Connecting two controllers (one 16 channel/One 8 channels)

[SamEdmisten]

I have been writing the animations for my job for about a year and a half now and I've only had to go past 16 channels with my current assignment on my own one time.
The guy  that used to program our boxes is not in the office and I have got to get two boxes joined together to display 21 channels on a display so it can be shipped to the customer.
Ordinarily I would just ask the other guy what I need to do, but I can't remember as I've only gone past the standard 16 channels one time previously in the last year.
What do I need to do to get them to "talk" to one another?
There is no music. Just sections of a display going on and off to simulate a Tennis match.  
I know that I have to connect both with an ethernet cable, but I don't recall how to address the 2nd box.
I am using the metal ShowTime commercial Light-O-Rama Boxes. One 16 channel. One 8 channel.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Sam

Edited September 20, 2023 by SamEdmisten

[TheDucks]

2 Main things (with most LOR controllers)

1) The Base ID (AC and Dumb only have single ID) needs to be Unique  eg 01 and 02

ID's are Hexadecimal (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F)  00 IS NOT ALLOWED 

Page 25 of the 160x - 800W manual tells how to set the ID

2) Simply plug a Cat 5  (Avoid calling it an Ethernet cable, because someone may plug it into a router. Bad things happen) cable from the port on the Showtime Directer in the main box to the LOR net input on the second box (and continue to daisy if more are added)

[tlogan]

I'm not an expert by any means, but you just need to set the Unit ID on the second box to something different than the first box. If your first box UNIT ID 01, and you want to keep it really simple, you can set the second box to Unit 02. You might want to check the manual for how to set the unit ID. You can hardcode the Unit ID through setting the proper DIP switches inside the box or set the DIP switches so that Unit ID can be changed by the LOR Hardware Application (HU). I'm thinking that if you are supplying a customer "turnkey, ready to go" type system, you probably want to set the UNIT ID using the DIP switches, so that it doesn't get changed by accident. You can find the manuals on the LOR website.

Then you need to make sure that your lights are assigned to the proper box. Honestly, I've been using version 5 and 6 and it's been so long since I used version 4 that I forget how to it in version 4. I'm sure someone here can help out with that part of it.  

Hope that helps.  Good luck!

[tlogan]

2 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

2 Main things (with most LOR controllers)

1) The Base ID (AC and Dumb only have single ID) needs to be Unique  eg 01 and 02

ID's are Hexadecimal (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F)  00 IS NOT ALLOWED 

Page 25 of the 160x - 800W manual tells how to set the ID

2) Simply plug a Cat 5  (Avoid calling it an Ethernet cable, because someone may plug it into a router. Bad things happen) cable from the port on the Showtime Directer in the main box to the LOR net input on the second box (and continue to daisy if more are added)

@TheDucksYou beat me to it!

[SamEdmisten]

After hooking the two controllers up and downloading the animation I realized i had figured it out .
I hope i didn't waste anyone's time.

Thanks!

[SamEdmisten]

20 minutes ago, tlogan said:

@TheDucksYou beat me to it!

LOL

I inherited the job, but apparently not the manual. I need to go download that, I suppose.
Thank you!
Thanks to all of you. 

[SamEdmisten]

25 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

 

2) Simply plug a Cat 5  (Avoid calling it an Ethernet cable, because someone may plug it into a router. Bad things happen) cable from the port on the Showtime Directer in the main box to the LOR net input on the second box (and continue to daisy if more are added)

Duly noted. That could be a bad day for anyone. 

[SamEdmisten]

25 minutes ago, tlogan said:

I'm not an expert by any means, but you just need to set the Unit ID on the second box to something different than the first box. If your first box UNIT ID 01, and you want to keep it really simple, you can set the second box to Unit 02. You might want to check the manual for how to set the unit ID. You can hardcode the Unit ID through setting the proper DIP switches inside the box or set the DIP switches so that Unit ID can be changed by the LOR Hardware Application (HU). I'm thinking that if you are supplying a customer "turnkey, ready to go" type system, you probably want to set the UNIT ID using the DIP switches, so that it doesn't get changed by accident. You can find the manuals on the LOR website.

Then you need to make sure that your lights are assigned to the proper box. Honestly, I've been using version 5 and 6 and it's been so long since I used version 4 that I forget how to it in version 4. I'm sure someone here can help out with that part of it.  

Hope that helps.  Good luck!

I used the switches inside the box. 
That is how I was shown to do it ages ago, but I couldn't remember what menu I need to be in.
I set the 16 as 01 and the 8 channel as 02.
Easy peasy, but I just couldn't remember if it was more difficult than that or not.

Thanks!

 

[SamEdmisten]

I've been designing lighted outdoor displays for nearly 25 years, but I didn't actually have to start programming/loading the boxes until April of 2022.
It makes sense that I should do it, but previously it was someone in wiring that handled it. 
I just drew the displays and made animation notations on the drawings.
I actually kind of like this more hands on way of doing things because it keeps me busy through the whole season after most of the designs have already been ordered. 

[k6ccc]

13 minutes ago, SamEdmisten said:

I inherited the job, but apparently not the manual. I need to go download that, I suppose.

https://store.lightorama.com/pages/hardware-manuals-and-documentation