Jump to content
Light-O-Rama Forums

Anyone else trying out the new Firefly units?


tboerjan

Recommended Posts

For anyone using the new Firefly unit from D-light in conjunction with LOR, this will explain how to set them up for use with the LOR Sequence editor:

I got my Firefly unit last Thursday and did lots of reading and fiquired out that I needed the D-Light Hardware Utility 2.0.16 (latest version) to set it up. As it comes it is programmed (Legacy mode) as LOR units 2,3, and 4. I only have 4 LOR units, but wanted to allow some room for expansion in the future so I wanted to program the Firefly unit to 10,11 & 12 (0A,0B AND 0C hex).

So download and install D-light program. Run it, go to the General Config. menu,use Comm port 1 (and I used a LOR comm port adapter, just fine also), press "Connect", active unit=1 ( my guess is that the number of devices you have connected-but purely a guess) and finally press "Set Address" to 0A in my case since I wanted it to start at 10 (LOR).

Next , you can test it under the 16 Ch. test tab. If the active unit is 0A, when you test your LEDs will be red, 0B they'll be Green, 0C they'll be blue-for the RBG colors like a color tv.

Lastly, you can get out of that program and fire up your sequence editor and put a test sequence to see if LOR will "light it up" and where you want the addresses to be.

Just remember to treat it as three consecutive controllers that you can vary those three colors intensities individually and when you put two or all three together you get their combined output for every color under the rainbow. This is going to make sequencing much harder, but the results should be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 572
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • thebaronn

    197

  • Paul Roberson

    165

  • Duke

    52

  • tboerjan

    22

Did you have to buy the "D-Light USB485 V2 Adapter" they say is required or did the adapter you've used with LOR work ok to make the changes?

I'm debating a last minute order of one of these since they look so neat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got mine in the mail today, I have it working with the LOR 485 adapter with the D-light Hardware utility. I am still working on trying to get it working with LOR, but like I said It just came today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine worked fine with the LOR adapter. Too late to get into my shows. And I also read somewhere that it messes with LOR hardware program, but I can't imagine why. Still, I will double check with a least one controller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW! I wish I had 4 of these instead of making tri-color leaping arches. (4 of them)

These would be MUCH easier than what I'm doing. I only have 2 completed and need to build 2 more but after seeing these I may just scrap 'em and send all the lights back to CDI for replacement and use the new replacement stock to expand next year.
Can you turn each "pixel" on and off individually?
I didn't see that in the demo vid.
I assume that each pixel is a channel and there are 16 channels of Red, Green, and Blue each. By mixing their intensities you get the different colors correct?

Please let me know real soon how these work out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Duke wrote:

Can you turn each "pixel" on and off individually?
I didn't see that in the demo vid.
I assume that each pixel is a channel and there are 16 channels of Red, Green, and Blue each. By mixing their intensities you get the different colors correct?

Please let me know real soon how these work out.

Yes, each pixel is controlled separately. It will take time to get the different colors since you have to "mix" three channels for each color. I am adding it to a couple of my sequences, but this year I am basically using only the red, blue and green colors rather than mixing them. After Christmas, I am thinking it may be easier just to make a "dummy" sequence of different color combinations that can be copied and pasted into an actual sequence.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you are right you can control each pixel so for 16 pixels you get 48 channels. Search firefly d-light on youtube to see them. I am having problems with mine it is sparadecally turning on lights in one of the pixels like halfway through a sequence one of the pixels will turn its red on for no reason. but the problem moves around from different pixels for different sequences. I am guessing I have something set wrong. Like I said earlier I just got mine tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dfr - You either haven't got the Firefly set up correctly. Use the Hardware program to set the id's, then use the 16 channel AC tab to check r,g,b one unit at a time. Also, you could use your LOR then to make "dummy" sequences to run thru a three sets of lights to double check and make sure you haven't already used a channel in LOR. Hope that makes sense...

Yes, they would make cheaper arches (and water proof compared to LEDs, just not the actual controller and power suppply) and more versatile with all the colors; however, at this point alot harder to program because you're mixing three colors at millions of intensities/colors. I think most will stick with the basics and D-Light has made a color program that tells you the levels for every color the Firefly has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dfr2923 wrote:

Yes you are right you can control each pixel so for 16 pixels you get 48 channels. Search firefly d-light on youtube to see them. I am having problems with mine it is sparadecally turning on lights in one of the pixels like halfway through a sequence one of the pixels will turn its red on for no reason. but the problem moves around from different pixels for different sequences. I am guessing I have something set wrong. Like I said earlier I just got mine tonight.



You probably have it set correctly, but will need to apply the new firmware level v1.3. Many people saw the same random sticking and the new firmware has corrected 99.44% of it.

tboerjan
No, the firefly doesn't "mess" with the LOR HW utility - FF just doesn't show up. After all, it is a different company's product. I bet the LOR HW utility doesn't recognize a Galaxia controller either! :D

hosehead
The d-light USB adapter is required for all d-light hardware....to update the firmware. Once you update the firmware, you can unplug that adapter and then use LOR to sequence and play on the LOR adapter. The "requirement" for the adapter is only for the firmware as the LOR adapter won't work. Again, think different companies... :D

It is unfortunate for the extra $40 cost for the adapter incl shipping, initially it wasn't listed so I ordered a FF and found I couldn't update the firmware. Bummer. They have corrected that oversight now it seems.

And just so I don't sound like a d-light fan on an LOR board, I will say that the S2 software has made adding this new device (3 virtual controller at 16 ch each) almost a breeze to sequence. The tracks really make it nice to see those controllers the way I need it. Job well done.

rns
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Firefly, or any d-Light controller for that matter, you need their adapter to update the firmware.

Why?

Well it has something to do with the voltage that their adapter uses compared to the LOR adapter.

LOR adapters will controller any d-Light hardware, no matter what it is, but that is for shows, not doing any sort of update. However, when Firefly originally came out there was a major issue that was quickly resolved by d-Light via a firmware update. Those LOR customers that purchases it found out the hard way that they needed their adapter to do the update. Darryl had mentioned that he would be adding that info on the website, which I actually think he did.

The possibilities are endless for Firefly and if LOR doesn't come out with something similar over the next year I will certainly be purchasing it from d-Light. It is great that these two companies allow their products to work with each other, which really open up the possibilities to us, the consumer!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

rstephenrrtx this was posted by Denny in the D-Light forums:

http://www.d-light.us/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1217

I opened my LOR Hardware Utility and have found that the D-Light Hardware Utility Version number has been adapted by the LOR Utility. Rather than 1.6.6 for LOR, it shows the 2.0.16 for the D-Light Hardware Utility. It appears that both the LOR and D-Light adapter use the same driver. I have uninstalled the D-Light Hardware Utility and reinstalled the correct version for LOR. Even though I can't change the Unit number in the LOR Hardware Utility, shouldn't the LOR Utility still detect the Firefly with it's preset unit number? Unit 2? This is very frustrating and I am about ready to just call it quits with Firefly.

Now, it didn't make sense to me either, and as I posted here & there, for me it was a relatively easy device to program and test once I got the unit ids to where I wanted them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Duke wrote:

What is the delivery time on these?

I ordered one a couple weeks ago and had it within a week. Imagine that it depends where you live -- mine came via USPS (Texas to Arizona).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Denny wrote:

Duke wrote:
What is the delivery time on these?

I ordered one a couple weeks ago and had it within a week. Imagine that it depends where you live -- mine came via USPS (Texas to Arizona).


Thanks Denny.

I'm going to give em a shot. I'm in Michigan.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...