Author Topic: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help (Read 816 times)

Brausmith · « **on:** December 30, 2018, 05:05:21 PM »

Hi all, new user here.

I've been browsing various forums (including the AUS XMas Lighting) and slowly understanding how all this works. And I think I've just about got it.
I've almost settled on the hardware for my 4 zones around the house, which at each zone I could easily get away with under 4000 pixels.
I was originally thinking F4V3 and dropping a powered controller box in each zone, but then was reading about the F48.

But, I'm having issues with understanding the F48 info for the following (below) and I was hoping someone could dumb it down a little more me?
It's the concept of grouping which is getting me.

Quote

Pixels per port
48 pixel ports are divided up into 3 groups with a configurable max number of pixels per port in each group. All three groups share a portion of a 1024 max pixels per port. The user can set ports 1-16 to have a max pixel count of 512, ports 17-32 to have max count of 256 and ports 33-48 to have max count of 256. Max pixels per port in each group must always add up to 1024.

I've been playing around in xLights, and have the attached sketching image as reference to my house/yard space.
Zone 1 - Upper deck, with power, and is the best place for a central master control box (as indicated).
Zone 2 - Garage & Driveway, with power. Would also have coro props lining the driveway and on the garage wall.
Zone 3 - Front fence line, with power coming from under zone 1. Would also have some coro props.
Zone 4 - Garage roof, with power from either zone 1 or 2. For a mega tree.

I'm not looking to turn this thread into a lengthy how to, but just wondering if the F48 is suitable after explaining the quote above, or if my original thought of 4 x F4V3's would be better/easier?

Thank you for any input. 2019 is the year for me to move away from dumb lights.

Brausmith · « **Reply #1 on:** December 30, 2018, 06:44:22 PM »

OK, I have gone over this many times now, and am going out on a limb.

Does it mean that if I was only using ports 1-16 and maxing them out, that I could reach my 4 zones with just 1 receiver in each zone, thereby maxing out the F48's total pixel count?
But now let's say I only use 512 pixels for each of ports 15-16, I could then add additional receivers elsewhere for smaller runs of 256 pixels on any of the ports 17-48. Essentially sharing the pixels to other receivers.

Did I now get this right?
I'm probably having some troubles visualising this as I've not yet seen how it looks on the software side.

wojolinda · « **Reply #2 on:** December 30, 2018, 10:30:31 PM »

I literally asked the EXACT same question today on the xLights support group. Here's what I was told: Instead of thinking about it per port, think about it as 3 banks of ports. Bank A is 1 to 16, Bank B is 17 to 32, and Bank C is 33 to 48. The sliders are used to determine the maximum number of channels on each bank, which must be less than 1024. They can be in any value, as long as they are less than that. If Bank A is set to 512, all ports on that Bank have a MAXIMUM of 512.
[/size][/color]
[/size]Based on that, I believe you would be correct with your "going out on a limb" conclusion, but it would be the blind leading the blind [/color]

jnealand · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2018, 09:50:57 AM »

The other consideration is the one of putting all your eggs in one basket. If something happens to the F48 you are out of business, if one of the f4s fails, you still have 3/4 of your show running. Just another choice to make. I have seldom heard of a Falcon controller failing, but it does happen usually not the Falcons fault. I have backups and enough spare ports that I could recover from just about any single failure - light string or controller. After about 9 years with one FM transmitter I finally bought another one and keep the old one as a backup. I even have a spare controller, F16v2, I keep in my workshop to use for testing things as I build new and repair old even while the show is running. But it has taken me many years to get to this point.

Brausmith · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2018, 11:36:52 PM »

Thanks for the additional supporting info wojolinda.

jnealand, that's a very good point I hadn't thought of.

Softee · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2019, 03:32:02 PM »

Quote from: wojolinda on December 30, 2018, 10:30:31 PM

I literally asked the EXACT same question today on the xLights support group. Here's what I was told: Instead of thinking about it per port, think about it as 3 banks of ports. Bank A is 1 to 16, Bank B is 17 to 32, and Bank C is 33 to 48. The sliders are used to determine the maximum number of channels on each bank, which must be less than 1024. They can be in any value, as long as they are less than that. If Bank A is set to 512, all ports on that Bank have a MAXIMUM of 512.
[/size][/color]
[/size]Based on that, I believe you would be correct with your "going out on a limb" conclusion, but it would be the blind leading the blind [/color]

So in thinking of it in this fashion, can I set all ports on all 48 outputs to 341 pixels, and push the same amount threw each of the 48 ports??

k6ccc · « **Reply #6 on:** January 05, 2019, 05:20:18 PM »

Quote from: jnealand on December 31, 2018, 09:50:57 AM

The other consideration is the one of putting all your eggs in one basket. If something happens to the F48 you are out of business, if one of the f4s fails, you still have 3/4 of your show running. Just another choice to make. I have seldom heard of a Falcon controller failing, but it does happen usually not the Falcons fault. I have backups and enough spare ports that I could recover from just about any single failure - light string or controller. After about 9 years with one FM transmitter I finally bought another one and keep the old one as a backup. I even have a spare controller, F16v2, I keep in my workshop to use for testing things as I build new and repair old even while the show is running. But it has taken me many years to get to this point.

+100 (+1 is not enough)
Yes, most of these controllers are very reliable, but stuff can fail - or get killed by something else. For example a power supply failure that goes to very high voltage can kill pixels, controllers, etc.
I don't like the concept of everything in one basket either. And as I pointed out in a different thread yesterday, although you CAN daisy chain lots of strings together on a single port, a single pixel failure that kills everything downstream (or worse, goes solid white) is far more annoying if it turns 852 pixel white as opposed to taking 12 pixel to solid white.

Kensington Graves · « **Reply #7 on:** January 08, 2019, 08:46:44 PM »

Quote from: Softee on January 05, 2019, 03:32:02 PM

So in thinking of it in this fashion, can I set all ports on all 48 outputs to 341 pixels, and push the same amount threw each of the 48 ports??

Yes, although that allocation may not necessarily be the best option for you. To give you an example, I set the first bank on my F48 to 600 pixels per output, then divided the remaining 424 between banks 2 and 3. I ran a cable from the first plug in bank 1 to the roofline, where ports 1-3 on the receiver board were connected to the roofline icicles (total of 1800 pixels). I ran a second cable from plug 2 on bank 1 to a 12x100 matrix and used two outputs on the receiver to run 600 pixels each (total of 1200 pixels), and one output to run arches and tree wraps (maybe 200 pixels).

As for eggs in one basket, there�s truth to that. And as good as Falcons are, there have been failures. My F16v2 didn�t work this year. I had already replaced it with a V3 last year, but I still used it for testing. I�m picking up a couple F4v3 this year for a new application, although I�ll be using my F48 for the bulk of my expansion this year.

JohnFiske · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2019, 05:19:54 PM »

just jumping in here. so, theoretically I could run my 800 node tree, my roof outlines, my arches, etc off of the f48, as long as I have enough receiver boards? my display isn't very big...maybe 3000 pixels. Ive got the f48 and 2 boards, but was thinking I may want to get either the f4v3 or the f16v3 to run my tree.

Todd · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2019, 05:44:46 PM »

You could use the F48 or the F16V3 and expansion boards with differential receivers

JonB256 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2019, 06:10:51 AM »

Quote from: JohnFiske on January 10, 2019, 05:19:54 PM

just jumping in here. so, theoretically I could run my 800 node tree, my roof outlines, my arches, etc off of the f48, as long as I have enough receiver boards? my display isn't very big...maybe 3000 pixels. Ive got the f48 and 2 boards, but was thinking I may want to get either the f4v3 or the f16v3 to run my tree.

Not just theory.

The F48 board, with enough Receiver boards, can output 96 Universes, same as the F16v3. (using 512 channels per universe, that's over 49k)
Since it has 12 RJ45 outputs (for 12 Receivers), that's 8 universes per RJ45 output. And with 4 pixel outputs on each Receiver, that's 2 universes each.

To run a multi string Megatree, though, the F16v3 is hard to beat. Sometimes it comes down to "cash" though.

brichi · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2019, 07:32:54 AM »

Quote from: JonB256 on January 11, 2019, 06:10:51 AM

Quote from: JohnFiske on January 10, 2019, 05:19:54 PM
just jumping in here. so, theoretically I could run my 800 node tree, my roof outlines, my arches, etc off of the f48, as long as I have enough receiver boards? my display isn't very big...maybe 3000 pixels. Ive got the f48 and 2 boards, but was thinking I may want to get either the f4v3 or the f16v3 to run my tree.

Not just theory.

The F48 board, with enough Receiver boards, can run 49,152 pixels (96 Universes), same as the F16v3.
Since it has 12 RJ45 outputs (for 12 Receivers), that's 8 universes per RJ45 output. And with 4 pixel outputs on each Receiver, that's 2 universes each.

To run a multi string Megatree, though, the F16v3 is hard to beat. Sometimes it comes down to "cash" though.

isn't it 16384 pixels but 49,152 "CHANNELS" , not pixels

JonB256 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2019, 07:44:49 AM »

oops - yes, I'll edit.

spudgunman · « **Reply #13 on:** January 13, 2019, 10:22:43 AM »

https://youtu.be/fzqdDhIk1AE

Here is a video I did to assist with this concept.

jerryw · « **Reply #14 on:** January 14, 2019, 03:28:26 PM »

The attached is close to what your doing, but with DMX 20W flood lights added.
Works great here with either the F16v3 or F48 both worked over xmas.
I just took down the mega tree and then run all of the remaining pixels and flood lights as warm white as my landscape lighting.
And yes , I change the pixels and floods to special holidays throughout the year. Pink cancer month, rwb for 4th of july, green st. pats, ect.

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Author Topic: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help (Read 816 times)

Brausmith

F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

Brausmith

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

wojolinda

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

jnealand

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

Brausmith

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

Softee

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

k6ccc

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

Kensington Graves

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

JohnFiske

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

Todd

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

JonB256

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

brichi

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

JonB256

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

spudgunman

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help

jerryw

Re: F48 "Pixels per port"? - New user help