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Anyone else trying out the new Firefly units?


tboerjan

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How is that for response time!!!
Paul beat me but I have a handycap.
I'm using a phone and it is slow!!
More bars more places my a$$!!!
And I'm in line for space mountain, Woohoo!!!!!

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Paul,

Thanks it sort of did. When I finally got to page 13 of this novel, I found out the mentions of controllers. So, you have to hook these controllers into your regular LOR network via the cat5. That is OK. It looks like the FF has a special plug on the end to then go into it's controller.

I got the part about the 3 sequential controllers. That I understood.

The USB to 245 I thought was required to be able to get the firmware download and renumbering of the controller numbers. Maybe I did not completely get that part.

I do hope Dan comes up with an equivalent product. I am not fond of mixing. I know some do with no problems, but then with the troubleshooting, there comes the rub. I can say reading has been entertaining. I just hope I did not [Foul Language Used] away $190 just to play. It sounds like you still have been seeing issues with the pixels, but I am only half way through the post on page 15!

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How is that for response time!!!
Paul beat me but I have a handycap.
I'm using a phone and it is slow!!
More bars more places my a$$!!!
And I'm in line for space mountain, Woohoo!!!!!

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thebaronn wrote:

How is that for response time!!!
Paul beat me but I have a handycap.
I'm using a phone and it is slow!!
More bars more places my a$$!!!
And I'm in line for space mountain, Woohoo!!!!!

Is your butt posting again????
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Paul Roberson wrote:

thebaronn wrote:
How is that for response time!!!
Paul beat me but I have a handycap.
I'm using a phone and it is slow!!
More bars more places my a$$!!!
And I'm in line for space mountain, Woohoo!!!!!

Is your butt posting again????

LMFAO and I guess Paul was too, literally.
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zman wrote:

Paul,

Thanks it sort of did. When I finally got to page 13 of this novel, I found out the mentions of controllers. So, you have to hook these controllers into your regular LOR network via the cat5. That is OK. It looks like the FF has a special plug on the end to then go into it's controller.

I got the part about the 3 sequential controllers. That I understood.

The USB to 245 I thought was required to be able to get the firmware download and renumbering of the controller numbers. Maybe I did not completely get that part.

I do hope Dan comes up with an equivalent product. I am not fond of mixing. I know some do with no problems, but then with the troubleshooting, there comes the rub. I can say reading has been entertaining. I just hope I did not [Foul Language Used] away $190 just to play. It sounds like you still have been seeing issues with the pixels, but I am only half way through the post on page 15!

This is what I got, USB to RS-485 adapter. It is required to update the firmware, but you can set the controller ID with either it or LOR's USB to 485 adapter.

I agree and am also not fond of mixing. If Dan does come out with something I am so there!!

I am hearing that S2 is going to get a "color mixing" tool, and that will make programming a R, G, B color fixture WAY easier. That would make 16 channels of programming for FF and not 48.

I don't think you pissed away your money......it cost money to play.:shock:

I have all of my FF units running on my back deck and they have not missed a lick rain or shine. Guess we just need to run them by themselves.:shock::shock:
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Paul Roberson wrote:


I have all of my FF units running on my back deck and they have not missed a lick rain or shine. Guess we just need to run them by themselves.:shock::shock:


I think you might be right about running them on their own network; I think there may be some issues when running the FF with other controllers in the network. Also, from what I have deduced on the D-Light forum, Cat 5e must be used throughout the network, no phone line connections anywhere in the chain. I am getting the feeling that the problems are being caused by something other than or in addition to moisture.
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Maybe if you have bad Cat5 cables in your network, that could certainly cause noise on the 485 circuit.

My setup (that worked perfect with 2 fireflies) had twelve D-light controllers ahead of the Fireflies. The Fireflies were at addresses A0 through A5 with an iDMX1000 past them at E0. I did update the firmware in the Fireflies to the latest one.

Never had a controller issue. I am using LOR S2 to controll it, I think the Aurora users may have had some issues that LOR S2 did not.

Yes, I had some *pixel* issues that were fixed with a soldering iron in a matter of minutes. Once that was resolved, I got about 40 days of error free use out of them.

Denny wrote:

Paul Roberson wrote:

I have all of my FF units running on my back deck and they have not missed a lick rain or shine. Guess we just need to run them by themselves.:shock::shock:


I think you might be right about running them on their own network; I think there may be some issues when running the FF with other controllers in the network. Also, from what I have deduced on the D-Light forum, Cat 5e must be used throughout the network, no phone line connections anywhere in the chain. I am getting the feeling that the problems are being caused by something other than or in addition to moisture.
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Hmmm.....you know Gary......you got me thinking.....I was using AL in 07 and I fought com issues ALL season. Lights doing whatever they wanted. Even some now and then staying on at the end of the show unless I unplugged the controller. Among other issues.

For multiple reasons in 08 I switched to LOR. I have all PC controllers. My set up was 2 LOR controllers then 4 FF controllers then another 7 LOR and then an iDMX. All cat5, no phone line. I did not have any issues with the LOR controllers or iDMX.

I was so convinced this was a moisture issue with the FF units!! I mean it would rain I had problems. It was dry they ran fine!! Now, with them running by themselves just fine rain or shine. Not really by themselves any more I have one LOR controller in the network ahead of FF and after them.

Another thing to note....I had 28 08 CDI strings running off LOR controller 1 on our inside tree (always dry). I did not have any issues out of these strings at all. Now I would lose at least one string a night outside no matter if it was raining or not. However, when it was raining sometimes (not always) 1/2 a string of CDI LEDs would stay on faintly??? Maybe this was feeding noise into the network. 'scratches head at this point'.....


I did try during the season to put FF on its own network. I run video in my show and when I did this the video stopped running smooth????W.T.H. Anyway, I quickle switched everything back. I wish now I has shut the video down for the night too see if FF worked right that way.


GaryMartin wrote:

Maybe if you have bad Cat5 cables in your network, that could certainly cause noise on the 485 circuit.

My setup (that worked perfect with 2 fireflies) had twelve D-light controllers ahead of the Fireflies. The Fireflies were at addresses A0 through A5 with an iDMX1000 past them at E0. I did update the firmware in the Fireflies to the latest one.

Never had a controller issue. I am using LOR S2 to controll it, I think the Aurora users may have had some issues that LOR S2 did not.

Yes, I had some *pixel* issues that were fixed with a soldering iron in a matter of minutes. Once that was resolved, I got about 40 days of error free use out of them.

Denny wrote:
Paul Roberson wrote:

I have all of my FF units running on my back deck and they have not missed a lick rain or shine. Guess we just need to run them by themselves.:shock::shock:


I think you might be right about running them on their own network; I think there may be some issues when running the FF with other controllers in the network. Also, from what I have deduced on the D-Light forum, Cat 5e must be used throughout the network, no phone line connections anywhere in the chain. I am getting the feeling that the problems are being caused by something other than or in addition to moisture.

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Do people really use the phone line connection? IE, unshielded, untwisted lines in an RS485 network?

Yeesh, these serial lines are right next to 110v lines carrying load. Sine-switched loads at that (noisy) We need as much noise rejection as possible, not less.

Cat5e has decent noise rejection for a low speed serial network. PHONE LINES surely do not. I wish LOR had never offered the phone jacks as a possibility. Twisted pair cables (CatX) is really cheap especially if you put your own terminators on it.

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zman wrote:

Paul Roberson wrote:
thebaronn wrote:
How is that for response time!!!
Paul beat me but I have a handycap.
I'm using a phone and it is slow!!
More bars more places my a$$!!!
And I'm in line for space mountain, Woohoo!!!!!

Is your butt posting again????

LMFAO and I guess Paul was too, literally.


POS iPhone!!!!
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Yes, I had some *pixel* issues that were fixed with a soldering iron in a matter of minutes.   Once that was resolved, I got about 40 days of error free use out of them.



My network was simple. 10, 1602W LOR controllers grouped together and then the 5 firefly units.

I wasn't lucky like Gary. After all the firmware updates,weatherproofing and resoldering (funny, i could have sworn i didnt buy a "DIY kit") they worked like clockwork for the first hour of every show. And then decided to do their own thing. I tried grouping the FF in the first part of the network and in the 2nd and mix them, same result. And when it rained (we don't get a lot of rain so it's easy to tell) some strings would just stay on!!! WTF!!
But I figured it out: ghost in the machine
And at the end of the season the best string performance wise lost a red pixel. Great!
So now I am patiently waiting for others to figure out D-lights problems. Since I am not on the payroll!!!!

And zman: I can't read your whole pm on my phone so I will check it out when I get home Sunday.

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I'm convinced you are "technologically cursed". :D

For next season you're going to have to resort to using candles in luminaries! No more electricity for you!

Heh.

thebaronn wrote:

Yes, I had some *pixel* issues that were fixed with a soldering iron in a matter of minutes. Once that was resolved, I got about 40 days of error free use out of them.



My network was simple. 10, 1602W LOR controllers grouped together and then the 5 firefly units.

I wasn't lucky like Gary. After all the firmware updates,weatherproofing and resoldering (funny, i could have sworn i didnt buy a "DIY kit") they worked like clockwork for the first hour of every show. And then decided to do their own thing. I tried grouping the FF in the first part of the network and in the 2nd and mix them, same result. And when it rained (we don't get a lot of rain so it's easy to tell) some strings would just stay on!!! WTF!!
But I figured it out: ghost in the machine
And at the end of the season the best string performance wise lost a red pixel. Great!
So now I am patiently waiting for others to figure out D-lights problems. Since I am not on the payroll!!!!

And zman: I can't read your whole pm on my phone so I will check it out when I get home Sunday.
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Seriously? Are u a D-light shill?? How much they pay you?
LOL!!!!
I kill myself!!!!

Well me, I'm a masochist, that can be the only reason I'm rolling out these FF strings for an Easter display!

And btw, after you 40 days/40 nights comment, (maybe u are our FF savior?) could you post a photo pointing where exactly you soldered? Maybe I missed a spot in my do it yourself firefly kit!

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Unscrew the pixel cover. Under the silicone you will see where the wires attach to the pixel circuit board. There are four wires on each side. The two larger ones are power, the smaller ones, data.

You have to remove the silicone so you can get to the solder joint, tweezers do this easily. I used a 30 watt iron to redo both the power and data wire joints. If you use too small of iron, you'll have problems getting a good solder joint on the bigger wires.

Once it's done, use some silicone like Lexel and fill back in where you removed the sealant.

The pixel I had a problem with was #12. It would change colors, stick on in red or blue, eventually change to all white and then pixels past it would do wierd stuff too.

Fixing that single pixel fixed the entire string.

And lastly no, I don't work for D-light or have any affiliation with them other than having bought products from them. I've always been of the mentality that if something is acting up or broken and is easily fixable, I'd rather just fix it myself and get on with life. :D

Yes, I would rather they didn't come from the factory with these issues, but I understand how things like this happen. Heck, I probably helped the problem along on mine because I was pulling too tightly on the wires while attaching it to my arches.

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thanks Gary
For some reason I only remember 3.....(and I probably did use too small an iron)

Do you think I should redo the whole strand just to be safe?
It would be great if this works.
I will have to do this in the middle of the night, if my wife sees me fixing something that I paid $200 for I will have to hear how my time is worth too much to fixing others $&!@.....and I could be spending that time with the new babies
LOL! That is probably the pg-13 version!

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My suspicions are that wherever these were assembled in the first place, they used too small of an iron to do the wiring attachments, thus the cold joints on the power lines. The power lines, when under load, start having supply issues which seem to be exaggerated when there's a lot of moisture in the air, and noise is generated on the power lines which screws up the digital signal between pixels.

I really don't think you need to do the whole strand. If you're seeing the same effect that others are, ie one pixel flakes and then pixels *past* it start to act up, well it's the first one acting up that's the issue. (the first one counting from the controller. Re-do all eight solder joints inside the first pixel acting up and you should see the others behaving as well. Any pixel that would come on in red, blue or green and just stay on when it shouldn't, those are ones that have the solder joint issue. If they went white, that is just the next stage of noise confusing the pixel.

When you connected them, the small white block is closest to the controller right? That's the signal booster and it has to be first.

I am now up to seven Fireflies for my 2009 display. If that's any indication of my faith in em. :D They need to re-do the firmware in the controllers though, I won't be able to afford 48 channels per string much longer at the rate I'm adding them.



thebaronn wrote:

thanks Gary
For some reason I only remember 3.....(and I probably did use too small an iron)

Do you think I should redo the whole strand just to be safe?
It would be great if this works.
I will have to do this in the middle of the night, if my wife sees me fixing something that I paid $200 for I will have to hear how my time is worth too much to fixing others $&!@.....and I could be spending that time with the new babies
LOL! That is probably the pg-13 version!
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GaryMartin wrote:

Re-do all eight solder joints inside the first pixel acting up and you should see the others behaving as well.


May I also suggest that the four wires coming off the last good element might be a suspect for a cold solder joint?
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That's entirely possible, but it's been my experience that the first one acting up is always where the issue is.


Dennis Cherry wrote:

GaryMartin wrote:
Re-do all eight solder joints inside the first pixel acting up and you should see the others behaving as well.


May I also suggest that the four wires coming off the last good element might be a suspect for a cold solder joint?

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