Controller Channel Setup

[DanHouston]

I seem to recall I used to be able to set the start channel for networks in xLights and now that it is controller based, it seems like I do not have that option?

What I want is Universe 1 and the first 100 channels are DMX
Starting at 101 (or for that matter it could completely overlap and I handle it with how my element channels go) should be e1.31 and cover 8 universes (4096 channels)

My setup is still almost entirely DLA equipment and in the past I had room to have DMX taking up the full first Universe (512 channels) and then just started my etherdongle after that. This year is going to be a bit tighter and next year I will likely have to add some gear to get beyond my etherdongle limitation. With that in mind I was thinking I would layout controllers and what they could handle, but since xLights is auto numbering the channels for I don't seem to be able to get it to how it actually is.

Am I missing something? What if I wanted two controllers with different protocols to overlap in channels?

[keithsw1111]

You never could do that. Entries on setup never overlapped.

[DanHouston]

You never could do that. Entries on setup never overlapped.

That's fine, still need to know how to setup channels....Do I just arbitrarily pick values or add a partial controller to get things back to aligning with universes? I don't know what math xlights is doing behind the scenes...for example if I say my universes only have 510 channels is it really generating in such a way that there is no channel 511 and 512 in each universe (rather than the contiguous channel list it displays) or it is just lowering the total number of channels on that controller and they are still contiguous?

I've attached an image of how I currently have done it, but unsure of what the implications of something being across part of a controller/universe are in t his case (perhaps nothing).

[keithsw1111]

If you say there are 510 channels then that universe will end at 510 and the next will start immediately after it. Generally controllers don?t care if a prop spans universe boundaries but older less advanced controllers may have limitations.

[DanHouston]

So does that mean xlights will send channel 510, skip 511 and 512, and then start again at 1 for universe #2? The channel range always shows a continuous range so was not sure if it is actually skipping channels in a universe or not.

Is what I did to handle the case where a controller starts in the middle of a universe but ends on a universe boundary the right way to do it (split it in two on the configuration page)?

[Gilrock]

I think you're getting hung up on those absolute channels numbers.  For instance you start that second output at 100 and end at 512 which appears you are trying to maintain some type of universe boundary.  That second output's absolute channel value of 100 is internal to xLights but externally its really just Universe 1 channel 1 so you are creating an output that only has 413 channels in that universe.

Also I'd need Keith to comment but I don't see how this setup is even possible.  I didn't think you could specify the same universe twice for multicast since your 3rd output also starts at universe 1.  Seems like this setup would be attempting to transmit 2 different data packets for universe 1.

When you define an output forget output those internal numbers listed just focus on the universe numbers assigned to each controller.  Most people don't use those absolute offsets.  Those absolute numbers really represent where the data falls in the FSEQ data file.  Whichever show player you use be it xScheduler or FPP is the one responsible for grabbing that data from the FSEQ file and then arranging it into the E1.31 data packets.  So for that 2nd output it would create a data packet for universe 1 and fill it with data grabbed starting at location 100 in the FSEQ file.  Since it only has 413 channels I'm not sure if it sends a full 512 and fills with zeroes or it send a shorter packet but it really doesn't matter because you are the one that tells the controller how to handle the data in those received universe packets.

[keithsw1111]

Multicast universe numbers must be unique. Check sequence should be reporting those as errors.

[DanHouston]

Yes, that does complain if I check a sequence.

Are you guys saying the channels column is not the channel that it is actually being sent out? So If I have a DMX controller and an E131 controller that both say universe 1 and have 512 channels they are both outputting on universe 1 channel 1?

I'm clearly making this harder than I suspect it is. Channels are all set on my elements using absolute or offset from end of another element.  Last year I just had two entries in that section (attached). This worked, thought I don't think I had anything for the EtherDongle in the first 512 channels, and would like to use part of that universe now.