Strange Matrix issue

[Shockwave]

I'm attempting to have a small matrix - 15across by 10down - that goes around the bottom of my tree.

The beginning of the test article is built.  Just 50 pixels on chickenwire, to test the concept.  They work correctly on my E682 and are correctly driven as RGB (they are ws2801 pixels).  So the E682 sends out the correct colors and drives every pixel.

The Layout for the matrix test article is:
Horizontal
3 strings
15 lights per string
1 strand per string
start top left
start channel 1

This should give me three flat strings left to right, 15 pixels wide.  And I mostly get that - mostly.  The problem is that the first pixel never lights up.  And the second pixel is unable to drive one of the lights.  And whats more, the colors are all wrong.   remember how I said I checked that the E682 drove them as RGB and the colors were right?  Using a Matrix in XLightsBeta 2016.18 apr 7, it's like the first actual data skips the first four channels.  As if a four was added to everything.  This means giving output for all red gives you green, all green command gives you blue, and so on.  The data is going out after four channels instead of the first.  This is readily apparent using the allon or the Bars or the Curtain effects. 

As a detail for troubleshooting, the string has 50 pixels and not the actual 45.  But the additional data isn't going out to the unused pixels.  The string limit is still fine.  But there appears to be some kind of offset in the output section going out to the E131.  And the E131 outputs are setup so all the outputs start at 1 and run to 510.

[Gilrock]

Its so much easier to figure out if you can show screenshots of everything.  E682 setup page, xLights setup page,  model setup making sure String Properties panel is expanded.

[Shockwave]

as you see in the first picture, all the pixels are red but the first two.  Ah, but as you see in the model, they should be blue.  This isn't a problem with the e682 config =- that tests correct.

[Gilrock]

You didn't show me your xLights setup page with the networks so I have no idea which universe you are trying to output the data.  If it's 19 then you have the data reversing in the controller and you have the color order swapped in the controller so that would depend on whether your strings are really that color order.

[Gilrock]

I can say this.  I'm pretty sure this is not a bug in the software it's a setup issue somewhere.

[Shockwave]

Here is the setup.  Univ 12 is what I use.  The others are turned off.  Why are they there?  I'm testing and learning.

[Shockwave]

And btw:  Thank you very much.  This is my first time in the forums.  I try not to be a pain.

[Gilrock]

I really don't see anything wrong.  I notice your Arch model also starts at channel 1 so if you try to use it and the matrix model they will conflict.  Is your Matrix really wired starting at the top left?  That setting needs to match reality or it can make your data flip around.  I would try using the Tools -> Test dialog and try activating some single channels.

[Gilrock]

For testing this can you just switch the E682 to have only the 1-1 output configured for universe 12?  I know that board has weird restrictions about all 4 outputs in a channel group needing to be the same size or something like that.  I just don't trust seeing it on output 1-4 like that.  Just to prove it out I'd reconfigure it for the first port and make it the only thing on the board.

[Shockwave]

Yes, the actual matrix is starting at channel 1, top left.  The arches are univ 10, but that's not connected atm and univ 10 is turned off in the xlights setup. 

I'm a former LSP user.  So I'm learning this anew.  These are baby steps I'm taking...  draw an arch, test the arch, add a matrix, test the matrix, etc.  I'm counting on tripping over details every step of the way.  But somehow the matrix actual start is 4 channels off from actual start (ch1)  I get 4 channels of 0x00 and then the data starts to go out to the pixels.  Such an offset is oddball to me. 

I've tried changing the Start channel on the setup.  All that does is make the data skip further.  I've looked at the e682.  Using the test functions, all the pixels light up correctly and are the correct RGB colors.  I have a suspicion it's unique to the Matrix, as my playing with 50 pixels on an arch last weekend had no problems -- all the colors were correct (running flame was yellow and red, as expected.)  But experimenting with the matrix, I've stumbled upon this odd data-begins-ch4 issue.  And I cannot seem to find anyplace in the setups I've made a mistake.  Thus I came to the forum, where I seem to be the only one having this problem, making me agree with you that it's something wrong in my configuration.  Beats me what I'm doing wrong though.

Absolute worst case, I could have two null pixels leading to the matrix, and start at ch3.  But such kludge fixes inevitably bite me in the butt later, when the original problem gets resolved and suddenly output is wrong again and nobody remembers the kludge. 

I will try moving the output to 1-1 on the E682.  That was where the arch was connected and I saw nothing wrong there last weekend.  Good idea. 

And as the wife says, Is this what having fun looks like?

[scuba]

The E682 web page looks a little strange to me...are you run the latest firmware? It looks a bit different from my version.  are you using unicast on the E682?

The layout is not configured properly for the E682.  I think Universe 12 and 19 are not configured properly.

E682: universe 19 why is it Reversed?
 lets find out if it needs to be:START OVER!!
Draw out the horizontal matrix, start at the top left corner go across 15 pixels, go down one row, now come right to left 15 pixels, repeat until you get to the end of the third row.  You should have 5 pixels left that are not in a row.  question: which is the pixel closest to the controller? Top Left or Bottom right at the end of the string? what are you doing with the 5 "extra" pixels? do they start a new row? If not continue to draw the matrix. new string down a row, below the last mounted pixel, moving right to left and so forth. It should look like a single continue line that folds back of forth for another 45 pixels (3 rows).

finish drawing the matrix with the rest  of the strings. 

Please answer the questions and I help you setup both the E682 and the Layout for the Matrix.

The key to this is to make sure you understand the physical layout of the matrix first, then you can start to configure the hardware and software.

[jnealand]

I know nothing about the e6xxx stuff, but if I was setting that matrix up in xlights it would be

1 string
45 nodes per string
3 strands per string.

where the nodes are
1......15
30....16
31....45

xlights will take care of the reverse node on the second line.

[scuba]

try this!

[Shockwave]

Scuba - the e682 looks strange because it's V5.002 software.  It's beta, which seems to be the heart of the problem.

jNealand -- that's a handy way to put it out.  and I don't have to Zigzag the Sandevice that way.  Thanks!



I have the problem identified.  By putting in the E6804 (which isn't in beta), the output is correct.  Thus the problem here isn't with the Xlights, but with the ethernet handling side of teh new E682 code.  so, problem not solved but at least identified.

Thank you all for your help.  Slowly but surely I'll get the bugs ironed out.  I still don't know how to assign an element to specific e131 addresses adn universes.  I had to make the e6804 the first element in the setup and create a new matrix.  I sure hope that's not the correct method.

[Gilrock]

If you want to use universes to make your model start channel assignments the easiest way is to create a big block of E1.31 universes on your setup page such that each row is a new universe.  Because when you assign the start channel to a model we use the row number in setup to mean output number.  So if you do a 1 to 1 mapping of E1.31 universes to row numbers then output # = universe #.