How to test xLights output to controller

[Charles Belcher]

I have xLights 4.2.10 on a laptop with a music sequence running with only one model.  I defined the model as Eve/Single Line/RGB node/1 string/300 nodes per string/starting at channel 1 from output 1/bottom left/part of my display is checked.

The eve will be 300 nodes long, but to make it 300 nodes long, I am using (2) strips each with 150 pixels per.  Strip #1 is plugged into Pixcon port 1 and strip #2 is plugged into Pixcon port 2.

I have added the timing, model and song in the sequencer tab.  I dropped an effect on the model, a simple color change over a 10 second duration.

The Pixcon is set up at 192.168.0.53 via my show router.  Wifi is off on the computer.

In the xLights setup tab, I have defined E131 Universes 1 and 2 to Unicast 192.168.0.53.

Now how do I play the sequence and see the lights work?

Play the show?
Test tab?
Scheduler?

Charles

[jnealand]

First thing is to go to the test tab and make sure you can control the lights with the test function.  You just click the box in front of the channel numbers you want to test, then turn on the output to lights.  Last button on the right on the top line of the program.   If you are feeling lazy and I often am, just click on select all.  Then use the RGB tab, select background only and move the sliders at the top of the screen, one for each color.  If that works and the channels are correct you should be able to see the lights when you play the model or save the sequence and go to the layout tab and play the sequence.

I have used the save option in the test tab at lot.  Once you have all your channels selected for a prop or channel range you can save the configuration for later use and then just load it.  You can select the first channel and then scroll to the last channel, hold shift and click the last channel and the whole range will be selected and then you can click a box to turn all the channels on or off.

[Charles Belcher]

Jim,

Success, I can play it via the sequence tab and do the test checks as you suggested.

This is particularly a piece of good advice.

I have used the save option in the test tab at lot.  Once you have all your channels selected for a prop or channel range you can save the configuration for later use and then just load it.  You can select the first channel and then scroll to the last channel, hold shift and click the last channel and the whole range will be selected and then you can click a box to turn all the channels on or off.

Charles

[gerry]

Charles,
Glad that you are moving !!
Using that test tab , select only the first 150 and activate those , then those off and  the next 150 on .
If the correct 150 turn on , then u know that those other questions you had asked re universes and gaps etc are now correct..els u can adjust and see.

After that , use the sequencer and click on output to lights and use that only.

Note that if u ares using unicast, then all controllers u define shiould be connected to your router and on , else u may see some lags.

[Charles Belcher]

Gerry,

Yes, I am using unicast.

This is what I did with the one model I created.  Keep in mind that I still am waiting for China and only have 2 RGB strips here so I am having to move them around from port to port to see things blink.

I have the Pixcon, a 16 port controller with 510 channels per universe.
I created one model, a mega tree with 24 RGB strips.  They are 2812b strips so there are 150 pixels per strip, or 450 channels.

16 strips is 7200 channels and all was good until I realized that 7200 is a channel number in the middle of universe 15.  For me to use 7201 for the 17th strip which plugged into port #1 of the 2nd controller, I would have to tell xLights that universe 15 is both controllers, which you cannot do, so...

I plugged the 17th strip into port #1 of the 2nd controller and went back and changed the model to reflect that the 17th strip would start at the beginning of universe 16, which was channel 7651.

This means that channels 7201-7650 are not used.  This "seems" to be OK with xLights---is this correct?  Those unused channels just fall into a black hole and go nowhere but it doesn't matter.

Is this the correct way to define this?

Charles

[gerry]

Charles,

Yes that is fine. I think your meant that universe 17 would start on the second controller , because your 1 to 16 are on the first controller correct ?

When swapping pixels, make sure power is off . I think you have it , so start sequencing. the models and woerk u do wont change even if your universes have to . 

[gadgetsmith]

Gerry,

Yes, I am using unicast.

This is what I did with the one model I created.  Keep in mind that I still am waiting for China and only have 2 RGB strips here so I am having to move them around from port to port to see things blink.

I have the Pixcon, a 16 port controller with 510 channels per universe.
I created one model, a mega tree with 24 RGB strips.  They are 2812b strips so there are 150 pixels per strip, or 450 channels.

16 strips is 7200 channels and all was good until I realized that 7200 is a channel number in the middle of universe 15.  For me to use 7201 for the 17th strip which plugged into port #1 of the 2nd controller, I would have to tell xLights that universe 15 is both controllers, which you cannot do, so...

I plugged the 17th strip into port #1 of the 2nd controller and went back and changed the model to reflect that the 17th strip would start at the beginning of universe 16, which was channel 7651.

This means that channels 7201-7650 are not used.  This "seems" to be OK with xLights---is this correct?  Those unused channels just fall into a black hole and go nowhere but it doesn't matter.

Is this the correct way to define this?

Charles

In Xlights you can simply define Universe 15 to only have 60 channels.  This will make it end at channel 7200.  While I think you can send universe 15 to two controllers, I think it's a fairly accepted practice to start a new controller on an unused universe, so you'd start Univ 16 on the IP of the second controller, and define channels as necessary.  It'd look something like this.

[Charles Belcher]

Gerry/gadetsmith,

I got your email and PDF Gerry, Thank you.

Gadetsmith,

You said,

"In Xlights you can simply define Universe 15 to only have 60 channels.  This will make it end at channel 7200.  While I think you can send universe 15 to two controllers, I think it's a fairly accepted practice to start a new controller on an unused universe, so you'd start Univ 16 on the IP of the second controller, and define channels as necessary.  It'd look something like this."

Your description above looks like the way to do this split universe process, but just for reference, will the way I did it work for xLights also in the sense of keeping everything aligned properly?

Charles

[Gilrock]

There really is no way to do it that doesn't work for xLights.  You can map channels anywhere you want.  Its whether your controllers will be happy about it that you need figure out.  It sounds like you're reluctant to have spare channels in a universe.  I do that all the time.  I like to define my setup to match the capabilities of my controllers.  If I have a controller that can do 12 universes then I create 12 universes even if I'm only using 1.  It also sounds like you don't want to define a smaller universe so that your next controller doesn't start in the middle of the universe.  Fine but the question isn't is that ok for xLights....the question is can you configure your controller to start in the middle of a universe?  I can tell you not many people use a setup like that.

[Charles Belcher]

There really is no way to do it that doesn't work for xLights.  You can map channels anywhere you want.  Its whether your controllers will be happy about it that you need figure out.  It sounds like you're reluctant to have spare channels in a universe.  I do that all the time.  I like to define my setup to match the capabilities of my controllers.  If I have a controller that can do 12 universes then I create 12 universes even if I'm only using 1.  It also sounds like you don't want to define a smaller universe so that your next controller doesn't start in the middle of the universe.  Fine but the question isn't is that ok for xLights....the question is can you configure your controller to start in the middle of a universe?  I can tell you not many people use a setup like that.

Gilrock,

Thanks to several people on this forum, including yourself, it all just snapped and I am on my way to creating the models today.

All of my reluctance was due to the fact that I didn't know how to go about the process.  Now, I do.  I got sidetracked a little when someone told me that ALL the channels in xLights had to be in sequence.

Hopefully, my next stop on the xLights/FPP train will be the set up in FPP for both my Pi and my BBB.  I already have them set up and IP addresses assigned, but I have to finish my models first.

Charles

[Gilrock]

Yeah some people don't want any unused data.  I have a lot of unused data in my sequences.  My first 12 universes map to my ribbon tree and for convenience and due to the controller I used I have each ribbon on its own universe.  So I'm only using 450 channels per universe but I like to define them as 512 so I've got 62 unused channels and the data packets still include the unused data there is just no controller that will react to that data.  I like to define it that way cause if I ever shuffle my universes I don't end up with shifts in my channel numbers on other universes. 

[jnealand]

Yeah some people don't want any unused data.  I have a lot of unused data in my sequences.  My first 12 universes map to my ribbon tree and for convenience and due to the controller I used I have each ribbon on its own universe.  So I'm only using 450 channels per universe but I like to define them as 512 so I've got 62 unused channels and the data packets still include the unused data there is just no controller that will react to that data.  I like to define it that way cause if I ever shuffle my universes I don't end up with shifts in my channel numbers on other universes.

+1