custom model spanning multiple universes setup question

[nutz4lights]

Hey all,

Last year I ran 300 as the number of channels for almost everything.

This year, I am switching to 510 as the number of channels for everything.

I am going through and setting up xLights for my display and I have run into my first challenge that I can't seem to deal with.  I have ten twig pixel trees that have 200 lights in each.  I drew a custom model when I first starting using them 3 years ago, sized at 200 pixels, set the model to start at channel 1 from a given output.  In years past, because my universes in xLights were setup as 300 channel count, the model would automatically know that it was going to utilize all 300 channels on let's say universe 2 and all 300 channels on universe 3.

This year, when I tell it to start at channel 1 from universe 2, which starts at channel 511, the model shows the end channel as 1110 obviously... which is not what I want.  I want the first 100 pixels to output from Start Channel 2:1 to End Channel 810 and then the second 100 pixels to output from Start Channel 3:1 to End Channel 1320 (Universe 3 starts at 1021).

Is there a way to do this?

I thought I would get smart and try to change JUST those 20 universes to 300 channels instead of 510, but when I click on 'Change' for that one universe, there's only entry boxes for Starting Universe, and Last Channel.  I'm not seeing a way to say "this universe goes from this channel to this channel" even though that is one of the columns in the Setup section of xLights.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

Thank you!

-Louie

[nutz4lights]

I would welcome any suggestions, even if it comes out like "you are really stupid for trying to do it this way, you should be doing it ________________ way instead"...

Thanks!

-Louie

[jnealand]

Use absolute addressing when setting your channels.  A lot of us have had problems trying to use relative addressing and absolute addressing seems to fix it.

[nutz4lights]

Thanks Jim, but can i specify that one custom model is, let's say, channels 511 thru 810 and then 1021 thru 1320?  That is effectively what i have.

I think I'm realizing that it is just an issue with custom models. Most other model types allow you to set separate start channels for separate strings.

Louie

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[keithsw1111]

Normally the expectation with a custom model is you will use contiguous channels.

What you could do is leave a gap in your node numbers equivalent to the gap between the two channel ranges.

[nutz4lights]

That's a great idea Keith. I guess I didn't even think about that. Since it is a copy and paste operation, I guess I could replicate it between all 10 models pretty quickly.

Is there anyway in the setup tab where you define the universes and the universe is to not have it auto increment all of the subsequent channels? Is there any reason why for each Universe we couldn't specify a start and end channel for that universe?

Thanks

Louie

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[dkulp]

Why can't you set those universes to 300 channels?   That SHOULD work fine.  That would then shift all the subsequence channel numbers though.  You could use a "null" output to fill a gap, but that would then shift all the output numbers.

What I think I would do is create a single i1.31 that has the "One Output" checked, 2 universes, 300 each.   That would cover the 600 channels. (you'd have a single output for the tree instead of two)   Then add a "null" output of 420 channels to fill the gap to keep the rest of the channel numbers the same.   

[nutz4lights]

Thanks for the suggestions, Dan.  The concern with just going in and setting those 20 universes to 300 from 510 is that there are 185 universes after those that then have to be fully reconfigured.  Probably only a few hours of work, and maybe the correct path to go down.  I have to change it in xLights (which is easy), but then I have to go in and change it in all 12 controllers, and all five or six FPP's.  Considering the controller setup this year (and FPP) is all new, since I sold the 9 controllers I used last year to move to Falcon stuff... this is definitely the time to do it...

I may try your second suggestion first and then if that doesn't work, just bite the bullet.

-Louie

[markrvp]

Yes, you can do what you want in the custom model... I've done the same thing on a few of mine.  Note that in a custom model setup, the only channel you specify is the start channel.  It pulls all the other channel info from the model itself.  In the custom model grid, you start at 1 and go up.  In your case the twig tree goes from 1-600, right?  Now you would go from 1-300 and the next numbers would be 511-810.  This will require you to change your custom models, but it will work.

[nutz4lights]

I already went through and changed all those universes   

That being said, if an individual tree is 200 pixels spanning two universes, the custom model shows locations for nodes 1 through 200.  If I were to span the universe the way you're describing, I would have to label 1-100 and then skip to 171 through 270.  I ended up just reconfiguring all of the channels in xlights, now I have to do it for the remainder of the controllers and FPP's....

-Louie