LOR Pixie controller in XLights not working right

[brichi]

right, i did switch the jumpers over on the Pixie4 to DMX but still couldn't get it running at all. I was still using the USB to HS RS adapter, not sure if thats the right way. there isn't much instruction wise from LOR (from what i found anyway) on using these controllers in DMX mode with other software being they obviously want to stick in their system

[Ebuechner]

When you switch the jumpers on the Pixie it switches the input pins from pins 4 & 5 to pins 1 & 2 for DMX operation at that point it won't be able to talk to the Lor dongle.

You could buy a falcon controller or another type of E1.31 controller and use that to bridge to the Pixi controllers.

[Gilrock]

The LOR dongle might work if you use a crossover cable after you change the jumpers and then you gotta pick a serial DMX output in xLights.

[Ebuechner]

If he's going to use the Lor dongle set up in xlights as a serial DMX output he should be able to use a straight through cable and leave the jumper set to Lor Network.
I'm pretty sure like most of the Lor controllers the firmware picks up if it's getting an Lor or DMX signal on Startup.
He could certainly try this it wouldn't hurt anything.

[Gilrock]

Hmm....well I got the hardware to try that.

[CaptainMurdoch]

Here's what I've got so far.

On your screenshot with the parts breakdown, the value that is sometimes 0x13 and sometimes 0x03 are the command which on the intensity set commands indicates how to interpret the channel fields.  0x13 indicates that it is a 2-byte bitmask of channels.  A value of 0x03 is what we currently use in xLights and FPP and that indicates that the field actually contains the actual zero-based channel number OR-ed with 0x80.   That must be how they send more than 16 channels to the 24-channel controller, they could use 0x03 with an actual channel number 0-23 or possibly there is a different code other than 0x13 which has 3 bitmask fields for the channel numbers.

For the CCR testing, here are some observations:

Code: [Select]

CCR all white for 3 seconds
00 02 51 49 3F
00 02 51 08 FF FF
00 02 51 07 FF FF
00 02 51 06 FF FF
00 02 51 05 FF FF
00 02 51 04 FF FF
00 02 51 03 FF FF
00 02 51 02 FF FF
00 02 51 01 FF FF
00 02 11 FF FF 00 00

The "00 02 51" lines are setting the channels to apply the value to.  Were you using all 50 pixels or just 45?  On each of the first nine lines, it looks like we are addressing a 'bank' of 16 channels, going from bank 9 down to bank 1.  The first line might seem to indicate that we are only looking at a bank of 8 channels.  This would add up to 135 channels or 45 pixels.  For banks 1-8, all channel bits are turned on via the 0xFF 0xFF.  The last command is the "all on" command as noted at the top of the doc.

The second CCR sample seems to agree with the analysis above.

Code: [Select]

First 10 channels red
00 02 51 C9
00 02 51 C8
00 02 51 C7
00 02 51 C6
00 02 51 C5
00 02 51 C4
00 02 51 C3
00 02 51 C2
00 02 51 01 24 09
00 02 11 49 92 00 00 

In this, the "00 02 51" command is sent with a "C9", "C8", etc. which appear to be clearing the bits on those banks of channels.  Then, it sends a "00 02 51 01 24 09" which would set the red channels 3,6,9,12 since the two bytes are reversed when looking at the 16-channel bitmap.  It looks like when you said you wanted 10 channels, it actually did 12 since it sees them as RGB triplets.   I'm uncertain what the "00 02 11 49 92 00 00" is at the end.

[Gilrock]

Yeah I've actually figured quite a bit of it out last night.  For the CCR testing the value after the 0x51 is the shift byte.  So that very last command was actually turning on the first 16 bits.  Then the line above it was shifted over 16 bits so it has the 0x01.  All the way up to the top line that has "00 02 51 49 3f" is turning on the last 6 bits.  The "4" part of the 0x49 indicates that the command only has 1 more byte instead of 2.  And if you are turning these on with a color instead of white the 0x51 becomes a 0x53 and the 0x11 becomes 0x13.
I figured it all out once I reorganized the commands from this test where I turned on the first 30 out of 50 as purple. The first set of commands is turning the channels off that need to be off.  So I believe the "C" part of the "0xC9" means turn the channels off and the 0x9 is the offset i.e. 9 * 16.

50 pixels with first 30 purple last 20 black
00 02 51 C9
00 02 51 C8
00 02 51 C7
00 02 51 C6

00 02 13 80 49 92      Red
00 02 53 80 01 24 49   Red
00 02 53 80 02 92 24   Red
00 02 53 80 03 49 92   Red
00 02 53 80 04 24 49   Red
00 02 53 80 45 92      Red

00 02 13 F0 92 24      Green
00 02 53 F0 01 49 92   Green
00 02 53 F0 02 24 49   Green
00 02 53 F0 03 92 24   Green
00 02 53 F0 04 49 92   Green
00 02 53 F0 05 24 FD   Green

00 02 13 01 24 49      Blue                                                                                                                       
00 02 53 01 01 92 24   Blue
00 02 53 01 02 49 92   Blue
00 02 53 01 03 24 49   Blue
00 02 53 01 04 92 24   Blue
00 02 53 01 05 49 02   Blue

[brichi]

You could buy a falcon controller or another type of E1.31 controller and use that to bridge to the Pixi controllers.

I have an alphapix4 but how would you use that as the bridge being it only has 1 ethernet port?

[Ebuechner]

First off the Pixie uses a serial connection so don't confuse that with the ethernet connection even though they're the same plug.
I believe the alphapix has a screw terminal block for the DMX output.
You could use that output to connect to the pixie controllers and if I remember right you claimed that you're already using it for something else so you would just need to extend what you already have connected until you run out of channels.

To be honest I really think your best option would be to sell the pixie controllers because they're very limited and what they can do.
I have a couple of pixLite 4 controllers I'm not using that I could sell you that would work with xlights and Lor, these controllers work just like your alphpix you would just use a cheap network switch to hook them up.
If you're really looking to use the Pixie controllers I also have a DIY LED Express 6 Port Bridge that I'm replacing with one of the new Falcon controllers. ( you should really confirm if the pixie controllers will run off of DMX)

[brichi]

First off the Pixie uses a serial connection so don't confuse that with the ethernet connection even though they're the same plug.
I believe the alphapix has a screw terminal block for the DMX output.
You could use that output to connect to the pixie controllers and if I remember right you claimed that you're already using it for something else so you would just need to extend what you already have connected until you run out of channels.

To be honest I really think your best option would be to sell the pixie controllers because they're very limited and what they can do.
I have a couple of pixLite 4 controllers I'm not using that I could sell you that would work with xlights and Lor, these controllers work just like your alphpix you would just use a cheap network switch to hook them up.
If you're really looking to use the Pixie controllers I also have a DIY LED Express 6 Port Bridge that I'm replacing with one of the new Falcon controllers. ( you should really confirm if the pixie controllers will run off of DMX)

I agree with selling them too but i like to make things work out of curiosity, lol... So if i DMX out of the alpha like i already am for a DJ uplight, how do i wire that into the Pixie? sorry to keep bothering you

[Gilrock]

I had my CCR running pretty good last night.  Getting really close on reverse engineering the secret LOR protocol.

[Ebuechner]

I had my CCR running pretty good last night.  Getting really close on reverse engineering the secret LOR protocol.

Do you think he should hold off until you have this figured out?
It wouldn't make much sense for me to walk him through hooking up his pixie to DMX if you're going to have this available soon.
And I hate to open this can of worms, could there be any legal repercussions from Lor for you reverse engineering this and making it available?

[brichi]

and i have no problems holding off, i am in no rush as i am more working on my P10 matrix right now. I have been playing in XLights setting up some stuff and one thing i love (correct me if I'm wrong) is, Is it really this east to download a tree sequence from lets say holiday coro and import the SUP under effect and its done? I know the channels will have to match based on my pixie16 if/when i get it working with XLights

[Gilrock]

I would just continue to make your Pixie work on DMX mode.  I don't have one so I have no idea if there are any pieces I'm missing to make things work on them.

[Gilrock]

What's funny is that everyone immediately thinks that LOR doesn't want me to figure out how to talk to their hardware but I get the feeling Dave at Falcon doesn't want me to figure it out either.  He would rather people just dump LOR and buy Falcon cards.  We have people that have already made the decision to move to xLights but have this Pixie hardware as well as CCRs and USB dongles and they would rather not switch everything to DMX.  If I help make that happen it probably means more people would buy Pixie cards because they are rather inexpensive.  So maybe LOR should just give me the protocol.