BIG W style light set up

[baf05]

I read this http://nutcracker123.com/forum/index.php?topic=3580.0 thread and despite it turning into a slinging match I believe it might also be my problem.  I will try and explain what I want, and hopefully that might help Randy and others.

I am converting from LSP to Xlights, like I am sure many have.  In my display I have mostly RGB nodes, which are very easy to set up in Xlights, but I also have some "Four Colour led" trees and some Single colour Arches, (although even two of those are actually four colour leds but for the sake of this its better to describe them as single colour.)

The Arches are made up of ten segments (channels) and the 2 trees have two channels. 

In lsp I create the channels tell LSP that its a light control and the only function it needs to do is turn the channel on or off, regards less of colour.  (in the sequencer turning the light on comes up as white, off is black) thus when the 1 channel of the tree is turned on red and blue lights turn on, the green and yellow stay off, turn both channels on and every thing lights up, turn chanel 1 off and channel 2 on and red and blue go off and green and yellow turn on.

The arch is the same 10 channels, I can turn 1 on and segment 1 lights up, the other 10 off, regardless of colour.

So what I need is an on off function for lights that are one colour? Does that make sense?  I can probably pot a pic of LSP sequencer to show what I mean, and a video of an arch working if that would help.

[Phrog30]

You mentioned LSP a lot.  Probably will have a better time using xlights if you can just forget what you are used to.

James

[Gilrock]

Just create a different model for each color and use the Single Color xxxxx string types.

[baf05]

Gilrock, that seems kind of clunky?  But sounds like what I might have todo?  There must be others in my boat? the non-coder in me thinks an on-off switch for a light (of any colour) would not be hard to implement?

Yes James I do as that's what I am used to, but I am also open to change, I just need to learn.

[Gilrock]

Yes its clunky.  I didn't create the design I just tell folks what they can and can't do with what's there.  The program was designed mainly for smart pixels.  Models expect the colors to be able to be stored into an RGB value so to support single color channels we just ignore some of the channels.  So when you start getting into having red, green, orange, and purple and want it all on one model it doesn't work with the xLights design because you can't put all that into into a single 24bit RGB value.  Plus all the effects are designed to render colors as RGB so none of the effects would know what to do with a 4 color prop.  I know it sounds simple but there's a lot more to it.  What makes xLights really powerful for smart pixels causes it to be clunky for old A/C channel props that had multiple colors.

[baf05]

I think what I will do is hook every thing up and play with it, I have not done any sequencing with xlights yet, just trying to set my "elements" up.

The talk of effects worries me as I am used to doing that myself, (probably on a node level), but I guess I will learn.

[Phrog30]

I think what I will do is hook every thing up and play with it, I have not done any sequencing with xlights yet, just trying to set my "elements" up.

The talk of effects worries me as I am used to doing that myself, (probably on a node level), but I guess I will learn.

There's nothing stopping you from doing effects at the node level. It's the hard way to do it. But, whatever you want.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[baf05]

I think that's just what I am used to.  I am sure as I become more confident with xlights I will ultimately do both.

in the mean time I have my merry Christmas sign out and up and running so going to play with that to see what I can do

[baf05]

So a bit of fiddling and playing and exlights appears to do what I want.

I have set my LED strings to single colour, and two channel, called them white, when I sequence and want them to turn on I make the time I want them on a white colour and the in turn turns my lights on, it seems to work putting any colour to them as well.

I don't have my blue arches to test at present but will early in the new year, I will do more testing then.

Also I didn't seem to need to draw any more than one model, so that's a plus.

[Gilrock]

You can also use the RGBW 4 channel model but the downside of that model is you can't activate the white and the RGB at the same time unless you went down the to node level maybe.  What it does is if it detect an effect with R=G=B then it activates the white string instead of the RGB strings.