Where to prog DMX channels?

[tonyf1949]

Newbie - This is my first year at pixels and am having a bit of trouble. I have  Xlights linked to a Falcon F16v2 board and out of Comm port 1, I connect to a DMX board with 9 outputs. Am having trouble understanding where the DMX channels are programmed and how to set them up. Xlights is communicating to the Falcon and DMX panel and is testing the pixels and LEDS from the Xlights and Falcon boards okay. So I assume communication is fine but channel assigning is not.
Where do I program the DMX board on Xlights? and on what channels. I want to use this board to utilise my old 2 wire LED strings.
I have pixel mega tree, stars and arches etc that work well with the channel programming commencing on CH1 universe 1 and then I have let Xlights assign all the other models channels - all are pixels and work fine.
But I can not get the 9 outputs of the DMX panel to assign correctly to the led strings. Strangely these 9 outputs will randomly switch ON when certain channels of pixels come on.
Appreciate your help.

[Gilrock]

xLights doesn't need to know anything about your DMX board.  Just pick a universe and assign all the models that will be on that DMX board to the channels in that universe.  We offer a lot of different channel assignment options so you have many ways to do it but in the end its just an absolute channel number.  Lets say you have created a bunch of 512 channel outputs for universes 1 to whatever.  Universe 5 will start at channel 2049 and you will be able to see that on the setup page when you create the outputs.  All you need to tell xLights is that its E1.31 outputs it won't care whether it's going to a Falcon board or a DMX board.  So you can start your first model for that DMX board at 2049 absolute numbering or you can use universe channel notation to start it at universe 5 channel 1.  Both ways will map to channel 2049.  Then on the Falcon you make sure you have it set to receive universe 5 among the others you are using.  Also on the Falcon you tell it which channels to send out that serial port.

[babybear]

On my setup the issue I had was with my DMx board. It would only do channels 1 to 999. So in my setup I needed to assign the first 36 channels for my dumb nodes.  Them set my first port to start with any number after that.      Dmx models start channel 1 my mega tree starts 513 just left some room

[Gilrock]

All my DMX equipment only works on channels 1 to 512 but that doesn't mean I have to limit my xLights channel numbers to that range.  You can send any range of channels out the serial port you want.  You can send absolute channel numbers 20,000 to 20,511 but to the DMX board it will look like 1 to 512.

[babybear]

I tryed but I must have been doing something wrong. I had set xlights and the controller (F16v2) to the same channels and nothing. After playing It liked channel 1,2,3 for my first gift box. So I went with that. simple and quick.  All my computer skills are learn on the fly. 

[Gilrock]

Once data is sent out the serial port on the F16v2 there is no knowledge of channel numbers.  It's just a block of data.  So the F16v2 can take any subset of 512 channels and route them out that port and to the receiving devices its just channel 1-512.

[babybear]

Does the channel number have to be a starting number on a universe, or any channel number as long they are the same.      512, 1024, 1536

[Gilrock]

The start channel going out the serial port can be any number....20,263 is fine.

[babybear]

Thank You  Ill have to give it another try and see what I did wrong.

[tonyf1949]

Hi again,
Thanks for the help so far and I do have a better understanding now BUT still will not work.
For any DMX stuff I selected up Universe 20 being Ch 9729 - 10240. I made an element of a straight line and set it up as Start CH1, Universe 20. Now is where I get confused - As it is an old 2 wire LED string I want working, how do I set the rest up. I dragged the DMX icon onto the timing gap required and then it asks for the setting up of CH1,2,3??. What is required here.
I set up the element as Strings 1, Nodes 1, Lights/Nodes 1, Channel 9729, Universe 20, Start Ch 1 and wired it to Output 1 of the DMX board.
Still wont work. Obviously something I am doing wrong.
My apologies for the lack of understanding and appreciate your help.

[babybear]

just try using the 'on' effect. pick a color and go

[Gilrock]

That DMX effect you are trying to use was meant for DMX moving heads, foggers, etc.  You don't need that although you could make a channel do something with that effect.

If you really want help you need to show a lot of screenshots like xLights setup page, the properties for the model, the setup on the F16v2, etc.  If it's a single channel LED string did you set the string type to a single color type?  Have you read the manual at all?

[tonyf1949]

Okay, It looks like I was confusing myself and it makes more sense now after reading the feedback and manual again.
As I am trying to get an old 2 wire single colour LED string to work - I have set up a single line of 1 String, 1 Light, to start on Ch1, Universe 1, Single string, red colour. The Falcon board has Comm port 1 as starting on CH1 and Universe 1 is set up as 1-512. I am coming out of the Falcon board Comm port 1 and feeding into my other 9 channel board with the string connected into Output 1 of my board. Still won't work.
I have read the manual over and over and must obviously be missing something.

[babybear]

Let's do a basic set up. On the falcon setup are you on serial outputs ?  There, set output 1 to DMX  start address to 1.   Your dmx control is pluged into the output that non changeable DMX/LOR. Lower black plug on the right side. Crossover cable not needed.  In xlights set your model  with start channel 1, pixel count 9.  Just put an on effect to your model and see. In the xlights setup you are only using E1.31 and not usb.

[babybear]

As another test when you use the on effect use white or red.   The use of color red uses the first channel sent.  White also channel  1.