News:

LATEST RELEASE:  FPP 8.4 - Download from here - https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/tag/8.4

+-+-

+-User

Welcome, Guest.
Please login or register.
 
 
 
Forgot your password?

+-Site Stats

Members
Total Members: 16872
Latest: Ninefingers
New This Month: 11
New This Week: 1
New Today: 1
Stats
Total Posts: 135397
Total Topics: 16969
Most Online Today: 102
Most Online Ever: 7634
(January 21, 2020, 02:14:03 AM)
Users Online
Members: 1
Guests: 40
Total: 41

FPP Optimal FPP Show Control Architecture in 2024

Started by SteveRatcliffe, December 28, 2024, 03:49:41 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

SteveRatcliffe

Hi all,

Having taken a couple of years out from fairly large scale shows, I decided to use this season to implement a few basic show elements on a new house - mostly as a test bed to basically rebuild/test a revised control system using current methods/ideas to pave the way for all out revival next season.

For context, I've previously run home shows in the region of 80k channels (with integrated special effects, pyro, movers (cued externally via lx console)), as well as large commercial installations - so whilst no stranger, my methods date back to 2016/17 era and so I've found to be fairly dated in several areas so far.


Previous/historic approach:

1. System design and patch in Excel, master spreadsheet used to track controller outputs, addressing, power requirements, maximum pixels per port etc.

2. Build layout in xLights, take addressing/patch info from master spreadsheet and address all elements in xLights (layout tab, element by element).

3. Manually configure all controllers (again using addressing from master spreadsheet).

4. Manually configure all FPP remotes (dedicated remote for each "main" controller, with channel output range for that show area manually specified and directed to respective controller board).

5. Manually configure "master" FPP player - which would typically just handle audio playback/output to audio system, osc/time code integrations to other systems, gpio integrations, and master scheduling of show playback, system control etc.

Typically the core FPP/controller system would all run on a fully managed show network infrastructure, with all elements on a dedicated/isolated subnet (master FPP having wifi access to internet for updates/clock server access/remote falcon etc.) - so no issues with multicast or e131 output flooding anywhere it shouldn't.


Developments so far:

1. Master design spreadsheet now only used for controller output line power/load calculations, tracking max pixel per port etc.

2. xLights controller visualiser used to manage controller addressing/patch - full xlights control/auto addressing methods of today.

3. All controller config now pushed from xlights using the upload functions from controller tab, with DDP now implemented wherever possible over sACN.

So far this is all working like clockwork and I would like to thank all developers for considerable improvements over the last few years.  Also welcome any feedback from others on any other "new approaches" I should explore.


Getting onto the FPP bit:

4. Plan is still to have a dedicated FPP remote located with and outputting to each falcon controller board.  I would however like to take advantage of xlights ability to manage these through FPP Connect, generate sparse fseq files containing only the channel data for the show elements assigned to each, and push configuration/show files out to each FPP instance.

5. If possible would like to have basic config of master FPP player also managed by and pushed out from FPP Connect - although appreciate there will be still some manual config of this (osc/time code integrations for example).

I've pretty much worked most of this through, and can make the FPP master/remotes all function with a manual config for testing.

What I can't work out however is how to tell xlights which controllers/elements/models are to be assigned to which FPP remotes, to enable it to send the correct output ranges to the correct remotes in FPP, and produce the sparse files accordingly.

I think the answer lies with proxies - as it seems from my research that FPP Connect is "most at home" managing FPP based controllers where the controller and FPP remote are combined.  So to make my system (of separate pi running FPP remote feeding falcon controller) fit this model, I may have to proxy the falcon behind each FPP remote?

Currently all my controllers and FPP remotes are on a single structured subnet (all wired) with managed switches keeping data flow exactly where it should be (so no need for proxies for any network/structural reason there's an alternative approach that would work with regards xlights config).

Any input/thoughts/advise on best practise here/best approach here (or any other aspects mentioned so far) would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks, Steve.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

jnealand

I have 15 remotes this year, about half with a Pi cap and the others connected to multi-port controllers.  Works great and FPPConnect has no issues managing those.  I start by setting my ip addresses (all static).  For a remote with a Pi and ethernet controller.  I use the last two digits of my ip address as the network between the Pi and controller.  I have no data cables in my yard, all wifi using master remote.

Pi wifi 192.168.1.211
Pi eth0 192.168.11.1
Controller 192.168.11.2

In xlights you list the controller as 192.168.11.2  with a proxy of 192.168.1.211
In FPPConnect it will find both 192.168.1.211 and 192.168.11.1  I uncheck ...11.1 there is no need to upload there and also to the main ...1.211
Jim Nealand
Kennesaw, GA all Falcon controllers, all 12v Master Remote Multisync with Pi and BBB P10 and P5

SteveRatcliffe

Great, thanks for that!

So once you have a controller proxied behind an FPP remote, xLights will treat them as a unit? 

So for example when you select "Local" for uploading models to that FPP remote, it will use the models assigned to the controller sat behind it, and create the sparse files/config FPP channel output range also based on that controller output range?

If this is correct, is there any way of achieving the same thing without the proxy?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

jnealand

I am not aware of published way to get sparse sequence output except thru FPPConnect.
Jim Nealand
Kennesaw, GA all Falcon controllers, all 12v Master Remote Multisync with Pi and BBB P10 and P5

Support FPP

+- Recent Topics

Scoreboard Plugin by CaptainMurdoch
February 06, 2025, 04:34:30 PM

K32 only the pixels stopped outputting by tetleytealeaf
February 06, 2025, 02:03:40 PM

Power failure wreaked havoc by perigalacticon
February 05, 2025, 04:04:27 AM

What is the fanout capabilities of ws2811 controllers? by k6ccc
February 04, 2025, 05:53:10 PM

SPixels broken in version 6 and upwards by dkulp
February 04, 2025, 02:52:30 PM

FPP stopped working by crookedpriority
February 03, 2025, 10:45:17 AM

Setting up a wired on demand show on Pi/ FPP to push a show to Falcon Controller by breese
February 03, 2025, 04:54:44 AM

F16V4 Expansion Board Half of the board stop lighting up. by onlineshopper
February 03, 2025, 03:08:47 AM

Overlay Matrix: write more than one pixel at a time ? by niemy
February 02, 2025, 03:35:16 PM

FPP Spixels bug by Colg
January 31, 2025, 02:52:05 PM

Powered by EzPortal
Powered by SMFPacks Menu Editor Mod