hello all (new member )

joeyschinella

joeyschinella

New elf
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
29
after years of procrastinating, i finally decided that 2023 will be my first year to start . im in sydney’s north west (glenwood) and would love some support and guidance.

my first dilemma is which controller to buy
falcon F16v4, or HE123

i’m keen with the f16 but about after researching i’m keen on the HE123 board ( just not sure which HE board to go with .)

year one plan
pixel lights along top gutter 9m
pixel lights bottom gutter 16m
pixel round windows {3)
2 arches
5 props

every year plan to add same amount of pixels

thanks
joe
 
joeyschinella said:
my first dilemma is which controller to buy
falcon F16v4, or HE123

i’m keen with the f16 but about after researching i’m keen on the HE123 board ( just not sure which HE board to go with .)
Click to expand...
Both controllers work as a controller.
Falcon's are just a controller and a Hanson is a cape for a Beagle bone Black that is running FPP.

First point:
Both the Falcon and FPP based controller can work as a stand alone controller. They can schedule a playlist and output music.
Most commonly people don't use Falcons as a standalone features because FPP has far more advanced options.

Second point:
FPP has far more advanced features. Such as scripts and plugins.

Third point:
Any Beagle Bone pixel cape designed to run with FPP needs a licence for version 6 and above, unless it is a 'Kulp' branded board.
FPP version 5 will continue to work if you don't want to pay the extra fee.
My view point:
Personally I don't like FPP as a controller for pixels.
If FPP has an issue or freezes, then the whole thing doesn't work until you fix it.

Versus,
Using a controller like a Falcon to receive E1.31 data and output to pixels, were it doesn't have as much to go wrong.
I run FPP on a separate Raspberry Pi and use a Falcon.
If FPP freezes then I can open xSchedule and continue running the show within minutes (takes some setup earlier on for xSchedule).

The other viewpoint is that an FPP based controller is an all-in-one. Everything can be run off that, so it saves space and money.

Falcon's freezing does happen, and most of the time it's just powering off/on again and it's alive in 30s.
Click to expand...
 
silly question , is FPP the software for the BB

will version 5 be capable for most domestic displays
 
Mark_M said:
Any Beagle Bone pixel cape designed to run with FPP needs a licence for version 6 and above, unless it is a 'Kulp' branded board.
Click to expand...
On this point, a hanson he123 + beaglebone + license for all 48 pets is still cheaper than a Kulp, Falcon, etc. And is Australian.


On Marks view point, I'll respectability disagree to a certain amount. I use my FPP controllers to receive DDP from my master Pi, the same as my falcon. No difference really, except I can do some more cool stuff with the Linux instance and GPIOs.

I didn't bother with player/remote setup, I have no network issues to contend with, such as attempting to use WiFi.

The biggest freezing issues on FPP are usually related the usb devices causing problems, and usually due to incorrect set up - not enough power for wireless or sound devices, or putting FM transmitters too close. As a pixel controller only, that code is relatively "old" and therefore most bugs have been worked out. It's all the new fancy stuff that causes issues.

That said, there's the right tool for the right job, all different controllers have their own plus and minus. The He123 has a 30A power input power 4 pixel outputs, whereas most are per 8 outputs, so you are a bit more limited in those. The stability of the v4 falcons is pretty darn good. Esp32 based controllers running WLED or ESPixelStick are great for something cheap and/or permanent when using the inbuilt effects in the off season.
 
Skymaster said:
On and I'm just down the road in Lalor Park, show running tonight for the last night. Starting tear down in the next week. Happy to take you through the controllers if you like?
Click to expand...
that would be great

i did stop past your show last week
looks amazing .

i’ll PM you next week , maybe we can catch up if ok
 
Welcome Joey.
Seeing a working display helps get your head around things.
Lots of helpful people here and info moving forward.
Cheers Adam
 
Welcome Joey.

I'm not too far away either Kellyville Ridge. Short notice, but I'll be taking things down tomorrow from ~10am until 2pm if you're interested in seeing how I've done things.

It'll be good to have another person local when in need for something last minute :)
 
Kent said:
Welcome Joey.

I'm not too far away either Kellyville Ridge. Short notice, but I'll be taking things down tomorrow from ~10am until 2pm if you're interested in seeing how I've done things.

It'll be good to have another person local when in need for something last minute :)
Click to expand...
thanks kent
i hoping to be in your area this morning
what’s the address
cheers
 
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