Ready to throw in the towel for this year

[elnino]

If running behind already was not causing me so much stress, I lost a few elements to the Adelaide storm the other night that I have no time to repair.


Got 90% through my sequence in vixen ready for launch tonight and now vixen decides to bin all of my patching and display setup (30K channels). Recreated the display preview so I could continue with sequence but now Vixen is so sluggish and useless (can barely stop and start sequence in editor).


Something just doesn't want me to have a display this year...

 

[Heath-LightsOnTapley]

Hope you get through mate... Your show is awesome. Wish I could of helped you out more.

 

[SmartAlecLights]

i touched the latest vixen an got everything destroyed for my efforts..
so i ended up a salvage from a old backed up version.
worse part with vixen is i was allways backing up.

The channel counts were one thing.. but loosing everything due to a update left a sour spot

I hope you get everything back an your still able to pull off a show..

 

[elnino]

The weird thing is, Vixen thinks they are patched still:


Total Patch Points: 9463
Connected: 9463


But all of them show as grey on the controller (unpatched)

 

[elnino]

Actually, no it's all cactus... should not be 9463!

 

[elnino]

Repatched my whole display - Took about 2 hours because Vixen patching is soooo slow (patching just my 4 X 3 panel matrix took 30 mins alone). Now at least the editor is working. I think it was wigging out because the sequence thought elements were RGB but the elements in display setup had reverted to single.


Back on track mostly I spose but feeling very disheartened.

 

[Kitman]

Glad you have gotten as far as you have without throwing in the towel yet. December has only just begun so still have plenty of time to have a display running for a few weeks.


Yes the weather has put some people back, but just look at Fing he had almost his entire display crushed by a storm last year and picked up the pieces to put something back out there. Determination and defying all odds is what we live for, and pulling off amasing light shows is the result. You can do it and if you need any help just let me know and I will do what I can I do have some spare bits lying around power supplies, 12v nodes 5 volt nodes.

 

[kel]

Well done, elnino! Next season, use xLights
One light is better than none, and, I don't mean a front door or porch light ...

 

[the grinch]

Hey mate oh geez not good to hear hoping you can sort it . Quite often in these critical times we can produce Christmas miracles and I feel we are all cheering for you . as others have said I also have few spare bits and pieces lying around so if needed just let us know ! Don't really want to get involved with the xlights vs vixen but am previous vixen user and for my personal experience as am not as computer savvy as you guys was simple and user friendly cant believe what I was able to Do omg . But yes goodluck mate

 

[elnino]

I actually gave xLights a good honest attempt but I really struggled with sequencing in it, I just didn't seem to be able to do anything I wanted to.

 

[djgra79]

I've been ready to throw in the towel at least 3 times the past 9 days. But with some encouragement from ACL and friends, and the fact I have friends & family waiting with baited breath to see the display, I've walked away and come back the next day feeling fresh and with an open mind, and the issues get sorted. Yes I'd love to have it all running 9 days ago, but at least I know it will get there (hopefully this weekend - currently on laptop on the porch testing!)
So don't give in just yet, walk away, take a spell, then come back at it. It'll all be worth it in the end

 

[cozbert]

Hey bud,

I'm not having a much better year with my lights, with a new baby in the house and heaps going on at work time has been rather slim due to having to work weekends that i would normally have off.

started with my mega tree, i had 2 strips that needed replacing from last year so i did that before i put it up (5m tall) once up and connected one of the middle strips was dead from half way up...... so down it came and replaced a 3rd strip.

got the rest of my show up with some small complications mostly from trying to make life easier, fired up my PI and all ok.

i decide that i want to test my show, power everything up and cant access my PI... hmm not good.... plugs in into the tv and its corrupted the SD card.... yay....

after a reinstall and update i go to test my show and FPP keeps crashing... 2 nights later (after bub is asleep... not happening easily due to teeth) found that for some reason the audio card is missing and that is what was causing the pi to crash... woohoo i think im set.

plug it all in and find that my FM transmitter input is stuffed.... fiddled with the cable and propped it up on something and now i have sound.

go outside to watch a sequence and find that one of my window outlines isn't working properly, im pretty sure its a dead pixel or broken connection but ill get there soon.

so i currently have 2 of last years sequences running that aren't driving 3 of my elements because i have changed them this year.

i have just about completed a new sequence for this year and only have 30 sec left to sequence but it may as-well be 3 hours at the rate that i am going.

and to top it all off my dad has decided that he wants pixels on his house this year so there goes more of my time getting him going aswell.

TLDR (short version):

I understand where you are coming from and as far as im concerned ill get there when im damn well ready and people will just have to wait because they have no freaking idea on the time this stuff takes

Coz

 

[the grinch]

Yes definetly understand your disappointment but chin up and push harder next year will be faint little memory ! Am certain you will have some blinkys happening . Also yes the xlights vs vixen is touchy subject (like holdens vs fords chev vs mopar ) but am extremely thankful to the creators as no cost to us and yes plentiful of support in each on this forum wondering if david adski can help in your situation . Put your towel away mate certain you will overcome

 

[Kitman]

Being an IT guy like myself Elnino did you not have an adequate backup.... HAHAHAHA I used to say that to customers all the time and yet never backed up any of my stuff lol Come to think of it I don't have a backup of any of my vixen stuff (Makes mental note to do that before anything goes wrong) but I do have all my sequences on 5 raspberry pi's in my yard and have screen shots of most things so you know.


I threw in the towel last year and came back this year with my first pixel display, and I kind of regret not putting up what I had working last year so I had something but at the time I was just so frustrated with everything being broken that chucking it in was the easier option. Don't go the easy road we spend so much time and effort on this stuff just give it a day and come back fresh.

 

[elnino]

I had a backup of vixen but not since I made a heap of changes.


I'm more or less back on track - Should have something to play tomorrow night. Now I just have to put my brain back into creative mode (which I struggle with)