SuperStar Demo and CCB?

[Vince LeGrand]

I have recently acquired my first RGB lights (2 CCB's).  I am going through the SuperStar demo included with my Advanced 3.12.2 license.  All references to RGB lights are exclusively CCR.  I cannot find any way to set up a configuration for CCB.  For example, in the Create Quick Visualization screen, the only options for controllers are LOR, CCR or DMX Universe.  If I select CCR, the only # of channels allowed is 150.  I want to set my CCB to a single Unit ID with 300 channels.

 

I know the demo version of SuperStar doesn't allow you to save anything, but is it restricted to just CCR?  Or is there some way to configure the demo SuperStar for CCB?  I'm ready to buy a SuperStar license, but not if it doesn't explicitly support CCB.

[BrianBruderer]

Both SuperStar and the Visualizer treat CCBs and CCPs the same as CCRs.

 

When you configure you CCBs set the mode to "dual normal" and then when you assign the unit ID it will be used for the first string that is attached to the CCB controller, and it will automatically assign the next unit ID to the second string attached to the CCB controller. Then each string gets treated as if it were a CCR. This works because CCRs have 50 pixels and each CCB string has 50 pixels.

 

So if your set the unit ID of the controller to 07, then 07 will be used for the first string and 08 will be used for the second string. So if you had more than one controller you end up assigning every other unit ID to each controller. In this case if you had another controller you could assign 09 to it, and 09 would be used for the first string and 0A would be used for the next string.

 

Hope that makes sense.

[Vince LeGrand]

Thanks for the quick reply, Brian.

 

Perhaps what I am trying to do isn't supported by SuperStar.

 

The CCB has 2 strings of 50 lights for a total of 100.  For each of my CCB's, I want to arrange them in 5 columns of 20 lights.  So, my 2 CCB's would give me a matrix that is 20 lights tall and 10 lights across.   I have only been working with the SuperStar demo for a couple of hours, but I have not been able to figure out a way to do this.  It appears I can either have full columns (all 50 lights) or half columns of 25 lights.

[Vince LeGrand]

Brian,

 

I've seen a few posts about the differences in settings between the Hardware Utility and SuperStar.  You mentioned that I should set the CCB to Dual Normal in the Hardware Utility.  When I was setting them up, I tried that (just to see how that affected the config).  After setting Dual Normal, when I did a refresh, the Hardware Utility still only saw 1 unit.  Is that what is supposed to happen or should it have seen 2 units?  When it only saw 1 unit, I set it back to Normal.

 

Thanks very much for your help.

[k6ccc]

Vince, Take Brian's advice and set the CCBs to Dual Normal mode so each string is a separate unit ID.  There are several things that just work better that way in the software.  As far as your matrix, I'm a little confused.  If I read it correctly you have one CCB set (one controller, and two strings).  That is 100 pixels, however you state that your matrix will be 10 X 20 which is 200 pixels.  Or do you have two CCB sets (two controllers, and four strings)?

 

For almost any configuration that is not strings of 50 pixels (like a CCR tree), the best way to build it in SuperStar is in Visualization mode.  You go into Visualizer and you can create any layout that you want.  Then import that into SuperStar.

[Vince LeGrand]

Thanks Jim.

 

I do have 2 CCB sets.  So, a total of 200 lights, hence the 20 x 10 matrix.  I'll dive into the Visualizer and see if I can figure out how to set up the matrix.

 

I still have my question about the Dual Normal and the Hardware Utility.  After setting the CCB for Dual Normal and saving the updated configuration to the CCB, after doing a refresh, the Hardware Utility still saw only 1 unit.  I would have expected it to find 2 units.  But, the second unit seems to be more of a "logical" unit as opposed to "physical" unit.  Maybe the Hardware Utility isn't designed to see logical units?? 

[k6ccc]

Vince,

I threw together a visualization for you.  Point your web browser to:

http://newburghlights.org/Share/

 

That will give a file listing.  You will find a file called Grid-test.lee

Download that and load it into Visualizer to see what I did.

 

I set it up with CCB 1 starting in the lower left corner and going up for the first column, then down for the second and then up for the bottom half of the third column.  CCB 2 starts where CCB 1 left off and completes column three and continues with columns four and five.  CCB 3 and CCB 4 are arranged the same way for columns six through ten.

 

The four CCBs use the regular network, with addresses 0A through 0D

 

BTW, that took all of three minutes to make and then another 10 to clean up the pixel locations so the rows and columns were a perfect matrix.

 

As for only one unit ID showing in the hardware utility, frankly I don't remember and mine are all stored away in the attic so I can't test the theory right now...

Edited May 11, 2015 by k6ccc

[Vince LeGrand]

Thanks very much, Jim. 

[default]

I still have my question about the Dual Normal and the Hardware Utility.  After setting the CCB for Dual Normal and saving the updated configuration to the CCB, after doing a refresh, the Hardware Utility still saw only 1 unit.  I would have expected it to find 2 units.  But, the second unit seems to be more of a "logical" unit as opposed to "physical" unit.  Maybe the Hardware Utility isn't designed to see logical units?? 

 

I had a CCP (same as CCB ie. Pixel/Bulb) sitting on my desk and ran the Hardware Utility. My CCP is in Dual Mode and yes it showed up in Hardware Utility as 1 Unit. You will have to remember that you have used (2) Unit ID #'s for one 1 physical unit. I ended up creating a text file and put it into the LOR Directory to jog my memory. It looks like this

 

Unit ID's for LOR products;

LOR AC Sequencer               Unit ID 1

CCR (Left Circle)              Unit ID 2

CCR (middle Circle)             Unit ID 3

CCR (Right Circle)                Unit ID 4

CMD 12 Volt 24 Channel Sequencer  Unit ID 5

CCP                               Unit ID 8  Unit ID 9    Tree Legs 1-4 from left

CCP                               Unit ID 10 Unit ID 11   Tree Legs 5-8 from left

CCP                               Unit ID 12 Unit ID 13   Tree Legs 9-12 from left

CCP                               Unit ID 14              Pixel Spinner

 

It has come in handy because you can forget after some time passes and you want to expand. Just a thought.

 

Alan...

Edited May 11, 2015 by default

[BrianBruderer]

This is mostly a repeat of the previous posting, but yes, think of it that the Hardware Utility detects controllers. And think of the second string as being a logical unit instead of a physical unit. And thus you will only see the controller listed once, and it will list the unit ID that was set for the first string. You just have to know that the second string uses the next Unit ID.

[Vince LeGrand]

Brian and Alan,

 

Thanks very much for your informative replies.

 

I've been using LOR Controllers for about 10 years and thought I was pretty knowledgeable.  But, getting started with RGB has taken me back to being a newbie.