AlphaPix Flex - Help with XLights config

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AussieRobear

New elf
Joined
Sep 17, 2023
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Hi Team,

Please forgive me posting this, I still cant get my head around how to work XLights Controllers 100%.

Ive had an AlphaPix Flex for some years now although last year, I finally set it up and got my Singing Lightbulbs going and it worked (although Im sure I did not set xLights up properly though)

I also had 2 channels of Candy Canes, but ran them from a different WLED controller (and they worked).

In the Alpha Controller, the ports I have connected to start at 17, and the Singfaces use 17, 18 and 19 ports. XLights was quite happy about that and made all the ports a different universe.

However, as we all tinker, I decided I wanted to run the Candy Canes from the AlphaPix Controller and this is where it all fell apart.

The Singing Faces are run from 3 different ports, and maximum pixels are 143, 170 (bigger face) and 143 so fit into the 512 size limit.

However, for the Canes, I have 5 per channel, 50 pixels each per cane, times 3 per colour = a size of 750 per port, which goes over the 510 per channel that XLights stipulates.

I setup the Alphapix Controller which didn't seem to have a problem, but XLights wont allow me to configure more than 512 per port.

I have read some forum posts you can spread the range over multiple universes, but I cant see how to do that. For instance, do you lose a port/universe on the AlphaPix so you get say a size 1024 but then how does XLights get configured for that?

This is my AlphaPix setup (Output 22-32 I am not using.. Do I set them to 0?).

1733127147769.png

This is the current state of the Controller in XLights.. Ive been trying differet options, but doesnt seem to change

1733127372289.png


Thanks for any information/advice.... So much appreciated.

Rob
 
But, as far as a technicality, a universe can be 512 channels, and a channel is a color. So that works out to 170 pixels of the 3-channel RGB variety. You will need multiple universes on some of those ports with 250 pixels. Those universes will have to be consecutive, but that means the start universe on something like port 20 will work, but port 21 is going to need start universe of 22 to make room for 250 pixels. But see earlier comment, just let xLights configure all that for you... auto layout models and upload controller...
 
Thanks for your reply.. Ok, I am understanding this a bit better now.

I have done what you suggested and I see how xLights congifured the controller. Here is an image of what it set the Controller to (a fair bit different than the original one posted above)

1733171713051.png

However, I am getting a lot of random flashing on the Canes so it seems now, I might have my layout models incorrectly configured.

If I may, can I ask how to configure the models now. Do I just configure each Cane to use the Controller, set the Port on the controller to use and let it auto determine where it's start channel will be, or do I set the first one to Use Start Channel and set the port.

For example, I am playing with Cane 5 (which is the start of the first "chain" of canes). I have set No Controller on the others. If I set Controller to either the Controller Name (and set to port 20) or use Start Channel (and set port to 20) it seems to set the next Pixel to the correct one 1369 as that one is after the 3 faces I have on ports 17,18 and 19 as mentioned)

1733171885033.png

If I set the next cane, it seems to pick up the next sequential channel, the Cane #4 lights, but there is random flashing occuring (this didnt happen when I used the contoller with WLED so I am presuming it is this controller and my setup.

This is the outcome once Ice connected the set of 5 canes into one Port on the controller.

1733172319918.png

Presume I am still doing something wrong... Any Ideas?

Thanks, Rob
 
Yes, you just pick the controller and port, xLights will calculate. You can also use "visualize" button for the visualizer.

I Would assign start universes to the controllers in xLights, far enough apart that they will not collide.
 
Thanks for the help... I moved the port I was using away from the 3 for the faces and did what you suggested. That seemed to work, but I did notice that xLights didnt clean up the non used ports (the ones I previously was testing on), so I cleared them out. This was a great learning experience.

The only problem I have now, is alot of random pixels flashing in the canes. I am using Quinled Diff-Solos to run the distance I need. After posting that on the Discord Channel for the product, it seems it might be down to running different power supplies. More testing.

But as mentioned, your wonderful help helped me configure the AlphaPix. Very much appreciated... Thanks.
 
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