jackstone Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 21 hours ago, cybuch said: @jackstone!! What????? Moving spot effect???!!! I just got 5 moving heads for my holiday light display, I am going to try out the new driver and see how it goes! Also, how do I use sound to light in the new drivers? There was a trigger:external for that before. EDIT: never mind, I think I found it, sequencer Moving Spot control is manually possible using a standard DMX dimmer, but it really shine when integrated in the Effect Switch. It require a slight learning curve but you will understand quickly how it work. The goal is to have the moving spot to follow an effect done on standard RGB lights, it can also be used as an "Idle" effect on the Sequencer to have the spot to move when the music lack some punch. There is a lot to do with this driver, I have a dealers who create real scripted lightshow using the Advanced Lighting agent, some ColorChanger and Effect Switch drivers, it trigger based on the timeline and follow a preconfigured music track, it's beautiful. Yes this is the sequencer, and this experimental driver is frequently updated, would you like to try the latest version? It can adjust the volume of the music automatically to ensure proper Sound-to-Light triggering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 26 minutes ago, jackstone said: Moving Spot control is manually possible using a standard DMX dimmer, but it really shine when integrated in the Effect Switch. It require a slight learning curve but you will understand quickly how it work. The goal is to have the moving spot to follow an effect done on standard RGB lights, it can also be used as an "Idle" effect on the Sequencer to have the spot to move when the music lack some punch. There is a lot to do with this driver, I have a dealers who create real scripted lightshow using the Advanced Lighting agent, some ColorChanger and Effect Switch drivers, it trigger based on the timeline and follow a preconfigured music track, it's beautiful. Yes this is the sequencer, and this experimental driver is frequently updated, would you like to try the latest version? It can adjust the volume of the music automatically to ensure proper Sound-to-Light triggering. Yes, please!! Currently, I have a custom button to adjust the volume for each song. I am really looking forward to the spot effect. I will explore it in the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfaslov Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Hi. Just in the process of buying all the components to make my home exterior come to life and never have to take Xmas lights on/off again. I was looking at the RGB flexible strips and came across something "new" called Dream Color LED strips. Within the same 5m strip, there can be multi-colored chase scenes and such. I believe that a regular RGB strip can only be one color at a time.... Will this new LED type work with your driver? I have the Engineering Solutions RS232 DMX box, and PX24500 Controllers (on order). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 10 hours ago, Wolfaslov said: Hi. Just in the process of buying all the components to make my home exterior come to life and never have to take Xmas lights on/off again. I was looking at the RGB flexible strips and came across something "new" called Dream Color LED strips. Within the same 5m strip, there can be multi-colored chase scenes and such. I believe that a regular RGB strip can only be one color at a time.... Will this new LED type work with your driver? I have the Engineering Solutions RS232 DMX box, and PX24500 Controllers (on order). Thanks! "Dream Color LED" is not new, it's just another way to call Pixel LEDs. And yes, those kind of LED are support by our driver, but you may get an hard time finding a DMX decoder that support the particular pixel chip built into your strip, and even though, you may end up with a cheap China pixel led decoder that use a single set of mosfet to dim a whole bunch of pixels, thus making the fades to just look horrible. My personal advice if you want to go with Pixel LEDs, try to find a model with DMX onboard. I know this exist, it look like a standard strip but feature a DMX cheap for each pixel on the strip, so it become addressable independently, thus enabling lot of cool effect over a single strip, especially color chase. Also keep in mind each LED pixels is equivalent to 3 DMX channel, and each DMX channel is equivalent to one light load in Control4. Control4 have been designed for home lighting at first and can handle a limited number of light, although this number is sufficiently high for a huge home, you may find that using pixel strip will quickly require A LOT of DMX channels to drive and you may come over what a Control4 system can handle. Better get a limited length of pixel strip in your project and if you want to get into discotheque-like lighting setup, you may be better served by a dedicated computer and lighting software. Wolfaslov 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfaslov Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 33 minutes ago, jackstone said: "Dream Color LED" is not new, it's just another way to call Pixel LEDs. And yes, those kind of LED are support by our driver, but you may get an hard time finding a DMX decoder that support the particular pixel chip built into your strip, and even though, you may end up with a cheap China pixel led decoder that use a single set of mosfet to dim a whole bunch of pixels, thus making the fades to just look horrible. My personal advice if you want to go with Pixel LEDs, try to find a model with DMX onboard. I know this exist, it look like a standard strip but feature a DMX cheap for each pixel on the strip, so it become addressable independently, thus enabling lot of cool effect over a single strip, especially color chase. Also keep in mind each LED pixels is equivalent to 3 DMX channel, and each DMX channel is equivalent to one light load in Control4. Control4 have been designed for home lighting at first and can handle a limited number of light, although this number is sufficiently high for a huge home, you may find that using pixel strip will quickly require A LOT of DMX channels to drive and you may come over what a Control4 system can handle. Better get a limited length of pixel strip in your project and if you want to get into discotheque-like lighting setup, you may be better served by a dedicated computer and lighting software. Wow! This adds serious complexity to the project. I'm very happy that I asked and thank you for your reply! If I want to do just one or two 5m strips, and I found a Pixel LED strip with DMX controllers built into the strip, would the PX24500 be able to be hooked up to it? Or would I need something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 47 minutes ago, Wolfaslov said: Wow! This adds serious complexity to the project. I'm very happy that I asked and thank you for your reply! If I want to do just one or two 5m strips, and I found a Pixel LED strip with DMX controllers built into the strip, would the PX24500 be able to be hooked up to it? Or would I need something else? You'll not need the PX24500 to control DMX Pixel Strip, you will hook-up the DMX signal directly to the strip. I think they might use 4 or 5 pins for power and DMX data. Not sure though how you'll set the channel on that kind of strip... Share if you try it... Wolfaslov 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 11 hours ago, Wolfaslov said: Wow! This adds serious complexity to the project. I'm very happy that I asked and thank you for your reply! If I want to do just one or two 5m strips, and I found a Pixel LED strip with DMX controllers built into the strip, would the PX24500 be able to be hooked up to it? Or would I need something else? I am running pixel strips in my setup in my backyard, around my pool, bar, and wall. 8280 DMX channels in pixels. I ended up getting a Falcon F16V2 pixel controller board and I use xLights and xSchedule and a computer to control them. I then use a http driver in C4 to activate different scenes via xSchedule and lighting scenes. I also have a bunch of dumb RBGW spot lights (from @jackstone) around the yard that uses his driver and PX24500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 In fact, it's pretty easy to manage Pixel LEDs with our DMX driver depending a what you want to do. Linear Pixels are easily managed by the driver and it can run pretty nice effects on it, but matrix pixel LED will mostly require a computer to produce great effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chico Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 55 minutes ago, jackstone said: In fact, it's pretty easy to manage Pixel LEDs with our DMX driver depending a what you want to do. Linear Pixels are easily managed by the driver and it can run pretty nice effects on it, but matrix pixel LED will mostly require a computer to produce great effect. Where can we buy products from you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 12 minutes ago, Chico said: Where can we buy products from you? We sell some items on Houselogix with local stock and fast delivery, but you can PM me and tell me what you need, we can provide many LED or DMX products on demand but shipping and deliveries may be longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericdlee Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Have a look in the post below, I have designed a RGB LED driver that works with the EV Artnet drivers, any chance you would want to work together and have my LED hardware support your driver? I have just finished up design on a WiFi version based on a ESP8266 chip that has brought my cost down significantly. If there is a interest, I could offer some up for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dman000000 Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I am considering doing some DMX lighting to complement my outdoor lighting but am completely new to this technology so I have a few questions that I'm hoping the community can help me with. My main question is regarding RGB pixel versus dumb RGB. I would ideally like to use strip lighting around a pool fence and am interested in being able to have a chase effect around the fence. From what I've researched, it sounds like I would need an RGB pixel solution so that each LED on the strip can be controlled individually. And this seems to mean that I need a special decoder that has a data wire (and a lot of channels). Two questions: 1) anyone have hands on experience with pixel rgb strips or bulbs that can point me to some proven products? I found this site: https://www.holidaycoro.com, which seems to have a good assortment of pixel lights and controllers but don't know anything about the quality. 2) If I get a pixel RGB controller, can I connect it to the Engineering Solutions DMX engine from Houselogix (and therefore be able to use the C4 driver to integrate)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 @dman000000, I currently have many pixel strips in my landscape and use a Falcon F16V2 controller. I buy my pixels from Holidaycoro and I can tell you the quality is good and they have great customer service. As far as the controller I use, its IP based and can control over 10,000 pixels. Additionally, you will need something to communicate with the controller. I use a computer on my network to control it with xSchedule, you could use a PI3 instead of a computer. I use xLights to create the different lighting shows, depending on what mood and xSchedule starts and stops the different shows. I control xSchedule with the API via C4. There are lots of different options and a good place to start is here http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/forum.php If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfiveo1 Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Anyone recommend a good power block? my setup is looking like a massive rats nest as I have 6 decoders running now. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiEjICwx6nTAhUmqFQKHbTwBcYQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.solidrop.net%2Fproduct%2F12v-dc-power-distribution-18-ch-pcb-board-terminal-block-for-switching-power-supply-electricity-current-wiring-led-switch.html&psig=AFQjCNHVzpPBJujFedJ6PK7dCsKXpTRrFA&ust=1492452012686887 Found this but the quality looks sketchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 On 4/9/2017 at 8:51 PM, dman000000 said: I am considering doing some DMX lighting to complement my outdoor lighting but am completely new to this technology so I have a few questions that I'm hoping the community can help me with. My main question is regarding RGB pixel versus dumb RGB. I would ideally like to use strip lighting around a pool fence and am interested in being able to have a chase effect around the fence. From what I've researched, it sounds like I would need an RGB pixel solution so that each LED on the strip can be controlled individually. I am doing something similar - RGB LED strips along my pool fence and deck. I am just using the generic 5050 strips where you have to have the whole strip on one colour. I am using Dresden Elektronik controllers that make the strips appear as Hue devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 IMPORTANT UPDATE v2.02, To all customer already using 2.0 or 2.01, please update immediately to v2.02! The new version 2.02 fixe an issue that may cause the driver to react sluggishly. A wrong line of code was causing this. The v2.02 fix that and bring back the instantaneous response time this driver was designed for. It also slightly enhance the Master Dimmer management in both RGB Dimmer and RGB Group Dimmer drivers. You don't have to update the whole driver suite in you project, just do an in-place update or the "RS-232 DMX Engine" driver you'll be good. The new driver is available today at Houselogix, please get it. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Got it, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luminenterprises@gmail.com Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 I didn't see this question anywhere in the chain... For a RGBW setup (or RGB for that matter), would you be able to fade and/or flash between selected colors? For example, on Halloween have it fade between orange and white over a programmed time period or for 4th of July have it flash between red, white and blue? Any screen shots of Composer programming would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 14 minutes ago, luminenterprises@gmail.com said: I didn't see this question anywhere in the chain... For a RGBW setup (or RGB for that matter), would you be able to fade and/or flash between selected colors? For example, on Halloween have it fade between orange and white over a programmed time period or for 4th of July have it flash between red, white and blue? Any screen shots of Composer programming would be helpful. I tried this last year (keep in mind it was the version 1 driver) and it worked ok, but not consistent. It did fade but as the controller would get loaded up, the fade would be somewhat random in length. If you are looking for a simple fade between a few colors, the driver will definitely do it. Just use the DMX effect driver and set all the parameters within the driver and you are good to go. I started with that setup for my holiday lights, but moved on to xLights. I just have a C4 relay switch the DMX between C4 and my computer at a set date/time, then have xLights run my show. C4 then switches it back at the end of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackstone Posted April 28, 2017 Author Share Posted April 28, 2017 The V2 or the driver does prevent a lot of controller overloading. if something does not run smoothly, please let us know. We tried to optimize the driver for peak performance but since we can't simulate every situations you may think of, if you see any issue or lack of performance, please tell us with a way to reproduce the issue and we'll fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 52 minutes ago, jackstone said: The V2 or the driver does prevent a lot of controller overloading. if something does not run smoothly, please let us know. We tried to optimize the driver for peak performance but since we can't simulate every situations you may think of, if you see any issue or lack of performance, please tell us with a way to reproduce the issue and we'll fix it. I don't blame the driver at all, I think it is a limitation of the C4 hardware/software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 On 27/03/2017 at 11:11 PM, cybuch said: I also have a bunch of dumb RBGW spot lights (from @jackstone) around the yard that uses his driver and PX24500. What type of dumb RGBW and how are the lights controlled? I have one of these dumb ones and as far as I can tell it can only be controlled via a remote control which seems to be an RF remote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybuch Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 It sounds like yours are not true dumb RGBW lights. The ones from @jackstone are true dumb RGBW lights, they have 6 wires, 2 for 24volts dc power (that can be daisy chained between multiple lights), and the other 4 are RGBW signal wires to go to your DMX decoder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Maybe not. Mine is like this and has an RF cheap remote. https://www.amazon.ca/ALOTOA-Changing-Security-Waterproof-Landscape/dp/B06X6H8X91 I was thinking dumb in the context of light strips where they dumb ones are just controlled by voltage and aren't individually addressable unlike something like Pixels where one of the lines is a digital signal. I wonder if something else, controllable from C4 or a PC, could send out the same RF signal as the remote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfiveo1 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 I was on 2.0 for the 2.02 do I just need to update the dmx_domaudeo_RS232_Engine.c4z or do I need to re-add all my lights again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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