LOR -> Nutcracker. Gaining 510 channels - SOLVED. cannot skip universes...

[caffeine]

Trying to get xlights up and running for scheduling, and also adding whole house effects.

Channel setup is 48 LOR channels using LOR USB.
Then crapload of pixels, starting on universe 2. 

My megatree, for example, is starting on Universe 2, Channel 1.
In xlights I have it mapped the same as in LOR, it correctly determines the first channel of universe 2 to be it's internal channel number 49.

When converting though the effects were out of whack.  Through trial and error I've worked out that it seems like the import is starting the megatree on internal xlights channel number 559, which should actually be the start of universe 3.  510 channels are being 'inserted' somehow.

xLights setup reads as follows:
LOR COM5 115200 48 (1 to 48)
E1.31 10.1.1.50 2 510 (49 to 558)
E1.31 10.1.1.50 3 510 (559 to 1068)
and so on through to universe 35 or so.

LOR mirrors this, although some channels are unmapped to a model and also have no effects (wiil be added later).

Convert says:
LOR Network 0:  43 channels
DMX Network 1:  0 channels
DMX Network 2:  510 channels
DMX Network 3:  510 channels
DMX Network 4:  510 channels
DMX Network 5:  510 channels
DMX Network 6:  360 channels

Not sure why it's only picking up 43 of the LOR channels, may be ignoring blanks, but in any event that doesn't seem to be the issue.

With my tree set to start on channel 49 it's screwy in preview.  If I change it to start on channel 559 then it displays correctly.  That won't work right on output though and means any effects I added in xlights would be wrong on output too.

[flyinverted]

I have done quite a bit of LOR conversions and the theme is always the same.

If it's in the LOR sequence, it's coming over during the conversion.

This means hidden tracks, unused channels, CCR macro channels.
Even channels with one blip of light for .05 that you may miss will come over.

Here's what I do to fix that:

I start with a new blank sequence in LOR and open my hardware config that is 24 CCRs with no macro channels on them.  I then copy and paste from another sequence knowing that my blank sequence has only the hardware configured in it that I know I have in NC.  No issues, no errors. It's convert, and play.

You can also open your LMS file with Notepad++ and see if there are really is another universe coming over that's not in the sequence. I bet you'll find it in the LMS file. Been there, done that.

[dkulp]

Well, in this case, it's slightly different.   The LMS import right now assumes completely linear universe assignments starting at 1.   You are starting at 2.  One of these days, I'll get it updated to match what the HLS does (sorts numerically and then matches 1:1 based on universes that have channels).   Just not sure when.

Define an extra output between the LOR channels and the DMX that would be for universe 1.   It can have very few channels if you want.  Alternatively, change your assignments in LOR to have a universe 1.

[caffeine]

OK... that matches with what I am seeing.

Further debugging by converting LOR -> xlights -> LOR to see what channels pop up, and yes it is helpfully 'filling in gaps', universe 1 was the obvious bit but I also set up my controllers for convenience in sets of 10 (universe 2 on my first controller as I previously had a straight DMX, but then 11, 21, 31, 41 starts).

I could see that whilst the first controller finished half way through universe 6 and the next one started at 11 when I did an in and out conversation it created a universe 7, 8 9 and 10.

Out of interest is order important?  My LOR channel config jumps around a little bit.  I've matched the order in xlights so hopefully that will work... if it needs to be sequential it's going to be a lot of work in LOR to fix but will see how it goes.

Thanks for the update, that at least makes sense, I'd scanned the LMS file / xml and it definitely wasn't outputing erroneous channels.  *crosses fingers*

[caffeine]

OK... nope... didn't like me jumping up and down the universes...

Got it to work though so I'm happy enough.

So my takeaway:

- All universerses need to be defined in xlights, up to and including the last universe in your LOR sequence.
- All universes need to be sequentially numbered in ascending order in both LOR and xLights
- Not all CHANNELS for universes need to be defined (so blanks can be filled with a single channel).

Luckily since I have decent grouping in LOR it won't be as bad as I thought to fix my LOR setup.

[Gilrock]

Yeah I posted something similar to this in another forum the other day.  I had added Universe 33 to my LOR sequence but in xLights I didn't have Universe's 28-32 defined so it kept saying all my Universe 33 stuff was unmapped.