Feature Request: Standalone start on network loss

[Steven]

I was just using the standalone feature of the CTB-16D for the first time (It's for my brother's house - a long story) and I noticed that even when it was playing the standalone sequence, the status light would flash unless I was running a LOR program on the computer, so obviously it's still running the heartbeat detect routine.

This got me thinking... Someone was asking if they could get a controller to play a standalone sequence during some hours, but switch to being computer controlled at other times. Currently, the answer is no.

So why not make another option in the Standalone window in the "Trigger Condition" section? We have "Run with power on" and "Input", so why not add "Run when network lost"? This would allow the unit to be controlled on the network as if it didn't have a standalone sequence, but when the PC or MP3 was shut down, it would run its standalone sequence.

This could be used to detect a fault in your network by making the standalone sequence shimmer all channels. Or, you could have all the lights to to 10% after your timer kills the power to your MP3 Director. A mega tree could slowly rotate until the show starts.

Is this possible? It seems to me like a minor change to the firmware, but I'd like to hear what Dan thinks about this idea.

[LightORamaDan]

It is something we have considered. We will be enhancing the standalone features in the new Gen2 firmware which is currently in development and this.

Dan

[Guest guest]

I'd still like to see an option in the Simple Show Buoilder that would allow you to change to a different directory too.



Currently it defaults to the LOR Sequence directory that is set when you run it the first time to whatever directory you set at that time.



However, I keep my LOR Sequences in seperate directories, such as "Halloween-Completed", "Halloween-WIP", "Christmas-Completed", "Christmas-WIP","Patriotic-Completed", "Patriotic-WIP" (WIP = Work in Progress).



As it is, when I use the Simple Show builder to create a show using the PC or on an SD card for the MP3 Director, I have to copy all the sequneces to the main directory that the Simple Show Builder is looking at, it would be very convienent, as well as a lot nicer to be able to just change to the directory where the finished, i.e. "completed show sequences" are kept and load them from there, instead of having to do a copy of all the sequences, then delete them when you want to add (copy the next batch of sequences) to the next holiday lightshow display, once the prior holiday has passed.

Any plans on adding this feature to the Simple Show Builder anytime in the future?



At least the newer software suite allows multiple selections to be loaded at once now, especially from the hardware software, that was a great plus, and am hoping directory change selection will become a standard feature in the Simple Show Builder.

[LightORamaDan]

Orville wrote:

I'd still like to see an option in the Simple Show Buoilder that would allow you to change to a different directory too.

Currently it defaults to the LOR Sequence directory that is set when you run it the first time to whatever directory you set at that time.

However, I keep my LOR Sequences in seperate directories, such as "Halloween-Completed", "Halloween-WIP", "Christmas-Completed", "Christmas-WIP","Patriotic-Completed", "Patriotic-WIP" (WIP = Work in Progress).

As it is, when I use the Simple Show builder to create a show using the PC or on an SD card for the MP3 Director, I have to copy all the sequneces to the main directory that the Simple Show Builder is looking at, it would be very convienent, as well as a lot nicer to be able to just change to the directory where the finished, i.e. "completed show sequences" are kept and load them from there, instead of having to do a copy of all the sequences, then delete them when you want to add (copy the next batch of sequences) to the next holiday lightshow display, once the prior holiday has passed.

Any plans on adding this feature to the Simple Show Builder anytime in the future?

At least the newer software suite allows multiple selections to be loaded at once now, especially from the hardware software, that was a great plus, and am hoping directory change selection will become a standard feature in the Simple Show Builder.

The Simple Show Builder (SSB) was designed to limit the decisions required to build a show. The regular show editor supports all the fancy stuff but is inherently more complicated.

However we do believe (like you) that we should enhance the SSB to be a little more flexible.

Dan

[Guest guest]

Thanks Dan! I knew the SSB is supposed toi be extremely user friendly (i.e. so easy a caveman can do it, right? LOL) and it is great in that respect. And that's my only drawback with the SSB, not being able to change to another directory. That's the only option I personally feel is needed in the SSB software, other than not being able to change directories, like said, it's a great program to make a show fast and easy. If I want a specifict minute, then I usuyally use the Hardare Software to write different shows and times to my SD card(s).



Just got a feeling someone may also ask for the SSB time standards to be redone so a show can start at any moment, instead of just on the half-hour or hour mark.


But those time settings work just fine me.

[Surfing4Dough]

Steven wrote:

I was just using the standalone feature of the CTB-16D for the first time (It's for my brother's house - a long story) and I noticed that even when it was playing the standalone sequence, the status light would flash unless I was running a LOR program on the computer, so obviously it's still running the heartbeat detect routine.

This got me thinking... Someone was asking if they could get a controller to play a standalone sequence during some hours, but switch to being computer controlled at other times. Currently, the answer is no.

So why not make another option in the Standalone window in the "Trigger Condition" section? We have "Run with power on" and "Input", so why not add "Run when network lost"? This would allow the unit to be controlled on the network as if it didn't have a standalone sequence, but when the PC or MP3 was shut down, it would run its standalone sequence.

This could be used to detect a fault in your network by making the standalone sequence shimmer all channels. Or, you could have all the lights to to 10% after your timer kills the power to your MP3 Director. A mega tree could slowly rotate until the show starts.

Is this possible? It seems to me like a minor change to the firmware, but I'd like to hear what Dan thinks about this idea.

Any updates on this? Or has anybody figured out any work-arounds? I too would love this feature. Nice way to cast a slowly fading color changing Rainbow flood glow on the house after the show.