Color Pixel Guide, Quickstart Guide Latest Firmware

[LightORamaJohn]

This guide shows you how to manipulate the CCR in the Hardware Utility & Sequence Editor: http://www.lightorama.com/PDF/CosmicColorPixel_Man_Web.pdf

This guide shows you how to set the CCR up and play with it in the Hardware Utility: http://lightorama.com/Documents/QuickStartGuideForColorRibbon.pdf

Latest CCR firmware -- v1.17: http://www.lightorama.com/downloads/CCR150D-V1_17.lhx

Latest CCB/CCP firmware -- v1.16: http://www.lightorama.com/downloads/CCB100D-V1_16.lhx

[ItsMeBobO]

Thank you !

What are Cosmic Color Bulbs? Did I miss a product announcement?

[Denise Nelson]

Go to light-o-rama web site and click under Accessories and click on Cosmic Color Ribbon!

They look great, but pricy.

[ItsMeBobO]

The posted link http://www.lightorama.com/Documents/CosmicColorPixel_Man_Web.pdf
has this on the first page. New product number CB50D not on the store site.
And new terminology, color pixel, to note a new product group with ribbon and bulb being members.

[align=center]RGB, Macro & Color Effect
Programming Guide
for the
Cosmic Color Ribbon
CR150D
&
Cosmic Color Bulbs
CB50D[/align]

[WayneKremer]

I want to see the color bulbs! I wonder how long they are, brightness, etc.

Don't hold out on us Dan!

[rstately]

I remember reading about a 50count rgb lightstring coming out, but no one seemed to comfirm it?

And now , this seems like a long time with no responce?????

[LightORamaJohn]

Some info on the Cosmic Color Bulbs --

I was unable to take pictures of the device operating. The bulbs basically look the same color regardless of how dim I make them and/or how much I close the aperture. The individual bulbs are about the same brightness as the individual CCR LEDs and have the same color range. Side by side, a CCR at a particular color looks like a CCB at that color.

There are 50 1.5" bulbs on 4" centers. You operate it exactly like a CCR. The CCR & CCB have the same application layer firmware. Same effects...

The attached picture shows the string & prototype controller. You will notice that there are no network jacks on the controller. This is the first LOR controller to use PLC (Power Line Carrier) technology. You just plug these into extension cords and then plug the extension cord into an Injector which places the LOR or DMX data on the power line to the devices. LEDs are so low current that this scheme becomes practical because you can have so many on one 15 amp circuit.

This controller includes a switching power supply so there is no separate power pack.

The production controller will have network connectors for connection flexibility. It is also likely that the production controller will control two bulb strings -- making it 2 * 157 channels. This last thing has not been finalized.

Attached files

[Ponddude]

Well this is just going to open up a whole line of questions....

Is the PLC adapter going to be available from LOR? Do you just plug a cat-5 cable from the RS485 adapter to the PLC adapter? Do you happen to have a release date for the controller? How about a pricing point?

[csf]

Very interesting!

I would also be interested in how much these will coast and when they will be available.

I am very much thinking about using a diy rgb led string set up for next year (currently thinking 20 strings totaling 2,192 rgb nodes)... I rather stick with LOR though if the product will be out for next year, and the price of a 50 node string is less then the 50 node CCR. I would definitely be wiling to cut down to about 1,500 nodes if I can stay in the same price range of the DIY system and stick with LOR.

[LightORamaJohn]

Ponddude wrote:

Is the PLC adapter going to be available from LOR? Do you just plug a cat-5 cable from the RS485 adapter to the PLC adapter? Do you happen to have a release date for the controller? How about a pricing point?

Of course we will sell the Injector and it has the same 3 network jacks as controllers. Probably around $40 -- but this is a wild guess. I haven't done any quantity pricing. You need one Injector for every 14 amps CCBs. A 50 bulb string is less than 0.2 amps. You shouldn't plug other stuff into the extension cords with the CCBs

A controller and one string of 50 bulbs will be under $200, hopefully significantly under. The device is working and the firmware is done so we think that these will be available in quantity for the spring sale. I have a few hundred of the strings shown in the picture now, but I think getting the controller case made and dealing with the current parts shortages will consume several months.

[heystew]

hmm... looks like I may have jumped onto the RGB bandwagon a bit too early. I've committed quite heavily to running very similar RGB strings of lights from http://www.response-box.com/rgb/.

To use them I have one iDMX-1000 controller, one 5VDC power supply, and one RGB node controller for every 4 strings. Each string is 50 RGB nodes. See picture below for the setup. Price wise it works out to be slightly cheaper than 4 CCR's. I did look at the CCR, but I preferred the string form factor.

The strings appear to be very similar to those shown above for the CCB's.

I'm fairly happy with the performance and products, but I knew there had to be a simpler way to drive RGB nodes from LOR.

[heystew]

With the expanding use of RGB Nodes, are there thoughts/plans on how to expand the capacity of the LOR network? Adding RGB nodes greatly increases the bandwidth used. I'm currently running 4 networks to support 400 conventional channels and 20 strings of RGB nodes. I would like to expand my use of the RGB nodes (especially now that CCB's are coming) but I'm not sure that my network can handle it.

[Ponddude]

The newest version of the software we are beta testing (not available publicly yet) allows for up to 16 networks.

[George Simmons]

Jeez Jeff, it almost brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat to finally see your conversion to LED technology occur like this. How can we know it's really you saying these things and not someone who has hijacked your account?

[dmoore]

LightORamaJohn wrote:

The attached picture shows the string & prototype controller. You will notice that there are no network jacks on the controller. This is the first LOR controller to use PLC (Power Line Carrier) technology. You just plug these into extension cords and then plug the extension cord into an Injector which places the LOR or DMX data on the power line to the devices. LEDs are so low current that this scheme becomes practical because you can have so many on one 15 amp circuit.

This looked pretty much like what David Petryk developed last year - a controller with LOR/DMX protocols, built-in power supply in the controller and the Power Line Carrier.


Video showing the design in operation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAh1gg0u8Xk

The only difference seems to be that the LOR unit has SPI control as where his design had a four channel LED controller with LED lights. Having seen the technology at the Lone Star Holiday event twice last year, I can attest to how amazing it was that you can run all your lights without signal cables.

Did you guys buy this technology from him? Did you incorporate all his tricks within the firmware for the controller “MAC” addresses, controller grouping, controller-to-controller sync, etc?

[HowardShank]

John,

A few questions!

...There are 50 1.5" bulbs on 4" centers. ...

Q: So does that mean on the bulbs, 1 bulb = 1 pixel where in the CCR 3 LED's = 1 pixel?

...It is also likely that the production controller will control two bulb strings -- making it 2 * 157 channels....

Q: If this becomes reality, then will each string operate independent of each other then?

Q: Will the controller be weatherproof?

Q: Will there be extensions to place the lights further away from the controller? If so, how long?

Q: What is the viewing arc/radius of the LED's? Since they look like bulbs, does the bulb glow like a traditional teardrop light?

Q: What's the maximum length of power cord between the injector and the bulb controller/power unit?

[ItsMeBobO]

I also have questions if you are able to answer them now before the product announcement.

Can control two? If there is memory for two, can it be one long one with 100 pixels for smooth chase.

The toward/away from controller limits mounting options. Can the #1..50 be settable in hardware utility to 50..1?

Will any other spacing options be offered? or maybe a splicing kit with the same four paired wires.

[Steve Constantino]

It looks like they are going to have a good product. There are way more uses for this type of strand rather then a ribbon. Also I hope they have more than one option for controlling it. Like DMX or Artnet or the standard 485 LOR network. Because Power Line Carrier SUCKS!!! I don't think it's that stable. It's to much like X10, I hate X10. As long as it can also have a separate data line it will be grate.

This is how it should be done: http://www.response-box.com/rgb/

Steve

[dmoore]

Steve Constantino wrote:

It looks like they are going to have a good product. There are way more uses for this type of strand rather then a ribbon. Also I hope they have more than one option for controlling it. Like DMX or Artnet or the standard 485 LOR network. Because Power Line Carrier SUCKS!!! I don't think it's that stable. It's to much like X10, I hate X10. As long as it can also have a separate data line it will be grate.

This is how it should be done: http://www.response-box.com/rgb/

Steve

Steve -

I've got 2,000 RGB channels in my display this year and I can stay that, for me, I've found Pixel Strip (ribbon in LOR terms) and Pixel Modules (section of sealed strip) to be much more useful than Pixel Nodes (bulbs). The area where nodes seem to be useful is matrix or megatrees but for smaller elements, strip or modules are a much better bang for the buck than these 8mm RGB nodes. Keep in mind that to mount them, they require very accurate holes (usually 12.5mm) to grip the sides of the node and then the surface area is pretty shallow. Think about how you'd use the bulbs along a gutter, roof line, mini tree, bushes, etc. Here are some samples using modules and strip:

http://www.vimeo.com/16366467
http://www.vimeo.com/13722462
http://www.vimeo.com/13382282

If you are thinking that the PLC stuff is like X10, you'd be wrong. I've seen this in operation and it appears to be nothing but rock solid. First off, all the power for the "signal injector" is filtered so all that is on the power line is the signal - nothing else to cause it problems or for it to have to deal with split phase, all which caused X10 to have a bad name. Also, DMX and the LOR protocol are completely unrelated to 485. 485 is to ethernet as TCP/IP is to DMX.

[Steve Constantino]

dmoore wrote:

Steve Constantino wrote:

It looks like they are going to have a good product. There are way more uses for this type of strand rather then a ribbon. Also I hope they have more than one option for controlling it. Like DMX or Artnet or the standard 485 LOR network. Because Power Line Carrier SUCKS!!! I don't think it's that stable. It's to much like X10, I hate X10. As long as it can also have a separate data line it will be grate.

This is how it should be done: http://www.response-box.com/rgb/

Steve

Steve -

I've got 2,000 RGB channels in my display this year and I can stay that, for me, I've found Pixel Strip (ribbon in LOR terms) and Pixel Modules (section of sealed strip) to be much more useful than Pixel Nodes (bulbs). The area where nodes seem to be useful is matrix or megatrees but for smaller elements, strip or modules are a much better bang for the buck than these 8mm RGB nodes. Keep in mind that to mount them, they require very accurate holes (usually 12.5mm) to grip the sides of the node and then the surface area is pretty shallow. Think about how you'd use the bulbs along a gutter, roof line, mini tree, bushes, etc. Here are some samples using modules and strip:

http://www.vimeo.com/16366467
http://www.vimeo.com/13722462
http://www.vimeo.com/13382282

If you are thinking that the PLC stuff is like X10, you'd be wrong. I've seen this in operation and it appears to be nothing but rock solid. First off, all the power for the "signal injector" is filtered so all that is on the power line is the signal - nothing else to cause it problems or for it to have to deal with split phase, all which caused X10 to have a bad name. Also, DMX and the LOR protocol are completely unrelated to 485. 485 is to ethernet as TCP/IP is to DMX.

I like having pixel nodes. For me it seems more use full for Pixel mapping video. Curently I am using 100 of these for a job and they work grate.
http://www.colorkinetics.com/ls/rgb/flexmx/


My dislike for X10 comes years of home automation. I have seen more X10 systems unreliable than reliable. I have removed many X10 systems to be replace with AMX or Crestron.


I know PLC and X10 are different. BUT it's the "idea" of sending data over power that I don't like.

DMX and LOR are both forms of RS485 so in a way they are related.

Steve