FPP6 licencing and Hanson Electronics boards

[AAH]

I have mass mailed all of my customers who over the last 6 years have bought a rPi-28D, rPi-28D+, rPi-MFC, HE123 or HE123Mk2 as they will all be affected if they update to Falcon Player (FPP) version 6. Of the several hundred customers 8 emails bounced presumably because of changes in ISP or similar. If you are 1 of these 8 with the bounced email or 1 of the many people who has won 1 of the above door prizes at the Australian minis over the last 6 years then let me know. The very, very short version of the email is below

https://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php?topic=15319.0 <<<-- Details of this shambles
support@falconplayer.com <<<--- where you email your proof of purchase to get a free voucher to submit to get the features that already (mostly) exist for free in FPP5
https://shop.falconplayer.com/ <<<--- where you buy the features
https://shop.falconplayer.com/2022/04/28/howto-eeprom-signing/ <<<<--- how to get the key into the EEPROM on the boards

 

[Katekate]

pi boards are unchanged.

 

[AAH]

pi boards are unchanged.

Nope

 

[andrewa]

Alan

I sent off a request for a grandfathered License

this is what I sent

I am writing to apply for 2 x free license key vouchers for the 2 x Hansen rPi-28D that I own​

As the Hansen rPi-28D has 2 WS281x outputs but because of the way in which it is built the WS2801 output can be used as an additional 2 WS281x outputs​

So 3 and up to 4 outputs​

This is the response I recieved

The rPi-28D does not need a key. This cape will continue to function as it always has using the existing RPIWS281X Channel Output driver in FPP. FPP v6 includes a virtual EEPROM for this cape which you can choose from either the Initial Setup page and the Pixel Strings config page.​

​

Thanks for checking,​

​

Falcon Player Dev Team​

So will they work as always have?
Or Not

AndrewA

 

[AAH]

Alan

I sent off a request for a grandfathered License

this is what I sent

I am writing to apply for 2 x free license key vouchers for the 2 x Hansen rPi-28D that I own​

As the Hansen rPi-28D has 2 WS281x outputs but because of the way in which it is built the WS2801 output can be used as an additional 2 WS281x outputs​

So 3 and up to 4 outputs​

This is the response I recieved

The rPi-28D does not need a key. This cape will continue to function as it always has using the existing RPIWS281X Channel Output driver in FPP. FPP v6 includes a virtual EEPROM for this cape which you can choose from either the Initial Setup page and the Pixel Strings config page.​

​

Thanks for checking,​

​

Falcon Player Dev Team​

So will they work as always have?
Or Not

AndrewA

With the addition of the setup you can gain the functionality that it has under FPP6. You don't get to use the DPI pixels feature without a key and there is no mention anywhere whether the DPI is included or excluded from the free licence key. If it's included are you eligible for the 2 output or the 8. If you're not eligible for DPI then there really is zero benefit upgrading to FPP6 as you're not gaining any features and you're just making extra work for yourself
<frustrated>

 

[Katekate]

your pi boards will work as they do now without a key. that functionality is unchanged. that is why the documentation that nobody seems to have read says they won't get a free key.

if you want to gain the functionality given by the new code, then you will need a key.

 

[darylc]

Alan

I sent off a request for a grandfathered License

this is what I sent

I am writing to apply for 2 x free license key vouchers for the 2 x Hansen rPi-28D that I own​

As the Hansen rPi-28D has 2 WS281x outputs but because of the way in which it is built the WS2801 output can be used as an additional 2 WS281x outputs​

So 3 and up to 4 outputs​

I heard that you are grandfathering-in some capes from other vendors and giving free license key vouchers. Is this true? – Shop.FalconPlayer.com

rPi-28D is considered a PiCap clone in that context.

 

[Skymaster]

A big thread already existing on the topic on ACL

FPP v6 pixel output license

Some of you may have read or heard already about some changes to FPP v6 in relation to possibly having to pay for a license in order to use pixel outputs on capes/hats. This has generated a bit of discussion in the chat room today but for those who wish to read the official announcement, the...

auschristmaslighting.com

 

[brando]

I got my free keys but will continue to support you business. You’ve helped me immensely, the times I’ve tried to reach out to Dan Kulp I’ve never even got a response. Just my experience.

 

[Skymaster]

Agreed Brando. And even with the license code for future boards taken into account, it's still a bloody cost effective solution compared to others.

 

[Brettus]

will this affect us if we dont upgrade the version of fpp running on the pi? I have one that i purchased from u but i also purchased on second hand

 

[Skymaster]

No, if you stay on FPP5.5, there are no licensing changes - Note - however - bugfixes etc will not be applied, and no guarantee is made of future compatibility with new plugins, or interoperability with other software, such as xLights, if you stay on the older version.

If you are running a Raspberry Pi, with an rPi-28D+, and are happy with the way it operates using the current output settings, you won't need a license for FPP6 either.

The only time you will need to get a license for a Raspberry Pi, is if you want to upgrade to the new DPI Pixels code that's coming in FPP6, which will allow you to use the Onboard sound at the same time as the Pixel outputs.

 

[AAH]

I

will this affect us if we dont upgrade the version of fpp running on the pi? I have one that i purchased from u but i also purchased on second hand

If you don't upgrade to FPP6 then it will have no effect. If you're not wanting to use the DPI feature on a Pi to get the sound available again then there is no benefit.

 

[Rickras85]

What a cluster HoHoHo they have created

 

[CaptainMurdoch]

The rPi-28D, rPi-28D+, and rPi-MFC users are not affected, they do not need to request vouchers, they don’t need a key, they don’t need to pay for anything. These capes use the existing 2-string RPIWS281X channel output code which will continue to function in FPP v6 as it has in previous versions.

If the rPi-28D/rPi-28D+/rPi-MFC users choose to take advantage of new functionality in the new DPIPixels channel output, they will need to apply a key, but because this is new functionality, they are not covered by the grandfathered-in voucher terms. Adding a key will allow the onboard audio to be re-enabled on these systems. If those users want onboard audio instead of having to use a USB soundcard, this is an option for them, but no one has to switch to DPIPixels. As has been noted in several places already, the rPi-28D/rPi-28D+ users can also get a major enhancement out of the new DPIPixels code by applying an 8-output key and using the WS2801 clock and data pins on these two capes to output another 2 strings of WS281x data turning their existing 2-port controller into a 4-port controller for only the cost of the $10 U.S. 8-output license key. To me, that’s a major improvement and a small cost to allow doubling the number of pixels that their existing cape can directly drive. The rPi-MFC does not have the ability to do this since it only has one pixel output to begin with, so the only advantage of using DPIPixels with the rPi-MFC would be enabling onboard audio.

FPP v6 will also include virtual EEPROMs for the rPi-28D(+) and rPi-MFC. The rPI-28D(+) virtual EEPROM supports the existing 2-string (no key required) output and also has a config to allow users to choose to use the DPIPixels output code to get up to 4 WS281X pixel srings on the rPi-28D(+) capes.

For the HE123 and HE123Mk2 users, yes they will need a free voucher. We have already had 8 people request vouchers for those capes, some of these 8 even had multiple capes. It’s a simple process and I normally have the voucher back within 12-24 hours depending on when it was sent. Before typing up this response, I went through the inbox and replied to another 4-5 voucher requests. Some users are already running the master branch of FPP and have redeemed their voucher and applied their keys, some are sitting on the keys until the FPP v6 release, and some are just waiting to redeem the voucher when the release happens and they upgrade.

The current deadline for submitting grandfathered-in voucher requests is 7 months away as of today. That’s a long time for users to submit proof that they acquired a cape before July 31, 2022. Even the July 31 date is 2 months away from today meaning that we are grandfathering-in capes which you haven’t even sold yet. Any cape you sell in the next 2 months is grandfathered-in and the user can request a free voucher.

If you want to see a list of all the other effort that has gone into developing FPP v6 so far since the last v5.5 release of FPP, you can look at the changelog ticket in github which lists almost all of the changes so far. We try to keep this up to date, but sometimes miss things, but it is a pretty extensive list already. One of the main focuses for FPP v6 was stability and we have fixed a huge number of bugs, some recent, but some that have been there a while and were just getting some attention.

https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/issues/1236

If after reading that list, you still think there is no benefit to upgrading to FPP v6, then you probably would have been happy with FPP v4 or FPP v3 or FPP v2. We still have some users on those ancient versions because it works for them and isn’t exposed to the internet so they don’t bother upgrading. If the list of bugfixes and new features does appeal to you, then you can decide whether it is worth upgrading, all the while knowing that it won’t cost you a penny since you can get a free voucher for any multi-string (ie, more than 2 outputs) cape you own currently or buy in the next 2 months before July 31 and any DIY cape you build after that.

- Chris aka CaptainMurdoch