CB 100D inserting into show caused extra channels to be inserted

[woodinvillejohn]

This is a strange one I can't figure out.  I just added 5 CB 100D pixel controllers into the show to control some bell wire frames.  When I inserted them into the channel lineup each controller gained 7 additional channels below the 50 channels for each CCB string.  The channel names were LR,MM,MS,CM,LI,CS,CC. They were assigned to each contoller ID right below the 50 channels for CCBs. The CB 100 D controllers were inserted into the lineup with 2 50 pixel strings and the controller set to dual normal with each controller having a separate ID for each string.  When the test run I did was all messed up, I started looking deeper and realized the reason was the controllers I added ended up with 57 channels per controller while the visualization from superstar had 50 channels.  I have reviewed everything multiple times.  I can't find the reason.  Did I enter something incorrectly, or will I have to delete these extra channels every time I insert a controller?  Hope the above makes sense I am new at RGB controllers.  I did buy them from someone who used a DMX set up.  I am using LOR to control them if that  could explain it.

 

Note: in the photo below the vertical bar from the gray area was erased before I took the screen shot. 

[Mr. P]

Those are Macro channels, you can find them on page 16 of the manual.

http://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/CB100D_Man_Web.pdf

[woodinvillejohn]

Thank you.  Now I know what they are, but I do not fully understand them, even after glancing through the manual. (I'll reread it carefully tomorrow) I am using superstar to create a visualization sequence then pasting it into the actual sequence.  Do I need to have these channels included if I copy from superstar visualization sequences?  If I delete them and just paste from the Superstar visualization sequence I am able to paste the entire group at one time.  If I have to paste 10 groups (2 ID's per controller) that is really going to slow down the programming and from what I can tell I am not taking advantage of these macro channels by using superstar visualizer mode.

Am I correct in my thinking here?  Are these macro channels channels only used for DMX mode?

I appreciate the help.

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, woodinvillejohn said:

Am I correct in my thinking here?  Are these macro channels channels only used for DMX mode?

Nope.  I know a few people use the macros, but as I understand it, most people do not (including me).

Yes, you can delete them.

 

[Mr. P]

Macro channels are preset affects. Lets just say you have a 50 pixel string and you want the entire string to twinkle, instead of placing that affect across 150 channels you can use the one macro channel to place the affect on the entire string. The macros are used to make affects easier on a large number of channels. When you install the 50w floods you only need the three channels but I believe it installs eight, the three RGB channels and five macro channels. 

I never use them, I just delete them.

[Orville]

I only keep them there, because if I screw up when pasting from one sequence to another {shared sequence for example} and I pasted wrong, I know at a fast glance if there is anything in those blank Macro channels I goofed somewhere.  I don't use them at all except as a spacer to denote one port from the other, and it sometimes keeps me from accidentally pasting down into the 2nd strand port which really messes things up if you don't catch the incorrectly pasted line{s}.

But they can be deleted if you don't use them, just as others stated.   I just prefer to keep them intact.

[woodinvillejohn]

Thanks for all of the great information from everyone.  It is a big help.  Hope everyone's lights burn bright for the rest of the season.

 

John