Running two networks

[Mscannic]

So I think I need to set up two networks - one to run standard lights and one to run the pixie 16 controller.  So I think I've pieced together that one runs on the red adapter and one can run on the black.  But how does the com controller recognize both?  and is there anyway to run this from the mini director or do you have to run it from your computer every night since the mini director doesn't have two network plugs...

[k6ccc]

You are correct that the mini-director has only one data port, so you can't run two networks from it.  There are more advanced directors that have multiple ports - but I have no experience with any director.

Personally I have always used a computer to run my shows.  For Christmas,  I run three LOR networks plus about 130 universes of E1.31.

 

[dibblejr]

3 hours ago, Mscannic said:

So I think I need to set up two networks - one to run standard lights and one to run the pixie 16 controller.  So I think I've pieced together that one runs on the red adapter and one can run on the black.  But how does the com controller recognize both?  and is there anyway to run this from the mini director or do you have to run it from your computer every night since the mini director doesn't have two network plugs...

Let me add this.

If all you have to run your show is the mini director

In a pinch you can run your pixie16 and more on one network. Until you can get one with more ports or a computer.

A few years ago I had an emergency computer failure 2 days in to Christmas or HAlloween. I had my old mini director and used it to control a couple pixie16's a pixie8 and a bunch od AC controllers. There was only one song that I could def tell was really affected by it. I used it the entire Holiday.

Note all of my controllers were G3 and all ran on the 500K enhanced network.

Just an FYI

JR

[ebrown1972]

10 hours ago, Mscannic said:

So I think I need to set up two networks - one to run standard lights and one to run the pixie 16 controller.  So I think I've pieced together that one runs on the red adapter and one can run on the black.  But how does the com controller recognize both?  and is there anyway to run this from the mini director or do you have to run it from your computer every night since the mini director doesn't have two network plugs...

For now just run all of your items on one network. Give it a try and see how it works. All I ever used to run was a mini director and I had a 12 ccr tree, 4 rgb arches, and 64 AC channels. All ran fine on one 500k network.

[Orville]

Best option is to purchase the full option MP3 G3-N4 {I think the new one is called} Director unit if you really don't want to use a computer to run shows with.

From my reading on it, it appears to have 4 ports since it was designed to handle both older and newer controllers as well as the high speeds required for RGB applications.   Plus the  G3-N4 has a built in time clock that you set times to run your show{s}.  

I used to use an older MP3 Director with real time clock, but switched to a computer as the computer gives more flexibility than Director units in most cases.   And you can sometimes find used laptops for running shows dirt cheap at Garage Sales, hole in the wall computer stores {those off the beaten path} and even on line.  You just have to search them out.  I've read where some folks have picked a laptop up for less than $50 at times.

Good Luck.

p.s. if you owned older CTB16PC Controllers {prior to G3 types} those CAN NOT run on an Enhanced or 500K network, older units V1, V2 CTB16PC Controllers are maxed out at between 57.6K or 115K NON-Enhanced.  And why you would require two networks in that case.  But as you're a new forum member, I'm guessing your AC Controller is a G3 and you should be okay to run on one Red High-Speed Adapter for the time being at the 500K Enhanced speed.  Since I don't own a Mini-Director, this would also depend on if the Mini-Director can handle the HS 500K Enhanced speed as well.  Check your documentation to be sure it can do what you need it too.

 

[dibblejr]

1 hour ago, Orville said:

Best option is to purchase the full option MP3 G3-N4 {I think the new one is called} Director unit if you really don't want to use a computer to run shows with.

From my reading on it, it appears to have 4 ports since it was designed to handle both older and newer controllers as well as the high speeds required for RGB applications.   Plus the  G3-N4 has a built in time clock that you set times to run your show{s}.  

I used to use an older MP3 Director with real time clock, but switched to a computer as the computer gives more flexibility than Director units in most cases.   And you can sometimes find used laptops for running shows dirt cheap at Garage Sales, hole in the wall computer stores {those off the beaten path} and even on line.  You just have to search them out.  I've read where some folks have picked a laptop up for less than $50 at times.

Good Luck.

p.s. if you owned older CTB16PC Controllers {prior to G3 types} those CAN NOT run on an Enhanced or 500K network, older units V1, V2 CTB16PC Controllers are maxed out at between 57.6K or 115K NON-Enhanced.  And why you would require two networks in that case.  But as you're a new forum member, I'm guessing your AC Controller is a G3 and you should be okay to run on one Red High-Speed Adapter for the time being at the 500K Enhanced speed.  Since I don't own a Mini-Director, this would also depend on if the Mini-Director can handle the HS 500K Enhanced speed as well.  Check your documentation to be sure it can do what you need it too.

 

Mini director can handle 500K and no adapter is required for the directors.

JR

[dibblejr]

Just now, dibblejr said:

Mini director can handle 500K and no adapter is required for the directors.

You will also want to ensure you are using a Kingston SD card

JR

 

[Orville]

14 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

Mini director can handle 500K and no adapter is required for the directors.

JR

Been years since I used one.  And I couldn't recall if they required an adapter or not. I know I connected my adapter to my MP3-Director for something I had to do with it, but like said, it's been years now, and I can't recall why I connected it, perhaps for a firmware update or possibly using the HU to make sure it was communicating properly via the cat5 cable.  I don't think you could write directly to one, but maybe you could.    Just been so long now, I don't recall all that I used to do with it and why it was connected to an adapter at times.  Although I seem to think I had to set the internal clock on the MP3-Director I had via the HU.

 

[Mscannic]

Thanks guys!  I actually ended up getting the 4 port mini director and we built a pixie4 as I couldn't revive my pixie16.  That seems to have done the trick as the pixie4 is working fine now that i'm not daisy chaining the controllers.  I will say I had trouble figuring out how to write the show to the sd card as there are multiple options, I finally found that creating the program through the hardware utility worked best.  So glad to finally have the show working!!!!  Now I just need to return the pixie16 and see if they can fix it so we will have it available for a mega tree next year.  THanks for all of the advice and help!  For some reason my system didn't like trying to run it all on one network.