ECG-P2, ECG-D2, XCG-X2A preview ....

J

j1sys

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Knoxville TN USA
i've been promising for weeks that new stuff was just around the corner. well, it is true.

boards being submitted for emergency rush quick turn tomorrow. should have them back by mid-week and testing next weekend.

they are part of a new series that should round/fill out our product line. none of our old products are being replaced/discontinued. we want to give a range of options to choose from.

ECG-P2 - E1.31/ArtNet to 2 pixel strings. No power distribution. Flexible power (5V, 7V-36V, PPOE), up to 4 universes of pixels per string!!!

ECG-D2 - E1.31/ArtNet ot 2 DMX ports. Flexible power (5V, 7V-36V, PPOE), HyperDMX, P-DMX power output optional.

XCG-X2A - a daughter board that attachs to the ECG-x2 series. Provides more LED indicators, option switches, microSD slot, RTC w/battery, and two additional pixel string outputs (1 universe per string).

All of these boards are small!! They will be available stand-alone or with an optional 40x50x100mm aluminum extrusion case with mounting wings on the ends.

Pricing TBD but targeting $65 for P2/D2, $15 for X2A, $9 for case.

Much more to follow. 3D views attached. Large gold pins are place holders for our usual green right-angle connectors with pluggable screw terminals. Some other 3D items not accurate, just for reference.
 

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4 universes per string means 680 pixels per output and 1360 Pixels controlled from a 2 port device... WOW

No doubt this will have some protocol as in 2801 v 3001 dependancies and criteria so happy to explore this more as this develops

Awesome thanks Ed

Phil
 
Once again ed your leading the way forward with some great valued options

Just to confirm that the ECG-P2 will be able to run 4 universes per output (680 pixels) for a total of 8 universe (1360 pixels) for around the $65 mark.

So based on 50 pixel strings/strip this means you can connect over 13 strings/strips together in a line for a total of over 26 strings/strips per unit

Now thats great value and hard to beat compared to anything else out there.
 
Ed, the ECG-P2 is a great solution for my Matrix panels which will have 304 pixels each (2 Universe). I can see that I can add 2 x 24v -> 5V 10Amp dc-dc converters (may get away with one but will have to see) , add a small box to hold the converters on the outside with the controller board inside and neutrik powercon power in/out and ethernet in.

I will also be moving my systems to ART-NET-II from E1.31 this year and understand that this is a supported feature now?
This will make a self contained panel with the 304 rgb 12mm leds at 50mm centers at around 1M x 1M.

So when they are ready to ship I will order 6 of them from you.

Neil
in So Cal
 
mainly because of a simpler network using art-net, able to use unicast which Madrix doesnt support in e.131. other reason is the mainstream software for lighting control has better support for art-net than e.131 and a lot of fixtures support art-net and not e.131. The takeup of E.131 in the mainstream is slow, and will slow down or even die out once art-net II takes a grip.
I know that the hobbist software such as LSP,Vixen etc have support for E.131 but I dont use those anyway as there is better and more stable software available in the mainstream for sequencing, led matrix and video.

btw sorry to distract this thread, mods you can move this conversation if needed
 
it is not a distraction from the thread. enabling artnet has been a priority for us on ALL of our products. we have had many request from the non E1.31 world to use our equipment. there are some strong camps of artnet vs. e1.31 out there and we just plan on supporting both.

-Ed
 
Ed,


What can I say other than WOW. That's a heck of a lot packed in that little package.


Ok, now I'm going to get a little greedy :D . Any chance on adding a couple more RS485 transceivers and enable the Secondary Data Link on pins 3 & 6? That would make 4 DMX Universes with just the addition of an external splitter.


And were you able provision for future RDM.
 
Timon -

it's not just the whales, it's the water.

these boards are targeted for the low end market and small for that reason. every option, and i've added a lot, adds to cost, complexity and size. the PIC32 has a lot of ports/pins but many of them are multi-purpose and when you use Ethernet and a couple of SPI channels for other uses the UART interfaces are limited.

this is part of our 'line' of products. some of our higher end and our pro series include RDM options. that is part of it's differentiation. we are working on a pro unit with eight XLR-5 ports, full RDM selectable by software control (no jumpers to add), full isolation on all signals, etc. this device does not fit in 40x50x100mm and will not cost $65, it will have another zero added to the end of the price. the rack mount case and power supply alone will cost us twice the price of these units.

-Ed
 
here's the 3D of the XCG-X2A

this board will sit on top of ECG-P2, ECG-D2 and some future units. It adds the switches, LED, microSD, and a new multi-function interface. it can do pixels or do 5V input/output for triggers or external controls.

-Ed
 

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Ed,


Totally understand. I've been in your shoes and know about project creep. If you don't watch out it can overwhelm a you. That said, I still had to ask :D


The fact that you can run 1360 pixels from one little board is a feat in it's self.


I did read correctly that the modules can be powered PoE Switch? I think that will be most useful for the DMX version as you can run the board and drive two DMX Universes without any external power supply. For the pixel version you can always get power from the pixel power supplies so PoE is not as big a deal unless it can drive one of your pixel extenders. Then having the PoE will be very useful if it can power the pixel extenders?


And lastly, what is the case going to be like and are the mounting hole placements such that the boards would fit in a CG-XXX enclosure?


Again, Great Job Ed


John
 
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

Please do not confuse PPOE with POE switches. PPOE is the older Passive POE that is still used for a lot of camera and wi-fi routers. these devices may blow up or blow up your POE switches.

DO NOT USE with POE switches. use cheap 24V PPOE injectors.

by the way, you have to install jumpers to enable the PPOE. so use with caution!!!

-Ed
 
Warning understood. I thought it was a typo.
You do really have to watch it as many of the power injectors are now 48V. You have to make sure you getting the 12 or 24V ones.
Something like this would be a good match especially if your driving more than one. You can get them for $25 without a PS and $50 with a 24V 60W PS. Not bad.


Some more injectors.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=POE-INJ-S&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4540427858510472236&sa=X&ei=h-WIT-GUN-igiAL-vvm8Cw&ved=0CHcQ8wIwAw#ps-sellers
This one has LED to show power and current.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=POE-INJ-S&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11107263263115499873&sa=X&ei=h-WIT-GUN-igiAL-vvm8Cw&ved=0CHkQ8wIwBA#ps-sellers
 
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