Is there a way to make x smart pixels be treated as one dumb pixel

[MikeKrebs]

I built several mini trees with with two 3 LED ws2811 modules inside. I want both modules to be treated as one pixel. Is there a way to tell the model that 1 and 2 should be treated the same?

[Dave Nibeck]

Don't think so.  But you should be able to do that in your controller.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

[mikewlaymon]

Depending on the controller, you should be able to "Group" the 3 pixels to act together as one pixel (or any other number of pixels for that matter).  I converted some LOR sequences that had 8 channel arches.  Each RGB arch had 24 pixels, so I grouped them by 3, and specified I had 8 pixels in the strand (or is that string...).

[JonB256]

The Virtual String capability of the Falcon F16v2 will easily do that, but to really answer your question, please say what type of controller you have or are considering.

[mararunr]

I tried for the longest time on the software side (xLights) and never could figure out a way on the software side.  I believe hardware is the only way.  As already stated, Falcon F16v2 makes this very easy with grouping and virtual string capability.

[Gilrock]

I've never done virtual strings but don't you have to kinda do it on both hardware and software?  In xlights wouldn't you need treat it as one pixel and then in hardware you teach it to distribute that data to 3 pixels or however many?

[mararunr]

I've never done virtual strings but don't you have to kinda do it on both hardware and software?  In xlights wouldn't you need treat it as one pixel and then in hardware you teach it to distribute that data to 3 pixels or however many?

Yes, in xLights you set it up as one pixel (3 channels) but that's what you want so to me that's not setting up the software.  On the controller you use grouping and you tell the controller to group a certain number of pixels causing them to be treated as one.  So let's say we are doing port 2 and I'm attaching 127 pixels on this data run with an element that has 100 pixes, an element that has 7 pixels but I wanted them treated as 1 pixel, and a element that has 20 pixels.  I setup a string of 100 with normal grouping 1, a string of 7 with grouping 7 (all 7 pixels will be treated as 1 pixel), and then a string of 20 with grouping 1.  Voila.  The 7 pixels will act like they are 1 pixel (data is replicated across all 7 pixels).

[MikeKrebs]

Wishing I had a F16 controller...Using AlphaPix here. I don't think I can do that with the AlphaPix.

Could faces modeling be used to do this?

In Xlights/Nutcracker, how hard how it be to mod a model description to let one do this? I have been looking at source but I am a long way from understanding it. I think with the x by x matrix model for every model, it might be pretty hard as this would seem to violate that in some way.

Maybe there could be a new node type? Or maybe an extended node description on the individual start channels that would basically say treat this group as one?

[Gilrock]

I really don't get the point.  Just make each tree a model and only put the same color on the model and you will never know the difference.

[mararunr]

Let me give it a go here.  I bought Ray Wu's strobe pixels because I could use them inline with my other pixels.  I quickly realized that 1 strobe pixel wasn't strong enough to create the strobe pop effect visually that I wanted so I put 7 of them together in a bundle and it looked like the below....


      1
   6    2
      7
  5      3
      4


(This doesn't do it justice really but imagine one pixel with 6 pixels wrapped around the center one.)


Ok, Now keep in mind I have several of these bundles throughout my display and I want them at time to act like randomly firing strobes like you would expect to see so I created a model group with let's say 12 bundles.  That's 84 individual pixels.


If I apply the strobe effect to that model group, what happens?  Well, with the current situation as described I get 84 randomly firing pixels.  But wait, I said that the individual pixel wasn't strong enough so I bundled 7 pixels together.  Still  having individual pixels firing even though the pixels are physically bundled together doesn't meet the need.


Hmm....and then while I was in this quandary last year, along came virtual strings with the ability to group in the middle of a data line on the F16v2...so now I could tell the hardware to treat 7 pixels as one.  I could change my model in xlights to look like this (visual reminder of a physical setup)...



      1
   1    1
      1
  1      1
      1




Now when I apply the strobe effect to the strobe model group I get randomly firing strobe pixel groups like someone would expect.


I could never figure out how in xLights to make this work and I'm sure there are other applications.  It's about treating a group of pixels as one so that effects work as you would expect (more than just single color on).  I'm currently working through a similar example with the new Boscoyo animated coro bell with the double knocker.   http://boscoyostudio.com/products/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=93     It's been quite interesting trying to make the knocker move side to side so that the bell rings.


Hope this helps.
 

[Gilrock]

So not doing anything in xLights allows the Falcon to have a competitive advantage over the AlphaPix.  Gotta say I'm feeling all that motivated...lol.

[nzlongfellow]

Let me give it a go here.  I bought Ray Wu's strobe pixels because I could use them inline with my other pixels.  I quickly realized that 1 strobe pixel wasn't strong enough to create the strobe pop effect visually that I wanted so I put 7 of them together in a bundle and it looked like the below....


      1
   6    2
      7
  5      3
      4


(This doesn't do it justice really but imagine one pixel with 6 pixels wrapped around the center one.)


Ok, Now keep in mind I have several of these bundles throughout my display and I want them at time to act like randomly firing strobes like you would expect to see so I created a model group with let's say 12 bundles.  That's 84 individual pixels.


If I apply the strobe effect to that model group, what happens?  Well, with the current situation as described I get 84 randomly firing pixels.  But wait, I said that the individual pixel wasn't strong enough so I bundled 7 pixels together.  Still  having individual pixels firing even though the pixels are physically bundled together doesn't meet the need.


Hmm....and then while I was in this quandary last year, along came virtual strings with the ability to group in the middle of a data line on the F16v2...so now I could tell the hardware to treat 7 pixels as one.  I could change my model in xlights to look like this (visual reminder of a physical setup)...



      1
   1    1
      1
  1      1
      1




Now when I apply the strobe effect to the strobe model group I get randomly firing strobe pixel groups like someone would expect.


I could never figure out how in xLights to make this work and I'm sure there are other applications.  It's about treating a group of pixels as one so that effects work as you would expect (more than just single color on).  I'm currently working through a similar example with the new Boscoyo animated coro bell with the double knocker.   http://boscoyostudio.com/products/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=93     It's been quite interesting trying to make the knocker move side to side so that the bell rings.


Hope this helps.

Simply wire the 7 pixels in parallel then they all get the same data at the same time then pass data on to the rest. I have done that and it's simple.

[deplanche]

I built several mini trees with with two 3 LED ws2811 modules inside. I want both modules to be treated as one pixel. Is there a way to tell the model that 1 and 2 should be treated the same?

If I understand, you have something like nodes 1-2------3-4----------5-6---------7-8---------9-10.....etc

So you always want the even numbers to do exactly what the odd numbers do, is what I think you are asking.  To do that, I would make 2 models....

Model A   1-------3------5-------7--------9
Model B   2-------4------6-------8--------10

In the layout, put the 2 models very close together.  In the sequencing, I would do everything for one of the two models, and then when you are done copy that to the other.

Of course, a F16v2 grouping is easier, but the above works if you don't have that hardware.

[MikeKrebs]

That is close and it might even work! Well give it a go and see how it works.