Blue-Red Police Strobe Effect using 10W Smart Floods (S4 - 4.4.16 Pro sequence)

[Orville]

I don't know if anyone may have a need for such an effect as this, or even created one, but I figured I'd share this small animation sequence I made to simulate the Blue and Red Strobes on top of a Law Enforcement Vehicle.

I think I came very close to emulating the effect and when tested in the real world, it looked pretty good, almost perfect.

So if anyone needs such an effect and wants it, here it is.  Free for the downloading direct from the forum below.   I use these with the HC Smart RGB 10W Floods and I created this because I have a few songs that have sirens or may be geared toward Law Enforcement, but it could be adapted for Fire or other options by changing the colors to match what you need.

I use this with a Pixie16D Controller, but any RGB Controller that controls Smart RGB Floods should work.   I don't know if this would work with Dumb Floods, but you can try it and see if it works.

You'll need to copy from this sequence into one of your own making, this sequence only contains the 2 RGB Channels created for this effect.

Have fun with it.

 

 

Blue-Red Police Strobe Effect.las

[dibblejr]

Where you been?

JR

[Dr_Aplet]

Just tried the sequence in preview and it looks pretty good.  great work.  cant wait to try it out. maybe Halloween is a good place to use it.

[Orville]

21 hours ago, dibblejr said:

Where you been?

JR

Trying to figure out S5 5.6.4 on my Windows 10 system, but I believe I'm going to remove it and go and stay with 4.4.16.  I just don't like all that clutter all over the SE screen, and it's just too dad-blasted complicated to make or code lights in it.  At least in the SE in S4, the grid is large enough I can see it and my cursor fits inside each grid block with room to spare, in S5 the blocks are so dad-burned small I can't see to do anything with it, the cursor blocks almost 3 of the grid blocks, making it difficult to even get the cursor in the block to turn on or off a lighting command.  And that's why I hate S5, with my vision becoming worse, it is just not conducive to my using it.  If I could turn off the dang video screens at the top and ONLY HAVE the SE grid area open, maybe then I could use it.   But it's still too complicated for my liking, why can't I just do like the older SE's?  As in, add in my channels as I want, controllers the way I want and NOT have to make a dad-blasted prop file, which I really have no use for and can't even make one that works for a simple strand of RGB lights or a simple incandescent blow mold.  I don't need a prop file, simple animations for blow molds and lights have always worked fine for me, the singing trees, the visualizer works fine, but this whatever it is, combined{?} mess, it just frustrates me no end.

[Orville]

10 hours ago, Dr_Aplet said:

Just tried the sequence in preview and it looks pretty good.  great work.  cant wait to try it out. maybe Halloween is a good place to use it.

I'll be using it in my Christmas Display and probably New Years and others along the year.  

I was testing it one night in the wee early hours of the morning {3am-5am}, then later, when a couple of my neighbors came home after work that evening, they asked what were all the police doing near or around my house.  They saw the blue and red flashing floods and really thought the police were checking into some sort of crime scene or something. ROFL  They just saw the flashing from inside their homes, but didn't come out to investigate.   After those comments, now I know I pretty much nailed the effect. :)

But the effect could be used anytime, or for any Holiday you feel like, even if just to confound and confuse your neighbors. LOL

[dibblejr]

Orv- if you want to call me sometime I can help. You have my number.

I am sure there are some others that will help you to.

You can make the grid screen really large

Use the “time in and time out” buttons on the tool bar.

Sequencing is so much easier in S5 my friend.

Glad to see you back.

Everything you don’t like are all easy to fix.

JR

Edited September 10, 2021 by dibblejr

[Orville]

8 hours ago, dibblejr said:

Orv- if you want to call me sometime I can help. You have my number.

I am sure there are some others that will help you to.

You can make the grid screen really large

Use the “time in and time out” buttons on the tool bar.

Sequencing is so much easier in S5 my friend.

Glad to see you back.

Everything you don’t like are all easy to fix.

JR

Thanks, JR.  Aubrey, one of the Mods here has also been helping me get this worked out with S5 as well in some PM's.  Hopefully between your help and his, I'll get S5 licked and working.   Going to try and add a 2nd monitor to the Win 10 and move the video portion to the 2nd monitor and just have the grid on the main monitor.  Got to see how the old VGA monitor will work out doing that.  The new monitor I got with the system can use an HDMI cable, so will use that for the main monitor and the standard VGA cable to the 2nd monitor.  Not exactly sure how to set that up, but hopefully will figure out how to get that accomplished in Win 10.  As that would be a great help.  Going to make my desk a bit crowded, but I can live with that. LOL

The new monitor also has 4 USB ports in it, but I have not figured out exactly what they're for, they don't seem to work with external HD's, a Mouse or keyboards through the computer, so I doubt they'll work with the USB LOR USB485B or Red HS adapters I have either.  Seems they don't supply any power either as nothing I have plugged into them lights up or functions, not even a cell phone charger cord to a cell phone does anything.   Don't even know why they are there, but must be a way to use them somehow, just got to try and figure out how to access them and get them working.  No manuals that came with the new computer tell me anything about the on-board monitor USB ports or how to set them up or configure them.   Always something to try and figure out how to make it work.   I had figured they'd have worked in some manner from the computer to monitor connections, maybe they do, I just haven't found the right settings yet, I dunno? LOL

[dibblejr]

One of the monitor USB ports may be for updates, another for connecting a camera or pics on a thumb drive.

IM me the TV info. I used to have access to a database from my BIL old shop.

I may be able to find a manual.

Aubreys videos alone are very helpful. She is a great source for S5.

JR

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, Orville said:

The new monitor also has 4 USB ports in it, but I have not figured out exactly what they're for, they don't seem to work with external HD's, a Mouse or keyboards through the computer,

Do you have a USB cable from the computer to the monitor?  Normally those on monitor USB are from a USB hub in the monitor.  There is usually a USB-B (what printers usually have) that is the feed from the computer to the monitor.

 

[TheDucks]

3 hours ago, Orville said:

Thanks, JR.  Aubrey, one of the Mods here has also been helping me get this worked out with S5 as well in some PM's.  Hopefully between your help and his, I'll get S5 licked and working.   Going to try and add a 2nd monitor to the Win 10 and move the video portion to the 2nd monitor and just have the grid on the main monitor.  Got to see how the old VGA monitor will work out doing that.  The new monitor I got with the system can use an HDMI cable, so will use that for the main monitor and the standard VGA cable to the 2nd monitor.  Not exactly sure how to set that up, but hopefully will figure out how to get that accomplished in Win 10.  As that would be a great help.  Going to make my desk a bit crowded, but I can live with that. LOL

The new monitor also has 4 USB ports in it, but I have not figured out exactly what they're for, they don't seem to work with external HD's, a Mouse or keyboards through the computer, so I doubt they'll work with the USB LOR USB485B or Red HS adapters I have either.  Seems they don't supply any power either as nothing I have plugged into them lights up or functions, not even a cell phone charger cord to a cell phone does anything.   Don't even know why they are there, but must be a way to use them somehow, just got to try and figure out how to access them and get them working.  No manuals that came with the new computer tell me anything about the on-board monitor USB ports or how to set them up or configure them.   Always something to try and figure out how to make it work.   I had figured they'd have worked in some manner from the computer to monitor connections, maybe they do, I just haven't found the right settings yet, I dunno? LOL

Monitor USB needs a INPUT USB  (they used to be Tye A with the squareish end into the monitor) cable to the computer

[Orville]

On 9/10/2021 at 7:47 PM, k6ccc said:

Do you have a USB cable from the computer to the monitor?  Normally those on monitor USB are from a USB hub in the monitor.  There is usually a USB-B (what printers usually have) that is the feed from the computer to the monitor.

 

 

On 9/10/2021 at 9:07 PM, TheDucks said:

Monitor USB needs a INPUT USB  (they used to be Tye A with the squareish end into the monitor) cable to the computer

Just checked, and yes, there is a USB port for that type of cable you both describe, right next to the 3 standard USB ports.  I have plenty of spare ones lying around, so will try that.  Thanks for the info.

I thought it had an HDMI input, as the company sent an HDMI cable with it, but it doesn't work in the slot, it's a different cable type, so not sure what that input is for.  Just know the HDMI cable does not fit in it, it'll plug in, but just falls out, but the jack is not the same look as the HDMI plug, they don't match at all.  So I ruled out the HDMI.  Maybe that's some other type of video?, or maybe audio? input, I have no clue as why they sent an HDMI cable with the monitor, since it doesn't fit anything on either the monitor or the computer.  All I can think of is, perhaps someone picked up the wrong cable when they packed it up to ship.  I purchased it as a refurbished and upgraded unit.

[Orville]

And to get back on topic, I haven't tested this sequence with regular pixel nodes or pixel bulbs yet, so not sure how it'd work with those, but planning on trying it out, and see how it works.  If it looks good and works out, I'll send up another sequence here with the way I set it up.  As I'm not sure just how many bulbs or nodes I'll use for each color of this particular effect.  But if I come up with something that works and looks pretty good, I'll share the set up I used in a new sequence that covers those.

[TheDucks]

15 minutes ago, Orville said:

 

 So I ruled out the HDMI.  Maybe that's some other type of video?, or maybe audio? input, I have no clue as why they sent an HDMI cable with the monitor, since it doesn't fit anything on either the monitor or the computer.  All I can think of is, perhaps someone picked up the wrong cable when they packed it up to ship.  I purchased it as a refurbished and upgraded unit.

Dells have a 'Display Port' connector on some of their business class. one edge has a small slant,the other is square

[k6ccc]

HDMI and Display Port look very similar.  HDMI has a slant edge on both sides whereas Display Port only does so on one side.

 

[weigh2fast4u@yahoo.com]

Yes, en extra monitor would make a big difference…

you can move your cursor over the cells, and press,I think, it’s  CNTL +, and it will zoom in just like most of the other things will on the computer. …

there is a little floating bar above where your preview playback is. You can click it and it will separate it and you can float it anywhere….I’d be glad to help if needed. 
this year has been slow for me. Not much computer time. But I’d be glad to help. I’m not Aubrey, but I might be able to help some.

[Orville]

On 9/12/2021 at 5:08 AM, TheDucks said:

Dells have a 'Display Port' connector on some of their business class. one edge has a small slant,the other is square

On 9/12/2021 at 8:37 PM, weigh2fast4u@yahoo.com said:

Yes, en extra monitor would make a big difference…

you can move your cursor over the cells, and press,I think, it’s  CNTL +, and it will zoom in just like most of the other things will on the computer. …

there is a little floating bar above where your preview playback is. You can click it and it will separate it and you can float it anywhere….I’d be glad to help if needed. 
this year has been slow for me. Not much computer time. But I’d be glad to help. I’m not Aubrey, but I might be able to help some.

On 9/12/2021 at 1:26 PM, k6ccc said:

HDMI and Display Port look very similar.  HDMI has a slant edge on both sides whereas Display Port only does so on one side.

 

Thanks folks, that's the connector input port type it has, slanted on one side and square on the other.  I'm really suspecting they sent an HDMI cable in error, since there is absolutely no HDMI port, but not sure what this other type port is called, it may be video, but how do I know what type cable to buy?  Does it have a specific name like the others, i.e. HDMI, VGA, etc.?

[TheDucks]

9 minutes ago, Orville said:

Thanks folks, that's the connector input port type it has, slanted on one side and square on the other.  I'm really suspecting they sent an HDMI cable in error, since there is absolutely no HDMI port, but not sure what this other type port is called, it may be video, but how do I know what type cable to buy?  Does it have a specific name like the others, i.e. HDMI, VGA, etc.?

Display Port is the connector type. My Dell PC has 2. I currently use Display port  to HDMI cables BUT I did buy a Dongle adapter: Display Port  to DVI socket so I could use my TV as a Big monitor

Can you post a picture of the connectors on the Monitor (or post the Model #),  Common ones are VGA (9 pin), DVI, HDMI, Display port