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Singing Trees DIP switch explanation please


MSB

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For this year's show we're adding 16 of the singing trees (4 per character) to our display. With the kits, there is a sheet "The Trees of Christmas" that shows how to configure the prop. All of them from the factory have dip switches 3&4 on and the remaining off for the "Lead Singer". Just confirming these switches are used to set the UID of the controller with 2 UID's each 30-31 for Lead, 32-33 for Backup 1, 34-35 for Backup 2, 36-37 for Backup 3. I'm planning on using the hardware config to set the UID's to I'm guessing I need to turn off all the DIP switches and reserve 2 unit ID's in the preview for each character.  I hate assuming anything especially with 8 screws per prop. I'd hate to guess wrong with 128 screws to deal with! Please advise.

Greg

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6 hours ago, MSB said:

For this year's show we're adding 16 of the singing trees (4 per character) to our display. With the kits, there is a sheet "The Trees of Christmas" that shows how to configure the prop. All of them from the factory have dip switches 3&4 on and the remaining off for the "Lead Singer". Just confirming these switches are used to set the UID of the controller with 2 UID's each 30-31 for Lead, 32-33 for Backup 1, 34-35 for Backup 2, 36-37 for Backup 3. I'm planning on using the hardware config to set the UID's to I'm guessing I need to turn off all the DIP switches and reserve 2 unit ID's in the preview for each character.  I hate assuming anything especially with 8 screws per prop. I'd hate to guess wrong with 128 screws to deal with! Please advise.

Greg

Turn off all dip switches and manually set the unit IDs yourself. Remember each controller consumes 2 unit IDs however you will only see 1 per controller in the sequence. I wont get in to the nuts and bolts of how it works. I have various tutorials posted on the subject.

Just do yourself the favor and set them manually with all dip switches off.

You will need to set them up in your networks as wee.

FYI even though they dont have a lot of pixels you may not want to run more than 2 sets (8) on a network. Remember the faces have a lot of data and lip movement speeds. 

Need help shoot me a PM and we can go from there.

The "turning off all dip switches is the first thing I recommend on all pixie controllers. The LOR Quartet is a pixie 2 inside that box. I have 8 myself.

JR

Edited by dibblejr
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9 hours ago, dibblejr said:

Turn off all dip switches and manually set the unit IDs yourself. Remember each controller consumes 2 unit IDs however you will only see 1 per controller in the sequence. I wont get in to the nuts and bolts of how it works. I have various tutorials posted on the subject.

You will need to set them up in your networks as wee.

OK, I did make a mistake an only allowed one UID per controller so I will have to renumber them using bulk changes and relabel all of them...ugh. I think I will take your advice and only setup 8 as unique and then duplicate them on the remaining 8 with the same unit ID's. I was looking for your tutorials and had no luck finding them as I need to understand how these work. It's more confusing for me NOT understanding.  Can you point me in the right direction to look? 

What is wee? I'm assuming enhanced network but not familiar with this term. These 16 props are on a separate Aux O network. Thank you!!

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2 minutes ago, MSB said:

OK, I did make a mistake an only allowed one UID per controller so I will have to renumber them using bulk changes and relabel all of them...ugh. I think I will take your advice and only setup 8 as unique and then duplicate them on the remaining 8 with the same unit ID's. I was looking for your tutorials and had no luck finding them as I need to understand how these work. It's more confusing for me NOT understanding.  Can you point me in the right direction to look? 

What is wee? I'm assuming enhanced network but not familiar with this term. These 16 props are on a separate Aux O network. Thank you!!

*well

All of my NW's are enhanced due to the various pixie controllers. You can try the pixie 2's on enhanced but you may not need it.

You can get more creative the more singers you have. I would never use multiple singers for the lead or 2nd lead. Every sequence I create is as close to the band as possible up to 4. And the rest become backups. I have 32 singers. This year converted all to RGB so I have retired / sold some to force me to get in gear. I think at this time for Halloween I may end up using 14 and at Christmas right now I currently have 16 ready to go. 

I didn't advise you to only set up 8. I did say I would not go more than 8 per network and test them to ensure the processor can keep up with them. I prefer all RGB singers grouped in 4 on a separate network because of the demand. I have had un wanted effects when I tried to have to many singers on any port. Even with AC singers more than 8 put a strain on the network that's when I started separating my faces from other lights and reducing the face groups down to 8.

The understanding how they work is just in set up. The understanding how to sequence them is in classes and seat time. 

Let me search for one of my tutorials

Will add to this in a few.

JR

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Here is the first thread I could find. there are links within where I share a lot of info about the trees.

I have to get back to work on my delayed Halloween show but that should give you a little more info.

 

 

Edited by dibblejr
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6 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

I didn't advise you to only set up 8. I did say I would not go more than 8 per network and test them to ensure the processor can keep up with them. I prefer all RGB singers grouped in 4 on a separate network because of the demand. I have had un wanted effects when I tried to have to many singers on any port. Even with AC singers more than 8 put a strain on the network that's when I started separating my faces from other lights and reducing the face groups down to 8.

I know you didn't advise, but I have a physical constraint with network wiring. Not sure if you've followed any of my posts but the show I do is a drive through mile long loop in a park filled with trees etc.  We really have no way for people to stop and watch each stage and it gets people coming back multiple times and they will see something different every time.

Over the last 9 years we've put in underground networks where we thought they should go and now wished we would have pulled two or 3. This stage of singing trees is replacing a stage of 16 CF50's that used to run about 260 feet and is located about 2500 feet from the "Command Center" so getting an additional AUX network there this year will not be possible. I was toying with the idea to have every tree individually programmed so I could just sequence the outlines when we have music without lyrics just to create a different effect. I think for this year we will setup 4 trees as 4 groups and it will be about 180 feet long.  I'll duplicate the ID's between 2 groups of 4 to minimize network traffic. I will then have one "Lead" per group along with 3 "backups". I have some volunteers now getting the lyrics ready for me up to 4 tracks per song. I have played with the auto sequencing singing faces in superstar and that is working OK for now.

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15 minutes ago, MSB said:

I know you didn't advise, but I have a physical constraint with network wiring. Not sure if you've followed any of my posts but the show I do is a drive through mile long loop in a park filled with trees etc.  We really have no way for people to stop and watch each stage and it gets people coming back multiple times and they will see something different every time.

Over the last 9 years we've put in underground networks where we thought they should go and now wished we would have pulled two or 3. This stage of singing trees is replacing a stage of 16 CF50's that used to run about 260 feet and is located about 2500 feet from the "Command Center" so getting an additional AUX network there this year will not be possible. I was toying with the idea to have every tree individually programmed so I could just sequence the outlines when we have music without lyrics just to create a different effect. I think for this year we will setup 4 trees as 4 groups and it will be about 180 feet long.  I'll duplicate the ID's between 2 groups of 4 to minimize network traffic. I will then have one "Lead" per group along with 3 "backups". I have some volunteers now getting the lyrics ready for me up to 4 tracks per song. I have played with the auto sequencing singing faces in superstar and that is working OK for now.

Do you have a electronics guy that can build (I assume they don't want changes to the site) Splitter/breakout boxes  .  you need 2 flavors (or a dual if both nets are needed at a single drop 💡COLOR CODE Them

LOR uses 2 pair 4-5, 3-6.  that really leaves 2 more pair. Just make a map of which NET needs to appear a each point. Those pair get a break out, the others just pass thru

RJ45 In plug   ====v  -----------^ =====RJ45 Out plug

..............................Net out.......To Next

 

-  1pr

- 2 pr

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3 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Do you have a electronics guy that can build (I assume they don't want changes to the site) Splitter/breakout boxes  .  you need 2 flavors (or a dual if both nets are needed at a single drop 💡COLOR CODE Them

LOR uses 2 pair 4-5, 3-6.  that really leaves 2 more pair. Just make a map of which NET needs to appear a each point. Those pair get a break out, the others just pass thru

RJ45 In plug   ====v  -----------^ =====RJ45 Out plug

..............................Net out.......To Next

 

-  1pr

- 2 pr

Yes you're right. We designed our own last year. Two different styles. One to pass the same network  to and from one controller to eliminate the need of two network wires going to a single controller (in/out) and a different one to split the network on one cable. We had PCB's made and I designed a 3D-printed case for them. Unfortunately I cannot attach a picture of them.

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36 minutes ago, MSB said:

I know you didn't advise, but I have a physical constraint with network wiring. Not sure if you've followed any of my posts but the show I do is a drive through mile long loop in a park filled with trees etc.  We really have no way for people to stop and watch each stage and it gets people coming back multiple times and they will see something different every time.

Over the last 9 years we've put in underground networks where we thought they should go and now wished we would have pulled two or 3. This stage of singing trees is replacing a stage of 16 CF50's that used to run about 260 feet and is located about 2500 feet from the "Command Center" so getting an additional AUX network there this year will not be possible. I was toying with the idea to have every tree individually programmed so I could just sequence the outlines when we have music without lyrics just to create a different effect. I think for this year we will setup 4 trees as 4 groups and it will be about 180 feet long.  I'll duplicate the ID's between 2 groups of 4 to minimize network traffic. I will then have one "Lead" per group along with 3 "backups". I have some volunteers now getting the lyrics ready for me up to 4 tracks per song. I have played with the auto sequencing singing faces in superstar and that is working OK for now.

I used video baluns to transfer data over 55 acres on my farm. I know the pain. After a major lightning strike I was so up to my ears in work It was easier to sell the farm. I had COE cameras and pushed power and video signal every 500-750' depending on the camera and distance away from the NVR.

You could do as I do with my tune to matrix - use a mini director for that area since it sounds like viewers cant see it all at once. Or painstakingly program the director to be in time with the rest of the show. At least temp until you pull additional cables for the new run.

JR

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3 hours ago, TheDucks said:

LOR uses 2 pair 4-5, 3-6.  that really leaves 2 more pair.

A slight correction.  LOR uses only one pair for data (pins 4 & 5 - normally the White blue pair).  Pins 3 & 6 is used only for power to devices that get power over the cable (InputPup, ServoDog, some directors, ELLs).  If you are building custom cables to enable carrying more than one network on a Cat-5 cable, you should be able to carry 4 networks on a single Cat-5 cable.  I have never tried to carry 4 LOR networks on a single cable, but I do have most of my LOR networks with only pins 4 & 5 connected (I can explain the why of that if desired).

 

 

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1 hour ago, MSB said:

Thanks for the feedback! However, we use a bunch of LOR network splitters which uses the power on the cable. 

Since there is power at the target locations, you might forgo LOR power for more nets and use 12V wall worts to power stuff (I never throw a working one away when equipment dies)  Many monitors used 12V 3A (that is a strings power😛)

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