Pixels per port setting in HU

[cdnlor]

In the past I have always used a separate port for every string (so 50 pixels max).  I now have a couple items where I will be running 100 pixels off a single port.  Since the pixie config section of the hardware utility only lets you set the number of pixels on a device-wide basis, rather than port by port, is there some downside to me setting it to 100 (since only a couple ports would have 100, the rest are still 50?)

[dibblejr]

8 hours ago, cdnlor said:

In the past I have always used a separate port for every string (so 50 pixels max).  I now have a couple items where I will be running 100 pixels off a single port.  Since the pixie config section of the hardware utility only lets you set the number of pixels on a device-wide basis, rather than port by port, is there some downside to me setting it to 100 (since only a couple ports would have 100, the rest are still 50?)

There has never been a "50 pixel per port limit" limit on a pixie it has always been 170 but some things had to be configured differently. The software has always allowed the user to chose 50/100 while setting them up.

No downside but

1- What pixie version

2- Pixie fw version

However after a fw update you should be able to select exact numbers on individual ports in the HU . I think I saw that in there while helping someone a few days ago.

You can set the prop up in S5 and select them from there. Similar to how I discovered setting them up during beta testing. As a test I set up a pixie16 as a Pixcon16 to allow me to assign any number pf pixels from 1-170 per port. Worked like a charm. 

All the software cares about is the unit ID. That was an S4 work around and the changes that came about with S5 opened a new world to us heavy pixie controller users.

JR

Edited November 15, 2020 by dibblejr

[cdnlor]

I have a number of pixies from different gens but this one in particular is a v4 with 1.06.  Even with 1.06 I don't see any place to set pixel count by port only by device in HU.  I am just wondering what are the effects of changing this setting?  Obliviously, if I leave it as 50 I cannot control 100 on a particular port.  If the controller can handle up to 170 why is it not by default just set at something higher than 50?    

[BobW]

Try looking at it this way: In the HU you set what would be the maximum number of pixels that would be on the ports (50 or 100 or ?, up to 170). Then when you create your preview, you define how many pixels are actually on the port that the prop is attached to.

Bob W

Edited November 15, 2020 by BobW

[cdnlor]

7 minutes ago, BobW said:

Try looking at it this way: In the HU you set what would be the maximum number of pixels that would be on the ports (50 or 100 or ?, up to 170). Then when you create your preview, you define how many pixels are actually on the port that the prop is attached to.

Bob W

Hi Bob, thanks for confirmation that having it set at 100 is what I need to do.  My original concern was that is this in someway going to affect my ports only utilizing 50.  I still wonder why by default they are just not set at the 100 or 170 since that setting only relates to HU and doesn't extend to anything in SE or elsewhere.  I wondered if it somehow forced the controller to "look" for data for 100 pixels every cycle and therefore making it work harder than it needed.

[dibblejr]

3 hours ago, cdnlor said:

Hi Bob, thanks for confirmation that having it set at 100 is what I need to do.  My original concern was that is this in someway going to affect my ports only utilizing 50.  I still wonder why by default they are just not set at the 100 or 170 since that setting only relates to HU and doesn't extend to anything in SE or elsewhere.  I wondered if it somehow forced the controller to "look" for data for 100 pixels every cycle and therefore making it work harder than it needed.

Pixels normally come in 50/100 nodes per string. Controllers can control 170 nodes of 512 channels. The defaults are always 50 allowing the user to select. I have never seen strings of pixels I could purchase without custom ordering less than 50, in between 5 and 100 or over 100 per string.

You will see absolutely no lag when setting them for 100, not with the human eye anyway. However in S5 you can set them to any number up to 170 without using my method of tricking the system in to thinking its a pixcon16. I have 4 pixie controllers in my attic. I have not updated the firmware or changed the unit IDs since installing 4 years ago. 1 of them controls 2 peaks with less that 100 pixels and they are set to 100 since at the time I installed them there were no other options. 

I have a video down below the Coffee Shop forum in the Halloween Show section you can see the lights, no difference.

It is far easier on users to go higher than 50/100 that it would be to have the default be 170 where every user would have to change that. Most are using 50 pixel strings (i think). 

In DMX I have controlled 450 nodes with one port but multiple universes. But in test mode universes were not identified.

JR

Edited November 16, 2020 by dibblejr