Adding my second controller

[Jeff M]

I've not been able to find sufficient tutorials on this. I have unit 1 mounted on the side of my house from last year. Cables are not currently ran to it as I take them down at the end of the season. I want to add my second controller but not sure of the sequence of events. Here's what I'm understanding.. someone help me out on this.

1) I have the new unit. I connect it to my computer by it self (for example, laying it on the table next to the computer). I have to first set the unit number to 02 using the switches in the device.

2) I need to run the utility and tell it to configure the new unit (02).

3) Connect it outside to the old unit with a Cat5 cable from 01 to 02.

4) I go into each of my older sequences and click on the add device button, select unit, and it should show up (without having the cable from the computer to the (now) mounted outside boxes). then the new 16 channels should appear as 17-32.

5) Make any changes in the sequences involving the new channels and lights.

6) At Christmas, run the cat5 out to the box and it should all go as planned.

Please tell me if I have missed something or have over simplified.  I don't want to screw this up and I also don't want to waste countless hours reprogramming my sequences only to have them not work properly.

Does it make any difference that my first unit (01) was bought 4 years ago and the second unit, just now.

Thanks.

[Santas Helper]

Welcome aboard Jeff (noticed this is your first post).

You have come to the right place.

I assume you purchased another AC controller?

If so, you pretty much nailed it.

I have all older controllers so I don't have to connect it to the computer to set the unit ID or configure anything.

I also never had to go into Utility when adding/removing controllers. The software pretty much says, hey controller, lets do this.

So adding and removing controllers, at least for me is just connect em and run.

Again, welcome and I know others will chime it with their 2 cents. 

Tom

Edited September 7, 2016 by Santas Helper

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, Jeff M said:

1) I have the new unit. I connect it to my computer by it self (for example, laying it on the table next to the computer). I have to first set the unit number to 02 using the switches in the device.

2) I need to run the utility and tell it to configure the new unit (02).

If the device has switches, you set the Unit ID with the switches, if it doesn't, you change the Unit ID with the Hardware Utility.  You don't have to do both.

1 hour ago, Jeff M said:

4) I go into each of my older sequences and click on the add device button, select unit, and it should show up (without having the cable from the computer to the (now) mounted outside boxes). then the new 16 channels should appear as 17-32.

Assuming you set the Unit Id of the new controller, the new channels will be Unit ID 02 channels 1 - 16 (not 17 - 32).

Also, once you add the channels to one sequence (and get everything named and colors set), you export the configuration and then you can just import that configuration to your other sequences.  Note:  To get this to work right, ALWAYS add your new channels to the very bottom of the channel list.  If you have more than one track in SE, you can re-arrange the order to make it more convenient in the second (or later) tracks, but the first track does not get the channel order changed EVER.  What many of us do is to name the first track as "Master", and then the second track as "Working".  Re-arrange the channels in the Working track to your heart's content.

 

[Jeff M]

K6ccc

Questions on your reply. I have now my older unit one. It shows up as channels 1-16. So if I set it up (either with utility or switches as you said), and I open an existing sequence, it will show my original programming, then below channel 16 it will show again channel 1 (except with "unit 02")? So, if I understand that, there would not be a time when you'd start a new sequence that would automatically show up as channels 1-32?

Regarding your second paragraph. The one where you talked about configuration, tracks, SE (whatever that is), etc... I obviously have only scratched the surface in this game because none of that makes any sense to me. It's times like this I wish you were in my city and we could get together. I don't personally know of any else who does the LOR thing. I sure wish they had a LOR 101 at the local college.

 

In any case, if I understand the configuration part... Once I get the new controller set up, add the additional channels to my first (already existing) sequence, set the colors, name it (according to what display item I'm making it work with), I just save that sequence with it's new changes. Then I export that new configuration. I would then open my second already competed sequence and import that configuration. Then save that one. Question: In doing so, other than adding the channels, colors, etc, it won't make any other changes to my existing sequences? In other words, if I imported the configuration, then made absolutely no other changes on a sequence, it would still operate exactly as it had last year?  Thanks for your answers and you patience with my lack of knowledge on the subject.

[Mr. P]

29 minutes ago, Jeff M said:

K6ccc

Questions on your reply. I have now my older unit one. It shows up as channels 1-16. So if I set it up (either with utility or switches as you said), and I open an existing sequence, it will show my original programming, then below channel 16 it will show again channel 1 (except with "unit 02")? So, if I understand that, there would not be a time when you'd start a new sequence that would automatically show up as channels 1-32?

Each time you add a new controller the numbering of the channels will start at 1 with the new controllers number, ie 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2. Controller number first and channel number second. You can keep the channels named this way or you can change the name of the channel.

 

29 minutes ago, Jeff M said:

Regarding your second paragraph. The one where you talked about configuration, tracks, SE (whatever that is), etc... I obviously have only scratched the surface in this game because none of that makes any sense to me. It's times like this I wish you were in my city and we could get together. I don't personally know of any else who does the LOR thing. I sure wish they had a LOR 101 at the local college.

The tracks are located at the top center when you open SE. Track one is usually used as master and that is where you add your channels, you add to the bottom of any existing channels already programmed. If you open the tracks drop down menu you can add a second track. The second track will have the same channels as you added in the master but you can rearrange the channels in  any order the second track without affecting the order of the channels in the master track. This makes programming channels easier when you can move like channels together or put them in groups. You can open as many tracks as your license allows.

29 minutes ago, Jeff M said:

In any case, if I understand the configuration part... Once I get the new controller set up, add the additional channels to my first (already existing) sequence, set the colors, name it (according to what display item I'm making it work with), I just save that sequence with it's new changes. Then I export that new configuration. I would then open my second already competed sequence and import that configuration. Then save that one. Question: In doing so, other than adding the channels, colors, etc, it won't make any other changes to my existing sequences? In other words, if I imported the configuration, then made absolutely no other changes on a sequence, it would still operate exactly as it had last year?  Thanks for your answers and you patience with my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Once you have all your channels programmed into your first song you can export the channel configuration from that song and import it into your second song. This keeps you from having to program all the same channels into your second song. Exporting and importing only affects the channels and not the sequence itself.

K6ccc is not on right now so I thought I would help him out.  

Edited September 8, 2016 by Mr. P