New User - Trying to get a Pixie4 controller to play a test sequence

[jtindale]

Hello all,

I'm very new to this so sorry for the loose terminology, naming mistakes, etc.

I'm a new light show user.  Just set my first one up this week.  I largely have AC lights on a 16 channel LOR controller (unit 1) playing a few songs.  That is working.

I'm trying to add a singing tree.  I have prop loaded into the sequence editor and set to units 2-5 (screenshot attached).  I have a little sample sequence setup to light up different parts of the tree and this is working in the preview view in the sequence editor.  However if I hook the controller up to my laptop and try to play the show, none of the LED lights light up during the show. 

I can use the control panel to test the prop and I get all three port/units to light up.

What I am missing?

[Jimehc]

That is not a DUMB RGB Prop - that is a smart prop.... On the left side pane > Select the "RGB Pixels" option

[tlogan]

Maybe someone can confirm, but don't the Pixies need to be on a faster network than the Regular network?

[jtindale]

19 minutes ago, Jimehc said:

That is not a DUMB RGB Prop - that is a smart prop.... On the left side pane > Select the "RGB Pixels" option

Thanks, Jimehc. I’ve tried both smart and dumb pixels in my troubleshooting. I’ll flip it back to rgb pixels and try again. 

[Don]

4 minutes ago, tlogan said:

Maybe someone can confirm, but don't the Pixies need to be on a faster network than the Regular network?

You can have the REGular network be at any speed, including 500k or 1000k.

[tlogan]

@Don Thanks. I would have "liked" your response but I'm not seeing the Like button.

I guess my next question then, is, can the AC controller run at the higher speed? My Gen 3s are a couple of years old and I thought when I bought hem they couldn't run above 500. I've never had to update the FW and when I added Pixies I put them on second AUX network. I've never had any issues, but I am curious. 

[TheDucks]

4 minutes ago, tlogan said:

@Don Thanks. I would have "liked" your response but I'm not seeing the Like button.

I guess my next question then, is, can the AC controller run at the higher speed? My Gen 3s are a couple of years old and I thought when I bought hem they couldn't run above 500. I've never had to update the FW and when I added Pixies I put them on second AUX network. I've never had any issues, but I am curious. 

You should be able to run a Pixie 4 at 500. Both will do ELOR .

[Jimehc]

The Gen3 AC controllers are limited at the 500k speed....

But any Network can be "Assigned" a higher speed

[tlogan]

20 minutes ago, Jimehc said:

The Gen3 AC controllers are limited at the 500k speed....

But any Network can be "Assigned" a higher speed

Thanks! That's what I thought. Now, I think OP is trying to run both the Pixie and the AC controller on the same network. So wouldn't the Pixie need to be on a separate faster network? 

[tlogan]

25 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

You should be able to run a Pixie 4 at 500. Both will do ELOR .

Sorry, missed your response before my last post. Thanks again.

[Zach Carner]

https://store.lightorama.com/pages/how-many-lights-can-i-connect
 

There’s a chart on this page that has the network speeds each controller can operate at.

[Orville]

Did you load the singing tree props into the Pixie4 via the HU in the Cosmic Color Config area?

When I changed my 2 singing trees from their original Pixie 2, I had to go into the HU and set them in the prop definition area of the Pixie 4 configuation.

My Pixie 4 has Ralphie on Ports 1 and 2, then Zuzu is on Ports 3 and 4, my Pixie 4 Unit ID is set on ID #06, Aux B and 1,000K.  I have 2 Pixie 4's in my display, the 1st one is ID #02 (RGB props that don't require defining in HU, just RGB type: WS2811), same network and speed as ID #06.  Even though a Pixie 4 ID starts with 02, ports are still 1 through 4, not 2-5. 

So both my Pixies ports are 1-4, even though one starts with ID #02(-05) and the other starts with ID #06(-09), their ports remain as Ports 1, 2, 3 and 4.

But it sounds to me, you haven't set the controller up correctly in the HU for the singing tree(s) you're trying to add to your Pixie 4.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Orville

[TheDucks]

Is that a newer version of the LOR tree?  You said it uses 3 ports. How many nodes on each port?

[jtindale]

1 hour ago, Orville said:

Did you load the singing tree props into the Pixie4 via the HU in the Cosmic Color Config area?

When I changed my 2 singing trees from their original Pixie 2, I had to go into the HU and set them in the prop definition area of the Pixie 4 configuation.

My Pixie 4 has Ralphie on Ports 1 and 2, then Zuzu is on Ports 3 and 4, my Pixie 4 Unit ID is set on ID #06, Aux B and 1,000K.  I have 2 Pixie 4's in my display, the 1st one is ID #02 (RGB props that don't require defining in HU, just RGB type: WS2811), same network and speed as ID #06.  Even though a Pixie 4 ID starts with 02, ports are still 1 through 4, not 2-5. 

So both my Pixies ports are 1-4, even though one starts with ID #02(-05) and the other starts with ID #06(-09), their ports remain as Ports 1, 2, 3 and 4.

But it sounds to me, you haven't set the controller up correctly in the HU for the singing tree(s) you're trying to add to your Pixie 4.

I did not load the singing tree props in the pixie4 via the HU.  I was unaware I needed to do that.  This is not a LOR tree but instead its a EFL tree. (if that helps)

57 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Is that a newer version of the LOR tree?  You said it uses 3 ports. How many nodes on each port?

This is an EFL tree.  3 ports each with 100 pixels.

Edited December 20, 2023 by jtindale

[jtindale]

To avoid confusion around the tree, I simplified this.  I now just have the Pixie4 controller loaded into my preview with 4 strings with 100 pixels each (300 lights if I understand this correctly).

Again, I can talk to the Pixie4 and light up the strings in the Control Panel, but cannot as part of the show.
 

Edited December 20, 2023 by jtindale
Typo

[jtindale]

Here are some images.  

It works in preview:


It works in Control Panel:

 

It doesnt work as part of a show:

Edited December 20, 2023 by jtindale
added images

[jtindale]

3 hours ago, tlogan said:

Maybe someone can confirm, but don't the Pixies need to be on a faster network than the Regular network?

tlogan, you were onto to something here.  Support pointed out I needed to run my network at 500k and enhanced.  After changing that, it worked.

[tlogan]

Close enough to get you going! Glad I could help.

[Orville]

1 hour ago, jtindale said:

I did not load the singing tree props in the pixie4 via the HU.  I was unaware I needed to do that.  This is not a LOR tree but instead its a EFL tree. (if that helps)

This is an EFL tree.  3 ports each with 100 pixels.

Different tree.  I couldn't tell by the image, but thought it was an LOR tree, which would have required being set up in the HU to work. 

EFL tree, completely different, so no, you would not need to set it up in the HU.

[dibblejr]

8 hours ago, TheDucks said:

Is that a newer version of the LOR tree?  You said it uses 3 ports. How many nodes on each port?

Both version 1 & 2 LOR trees only use 2 ports

JR