Sean Meighan
Hardware => General hardware => Topic started by: jem5136 on December 03, 2016, 10:44:21 AM
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Hello,
I am looking to switch pixel controllers for next year. Currently I am using the LOR PixCon16 (I have 7 of them) and I am done with them. I have had nothing but issues with them since the day they arrived, so I am looking to move onto a better, more reliable controller.
I am looking for everyone's opinion on what you think would be the best controller, the display I am running is actually ran by the parks department in the town I live, so I cannot use any "home-made" controllers, it has to be able to be used in a "commercial" display, so that limits what I can use. My only requirements are that each output can handle up to 5 amps (that is about what my pixels draw when they are solid white), set up is some-what simple, and the boards are reliable.
I've thought about SanDevices or PixLite, but I want to hear success and failures from different controllers so I know what I'm up against.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jesse
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I'm only buying Falcon's as long as Dave keeps making them. This season has solidified its excellence for me.
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I have to agree with Gil, I wouldn't use anything else. I have runs that are over 35' without any problems. I have an Alphapix Controller I gave to my Grandson because I would not use it in my show.
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Falcon for me as well. Nothing but good things to say. Not only excellence in performance, but also ease of use and excellent support. If you don't get a majority vote for Falcon I will be very surprised,
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E682 has beem working well for me for the last 3 years, however I am leaning towards the Falcon next year, the beauty is all these controllers can be daisy chained and still work together.
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This is my second full year sequencing my first year I had an E682, I gave it away. Now running the best I feel F16v2 with 4 receivers boards... Very clean setups, the support, WOW... F16v2 to the first node 60 feet, 250 feet with the receivers. so if you put the controller in the middle your looking at 600 feet from one end to the other. Because of this my controller is in the basement one receiver in the attic, garage, and 2 in the yard. minimal wires needed. Minimal equipment outside.
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Me too on falcon. The pixcon is the last controller I would recommend. It's made by advatek (pixlite), so you may want to stay away from the pixlite as well.
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I've been using E681 and E682 for multiple years. However, I invested in a couple Falcon controllers and expansion boards before this season to see what they were like.
There's no question, the Falcon is a much more polished, user friendly, and feature filled board.
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I had all DLA controllers (active, passive hubs) since 2012. This year, i swapped everything out for Falcon F4's and Falcon F16's.
So nice,
User interface
Dave Pitts is one of the developers of xlighst 4.x so his boards work seamlessly in the absolute channel space
easy setup
Best of all, the best support in our industry.
any controller will run your show, you invest time learning how to use it efficiently.
You can see a controller comparison here
http://nutcracker123.com/nutcracker/rgb_controllers/
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I have gone through Sandevices 2xE682,6xE6804, Stellascapes 2xSSe16, pixlite 16+16LR, j1sys 2xP8,2xP12,4xD2, alphapix 4+16 over the years, This year I purchased 3 f16v2, 1 with 32 port expansion and the other 2 with 4 Long range receivers and the other controllers are now sitting in the garage feeling unused. The F16V2 is the most reliable and easy to setup controllers that I have. and the support from David Pitts is second to non.
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For me Falcon, with a small setup or a big one.
And the support is amazing.
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I have Falcon F16v2, Pixlite, and Alphapix controllers. All of them work great, but I will stick with Falcon controllers moving forward.
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Falcon. I plan to sell my other controllers after this season and run everything with Falcons in 2017 and beyond.
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I've had LOR boards, Lynx Expresses and now the F16V2 for this year. All of the other controllers pale in comparison.
Can't wait for the F16V3 8)
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Well jem5136 are you getting the message? LOL
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I'm happy with the E682 boards but kind of feel like I have to get a falcon board for next year to see why you guys love it so much.
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The E682 handles 170 pixels per plug where as the Falcon is 680 plus the signal capability is so much greater. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I have runs that are close to 40' to the first pixel with no problem having the pixels perform properly. Other controllers need null pixels to span that distance.
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I don't have any sandevices, but I've seen a lot of threads where users were having issues with firmware. You don't see that with the falcon stuff. The sandevices might have been great, but they are 2nd fiddle now.
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the E682 only handle 12 universes total? If that's correct, it makes it less than half the capacity of almost every other popular pixel controller.
What is kind of neat about the E682 is that it looks like you can make it a bridge for up to 12 streams of DMX512 if you needed a bunch.
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the E682 only handle 12 universes total? If that's correct, it makes it less than half the capacity of almost every other popular pixel controller.
What is kind of neat about the E682 is that it looks like you can make it a bridge for up to 12 streams of DMX512 if you needed a bunch.
The e682 at 100 bucks delivered (in kit) is a great deal I feel. I have several and very happy with them. But I have been convinced and will be getting in on the f16v3 presale when it happens. I'm excited to get them and play with them.
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the E682 only handle 12 universes total? If that's correct, it makes it less than half the capacity of almost every other popular pixel controller.
What is kind of neat about the E682 is that it looks like you can make it a bridge for up to 12 streams of DMX512 if you needed a bunch.
The e682 at 100 bucks delivered (in kit) is a great deal I feel. I have several and very happy with them. But I have been convinced and will be getting in on the f16v3 presale when it happens. I'm excited to get them and play with them.
I too build the kits as well. Very simple to assemble and for a hundred bucks, they work.
I too plan to purchase a Falcon to see if it's worth the double price point.
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I think my time to solder up a board is more valuable than $100.
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I think my time to solder up a board is more valuable than $100.
I actually enjoy soldering. Have been doing it since 1989.
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I don't mind soldering I'm just saying folks act like their time is worth nothing when they brag about how much they save by soldering controllers together. I can write code on the side for at least $60 an hour so if I took 2 hours to solder I could be ahead $20 buying the board premade. :)
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I don't mind soldering I'm just saying folks act like their time is worth nothing when they brag about how much they save by soldering controllers together. I can write code on the side for at least $60 an hour so if I took 2 hours to solder I could be ahead $20 buying the board premade. :)
Agreed.
I just love soldering PCBs. It was an electronics class in high school that motivated me to become an electrical engineer.
If I am doing something for myself, I consider my time as being free and not costing me anything. I know, it's a weird way to look at it. If I didn't look at it that way, I wouldn't have done all the massive repairs to the cars and trucks I own as well as installing a chain link fence. I should've just paid someone else to do it. But I actually enjoy doing most of these things.
Learning things is priceless.
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So just stick with the E682's. I'm sure not being able to solder up a Falcon is just going to be a thorn in your side...lol.
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So a more apt comparison would be the E682 at 12 universes to one of the many 4 output boards that utilize at least 16 universes. $100 for a 16 universe board ready to go compared to a $100 12 universe board that has to be assembled.
Lets compare apples to apples - fully assembled boards. A Falcon F16v2 at 64 universes is $3.13/universe. An E682 at 12 universes is $15/universe. But lets say more realistically you only use 20 universes on a Falcon F16v2. That's still $10/universe compared to $15/universe of the E682.
Now where you would save some $$ is if you committed one 16 output controller to a mega tree. A 16x50 tree could easily be run by an E682 at a lower cost than dedicating a Falcon board... but you could add a differential expansion board to the Falcon and then put 16 more outputs up to 250 feet away in your yard for less than the cost of buying another E682.
I'm not knocking the E682, it's what got a lot of people started in the game... I'm just saying better more cost-effective boards have come along. The OP asked, "which controller is best?" and I don't feel the E682 is the answer to that question.
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I have an E682...not sure if its any good cause its still in plastic bags for 3 years...lol.
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I've got 10 E68X's: 6 E682's and 4 E680's..been buying them from Jim for years...great product and Jim has been very responsive.
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I'm not knocking the E682, it's what got a lot of people started in the game... I'm just saying better more cost-effective boards have come along. The OP asked, "which controller is best?" and I don't feel the E682 is the answer to that question.
I agree that the E682 is not the best board anymore, but all people are saying is that it is still a solid board with great support that you can get for $100 bucks if you don't mind soldering it. For people just getting in to the hobby that are not sure they want to pay ~$200 for a f16v2 because they aren't sure if this hobby is for them or even know what advantages the f16v2 gives (because they are new) I feel it is worth mentioning the e682 to give them that option.
The funny thing is the people who said they use/like E682's are also saying they are planning on getting a f16v3 but the people who only use f16v2 are turning this into a e682 vs f16v3 thread.
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Fine when people buy the e682's and have issues I'm gonna stay quiet and expect to see you two helping out. That's why I get upset cause I'm the one here helping everyone more often than not so I see which boards cause users more issues. If you guys think they are so great then I expect to see you helping the ones that have problems.
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Fine when people buy the e682's and have issues I'm gonna stay quiet and expect to see you two helping out. That's why I get upset cause I'm the one here helping everyone more often than not so I see which boards cause users more issues. If you guys think they are so great then I expect to see you helping the ones that have problems.
I didn't see you mention that in any other post. That is good information for people to know who are choosing a controller. Not just X controller is best because I use it.
All I was doing was giving my opinion on the controller I use, and I did say that I am excited to purchase a couple of the f16v3 on the presale because they have been so highly talked about. I do try to help people as much as I can, and I know I don't even come close to giving as much help as you do/can.
The topic of this post is which pixel controller is best, I've only used J1sys and sandevices controllers so I gave my opinion based on that. I haven't used falcon boards but because of this thread I will be using a falcon board soon. We're all here to help each other out not put anyone down.
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I'm using a PixLite16 mkII board that I like. I bought this board because I have 2 PixLite16 4 controllers that I've been using for a few years without any trouble. Looking to buy an f16 but with the version 3 coming out I want to wait and see what it has to offer. I haven't been able to find any solid information on the f16 v3 specs but I think it's too early in its development. But which controller is best would really depend on what you're trying to get out of it. This is where I would start
http://nutcracker123.com/nutcracker/rgb_controllers/
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Vince if you read this thread again I don't think I ever insulted the e682 so why are you saying it turned into an e682 vs falcon thread? The only thing I was poking at was someone claiming the Falcon costs twice as much. I'd say you'd have trouble finding too many people that have more of a variety of controllers than I do. I think you've turned it into more of a "vs" thread than I did.
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
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I haven't been able to find any solid information on the f16 v3 specs but I think it's too early in its development.
Here is a decent amount of info on the v3 from dpitts in case you hadn't seen this thread: http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?45066-F16V3-is-in-development&highlight=f16v3
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I haven't been able to find any solid information on the f16 v3 specs but I think it's too early in its development.
Here is a decent amount of info on the v3 from dpitts in case you hadn't seen this thread: http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?45066-F16V3-is-in-development&highlight=f16v3
Thanks I didn't see that one yet. it looks like Dave timed it just right so we can all get some new toys.
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I would never let money be the answer. This is a hobby. I have golfing friends who spend way more than I have in total investment of lighting to play golf or have a membership and have to pay more every year. A hobby is a hobby. I have sold controllers and lights that I have used for several years and never even taken a 50% hit on my costs. I've used LOR, Lynx and now Falcons. All have been good in their time. Try an F16v2 and don't like it, and you will easily find a ready buyer even at full list when there are none in the store. LOL
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Yeah that's the only problem. I wanted a F4v2 and the store says out of stock.
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I just want to chime back in. As a newbie to this hobby January 2015 I saw where people were using the San Devices boards but was concerned about the 12 Universe limitation. I saw Holiday Coro coming out with the Alphapix boards so I pre ordered some. I had need to get an immediate board so I ordered an Alphapix 4 and got it. It had some firmware problems that David said was my lack of understanding the product, he later retracted and said I was correct and fixed the firmware. That then prompted me to cancel all Alphapix orders and I went with Dave and the Falcon board. I have not looked back, one E682 would only run by Mega Tree however my Falcon that runs that tree also runs my Dalek Trees, Dalek Stars, Tree Star, Candy Canes, Globes and my Tune To Sign. That would have required at least two more E682 boards so the Falcon actually was a cheaper way to go and much more reliable. The Alphapix was offered by David to be returned and me given credit, however it is being used to run some lights on a Funnel Cake Concession Stand and works just fine.
I have nothing against the Alphapix or San Devices but many newbies do not understand how everything works and get caught using something that because it has been around a while seems like the way to go.
I am grateful I never started with other controllers or LOR to do a light show, It has been Xlights from the beginning and my show ran last year without a hitch and now that everything is working has run without a hitch this year. I drive the show with a Raspberry Pi B+ feeding an Ethernet switch that feeds my Falcon Controllers.
I am glad I got started this way and do not have to unlearn things. BTW my background is in electronics and computers so understanding this hobby was not a problem and when I told David he had a problem I knew what I was talking about which he later did acknowledge that I was correct and fixed his problem.
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
I'm curious why? I would always recommend the Falcon over the Alphapix, but the 6 Alphapix controllers I'm using, the 4 my friend Mark B is using, the handful my friend NJ are using, plus the several my friend Fabio uses personally and in professional installations have been rock solid. Remember, I also have Falcon and Pixlite boards and Falcon are my favorite, but I'll always be fond of how easy the Alphapix is to set up and deploy.
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
I'm curious why? I would always recommend the Falcon over the Alphapix, but the 6 Alphapix controllers I'm using, the 4 my friend Mark B is using, the handful my friend NJ are using, plus the several my friend Fabio uses personally and in professional installations have been rock solid. Remember, I also have Falcon and Pixlite boards and Falcon are my favorite, but I'll always be fond of how easy the Alphapix is to set up and deploy.
maybe it's because I got the first run of not ready for primetime controllers and I was immediately disappointed with the lack of features that it had. Number one complaint can only change the color order for the whole controller not per output. only two options for color output RGB or BGR. I tried running 200 pixels off one port and the controller couldn't keep up with fast-moving items. ( I split them in half and it works). Then there's the whole problem that everyone had with random pixels flickering. and the controller is sensitive to set up, God forbid you set up 512 channels. These are all problems that I didn't have with the PixLite controller that Dave sold just before this. I now refer to it as my BetaPix board.
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
I'm curious why? I would always recommend the Falcon over the Alphapix, but the 6 Alphapix controllers I'm using, the 4 my friend Mark B is using, the handful my friend NJ are using, plus the several my friend Fabio uses personally and in professional installations have been rock solid. Remember, I also have Falcon and Pixlite boards and Falcon are my favorite, but I'll always be fond of how easy the Alphapix is to set up and deploy.
maybe it's because I got the first run of not ready for primetime controllers and I was immediately disappointed with the lack of features that it had. Number one complaint can only change the color order for the whole controller not per output. only two options for color output RGB or BGR. I tried running 200 pixels off one port and the controller couldn't keep up with fast-moving items. ( I split them in half and it works). Then there's the whole problem that everyone had with random pixels flickering. and the controller is sensitive to set up, God forbid you set up 512 channels. These are all problems that I didn't have with the PixLite controller that Dave sold just before this. I now refer to it as my BetaPix board.
That all makes sense. Those are features that are in the controller now. Like I say, I'd still recommend the Falcon over the Alphapix.
One of the biggest reasons some of us are using Alphapix controllers is because they are available. Like always. If one got hit by lightning today, I could have another one by tomorrow. I get why Dave can't have 200 Falcon controllers in inventory. But I also can't really afford an inventory of backup controllers that may never get used. It would be awesome if somebody/business offered to bankroll Dave for expanded production and inventory.
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Dave carried inventory on his f16 for most of the year. Every two years he seems to have a new version. I can understand him not wanting v2 inventory as he gets ready to offer v3 in 2017.
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You can think of a spare as a backup controller or as some of us do it becomes the testing controller on the workbench and a backup if needed. With all the money I have invested in lights, props and active controllers, the cost of one extra controller is a pretty small investment and since it can used on the test bench it is also a useful investment. I also consider it insurance. I try not to have anything that would kill my show not have a backup. I even have a backup FM transmitter, albeit an older one that I used in the past. I started with LOR, migrated to Lynx AC, migrated to Lynx RGB, and now use mostly Falcons. I sold all my LOR which paid for my Lynx AC at the time, actually for more Lynx channels than LOR channels, sold most of my Lynx AC and bought Falcon pixelnet stuff with those proceeds, have now been selling Lynx smart string stuff. When I can sell a used controller for 75-90% of what they cost me I don't consider that a bad deal, or a bad investment or a waste of money. Sometimes I even sell stuff low to get a newbie a head start.
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Right now I'm waiting for the Falcon V3 to come out so I can see firsthand what everybody is raving about. I have a mix of pixlite and Alphapix running my show but I would like to switch over to just having one brand of controller and use my current controllers as backup or sell some of them. Originally I was using LOR AC controllers but now I've converted over to the Renard plus 32 for the few AC components I still have left.
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Sometimes I think you guys argue out of boredom. I have a Falcon controller and I recommended it. But I still stand by my opinion that it would be nice if the items in our hobby were always available so that we end users don't have to carry extra backups of everything (even though I do).
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
I've never quite understood this. I've been completely satisfied w my Alphapix-16. Not
sure what I'm mising, because it did everything I needed and expected.
Moving forward though, I really liked the Pi Hats I ran as well. I think
I would prefer sticking with those in the future, given then price-points vs any controller.
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I have never owned an alphapix, but do own pixlites, which are basically the same. I would not recommend the pixlite when I could recommend the falcon. I had issues this season where my mini trees were doing weird things. I troubleshoot for an hour or so and ended up replacing the pixlite with a falcon (had as spare). The issues went away. Only thing different was the controller.
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Thank you everyone for the input. I apologize for not getting back sooner (been a crazy busy few weeks).
I've decided that I will be going with the Falcon controllers, they seem to be the best for my display and from what everyone has said they seem to be very reliable as well.
I'm hoping the V3 board comes out soon so I can order one and start playing around with it lol
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While you two are going back and forth I thought I would mention I don't think many people would recommend the AlphaPix. I own one and I don't think I would ever recommend it.
I'm curious why? I would always recommend the Falcon over the Alphapix, but the 6 Alphapix controllers I'm using, the 4 my friend Mark B is using, the handful my friend NJ are using, plus the several my friend Fabio uses personally and in professional installations have been rock solid. Remember, I also have Falcon and Pixlite boards and Falcon are my favorite, but I'll always be fond of how easy the Alphapix is to set up and deploy.
maybe it's because I got the first run of not ready for primetime controllers and I was immediately disappointed with the lack of features that it had. Number one complaint can only change the color order for the whole controller not per output. only two options for color output RGB or BGR. I tried running 200 pixels off one port and the controller couldn't keep up with fast-moving items. ( I split them in half and it works). Then there's the whole problem that everyone had with random pixels flickering. and the controller is sensitive to set up, God forbid you set up 512 channels. These are all problems that I didn't have with the PixLite controller that Dave sold just before this. I now refer to it as my BetaPix board.
I run 7 sandevices boards and never had any firmware issues. A lot of the problems people were having this year was the beta version 5 firmware where he was trying to update and tie in some of the falcon features.
But I am planning on picking up a F16 v3 this spring.
I've never had an alphapix and I won't, won't have the hinkspix either. Refuse to do business with holiday Coro.
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