DMX channels... p12S > LOR controller > LSP config

nutz4lights

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Hey all,

So, somehow, I had a setup working last year... I went to change the DMX universes around and I can't get it to work... forgot the magic that we employed to make it work... I went through Eddy's presentation last year and thought I had a pretty good understanding of DMX channels, universes, etc... but obviously I'm missing something. Here is what I have:

LSP > J1SYS p12s controller (DMX output) > crossover cable > old LOR controller (the kind with the rotating dial configuration for unit ID) updated with new firmware

In my display, I have around ten e1.31 controllers (p12s units, pixlite4, pixlite16, e6804) so my universes are up around 100. Last year when I had this working, I was around universe 85-86 so I had the LOR setup for 85-86. The reason I am redoing the LOR DMX now is that I was thinking I wasn't gonna use it (replaced the elements needing LOR AC output) and so I put my new e1.31 controllers in the universe slot occupied by the LOR last year. Now I want to commit to using the LOR through DMX and would like to set the universe somewhere really high where I hopefully won't reach it...

SO, I tried setting the LOR unit ID to 0C, which is DMX address 177. I went into the J1SYS configuration utility and told it to enable both DMX outputs and I set the DMX universe to 177. I went into the LSP configuration utility and punched a new line item for universe 177 enabled it, channel set to 32350-ish, set the Unicast ID to the IP address of the J1SYS controller and clicked go. For some odd reason, I can't get the test lights on that LOR controller to turn on and the red indicator light is just blinking... not linking up.

I have viewed Eddy's presentation as well as the document from LOR's site... I think I have this setup right, but I'm obviously doing something wrong. Any tips? Am I misunderstanding the DMX channel versus Universe bit?

Thanks!

-Louie in Melbourne (Florida!)
 

Ɠαяєтн

Mae gen i C.L.A.P ei heintus iawn
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Hi Louie,


Setting the LOR ID to OC will indeed set the starting DMX address of your controller to 177. This is the starting address, so Channel (Output) 1 is 177, Output 2 is 178, and so on up to the 16th Channel being DMX address 192. So based on this the LOR is dumb as to the Universe it is on, it only looks at the DMX address being sent out of the port it is connected to on the P12S.


e1.31 or DMX over Ethernet, has 512 DMX channels (address) per Universe. So you first need to decide on the Universes that is being sent to the 2 DMX ports on the P12S and configure those both in the controller and LSP. Then based on this universe, program LSP channels to the same you have set in the LOR controller, in your case 177-192.


So in short each e1.31 universe can have 512 DMX channels. You have to set the universe to match LSP and in the P12S. Then in the sequence output on the correct universe and DMX channels to control the LOR Controller.


I am sure there are many people in ACL that can help you set up LSP correctly. Sorry I am not particular familiar with that sequencer.
 

nutz4lights

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Re: DMX channels... p12S > LOR controller > LSP config

Thanks Gareth. So if in LSP I have universe 100 set to start at channel 32000, and I set the DMX universe in the j1sys controller to universe 100, all i have to do is set the LOR unit ID to 00 and I could configure the 16 channels in LSP as 32000 to 32015? I guess that makes sense... The LOR unit ID helps keep all the daisy chained LOR units identified within that ONE DMX universe defined in the j1sys config area and the LSP controller output section.
 

Ɠαяєтн

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Almost there!


The starting address for the LOR controller should be "01", i.e. DMX channel 1. However, some address are not allowed: "00" and "F1" through "FF" are disallowed.


For the starting DMX address please see the attached LOR document.


So you can have upto 32 individually addressed 16 Channel LOR controllers of 1 P12S DMX port, all wired in series. I have never tried it but would be interested to see if it would actually work..
 

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nutz4lights

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Re: DMX channels... p12S > LOR controller > LSP config

Typo, my bad, meant to type 01. I don't know anybody that actually HAS 32 LOR controllers, do you?! That would be crazy! I had that document already, but wasn't seeing "the light" which you helped me see, so thank you again!
 

nutz4lights

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Ok, I'm about to lose my mind <again>. After reading through all of the posts in this thread and going back, I'm still stuck with lights that won't turn on. I'll try to make this quick...

Lightshow Pro controller output plugin has DMX Universe 109 going to Unicast 10.10.10.6 (the p12s controller being used for its DMX output). Starting channel number is set to 32350 in LSP controller output plugin and I even set the size to 512 channels.

J1SYS configuration utility has both DMX ports enabled and set to Universe 109.

LOR 16 channel AC controller has now been set to a few different controller ID's, including 01, 06, and 0C, none of which have been successful at turning on lights (my point of setting up the number of channels to 512 is that I believe I am covering every single channel possible in the universe and the LOR controller unit ID shouldn't matter, please let me know if that logic doesn't fly).

In LSP, I created an e1.31 controller and made it 512 channels (hell bent on just lighting up the whole Universe 109, all 512 channels, so that I could prove something).

I went into the sequencer and turned the entire controller ON which turns every single one of the 512 channels on. Ran the sequence (the rest of my e1.31 display is working) and the one string plugged into the LOR controller isn't lighting.

So, what am I doing wrong?

I forgot to mention that the LOR controller indicator light is solid red, which means it is linked to the p12s, right? That means they are talking.

Am I doing something wrong with the channel numbers in the LSP configuration utility?

Thanks,

-Louie
 

nutz4lights

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Well.... I really have no idea why, but it all started working tonight after monkeying with this for a couple of days... I went and brought a second LOR controller out of the attic and hooked the p12s DMX output up to that second LOR controller... fired everything up and couldn't get a link... looked closer and saw that I had to switch the DMX cable from the one port to the next (I had been swapping between the two of them yesterday trying to see if one of them was dead). When I went to the second port out of the p12s, I got the link and amazingly, the AC LED lights started working... So then I connected the original LOR controller thinking that it was troubleshooting time, but for some reason it is working now too... none of this makes any sense to me yet... still trying to digest it all... I thought maybe it was the RJ45 feedthroughs that I use on my water tight cases, but I disproved that theory tonight too... For right now I am still lighting up all 512 DMX channels on the universe of interest in LSP... now at least I know that it works and I can get back to assigning actual 16 channel blocks in LSP for the LOR controller based on the Unit ID that I have dialed in on the LOR controller...

Thanks,

-Louie
 

fasteddy

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One thing to be aware of when using LOR controllers in DMX mode.

The LOR controller needs a cosntant DMX stream or else it will have delayed output as it takes the time to work out if its a DMX or a LOR signal being sent. So to get around this you will need to set your DMX keep alive setting on the P12 so that it always sends data even if there is no data needed to be sent. This way it will always stay on DMX mode when you are not actually sending any data to it.
 

nutz4lights

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Re: DMX channels... p12S &gt; LOR controller &gt; LSP config

Thanks Eddy. I know I had the keep alive set, but I forget what the settings were. Any suggestions?
 

BundyRoy

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Is keeping DMX alive a standard setting on most controllers. I am planning on using my pixlite 16 to run a LOR controller in DMX mode and was just checking to see if I'm in for issues or need to change a setting.
 

nutz4lights

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Re: DMX channels... p12S &gt; LOR controller &gt; LSP config

Just checked and I'm set at 30 msec. Should be good to go . Thanks!
 
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