Cosmic Color Controller

[lstewartff]

I have LOR standard software. I just bought a CCC2 with2 ribbons. To be able to use this in my existing display do I need to upgrade my software. Can I control the ribbons with the Sequencing Editor that I already have or do I need something else. I configured the controller in the hardware and tested the lights with no problems. I did a sequence by adding a cosmic color device in the sequence and tried to run the sequence with the CCC2 hooked up and the lights would not come on. I am new to RGB so this is all new to me any help will be appreciated.

[PhilMassey]

Standard level  can control up to 8 IDs, so it depends how many other controllers you have and how many IDs you are using. Remember they count in hexadecimal format too.

[lstewartff]

I have 5 other 16 channel controllers. Do I need to put the CCR on a certain unit id like my 16 channel controllers. I had thought of that but I couldn't figure out what ID it has or how to change it.

Edited June 8, 2020 by lstewartff

[PhilMassey]

I don't use LOR pixel controllers, so someone else will have to chime in

It's the same principle as your AC controllers though. Not sure but it might need to use two IDs. You should not reuse IDs.

Here's the guide that may match what you have.

http://www1.lightorama.com/Documents/QuickStartGuideForColorRibbon.pdf

[lstewartff]

Thanks for the response. I did figure out the unit ID. I don't know if you can tell me this or if someone else can. I know when I have my display set up I could control my lights with the sequencer editor if I needed to. Can the sequence editor control the ribbon also when I play the sequence? I feel like I am just missing something small that should be easy for me to figure out. 

[lstewartff]

One thing I have noticed if it helps. When I have the Hardware utility open the light on the controller is solid red. If I close the utility the light starts blinking. So I am guessing I am having a connection problem but I am not understanding why

[PhilMassey]

Like your AC boxes, if the light is solid it is connected. It is normal when you close the HU for it to disconnect and blink.

You will need to add the device in SE and have the control panel running to control lights. The HU must be closed when using the SE. If the SE is set up right, the light should be solid when it is running.

You will have 300 channels in SE for the 100 pixel ribbon, which you will have to sequence. One red, one green and one blue channel for EVERY pixel.

That's part of the challenge of pixels.

The channel count goes up fast. This one string of lights is almost three times what you previously had

[TheDucks]

A Pixie type device uses 1 LOR ID per output (whether it is used or not) Yo set the First port ID. It inherits the rest from the base that you set.

eg Set a Pixie 4 to 0C (it also gets 0D, 0E, 0F)

(AFAIK a CC device is similar)

[dibblejr]

54 minutes ago, lstewartff said:

One thing I have noticed if it helps. When I have the Hardware utility open the light on the controller is solid red. If I close the utility the light starts blinking. So I am guessing I am having a connection problem but I am not understanding why

When the light flashes on a pixie controller the controller does not have a data signal. Nothing is wrong with it. When the light goes solid there is data being sensed by the controller. (keeping it simple for you)

Look under the general hardware section, top of the page for my tutorial and video, it will help you a lot.

JR

[lstewartff]

i think i have figured it out, at least for now i have lights coming on and changing colors. i just need to figure out the sequencing part.  dibblejr I will check your tutorial out i need all the help i can get. 

[dibblejr]

15 minutes ago, lstewartff said:

i think i have figured it out, at least for now i have lights coming on and changing colors. i just need to figure out the sequencing part.  dibblejr I will check your tutorial out i need all the help i can get. 

Great you have some lights.

In my tutorial video I show you how to make a quick test sequence. Every pixie controller I have built for myself or others are tested exactly how I show you. IMO its faster than the HU.

Also pay close attention to the dip switches. I recommend turning off all dip switches and setting the unit ID's up in HU manually.

That allows you to not worry about opening and closing the controller each time you may need to change the unit ID.As in my case I have 8 of them in my attic. If I need to change a controller using dip switches I have to go to my attic to do so unless I use HU to set the unit ID's.  It also removes the human error factor from assigning unit ID's.

The pixies are very reliable and easy to use.

Enjoy

JR

Edited June 9, 2020 by dibblejr

[lstewartff]

I just went thru your tutorial really good info. I have one question i changed to the fastest speed, will that affect my regular controllers if I stay on one network. I am thinking of getting the red usb adapter. If I get one should i set up 2 networks. 1 for 16 channel controlers and 1 for RGB?

[dibblejr]

40 minutes ago, lstewartff said:

I just went thru your tutorial really good info. I have one question i changed to the fastest speed, will that affect my regular controllers if I stay on one network. I am thinking of getting the red usb adapter. If I get one should i set up 2 networks. 1 for 16 channel controlers and 1 for RGB?

Only if your other controllers are not Gen3

If they are newer you will be fine.

Yes you should have a red adapter and if you can afford it a spare as well.

Black is fine for testing but don’t risk it during show time.

One network of all G3 but run the red adapter. They work with all LOR controllers. 

JR

Edited June 9, 2020 by dibblejr

[radioguy1007]

I also just bought a CCC2 with 2 ribbons to make 2 circles, my first venture into the pixel world.  My situation is a bit more complex as I will be using ELL's to communicate to the CCC2 located 4 homes from my home with a ELL RF bridge across a road.  I did ask LOR support and they said that the ELL's at 56K have a usable limit of about 400 channels.  I did some testing and the ELL link worked fine just talking to the CCC2 exercising both ribbons.  I will add another 26 channels to this new network, but this will still keep me below 350 channels.  I was already pushing 350 channels on my existing display using ELL's.  This is using all standard adapters, no high speed red ones because of the ELL links and I do have some 10 year+ legacy controllers in my display. 

[Mr. P]

Can't use ELL's on CCC2. The CCC2 require a high speed network and ELL's can't do high speed.

[radioguy1007]

7 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

Can't use ELL's on CCC2. The CCC2 require a high speed network and ELL's can't do high speed.

My test using an ELL link at 56K showed they do work.  Just have a limit of 400 channels on an ELL, where one CCC2 will chew up 300 of them.  My existing display was pushing 350 standard channels on ELL.  Didn't the CCC originally come out before the high speed network adapter?

[dibblejr]

While beta testing the pixies I found that the black adapters will work for  testing.

However add that to a full show and I foresee a possible failure without the red adapter.

Also I am not sure how the Ells are working with the pixie controller that you have.

JR

 

[Mr. P]

May work fine when testing by itself but won't work once you add it to a show.

Once you start sequencing chases with thousands of commands going out for your show that network will not keep up and you will start seeing lag and flashes that you didn't sequence.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Mr. P

[k6ccc]

I would HIGHLY recommend that you use one network for the ELLs and NOTHING ELSE.  ALL other controllers on another network..  That way you are minimizing the number of channels on the ELLs.

 

[Orville]

Mr P. and JR are correct.   I only had a black adapter {No ELL's} and when I  set up a test show, that is actually creating a real show and using the black USB485B adapter I have and using OLDER CCB10D 5V Original Controllers {5 of them}, on a Regular LOR NON-Enhanced 56K network, the show bombed out horribly.  The RGB lights had some serious lag times that threw everything off, it looked terrible.  I tried bumping that speed to 115K {which I do not think the ELL's can do} and I still had bad results with RGB LAG times, along with RGB lights coming on when they weren't supposed to and off when they should be on.   Without the red high speed adapter the show was a disaster.  Added the red HS Adapter, changed all the RGB Controllers at the time to Aux A, 500K Enhanced which IS what IS RECOMMENDED for them to work correctly by LOR, once that was in place and the RGB units were on THEIR OWN HS {RED} Adapter the show ran flawlessly and as it should.

ELL's to my knowledge have NEVER been recommended for use with ANY of the LOR RGB Controllers because they just can't do not only the speed required to keep up, they can't handle enhanced protocols either, not even the older 5V CCB100D.  As far as I can recall the red HS Adapter has been around since LOR came out with the RGB Controller family.

If you want to run the show with extra networks and the correct speeds, you could do what I did and buy an N4-G3 MP3 Director{G4 Director} unit, it has 4 ports, 1 dual jack is Network 1 and is always the REGULAR, 115K,. NON-Enhanced Network for {my} older CTB16PC V2 controllers, Network 2 {for me} is AUX A, 500K, Enhanced for my older CCB100D 5V RGB Controllers, Network 3 is set to Aux B, 1,000K, Enhanced for my 2 new additions, the Pixie2D 12V RGB LOR Singing Christmas Trees.  Network 4 is not used at this time.

This would be the easiest route and would do away with the ELL's and their "limitations".  Yes, it costs a bit of money, but to me well worth it.   I was considering ELL's, but after reading they ARE NOT RECOMMENDED or suited for RGB applications, I abandoned that idea for the N4-G3 MP3 Director{G4} to run my show.   It just made it all simpler and I've run actual show tests on the new Director I have now and there is no lag times in how this is set up.

But in your sequences you have to make sure each controller is set on the correct network Regular, Aux A, Aux B, Speed {Regular, 115K max, Non-Enhanced for older CTB16PC V2 units}, Aux A, 500K, Enhanced for CCB100D and some other RGB Controllers, Aux B, 1,000k{although 500K will also work for the Pixie2D}, Enhanced for my Pixie2D's.    But if you have, or ever acquire a Pixcon16, it WILL require 1000K, Enhanced and its own network or it won't work.

In reality, I could put my CCB100D and Pixie2D's on the same Aux A network, but I want the Pixie2D's to run at their full capability, and is why I have them on separate networks.

But I speak from experience using an older black USB Adapter ti run both Standard AC LOR Controllers and RGB Controllers on the same low speed, non-enhance network, it just won't serve you as well as you think it will.

As others have stated, for testing it may be fine, but when it comes to an actual show, you're going to encounter some issues that you may not see in your "testing stage".

All a matter of choice on how one does things, but in your case, I think the ELL's are going to be very problematic when the real show is put up and running.