Pixcon16 - lights not working with sequencer

[hiapkkm]

Hello Everyone,

I must have overlooked something and I can't seem to get my RGB lights to light up when I play a sequence (via control panel).

Hardware: Pixcon 16, setup was done via the ethernet port using default 192.168.0 50.  My laptop is 192.168.0 51.  Used Advatek to configure board.  Using WS2811, ethernet protocol sACN (e1.31).  Basic RGB pixel mega tree setup, 16 outputs, 6 universes, 50 pixels per output.  Advatek was able to turn on the 16 ports and light up LED lights

 

Software S5, downloaded sequence from WOWlights.  I opened the regular sequence file and added DMX as a subsequence, used preview file as suggested by WOWlghts.  Run sequence but RGB mage pixel lights don't turn on.  Other controllers for the mini RGX xmaS

[hiapkkm]

continuation of above.  Other controllers for the mini RGB xmas tree lights works okay.  Just nothing from the Pixcon16.  The Pixcon16 seems to be working in some sense, I can run the test and the lights work through the Advatek setup software.  When I switch from the LAN port to the RJ45 port (LOR) and connect to a computer via USB485B, RGB lights don't work connected to the Pixcon16.

I must have overlooked something.  Your feedback is appreciated.

 

[basis21b]

Did you configure the PixCon16 to use E1.31 or LOR protocol?  (See page 19 of the manual - https://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/Pixcon16Manual.pdf)

If the device is configured to use E1.31 protocol then you need to define your props in your sequence to be DMX, you would configure your Network Settings to output those DMX universes appropriately and you would connect to the Ethernet port on the PixCon16 to activate the lights.  In this mode nothing will happen if you connect the device to an LOR network.  It will ignore any signaling coming from any of the LOR In/Out ports.

If the device is configured to use LOR protocol then you need to assign a Unit ID to the PixCon16.  The device will then consume 16 consecutive Unit ID numbers.  So if you assign it to be Unit 30 the PixCon16 will consume 30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,3A,3B,3C, 3D, 3E and 3F.  Port 1 will be addressed as LOR Unit ID 30.  Port 2 will be addressed as LOR Unit ID 31 and so on.  You would need to configure your props to use LOR channels, Assign your prop to the appropriate LOR network and then enter the Unit ID and starting circuit information.  

From you description it sounds like you are attempting to use the PixCon16 as an E1.31 device.  You indicate that you purchased a sequence.  Hopefully the props in the sequence are defined as using DMX output.  Check the preview to confirm.  What I don't see in your description of the issue is how you configured your Network settings using the Network Preferences tool.  Click on the DMX tab of the tool and make sure the DMX universes assigned to the props are associated with either multicast or are assigned unicast and the IP address of your PixCon16.  

[hiapkkm]

Yes, I was using the E1.31 protocol.  (I don't even know how to set the unit id up for the PixCon16).  You mentioned something interesting.  I used the ethernet port to run the network configurator and Advatek software and they work fine.  When I tried to run the sequencer via control panel, I connected the network cable to DMX1/DMX2 connector (in LOR mode) and the other end to the USB485B box which is connected to a USB port on the computer.  The instructions for the PixCon16 mentioned that the ethernet port is only used for configuration thus I assumed that the lights run off the USB485B.  Should it be connected to the ethernet port of the computer instead?

I'm hoping to daisy chain the PixCon16 to a dumb RGB controller which uses LOR.  I wonder if they all can co-exist on the same wire?

Thanks for replying and I'm eager to try it at my next opportunity.

[k6ccc]

Nope.  E1.31 is using Ethernet and uses the Ethernet jack on the Pixcon 16.  LOR networking uses RS-485 serial data on one of the two jacks next to the Ethernet jack.  Not interchangable.

 

[TheDucks]

Not a Pixcon user, but IIRC you can talk e1.31 to the pixcon Ethernet port and slave a LOR controller off the LOR jack. Someon else will have to help you set that up if the manual confuses.

[k6ccc]

5 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Not a Pixcon user, but IIRC you can talk e1.31 to the pixcon Ethernet port and slave a LOR controller off the LOR jack. Someon else will have to help you set that up if the manual confuses.

As DMX, not LOR protocol (but most LOR controllers can do that just fine.