FPP and xLights Channels Out of Sync Due to USB DMX Dongle

[Gary]

After accidentally pressing Ctrl-R in Chrome instead of Shift-R typing up this message and losing all my work, I'm retyping this in somewhat abbreviated form... 

After some months off of this hobby, I upgraded from FPP 2016.51 to 2017.30 64-bit.

I'm adding a MegaTree this year and while fiddling around with some effects, I noticed that when the screen showed Green, my sample pixel string hooked up to my controller was Red. Similarly, Blue on-screen lit up my pixels Green, and Red on-screen lit up my pixels Blue.

My megatree's start channel  is 8193 for Red, 8194 for Green, and 8195 for Blue. Checking in FPP's test mode and turning on the individual channels, the colours work out okay.

Checking out xLights test mode, I found out that in order to turn on the first pixel of the tree, I need to turn on 8509 (xLights labels it as supposed to be Green, but my pixel glows red), 8510 (Blue turns Green), and 8511 (Red turns Blue).

I was scratching my head on the channel shift, and then realized that I have a USB DMX dongle in my Setup tab that had 316 channels reserved for it (yeah, it's a weird number), and 316 is the difference between 8509 and 8193. Well, when I delete the DMX dongle from the Setup tab, my pixels display the correct colour. However, I need to keep my DMX dongle for my show.

Is this a bug that was introduced since 2016.51?

[JonB256]

Divide by 3 - you'll see that 316 is not a multiple, therefore it is throwing off your count. Change it to 315 or 318 and try.

[Gary]

Divide by 3 - you'll see that 316 is not a multiple, therefore it is throwing off your count. Change it to 315 or 318 and try.

Yes, that sort of explains the issue of the Red, Green, and Blue being out of sync, but it doesn't solve why my channels are off by 316.

[Gilrock]

You should show screenshots of the Megatree model properties, the setup tab, and how the related E1.31 and strings are setup on the FPP.  Plus restart xLights before using the Test tab after changes.  I never use the test tab I just create a dummy animation sequence and drop and effect on a model to test it so that eliminates any possibility of test tab errors.

[Gary]

I will do that when I get home tonight.

[keithsw1112]

It sounds to me like your models are mapped to channel 1 instead of being tied to the first channel of your first e131 universe. Have you run check sequence?

[keithsw1112]

Oh ... and upgrade to .32

[Gary]

Gil, here are my screenshots. I upgraded to 2017.32 before doing these screenshots.

[Gary]

It sounds to me like your models are mapped to channel 1 instead of being tied to the first channel of your first e131 universe. Have you run check sequence?

My lowest DMX channel number is 257 (I reserved 1 through 256 for something else in the future)

My lowest Pixelnet channel number is my Small Zigzag tree at channel 317.

Running Check Sequence doesn't bring up anything of significance other than reminders of dead channel ranges and warnings about some models I made without a controller configured because I'm still working on that... I was hoping to use the Generate Custom model feature once I get these issues with my channel mappings figured out.

[Gilrock]

I've never seen that F16v1 controller software before.  From everything you show my guess is that software has no idea that you have the first 316 channels assigned to a different type of output.  Where in that software do you tell it that Universe 1 starts at 317.  I bet that software believe universe 1 starts at 1.

[Gary]

I've never seen that F16v1 controller software before.  From everything you show my guess is that software has no idea that you have the first 316 channels assigned to a different type of output.  Where in that software do you tell it that Universe 1 starts at 317.  I bet that software believe universe 1 starts at 1.

The Falcon Controller software does seem to be working properly because I was able to program the channel range for each output on my controller. I know this because when I use the FPP Test mode (i.e. xLights not in the equation) and type in channel range from 8193 to 8193, I get a red pixel for the first strand on my mega tree as I would expect.

Is it possible to set up xLights so DMX stays where it is from channels 1 through 316 and have E131 start at channel 1 as well? If I have my Pixelnet controllers configured to "listen" starting on channel 317, channels 1 through 316 would be "ignored" by them, correct?

[Gilrock]

I suggested you create an animation sequence and drop an effect on the tree and see what happens instead of using Test mode.  It doesn't sound like you tried that.  That's the only way to rule out whether its a problem in the Test tab.

[Gary]

I suggested you create an animation sequence and drop an effect on the tree and see what happens instead of using Test mode.  It doesn't sound like you tried that.  That's the only way to rule out whether its a problem in the Test tab.

I did. In my message with the bunch of screenshots, refer to the image called xLights Sequence Test Effect Purposely on Wrong Channel (Turns First Pixel of Actual String 1 Red).png

Rather than being an "exciting" effect lighting up the whole tree, I chose to turn on one pixel. The 6th pixel on the third strand (1 and 2 are a zigzag of 50 pixels each totaling 100 pixels on one controller port) on-screen lights up green (you may need to squint). In the "real world", the first pixel on my first strand lights up red.

Note that I've also attached a screen print of xLights I have installed at work. I installed it there a while back to fiddle around with it on my lunch breaks. While the version isn't 2016.51 what I originally had at home (work has 2016.56), you can see how my Setup tab was configured in the past and output to my controllers worked properly. I don't think I ever fiddled around with the Setup tab at work after copying my config from home since I never had a controller at work to output to.

[Gilrock]

The real world picture sure looks green to me.

[Gary]

The real world picture sure looks green to me.

That's the on-screen preview window where it's green.

If I brought out my digital camera and snapped a photo of the "real world" and posted it here, the physical pixel (pixel 1 of strand 1) connected to my controller would be glowing red. I could do that, but I can already be accused of attachment overload.