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First Time Setting Up Ribbons and Controllers


guszetec85

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Hey everyone! New to the forum and new to LOR. I recentely purchased a bit of LOR items, including a show time central starter pack and the extra sd card with preloaded sequences. I also ordered a bunch of CCR-II and CCC-II. I had seen in a typical setup example that you can daisy chain a CCC-II controller to a 16 channel residential one. The issue I'm having (surely because I'm ignorant to this topic) is that whenever I run the preloaded sequences with show time central, my 16 channel controller and my CCC daisy chained with one CCR connected, only the first part of the ribbon lights up. Is it the sequences doing this?

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When you buy a sequence, it expects a certain Channel (controller) assignment..

LOR publishes these , but in summary http://sequences.lightorama.com/channel-layout-c68p32

I suspect you want the CCx to start a 07 or 20    (Gaps are not a problem since you have Pro)

Remember each Pixie controller uses the number of ID's as ports. A Pixie4 ID 20 uses 20-23, Pixie16 uses 20-2F

ID Overlaps are Not recommended, even for the advanced user

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If by 16 channel residential controller you mean something like the CTB16PC (older controller that has female power cords dangling), then they cannot live on the same network as your CCB-II.

I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I added Pixels to my display.  If you are using LOR CCR (I or II) or LOR CCB pixels (I or II), they need to be on an "enhanced" network, whereas the older boxes cannot work on an enhanced network.

What do I mean by "network"?  When you run a USB port from your PC to a little LOR RS485 box, and then daisy chain a bunch of LOR boxes from that, that is a Network.  In the Network Configuration Utility in LOR, you can assign the COM port, speed, and say if the network is Enhanced or not.  Chances are yours is not enhanced.  And when you assign channels, it is on your "Normal" network.  If you try to put Pixels on a non-enhanced network, it may partially work but will ultimately not work fully in random ways (like what you are seeing).

So to add Pixels to your display you will need to get a second little RS485 box.  You will run that to a different USB port, and when you do there will be a second Network available.  This will be a different COM port, and a different LOR network assignment (i.e. AUX A).  Make this one Enhanced and daisy chain just your pixels on this one.

I use about 5 Networks in my display, which makes it easier to run to various parts of my property without a nasty daisy chain of 50 boxes.  It also makes things very easy to debug.  One other Plus is that each network can have a "Unit 1" and "Unit 2", etc.  So if your display is symmetrical, like mine, you would like to see the same Unit numbers on each side of the property.  Here, you can.  Each side would be a different Network.  Maybe just a mirror image of each other.  A USB hub can be used to expand the network easily.

Having many networks vs one is really transparent in use.  You don't see one network "lagging" another.  They can all be different speeds.  It "just works".

I'm not sure how this works with a Showtime Central.  Something tells me it can only have one network.

Edited by brianfox
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Thanks guys for the responses! I sorted out the channels and things are working now but brianfox just made me start thinking of different networks. I'll have to check the network and if it's enhanced or not.

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14 hours ago, brianfox said:

If by 16 channel residential controller you mean something like the CTB16PC (older controller that has female power cords dangling), then they cannot live on the same network as your CCB-II.

That's a very broad statement and is at times true.  However since the person in this buying new hardware, it is not the case.  Current (and the past several years) CTB16 will operate on an Enhanced network just fine.  The newer Gen3 controllers will also operate at 500K speed.  Also note that original CCB/CCP/CCRs do NOT require either 500K or enhanced networking (although they will operate on such networks).  According to the LOR docs, the newer CCP/CCB controllers will work on a non-enhanced network as well, but I recall that JR Dibble has found that they really prefer to be on an enhanced network.  Gen 1 and Gen 2 AC controllers will not operate on either 500K nor Enhanced networks.

14 hours ago, brianfox said:

I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I added Pixels to my display.  If you are using LOR CCR (I or II) or LOR CCB pixels (I or II), they need to be on an "enhanced" network, whereas the older boxes cannot work on an enhanced network.

As I said, in most situations with current product, that is not the case.

 

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