Max channels in LOR?

[RobertB]

I just came to the realization that the max channels I can run on a LOR dongle is 96. Is this true? It looks like I have 7 LOR controllers I will be using. Not all of the channels are used on each though.

I honestly had not made up my mind if I was going to try and run the shows with xlights or with LOR. I wasn't too sure on how I was going to run a startup file for my projector (which is a big deal for me and spent a lot of time in LOR perfecting that). However I think that trying to run it in LOR with the new pixel stuff I have added, might drag LOR down. Thus my looking at xlights. Also wasn't real happy with how my progress with Pixel Editor was going.

I know I can run LOR in dmx. Is this what I am going to have to do?

[danj]

One of the smart guys can give a good technical answer to this.   But if you are running your display from xlights, you can run your LOR controllers using their native LOR protocols; DMX not a "requirement" so to speak.

[JonB256]

Robert, the LOR RS-485 dongle was designed to output the LOR Protocol at slower baud rates than DMX.

DMX has a fixed (required) baud rate of 250,000 while the fastest LOR Protocol was 115,000.

So, the LOR dongle is running at a higher speed than intended and seems to choke when required to output a lot of channels. A true DMX Dongle is a better choice. An E1.31 (Ethernet to DMX) Bridge is an even better choice.

If you are outputting LOR protocol (not DMX) from an LOR Dongle, I don't think that "96" limit applies. (I abandoned LOR protocol years ago for DMX and don't do this, so I could be out of date)

[RobertB]

Didn't realize that the LOR protocol was limited by speed issues. Makes sense though. Guess I might have to make a separate dmx lead in cable for the first controller. (LOR)  There is nothing else you have to do on the LOR side, right? Also does it have to be run on Universe 1? Hope not.  I do use E1.31 on other props and controllers.

[RobertB]

Are the channels of the LOR controllers in order of the controller number? 

[JonB256]

LOR controllers act this way:

Device 1 is DMX 1 to 16
Device 2 is dmx 17 to 32
Device 3 is dmx 33 to 48
And so on

[Phrog30]

Pretty sure lor has a 500k adapter. I think it's the red one.

[RobertB]

I wonder if the 500k one would give me more channels?  Almost would just go dmx. Working out channels on spreadsheet now.

[colonelcline]

The 500K one helps with CCR/CCB. If you run your LOR via Comm ports then you are limited to
   http://www1.lightorama.com/Documents/DMX-DOC.pdf

But if you run under DMX , you can have multiple identical ID's. For example Off my Pixlite's I run a crossover connector off the 485 ports, map that output as Universe X, make my LOR boxes ID 1, 2, 3, and channels (hardwired) 1-48. So each output can have an ID01, 2, 3.

[RobertB]

Ok,
As most of you have come from the LOR world and am diving into the RGB world...so have I. So I have several LOR controllers I am no longer using. I got all the way up to 13 controllers before switching a ton of stuff to RGB controllers (both dumb and smart, both dmx and e1.31). I have left the "Holes" in the sequences when those controllers got replace with RGB. For example I have nothing on controllers 9, 10 and 11 because I am using RGB mini trees instead of incan mini trees. Same thing on my mega tree (incan) that has now moved to pixel. However I have stuff on controllers 12 and 13, for example.

So I have 99 channels that I will be using. I know a couple of those I probably can consolidate to move to 96. Will I have to fill in the holes?  In other words will the channels have to be in order, or can I split them apart?  Like having to move everything up towards controller #1?  Pain since I have so many sequences to change.

[colonelcline]

If I understand the question, you don't need to "fill" in the holes. I have 2 CCB's in my sequences but they don't exist. I also have a universe that starts at 451 for 16 channels. Nothing else. I try not to have too many blanks and use as many of the 512 channels as I can but not sure it makes much difference performance wise. Just cumbersome programming.

[RobertB]

Understand on the Universes. But in the LOR document, it assigns the dmx channels to the "Units".  I guess that xlights is consecutive channels and won't skip units? I would love it if it would. Just really don't want to go and change things around, especially if I end up having to run it in LOR anyway.

[colonelcline]

If you mean XL's model won't skip channels, yes. But I believe in the setup, you can assign 512 channels per universe and use any that you want or not. I have say LOR ID 06, 0B, 10 16ch boxes on Universe 55, IP 198.162.0.104 as below. 06 starts at 81 then some empties then OB starts at 161 then 10 starts at 241. Numbers on the right are XL channels. It "skips" the empties in between the LOR's. In Models LOR 06 is 14559 for 16 channels.

      Empty   104   55            80   14479   14558
6   485   IK      104   55   81   81   96   16                   14574
      Empty   104   55            64   14575   14638
OB   485   Spirals     104   55   161   161   176   16   14639   14654
      Empty   104   55            64   14655   14718
10   485 IK trees   104   55   241   241   256   16   14719   14734

[RobertB]

Ok but are you running your LOR boxes in dmx?  I was talking about running my LOR boxes in LOR on xlights. That is where I was worried about the skipping. Skipping in LOR protocol not DMX protocol.

[Gilrock]

Even with LOR protocol you still have to program a unit ID which means the unit is capable of picking out the slice it needs from the data stream and that not all units need to be connected.