pixel matrix built but not able to play it back.

[k6ccc]

2 minutes ago, Poodleman61 said:

(A) I thought i was at the pro level but here it tells me that im only at advanced.

Look at your software.  Near the upper left corner, it will tell you what version and license level.  The version and license level shown here in the forum is whatever you set it to.  Of course the recommendation is to set your forum profile to the actual version and license level match reality.

4 minutes ago, Poodleman61 said:

So , with the Pixcons using 16 unit ID's/controller does that mean that my next unit ID's need to be above 32?.....16 for each Pixcon?

If you are using the Pixcon 16 in E1.31 mode (as I recall, you are), it consumes ZERO LOR Unit IDs.  It will however use DMX universes - often one universe per output, but it does not have to be that way.  There is no relationship between LOR Unit IDs and DMX Universes.

 

 

[Mr. P]

Lor Unit ID numbers do not go sequentially, 1,2,3 etc. The IDs us the Hexadecimal numbering system that is why I referenced the ID numbering charts on page 20 of the CMB24 manual.

Example:

CTB16 - Unit ID 1

CMB24 - Unit ID 2

Pixie16 - Unit IDs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0A, 0B, 0C, 0D, 0E, 0F, 10, 11, 12

Pixie8 - Unit IDs 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 1A

CTB16 - 1B

CMB24 - 1C

I think I counted correctly, I ran out of fingers and toes 😁

Edited June 20, 2019 by Mr. P

[TheDucks]

K.I.S.S. (when you are not device ID count limit bound)

Devices need not be sequential (only within a device: ports) So start each new 16 port pix* device on a hex boundary: eg 1x 2x 3x. You can put 2 8 port devices in the ID block : 10, 18, 20, 28

Leave the 0x group for single ID devices (AC,Dumb DC...)

 

[Mr. P]

Me personally, I run them sequentially as I don't like skipping blocks of numbers. When I add a new controller I look at the last number used and just keep going.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Mr. P

[PhilMassey]

In your original post you infer that you have one (or more?) AC controllers which will also be on the LOR side. With the the CMB24 that makes two controllers.. Therefore you will need 2 ID's. They can't both be ID 01. Assuming your AC controller is 01, your CMB24 should be 02, for example. 

Continuing to run the Pixcons over E.31 is your best bet. IMO

[Poodleman61]

Actually, there will eventually be the (2) Pixcon's on E1.31. Then im working on getting just the CMB24(FOR 8 10W FLOODS) talking and playing Back. Then on down the line with (2) Pixie 16's, (2) AC controllers, A Pixie Tree(KIT) Plus , I bought the Add-on for the radio. Right now, I am trying to keep it simple. I played around with my system for about 10 minutes last night but I go to bed real early as I get up real early everyday. I don't want to post anything else about whats going on until im sitting in front of the whole set up but now there seems to be some problem recognizing the Second pixcon it said something like you cant use the same COM port for both the Pixcon's but like I said, im not sitting in front of the System to explain what im seeing. it will have to wait until Saturday Morning.

Thanks for all the Patience and Help guys. I will get there eventually.

[k6ccc]

Just to make sure you are not confused by something you said.  You said you have both Pixcon controllers and Pixie controllers.  As previously said in this thread, the Pixcon 16 CAN operate on either LOR RS-485 serial networks, OR on E1.31 which runs over an Ethernet LAN.  You are planning (at least when you were on the phone with me) on running the Pixcon 16 controllers over E1.31.  As such, it will not use any LOR Unit IDs - only DMX universes.  By contrast, the Pixie controllers are LOR Network RS-485 serial ONLY.  Each output from the Pixie uses a separate LOR Unit ID.  When you set up a Pixie controller, you assign the first Unit ID, but the controller assigns the remainder as the next 15 Unit IDs (in the case of a Pixie 16).  As Mr P pointed out, the Unit IDs count in Hex.

As for which Unit IDs to use, with an Advanced or Pro level license, you can use any Unit IDs that you want, so do something that makes sense to you.  In my case, the only controllers that I have that take more than one LOR Unit ID are my three Cosmic Color Pixel controllers that each take two IDs (the way I have them configured).  I run three LOR networks for Christmas, and each network has it's own first number.  In my case my Regular network has a block of IDs 01 - 0F (only one in use), my AuxA network has an assigned block of Unit IDs from 11 - 1F (five used year round, six in use for Christmas), and my AuxB network is assigned an ID block from 21 - 2F (three CCP controllers or six IDs used for Christmas).  Two notes about my config.  First is that there is ZERO requirement to use separate IDs for each network.  Regular Network Unit ID 01 is NOT the same as AuxA Network Unit ID 01.  I separate them as it potentially avoids confusion for the human involved.  Second note is that you notice I did not use Unit IDs that end in zero.  That is again to avoid confusion for the human.  I tend to prefer to count from 1 rather than 0.  Although Unit ID 00 is not valid, Unit IDs 10, 20, 30, 40, etc are completely valid.  Except for the CCPs, all of the rest of my smart pixels are on E1.31 controllers (138 universes for 2019 if I added that up right in my head).

 

[k6ccc]

One more thing.  If you do run both RS-485 LOR networking and E1.31 Ethernet networking, use different color cables.  It helps keep from mixing them is.  Bad things can happen from mixing the two.  In my case, E1.31 network uses green cable and LOR networks use purple cable.

 

[Poodleman61]

Jim , do you mind if I call you this evening when I get home and am sitting in front of the Equipment. I don't want to bother you but this is getting a little frustrating between E1.31 and RS485 and the COM errors I keep getting.

 

[k6ccc]

Yes.  I am about to have dinner, but after that, I'm clear.

 

[Poodleman61]

thank you

 

[k6ccc]

For the others watching this thread, I spent several hours at Poodleman61’s House this afternoon.  He had two Pixcon16s, two Pixie 16s, one Pixie 8, two 16 channel AC controllers, and a CMB24D DC controller along with lots of lights of various types spread out.  The Pixcon16 controllers are set up on E1.31 and of course the other controllers are on a LOR network.  Had to make a bunch of config changes on controllers, Network Preferences, and to his S5 profile, but in the end, we were able to get everything that had lights hooked up working.  I think he has a far better understanding of several of the concepts at this point.  I can tell you that when we played a simple test sequence from Sequencer and his floods were lighting properly, I believe he started walking in the air

 

[dgrant]

Thank You Jim for taking the time to go visit him and assist him in understanding the complexity of this system. Once its been figured out in the brain, it becomes a lot easier. Might suggest to him that something I've learned with my 19 controllers, always, always, keep all power to them off while double-checking the comm cable types to the proper controllers. Twice now in the past couple of years, I've found that I accidentally connected the wrong data cable to the wrong controller even though I thought I was being very careful. Lucky for me, the power had not been turned on yet. Color-coding or tagging data cables would be a good way but I also write on top of each controller, marker, the type of data to it, just to be safe. Actually this year, it'll be 20!

[Poodleman61]

YES , I AM WALKING ON AIR THANKS TO YOU. i LABELED EVERYTHING including the Pixie 8 for the Tree. I m gonna go back to frys since they sell so many different Colored Cat6, im gonna make the Pixcons all Orange and everything else will be the Green or the Black. I programmed for a coupla Hours Sunday. Got the Matrix's and Floods in for a pink Floyd thing im doing.The Floods are going to add such depth to what i am trying to accomplish. I do have a lot of pixels out on the Strands that ive laid out so i have my work cut out to replace them but at least they are not in the Matrix' yet. This is really getting Fun guys. I cant thank you Guys enough.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Poodleman61

[k6ccc]

33 minutes ago, Poodleman61 said:

I m gonna go back to frys since they sell so many different Colored Cat6, im gonna make the Pixcons all Orange and everything else will be the Green or the Black.

Actually I would recommend Cat-5 rather than Cat-6.  Cat-6 is far less flexible and there have been reports of damaging connectors on some controllers because the cable would not flex very much when the controller door was closed.

For what it's worth, I chose the colors I use (green for E1.31 and Purple for RS-485) because it does not show.  Depending on where cables need, you may find that the orange shows...

37 minutes ago, Poodleman61 said:

YES , I AM WALKING ON AIR THANKS TO YOU

You are very welcome.  Glad I could help.

 

[Poodleman61]

Jim , If you go to Facebook and look up Mark L. Swartz. you can see what I programmed around Yesterday and some of the looks that I was playing with when I had the first Matrix Half built.

[k6ccc]

3 minutes ago, Poodleman61 said:

im , If you go to Facebook

I don't do facebook at all.