slower panels.    The ColorLights/Linsn does have the advantage of the 12 or 16 outputs so the panel chains can be kept shorter.      However, the colorlight/linsn stuff is more complex as you have to setup stuff in two places (FPP and the card control panel thing) and adds extra latency of a couple ms (at least) due to the extra hops for the data, particularly for bridge mode.

When running the P10s from the pi or a beaglebone with a hat I always seem to have some glitchy data on a panel or ghosting that was minor but still there.

I know the color light is a bit more complicated, but I found have had a Brighter Image with better color depth and 0 problems with glitching or ghosting on the panels. 

At the moment I'm running in bridge mode and the leg time is not noticeable. 

I did change bridge mode timing from 50 down to 25 milliseconds. 

[MGoBlue102]

26 minutes ago, dkulp said:

This is entirely dependent on the number of panels per output on the BeagleBone.   With less than about 6 or 7 P10 panels per output, the Beaglebone will drive them faster than the colorlight.   We actually have to lower the refresh on the outputs because it starts driving them too fast and we get some ghosting on some of the slower panels.    The ColorLights/Linsn does have the advantage of the 12 or 16 outputs so the panel chains can be kept shorter.      However, the colorlight/linsn stuff is more complex as you have to setup stuff in two places (FPP and the card control panel thing) and adds extra latency of a couple ms (at least) due to the extra hops for the data, particularly for bridge mode.

I have a BBB and Octo coming.  Hopefully it is delivered this week.  I will be trying that setup myself to make my own determinations for my 56 panel matrix.  I have three concepts all together that I will be trying primarily.  BBB/Octo straight to matrix.  Pi/adafruit matrix hat straight to matrix and then using a colorlight/linsn receiver connected to the panel getting it's signal from a controller/sending unit.  All of which will be driven by either the Xlights, FPP or LOR sequencing software to start with.  Still trying to find posts or video of any or all of those concepts to know for certain if someone else has already tried such and if it worked or not.

[Ebuechner]

I think the beaglebone with the Octo is going to be a good setup for you.

I've run all three setups.

One of the reasons I switched to the color light card was to remove the pi or beaglebone from the back of my P10 panel. 

My P10 panels were in a position where if I had to get to the beaglebone or pi it was going to be difficult and with the color light card I don't have to worry about things like corrupted SD cards. 

When you're planning this you're going to have to figure that you need 2 amps per panel so figure on to 350 watt power supplies. 

I would suggest to mean well lrs-350-5.

Correction. I remember hearing that the beaglebone does not play well with the mean well power supplies on Startup. 

Edited April 24, 2018 by Ebuechner

[MGoBlue102]

37 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

I think the beaglebone with the Octo is going to be a good setup for you.

I've run all three setups.

One of the reasons I switched to the color light card was to remove the pi or beaglebone from the back of my P10 panel. 

My P10 panels were in a position where if I had to get to the beaglebone or pi it was going to be difficult and with the color light card I don't have to worry about things like corrupted SD cards. 

When you're planning this you're going to have to figure that you need 2 amps per panel so figure on to 350 watt power supplies. 

I would suggest to mean well lrs-350-5.

Correction. I remember hearing that the beaglebone does not play well with the mean well power supplies on Startup. 

Thanks, yea, I have some 350's now and ordered some various aluminum products to do the framing enclosure.  Considering some extruded aluminum channels with t slots as well as a few other options but not locked into any one item.  They are about 1" thick and 1" wide for the single and 2" for the double.  The grooves appear to line up perfectly with the screw holes on the backs of the panels and it would give me some serious strength without adding too much weight.  Another thought is some flat aluminum with holes lined up to connect panel to panel which is fine but gives me no depth on the back side.  I am considering making a 3" deep product to allow cards and power supplies to be inside with the panels and all the wiring etc. not seen since this particular matrix will be on my porch and plenty of people may be in that area when asking for candy.

[Ebuechner]

Here's a link to a bunch of pictures of my P10 panels to give you some ideas how to build. 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwDgEpqsgNhfSzVGYVFoalRWMWc

[MGoBlue102]

22 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

Here's a link to a bunch of pictures of my P10 panels to give you some ideas how to build. 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwDgEpqsgNhfSzVGYVFoalRWMWc

Wow, looking them over now.  Incredible.  Looks like you have got some time invested.

[k6ccc]

9 hours ago, jerry72 said:

Why not get a raspberry pi and a matrix pi hat? That is what i use.

Been there, done that.  The performance of the Pi driving a ColorLight which drives the P10 panels is far better than the Pi directly driving the P10 panels with a PiHat.  The only thing I’m using the PiHat for is power to the Pi.

 

[k6ccc]

Ed, looking at your photo collection, it looks like you have a sheet of lexan (or similar plastic) in front of the panel, and something solid on the back.  Did you use some sealer on the joints for waterproofing?

 

[Ebuechner]

10 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

Ed, looking at your photo collection, it looks like you have a sheet of lexan (or similar plastic) in front of the panel, and something solid on the back.  Did you use some sealer on the joints for waterproofing?

 

No, absolutely everything is designed for the water to run over the seams on to the next panel similar to the way you would shingle a roof. 

This allows things to move and breathe while keeping it weatherproof. 

The only thing I'll have to worry about is If gravity reverses but I think at that point I'll have bigger things to worry about. 

[k6ccc]

3 hours ago, MGoBlue102 said:

I'm not certain yet that an Lor controller will not talk to the receiver.  I have not seen anyone on here mentioned that they have already attempted such and that it would not work.  As with any receiver, they except their data through an input ethernet and send out the data to the panel using a 16 pin hub75.  Just a theory still but the Lor controller would act as a sending unit to begin the process.

Absolutely not at this time.  Does not mean that LOR won’t add that capability some time in the future, but not now.  The ColorLight receiver is looking for a specific raw Ethernet data (it’s not IP).  The Falcon guys have reverse engineered it and that can be driven by LOR .  If you are going to run a panel driven by a ColorLight card from LOR (I am), the data flow is:

LOR show computer > E1.31 > Raspberry Pi running Falcon Player > Gigabit Ethernet > ColorLight card > P10 panels.

I believe they have the ColorLight code in the BeagleBone Black as well, so you could use a BBB rather than the Pi (if that is correct).  I’m using a Pi 3b so not paying that much attention to the BBB.

The ColorLight requires a gigabit Ethernet connection which most of the Pi’s don’t have, so most of us are using a USB to gigabit Ethernet adapter.  However since you have a Pi 3b+, it does have gigabit built in.

[k6ccc]

3 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

No, absolutely everything is designed for the water to run over the seams on to the next panel similar to the way you would shingle a roof. 

How about the side?  There is nothing to keep water flowing down the front at the joint between the side panel and the plastic face from going in between the side and face and the around end of the plastic.

 

[MGoBlue102]

51 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

Been there, done that.  The performance of the Pi driving a ColorLight which drives the P10 panels is far better than the Pi directly driving the P10 panels with a PiHat.  The only thing I’m using the PiHat for is power to the Pi.

 

How are you connecting the pi directly to the receiver?

[Ebuechner]

Just now, k6ccc said:

How about the side?  There is nothing to keep water flowing down the front at the joint between the side panel and the plastic face from going in between the side and face and the around end of the plastic.

 

Not necessary.

The amount of water that would drive into that seem even in the driving rain would be minimal.

I've already accounted for a small amount of water with drain holes on the bottom and I've used Cedar for that reason as well.

I've been using this setup for a few years with success

[MGoBlue102]

2 minutes ago, MGoBlue102 said:

How are you connecting the pi directly to the receiver?

Oh, I think you already answered.  Using the RJ45 ethernet connection off the PI as an output.  I assume you are using the wifi or usb ports as your input from the show pc to get the initial communication flowing.

[Ebuechner]

10 minutes ago, MGoBlue102 said:

Oh, I think you already answered.  Using the RJ45 ethernet connection off the PI as an output.  I assume you are using the wifi or usb ports as your input from the show pc to get the initial communication flowing.

When using a color light card your pi or beaglebone black needs to have two ethernet connections. 

The first one is to receive data and then the second one is needed is a dedicated output to the color light card typically what is used as a USB 3.0 to gigabit adapter.