Practical limit to the number of controllers you can use Easy Light Linkers

[tonyski]

Season's Greetings All,

Last year I used 3 ELLs with my 16 controller, 256 channel display.

I'm going to have 35 controllers this year and I'm a little worried about ELLs ability to transmit that much data without lags. The distances are minimal. 40' one way and 60' for the second one.

What is the practical limit to the number of controllers that can be used with ELLs?

All the best,

Tony

[Tim Fischer]

The limit is on the data, not the number of controllers. So 36 CCR's would be problematic. 36 standard controllers is probably ok, but again that depends on what you're doing - if you're strobing each channel off and on every .1 seconds it's going to be a lot more data than if you use a few channels at a time.

[tonyski]

Thanks Tim, We are on the same page with our understanding.

I'm curious what other experience with their setups.

Any other thoughts out there.

[LOR Staff]

I believe that using FAST network speed, and with an active display, we are recommending 900 or less channels per network (I'm extrapolating: We are telling customers to use 6 CCRs/network, and that would be approx 900 channels).

ELLs can not be used at FAST speed, only at Normal speed, so that would be 450 or less channels per network. Also remember that there are delays introduced for wireless communication, noise, etc which may limit that number even further.

IMHO, I would personally split your controllers into 2 networks. That may mean purchasing another RS485 adapter and an additional ELL.

[tonyski]

DevMike,

I think you hit the nail on the head!

I can split off the one part of my display that really needs to be wireless, onto its own network, and hard wire the rest. I have a spare RS485 and won't need another ELL. I'll actually end up with a spare.

Thanks for the idea!