Ccb not being controlled on play

[Shamusseven]

Sorry for all the questions.  Just set up my ccb's.  I am able to play with the test mode in the LOR hardware configurater.  Bulbs seem they are working good in testing.  But I am not able to get any light when I play a file that I know includes pixel sequence    I can see the representation of the pixels via the vizualizer but not in real life   Any ideas as to what I should check?   BTW  I only have one ccb plugged in at the moment. No ctb16pc or any other controller

 

[k6ccc]

If you are using software version 4. Something, do you have the control panel running?

Sent from my Droid Turbo via Tapatalk, so blame any typos or spelling errors on Android

[Don]

Also, what licence level are you running?

What controller ID's are you using on the CCB's?

[Shamusseven]

I do have ver 4 Pro level with Superstar 8 CCD's.  I am running the control panel.  I set my controllers up as dual normal so the unit ids are set up as unit 2 for the first 150 channels, unit 3 for second string of 50.   Second controler is unit 4 and 5.  And third is 6 & 7.  My ctb16pc is channel 1.   This is how I have set up my channels in the visualizer and in my sequences.  And when I play my sequences in SE (w/the imported PE or SS sequences imbedded, I see the effect on the visualizer but nothing onmy light string. I know my lights are connected due to the solid green light on the controler as well as I am able to make both light string turn on and run thru the macros via the hardware utility program. I am missing something but not sure.  

I did check that the 2nd strip be flipped from the first. Thinking that meant from left to right, far left from the controler of first string is 1 and closest to controler is 50. Flipping second string would mean that 1 would be closest to the controller and 50 would be far right from controller. Do not particularly thank that would be the cause per say but would like to confirm I have that right.   

[Shamusseven]

Okay. So I connected my ctb16pc to the rs485 to pc.  I then daisy chained one of my ccb's to the ctb16pc.  I refreshed in the hardware  utility and it found both controllers.  I was able to turn lights on and off in both controllers as expected.  But now sequences that I had the ctb16pc working, now nothin.  No lights working on the 16ch nor the ccb.   What am I missing?   

[Mr. P]

Make sure you shut down the HU when you open SE as the com port can only use one program at a time. When you have opened SE go to the top menu and open "PLAY" then ensure "Control Lights" is checked.

[Shamusseven]

That's it.  Thank you.   All good now.  

[Shamusseven]

Okay. For the most part all is good.   I can play back on my ccb's  any sequence created in SE  directly or sequance created in SuperStar and added to a SE sequence.  Hopefully my last snag I am running into is that rgb sequences created in PE do not control my ccb's. I have followed the instructions.   Create the SE sequence for none rgb lights.  Save. Open in PE. Add the effects to the rgb channels. Flag it to control lights. Save.  then save intensity data.

i am able to see the effect in the PE visualizer again not in real life

When I play it back in SE it only lights my AC lights.  Ccb are dead.  Any suggestions?  Should this actually be asked on the pixel Editor forum?   Thanks again.  

[Mr. P]

If you created in PE then you have to run on an enhanced LOR network (ELOR).

[Shamusseven]

Omg. It appears my other controler ctb16pc does not support ELOR.  Is there a work around this or is PE basically something I can't even use.  Ugh.  This is such a mine field.  

[Mr. P]

The CTB16PCG3 can but not the older ones. You could always run two networks or use Superstar or Xlights and export them to SE.

[Shamusseven]

Ugh.  Not good.  Yeah I guess I could just use Superstar but dang.   I like the effects I created in PE. Plus I paid for the dang software at the same time I ordered the ctb16pc.  Have not attempted xlights.

So as my frustration cools off, how do I run 2 networks.   Will that require much alteration to my existing set up?   

[Shamusseven]

So it appears I need an additional dongle for an additional network.  And my sequences would all have to be changed.  What a mess.  I will be looking at xlights to see what that offers.  

[Dennis Laff]

How old is your ctb16  did you try to load the latest firmware  and do you have enhanced mode selected in network Preferances 

[Shamusseven]

So I change my network to ELOR in the network config/preference program.  In doing so it gave me a warning that not all controllers accommodate ELOR and it instructed to go to to LOR online to check which models do and do not.  I did and sur enough, the ctb16pc does not.   I was going to look for a firmware update but I purchased it just last year.   And since the site said it was not an option I did not try to update it.   

So with the network in ELOR. Sur enough, none of my controllers worked.   I am assuming my ccb's did not because they were still plugged into the ctb16pc daisy chained.   Would love to be wrong on this because I would prefer to not have 2 run a second network at least this year.  

[Mr. P]

Only the CTB16PCG3 will work on ELOR, the older ones won't work even with a firmware upgrade. You can check equipment here:

http://www1.lightorama.com/network-speeds/

[k6ccc]

37 minutes ago, Shamusseven said:

So with the network in ELOR. Sur enough, none of my controllers worked.   I am assuming my ccb's did not because they were still plugged into the ctb16pc daisy chained.   Would love to be wrong on this because I would prefer to not have 2 run a second network at least this year.  

Check the firmware version on the CCBs.  Depending on what is in them will dictate if they will work with an enhanced network.  With current firmware, they will work on an enhanced network (and it does not matter if they are plugged in after older CTB16 controllers).  On your CTB16s, if in doube, look at the status LED on the board.  If it's green, it's a Gen3 board and will work on an enhanced network, but if it's red, you're out of luck for ELOR.

Running two networks is easy.  Last year I ran one non-enhanced and one enhanced network (two for Christmas).  This year I replaced the two older controllers and re-arranged my LOR networking.  I still have to run one non-enhanced network because my landscape lighting makes extensive use of interactive sequences and you can read inputs on an enhanced network, so I have a non-enhanced network that only has one InputPup on it.  Everything for Christmas 2016 is sequenced in SuperStar and will use intensity files.

[Shamusseven]

Okay. One step closer.  I did not realize there were different versions of ctb16pc. But yes I see G3 which is what have is ELOR capable.  Yeah.  I did update the firmware and it does in deed work in ELOR mode. Now I did select I believe the second to the fastest speed.  Not sure if that is too fast or needed. I may bring it down a notch.   

But.  I noticed one problem.  The colors I set in PE are not even close to what The lights are producing.  I know I am controlling the ccb's now as I made adjustment in color in PE and the bulbs are changing with my sequance but over all they are extremely off in color. Looks more like Easter colors Rather than Halloween.  Color output works fine in SS sequences.  

Maybe one of these days I will run out of questions. .  But guess not today.   Any idea why my colors are so far off?

[Dennis Laff]

Are you using the high speed adapter ( the red one )

[Shamusseven]

Nope.  Guess not. .  On a side note. Not sure what I did but I got the colors looking right.  It's as if I had to fill in the effect twice.  I don't know but it worked. 

I have changed the network speed to the lower (recommended) speed and everything is still working. Yahoo.  Thanks for all the help.