Help With E1.31 + LOR Setup

[mmais68569]

I have been trying for about 2 weeks now to get my HC Alpha Pix 12 strip mega tree running in LOR

So far I have the controller in the network it pings & I can test the lights using xLights to make sure controller & computer are setup.

Now comes the problem or problems I have lots of pictures but LOR only lets me load one per post so let's see if I can explain what is going on. 

In LOR I have setup a sequence using 12 DMX RGB universes one universe per strip of 50 pixels that gives me 150 channels. I set the first strip of lights to universe 2 as I already have my show running on universe 1. I setup universe 1 because of a mix of LOR Lynx Express & dumb RGB controllers running wireless with a Lynx Dongle.

I then setup the other 11 stips in the next 11 universes. Specified my IP address then saved.

made sure the controller configuration LOR Configuration, & the sequence was all setup to the same universes. 

Set up a show   computer started & I could hear the music but not the first light came on

I sure could use all the help I can get as I can not see why it does not work

Mike`

 

 

 

[Mr. P]

Make sure the Control Panel is running and that Control Lights is checked under Play in the top menu.

[mmais68569]

I have the control lights checked & I have LOR enabled & control panel is open

Here is what it says

Show started at 7:50:00PM heard music but no lights

Mike

 

[Mr. P]

Some things to check:

- All configs in the Alphapix are set up, ports, channels etc.

- Network Preferences are set correctly, universes and ip addresses. Click on the ip address and ensure the mulicast or unicast is set correctly.

[k6ccc]

2 hours ago, mmais68569 said:

Now comes the problem or problems I have lots of pictures but LOR only lets me load one per post so let's see if I can explain what is going on. 

Actually the forum lets you post all the pictures that you want in a message post.  What it does have is a TOTAL limit to the number of bytes that you can upload (not for a single message, but FOREVER).  You likely are hitting your total limit - it's not that large.  The solution is to upload the photos to a website and link them.  For example, for the screen capture below, I typed the link for the photo, but you see the actual image.

The file is actually located on my web server.  Most people don't have a web server, so they put the photos on any one of many free photo and file sharing sites.

If you look at the Comm Listener (yea, I know we normally never look at it), you should see the Comm Listener opening each universe.  I just took this screen capture from my show computer as I was typing this message.  You will see at the top that the Comm Listener initialized yesterday at 15:52:49.  That was shortly after the computer did a scheduled weekly re-boot.  The next bunch of lines shows it opening each universe that is defined in the Network Preferences.  In my case that is universes 1, 2, 5, 12-17, 27-29, & 31-34.  Unfortunately it does not do them in order so it's a little hard to see, and each entry scrolls over onto a second line.  However looking at the second line (right below the line with initializing), I will explain what you are seeing.  The first part is a timestamp.  Next is 509:DMX1.  I assume the 509 is a result code, but that's a guess, and the DMX1 says that it relates to DMX universe 1.  After that is what appears to be a more human readable translation starting with the message type, which in this case is [INFO].  It is showing that E1.31 universe 1 opened pointing to an IP of 192.168.131.99/5568. 192.168.131.99 is one of my SanDevices E6804 cards that currently responds to Universes 1 & 2.  The /5568 indicates that is is sending to IP port 5568 (which is the normal port used for E1.31 traffic).

The Comm Listener goes on with the rest of it's startup messages.

You should be seeing similar message if you look at your Comm Listener.

 

[mmais68569]

Ok figured out picture posting so now let's start over 

first pictures are of my set  up

Then I whent to the controller & set it up using an Alpha Pix from Holiday Coro

You will notice 7& 8 have 22 in them configuration will not allow 0 as these two are blanks & not used

Then did a Ping test to make sure everything was correct

After Ping test I went to xLights & tested to make sure computer & controller were connected & work just fine

Then I went to LOR & set it up so I could sequence

As you can see I have a DMX for the rest of my show setup on univ. 1 That is why everything starts with univ. 2

Here is the LOR tab in the setup incase I missed something

also Misc tab

next I created my sequence actually copy & pasted from one I bought

Here is a picture showing channel setup

Below are a few more pictures that maybe of help

Program started at 7:50:01 but no output to lights

Tried to use this for testing but got nowhere.

Thanks for any & all help This rookie old man appreciates it 

Any more questions please ask

MIke

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by mmais68569

[k6ccc]

Yes, you did figure out the photo posting!  I’m going to defer till I’m not on my phone to review them in detail.

BTW, it would appear that your screen shots were taken with a camera looking at your screen.  Microsoft introduced a thing called the snipping tool in Windows 7 that does a FAR better job for screen captures. You might want to check it out - for future reference...

 

[Mr. P]

In the 10th picture down where it is showing the unicast ip address, what is the port number in the box?

Also, do you have it going through a wifi router?

Edited November 12, 2017 by Mr. P

[TheDucks]

39 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

 

BTW, it would appear that your screen shots were taken with a camera looking at your screen.  Microsoft introduced a thing called the snipping tool in Windows 7 that does a FAR better job for screen captures. You might want to check it out - for future reference...

 

+1 on usiing the Snipping tool.  Before that, I used to launch Paintshop Pro and use the (area selectable) 'capture'

[mmais68569]

1 hour ago, Mr. P said:

In the 10th picture down where it is showing the unicast ip address, what is the port number in the box?

Also, do you have it going through a wifi router?

The port in the picture is 5568

Just below it it says COMM Listener port 8837

Could that be the problem.

Yes it is running through a wifi router with no connection to my network

Mike

[k6ccc]

2 minutes ago, mmais68569 said:

The port in the picture is 5568

Just below it it says COMM Listener port 8837

Could that be the problem.

Yes it is running through a wifi router with no connection to my network

Mike

The port numbers are correct.  The Comm listener is monitoring port 8837, and the pixel controller is monitoring power 5568 (normally).

 

[Mr. P]

37 minutes ago, mmais68569 said:

The port in the picture is 5568

Just below it it says COMM Listener port 8837

Could that be the problem.

Yes it is running through a wifi router with no connection to my network

Mike

Why don't you take the router out of the equation and try it connected directly to the computer and see what it does.

[mmais68569]

4 hours ago, Mr. P said:

Why don't you take the router out of the equation and try it connected directly to the computer and see what it does.

Took the router out of the setup & nothing happened show started but no output.

Did find that my control lights in the sequence editor was not checked, I tried 10-12 to get it to check & never did. Is there another way to get it to turn on or am I doing something wrong. Just checked my home computer & can easily check & uncheck control lights.

Here is a picture of the log that just ran with no output

Mike

[mmais68569]

Is there a way to test E1.31 in LOR?

Mike

[joopers7]

I would try using a regular switch rather than an actual router

[mmais68569]

22 minutes ago, joopers7 said:

I would try using a regular switch rather than an actual router

Is this what you are talking about?

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSAFE-FS105NA-5-Port-Ethernet/dp/B00002EQCW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510534913&sr=8-1&keywords=Netgear%2BProSAFE%2BFS105%2B5-Port%2B10%2F100%2BDesktop%2BEthernet%2BSwitch&th=1

[joopers7]

YEPPERS-The 1st time I set up mine was a PIA, took FOREVER, but once I got it to work I saved it as a layout for future uses, if you cant get it to work PM me your email and Ill send you a layout that you can either cut and paste your sequence on or to look at and compare.

Edited November 13, 2017 by joopers7

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, mmais68569 said:

Is there a way to test E1.31 in LOR?

Mike, yes.  Open the Hardware Utility, and then select Pixel Console down at the bottom.  On the Pixel Console, select the controller type in the lower left corner and then the Universe that you want to test.

 

[joopers7]

Is your LOR plugged into the dongle?? LOR cannot be plugged into the router/switch with the E131.

[PhilMassey]

38 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

Mike, yes.  Open the Hardware Utility, and then select Pixel Console down at the bottom.  On the Pixel Console, select the controller type in the lower left corner and then the Universe that you want to test.

 

There is another way to test both regular and E1.31 channels in the sequence editor.

Open a properly configured sequence in SE and right click on a channel, group or even an individual pixel, and select turn physical channel on. Works for actual lights and the visualizer.

 

 

[mmais68569]

18 hours ago, joopers7 said:

YEPPERS-The 1st time I set up mine was a PIA, took FOREVER, but once I got it to work I saved it as a layout for future uses, if you cant get it to work PM me your email and Ill send you a layout that you can either cut and paste your sequence on or to look at and compare.

Bought the switch pulled the router out of the setup & nothing happened. Do I just unplug the router plug in the switch & connect the cat 5 just like it was a router? 

Tried the ping test & could not even connect.

What the $%@#*^ am I doing wrong this can not be that hard

Here is what the listener saw appears to me that it opened but nothing happened

[joopers7]

When I get home I'll send you that sequence,  make sure your LOR is NOT going into the router. Only the e131.

[mmais68569]

One other thing I have not posted & my be part of the problem. When I plug the controller into the outlet all the lights come on green & stay on. No matter what I do I can not get them to turn off.

Mike

[mmais68569]

Here is where I am as of this morning.

I am able to use xLights to test that my universes are setup right on the controller & that the computer & controller are connected. In xLights everything works.

Now when I go to LOR & try I get nothing. So my thoughts & correct me if wrong is that the setup in LOR is not correct

                       Or

There is something else that is not checked correctly. The computer & controller seem not to be talking.3

Mike

[k6ccc]

16 hours ago, mmais68569 said:

One other thing I have not posted & my be part of the problem. When I plug the controller into the outlet all the lights come on green & stay on. No matter what I do I can not get them to turn off.

I don't know the AlphaPix controllers, but that brought a thought.  On the LOR CCP/CCB controllers, you can set a mode where the first pixel of each string will display the condition of the status LED on the controller for the first minute after powerup - and it does that in green.  The purpose is to prevent needing to remove all eight screws on the controller box just to tell if the status light is blinking or solid.  Very handy feature.  Just wondering if the AlphaPix is doing something similar - obviously for an Ethernet connection and not a LOR connection.