Mega Tree Strings Questions

[mc in FDale]

Hi,
I'm planning on a 12 volt 180 degree mega tree with 20 strings of 60 pixels each. I will run the show with an F16v3, but want to be efficient with the output ports. I read that I don't want to go over 600 pixels per port, so I assume that means I can drive it with two Falcon outputs. I know I have to deal with power injection, but do I have to do anything special in Vixen/patching so it knows that the string is going up-down-up-down (5 times)...?

Thanks.

[Kensington]

Hi,
I'm planning on a 12 volt 180 degree mega tree with 20 strings of 60 pixels each. I will run the show with an F16v3, but want to be efficient with the output ports. I read that I don't want to go over 600 pixels per port, so I assume that means I can drive it with two Falcon outputs. I know I have to deal with power injection, but do I have to do anything special in Vixen/patching so it knows that the string is going up-down-up-down (5 times)...?

Thanks.

Well, the maximum pixels per output that you “want” to run really depends on the frame rate of your sequence. If you’re running a sequence at 40FPS, then you may get some lag at the end of a long string. Otherwise, at 20FPS, you can push more than 1000 pixels without difficulty. For most sequences 20FPS is adequate, but the 20 vs 40 vs custom is a semi-religious topic upon which you will get a number of opinions.

With respect to Vixen setup, someone in the know can answer that.

[aknflyer]

Hi,
I'm planning on a 12 volt 180 degree mega tree with 20 strings of 60 pixels each. I will run the show with an F16v3, but want to be efficient with the output ports. I read that I don't want to go over 600 pixels per port, so I assume that means I can drive it with two Falcon outputs. I know I have to deal with power injection, but do I have to do anything special in Vixen/patching so it knows that the string is going up-down-up-down (5 times)...?

Thanks.

I use xlights with 24 strings. Wiring, I used 3 ports + 1 port for 270 node star. Here is the wiring, but be aware not all strings are interchangeable. Some go up, some down, some with pwr inject. Star is not shown in drawing.

Wiring.jpg

[Stormyblade]

I know you set up your "zig-zag" on either your controller or within your software of choice, but not *both*. It's easy to do in your case since you are using strings that are the same length.

[MartinMueller2003]

Hi,
I'm planning on a 12 volt 180 degree mega tree with 20 strings of 60 pixels each. I will run the show with an F16v3, but want to be efficient with the output ports. I read that I don't want to go over 600 pixels per port, so I assume that means I can drive it with two Falcon outputs. I know I have to deal with power injection, but do I have to do anything special in Vixen/patching so it knows that the string is going up-down-up-down (5 times)...?

Thanks.

if you want a 20ms frame rate then 600 pixels per port is a good choice. if you want a 50ms frame rate then 1200 pixels per port works (if your controller supports that many).

[mc in FDale]

I use xlights with 24 strings. Wiring, I used 3 ports + 1 port for 270 node star. Here is the wiring, but be aware not all strings are interchangeable. Some go up, some down, some with pwr inject. Star is not shown in drawing.

Wiring.jpg

Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. I see it can be done in XLights, can it also be done in Vixen? Also, in your diagram, what do A1, A2, ..A6, & NC PWR represent?
-mc

[MartinMueller2003]

yes vixen allows you to patch elements in reverse element order, allowing you to output zig zag data to the controllers.

[mc in FDale]

yes vixen allows you to patch elements in reverse element order, allowing you to output zig zag data to the controllers.

Relative to aknflyer's diagram, does Vixen support forward,reverse,forward,reverse,forward,reverse,fo rward,reverse on a single string?

-mc

[MartinMueller2003]

Yes It Can

AND you can do fun things like 17 reverse, 5 forward, 9 reverse, 22 forward, 15 reverse all on a single string.

[MartinMueller2003]

AND you can do fun things like 17 reverse, 5 forward, 9 reverse, 22 forward, 15 reverse all on a single string.

FYI: This saved my butt when I discovered that I had wired my first matrix upside down AND backwards.