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Can I skip controller 2?


Goldie1970

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I am adding a second controller this year and want to use it for dancing arches. The two controllers I have are the basic 16channel residential model CTB16PCg3. I predominantly use the ready to go sequences bought thru the sequence store. My question is this, can I assign my second controller as Unit 3 and skip unit 2?  It looks to me that the pre-made sequences have the arches on controller 3. 

Thanks!  Matt

Edited by Goldie1970
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Basic Plus allows 4 controllers.  Somewhere I got the idea they just had to be within the count. eg 1,2,3 or 4

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9 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Basic Plus allows 4 controllers.  Somewhere I got the idea they just had to be within the count. eg 1,2,3 or 4

Your idea is correct:

Pulled from the sequencing page:

*** Basic supports Unit IDs 01 and 02. Basic Plus supports Unit IDs 01 thru 04. Standard supports Unit IDs 01 thru 08.

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Yes, others are correct Basic Plus WILL NOT allow you to go past Unit ID# 04.  Anything higher than that and the software WILL NOT recognize it. 

Even if you had them numbered 41, 42, 43, and 44 as unit ID #'s, Basic Plus will ignore any number higher than 04.   Basic Plus is what I originally started with and within a month moved to Advanced{added a 5th controller} so I could add or use however many controllers I wanted and not worry about limits on ID #'s to label my controllers with. 

Now at Pro level so I can try and use all the features of the software, but at this time I'm still "limited", mainly due to my system is antiquated and needs to be upgraded with a new video card, if I can get one that will work in it and let me get the OpenGL 1.5 the software needs for some things to work{mainly the Pixel Editor}.

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks all.  Here is a tweak on the original question. Can two controllers have the same unit ID?  If I want to duplicate arches in completely different areas, can I have a unit 3 on the north side of my house and a second unit 3 on the east side? The reasoning is that it would be easier to set a second controller instead of splitting the original line off with extension cords and dragging them all thru the yard

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12 minutes ago, Goldie1970 said:

notThanks all.  Here is a tweak on the original question. Can two controllers have the same unit ID?  If I want to duplicate arches in completely different areas, can I have a unit 3 on the north side of my house and a second unit 3 on the east side? The reasoning is that it would be easier to set a second controller instead of splitting the original line off with extension cords and dragging them all thru the yard

If you are talking AC controllers why not just run long extensions so you have the extra controller? You may not be able to use the same controller number, Ive never tried on purpose but I think you may get a conflict error.

You could just give that controller the next number in line and copy the sequence to all channels on the two controllers.

JR

Edited by dibblejr
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Thought about both suggestions, With as many pre-made, unchanggeable sequences that I use, I couldn’t copy that over to another unit ID. The distance I’d have to run 8-16 extension cords would be cost prohibitive. 

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You can use duplicate ID's with LOR AC controllers. The controllers will deliver the same effects.

This is not true for non LOR networks.

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3 hours ago, Goldie1970 said:

Thought about both suggestions, With as many pre-made, unchanggeable sequences that I use, I couldn’t copy that over to another unit ID. The distance I’d have to run 8-16 extension cords would be cost prohibitive. 

 

3 hours ago, dibblejr said:

If you are talking AC controllers why not just run long extensions so you have the extra controller? You may not be able to use the same controller number, Ive never tried on purpose but I think you may get a conflict error.

You could just give that controller the next number in line and copy the sequence to all channels on the two controllers.

JR

Nope, no conflict errors J.R., you can have multiple controllers with the same ID #.  However, if they are controlling different things, then that's where the conflict comes in, but if you say have  3 controllers labeled ID # 01 and every controller has say RED L.E.D. strands connected to it in different parts of the display, on channel 1, green L.E.D.'s on Channel 2, Purple on Channel 3....until all 16 channels are populated with the same color on the same channel on each controller with the same ID #, it will work. 

But you could have those same 3 controllers with the same id# of 01 controlling different items on the same channel if you're wanting different items to be on at different locations in the display.   Each one has to be an IDENTICAL DUPLICATION of the next controller with the same ID # to keep it uniform, otherwise you will get some really weird looking things going on that may not be what you intended.

Even the CCB-100 controllers can have the same ID if you're going to have them all do the exact same thing. then you don't have to add in extra controllers or channels for RGB lights if they are all the same and doing EXACTLY the same thing.  

Had 2 CCB-100's set to the same ID # when I first set mine up when I received my addition controllers and didn't realize I had forgotten to reset one of them to it's new ID # {could've sworn I had and did, but either I missed it, or it didn't take the first time I reset it}, so I had Controller 03 and Controller 05 doing the same thing, but weren't programmed that way in my sequence. 

Opened the HWU and finally found my issue, but running sequences after I thought they'd all been updated with new ID #'s sure liked to drive me crazy for a short while. ROFL

 

So yes, it's possible and it's one way to get around the number of controllers in Basic and Basic Plus, but only if you're setting them up as a unit with the same ID'3.  In basic Plus I had 5 controllers before I upgraded to the Advanced License and I played around with this for a bit, I could set all 5 to ID #01 or set 4 up as 01-04, and #05 to any of those 4 ID #'s and it would operate it because it saw it as ONE controller, not 2, 3, 4 or 5.  but, again, this is only if it is intentional and usually if mirroring something in duplicate EXACTLY like the other controller with the same ID.   Note: you don't have to mirror it EXACTLY, you can set this up however you want and make it look good and work, just depends on how you sequence using this method.

So, yes, it can be done.

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4 hours ago, Goldie1970 said:

Thanks all.  Here is a tweak on the original question. Can two controllers have the same unit ID?  If I want to duplicate arches in completely different areas, can I have a unit 3 on the north side of my house and a second unit 3 on the east side? The reasoning is that it would be easier to set a second controller instead of splitting the original line off with extension cords and dragging them all thru the yard

YES!   This is entirely possible!

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3 minutes ago, Orville said:

 

Nope, no conflict errors J.R., you can have multiple controllers with the same ID #.  However, if they are controlling different things, then that's where the conflict comes in, but if you say have  3 controllers labeled ID # 01 and every controller has say RED L.E.D. strands connected to it in different parts of the display, on channel 1, green L.E.D.'s on Channel 2, Purple on Channel 3....until all 16 channels are populated with the same color on the same channel on each controller with the same ID #, it will work. 

But you could have those same 3 controllers with the same id# of 01 controlling different items on the same channel if you're wanting different items to be on at different locations in the display.   Each one has to be an IDENTICAL DUPLICATION of the next controller with the same ID # to keep it uniform, otherwise you will get some really weird looking things going on that may not be what you intended.

Even the CCB-100 controllers can have the same ID if you're going to have them all do the exact same thing. then you don't have to add in extra controllers or channels for RGB lights if they are all the same and doing EXACTLY the same thing.  

Had 2 CCB-100's set to the same ID # when I first set mine up when I received my addition controllers and didn't realize I had forgotten to reset one of them to it's new ID # {could've sworn I had and did, but either I missed it, or it didn't take the first time I reset it}, so I had Controller 03 and Controller 05 doing the same thing, but weren't programmed that way in my sequence. 

Opened the HWU and finally found my issue, but running sequences after I thought they'd all been updated with new ID #'s sure liked to drive me crazy for a short while. ROFL

 

So yes, it's possible and it's one way to get around the number of controllers in Basic and Basic Plus, but only if you're setting them up as a unit with the same ID'3.  In basic Plus I had 5 controllers before I upgraded to the Advanced License and I played around with this for a bit, I could set all 5 to ID #01 or set 4 up as 01-04, and #05 to any of those 4 ID #'s and it would operate it because it saw it as ONE controller, not 2, 3, 4 or 5.  but, again, this is only if it is intentional and usually if mirroring something in duplicate EXACTLY like the other controller with the same ID.   Note: you don't have to mirror it EXACTLY, you can set this up however you want and make it look good and work, just depends on how you sequence using this method.

So, yes, it can be done.

Got it, never done it. But I have seen conflict errors but can’t remember where. Perhaps while helping others with their pixie stuff

JR

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2 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

Got it, never done it. But I have seen conflict errors but can’t remember where. Perhaps while helping others with their pixie stuff

JR

All my controllers are from LOR and never had conflicts that I can recall when I did it.  However, I do believe the verifier if you use it, will give a warning about having 2 controllers with the same ID #.  

Where I've actually received the word CONFLICT is when I have 2 channels on the same controller in a sequence.  Like if I change things around and then I have 2 channel 9's on Controller #03, the verifier will tell me I have a channel conflict if I have two different things labeled on the same controller and same channel. 

I.E. Channel 9 - 20 Light Star {incandescent}, Channel 9 Multi-Color 200 Count L.E.D. strand BOTH of these on Controller 03, then I'll get a conflict in the programming sequence.   Otherwise I just get a warning I have 2 controller ID's as the same, which can be IGNORED if you are doing that on purpose.

Hope that's correct, been a long time since I've verified anything.  So posting that info from when I started back in 2010 and got errors quite often. LOL

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4 hours ago, Goldie1970 said:

Thought about both suggestions, With as many pre-made, unchanggeable sequences that I use, I couldn’t copy that over to another unit ID. The distance I’d have to run 8-16 extension cords would be cost prohibitive. 

2 controllers can have the same ID, they just need to be CONFIGURED one at a time.

Less cords is the reason, I put the controller near the lights they control.  eg Controller 1A, connects to lights 1,,3,5,7,9,11,13,15. Controller 1B controls 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 AND 1 (more logical to power the real 1 (covers a larg area) from 2  controllers

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4 hours ago, TheDucks said:

2 controllers can have the same ID, they just need to be CONFIGURED one at a time.

Less cords is the reason, I put the controller near the lights they control.  eg Controller 1A, connects to lights 1,,3,5,7,9,11,13,15. Controller 1B controls 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 AND 1 (more logical to power the real 1 (covers a larg area) from 2  controllers

Actually that's not entirely true,   If you want two controllers with the same ID, they can both be connected at the same time.  You just have to configure the one that isn't given or doesn't have the same ID #, just click on the drop down box at the bottom, select the current ID # of the controller you wish to change to the same as the one connected i.e. 02 to 01, select the new unit ID # 01 and click okay.  Then refresh, you'll only see controller ID #01 in the controller list, however, if you TEST the controller, BOTH units will cycle through the channels at the same time and you can see this if you have lights connected to BOTH controllers.

But don't do this with ALL controllers connected or you may inadvertently select the same ID # for all of them.

I changed all 4 of my CTB16PC controllers ID #'s while they were all connected at the same time, but I wasn't duplicating the same ID for each, I was changing 01 to 06, 02 to 07, 03 to 08 and 04 to 09 since I wanted the RGB Controllers to be units 01 through 05, so those had to be done AFTER disconnecting the CTB16PC's and did those one at a time, since some had the same ID # at the time, that would have just reset the same ID # it was originally set to to the new ID # on all that were connected.   You usually only disconnect all controllers when you receive a new unit that is set at ID #01 from LOR, or you buy used controllers and have to give them new ID #'s because they may have a same ID # as an existing one.   Now in that last example changing units 01-04 to 06-09, and I had wanted to change them from 01 to 02, 02 to 03...04 to 05, then I'd end up having controllers with same ID #'s and have to disconnect and do each one individually.   There is a way to do it with all connected, if you're doing it like at the beginning of this paragraph, but making 2 controllers with the same ID #, both that will have the same number can be connected and changed, then add the other controllers back on.

Been there, done that, and royally screwed myself up trying to figure it all out when I first started and made that mistake of renumbering all controllers together as I got new ones in that had the same ID # number as one in my list. ROFL

 

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