FPP PB16 Controller

**jllracer55** · 01-18-2023, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by Glycerine

I kind of found an answer, though I might be more confused now than I was before reading it... https://shop.falconplayer.com/2022/0...a-license-key/

This is kinda what I'm afraid of myself..being more confused with it than it already sounds.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

**sctwohig** · 01-19-2023, 08:54 AM

With the fpp PB16 if you send them an email telling them you build some of Scotts fpp PB16 boards and need licenses they will ask you to send pictures of your boards they will send you license keys free of charge. Then you can add the correct virtual EProm depending on you board version and you should be good to use fpp v6. If you use a version of fpp before 6 you shouldnt need a license to get the boards to work, you should just be able to configure them as a Kulp PB board and they should work.

Thanks,
Shawn

**Glycerine** · 01-19-2023, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by sctwohig

With the fpp PB16 if you send them an email telling them you build some of Scotts fpp PB16 boards and need licenses they will ask you to send pictures of your boards they will send you license keys free of charge. Then you can add the correct virtual EProm depending on you board version and you should be good to use fpp v6. If you use a version of fpp before 6 you shouldnt need a license to get the boards to work, you should just be able to configure them as a Kulp PB board and they should work.

Thanks,
Shawn

Thank you Shawn.

**Keith R** · 01-19-2023, 05:17 PM

Does the new eeprom version work with older instances of FPP, say 3.6?

**jllracer55** · 01-24-2023, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by DrNeutron

No, The PB line is exempt from having to pay for licensing.
The new eeprom is on the github page for each model.
I haven't upgraded mine as of yet, I left it until off season.

Did you have any additional input for my dilemma with my controller that I can't seem to get but 1 output to work on it??

**Glycerine** · 01-24-2023, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by jllracer55

I believe last that I was in xlights testing it. Sorry it's been a bit since I did the testing but I am pretty sure that is how I did it. Has from the controller worked for people? And I haven't been keeping up on the latest versions of FPP.. if I want to upgrade FPP on a pi, it sounds like that now requires a license to do so?

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

So, I have had issues when making changes to my ports on the controller, even though I thought I duplicated those changes in xLights... I still had to use the xLights "upload Input" and "upload output" buttons to sync things up.
Do all ports work when using the "display testing" page in FPP?

**jllracer55** · 01-26-2023, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Glycerine

So, I have had issues when making changes to my ports on the controller, even though I thought I duplicated those changes in xLights... I still had to use the xLights "upload Input" and "upload output" buttons to sync things up.
Do all ports work when using the "display testing" page in FPP?

Unfortunately I dont recall if I had used that or not. I kind of set this controller and everything associated with it to the side since it wouldn't work.. and here I am trying to figure it out again.. Ill have to bring some pixels to connect back to it on various ports and see if the testing works.. Its unfortunately been 2 years since I originally tried it. But from what I can recall I don't think the test feature was wanting to work either.. which made me wonder if I had something a miss in my configuration. On the regular I do not use xlights for my sequencer.. but have used vixen, but I didn't think that would or should make any kind of difference?? I was simply using xlights as a test interface in the interm.. but of course since the controller never worked how I had hoped to see it never made it out to control the elements it was supposed to control.

**Glycerine** · 01-26-2023, 02:53 PM

I haven't used Vixen yet, sorry.
Did you check for power at ports 2-16? Are you getting power, just no data?

**rayhjr** · 01-27-2023, 08:29 AM

After reading back through this I just wonder if your problem might be in your xLights setup.
Maybe you can post screen shots of your Controller, Visualizer and Models section of your Layout Tabs.
With your controller powered up, open xLights. On the controller Tab the little phone receiver icon (lower right corner)
should be Green if xLights can communicate with controller. Controller properly set up in controller tab (ip adress)
and controller With fpp powered up.
On the controller tab of xlights, on the lower right are a series of tabs.
All you have to do is click the "Upload Outputs" and it will configure your controller for you. Click "Open" and
it will take you to the controller page of FPP and there it is, All set up.
Or you can use FPP Connect, which is under the "Tools" tab.

If you know all this already then I apologize for repeating what you already know.
I noticed in your screen shot the description was blank, If you Upload all that is all filled in.
Just trying to be helpful. I have used the pb16, or a variant of it for the last 3 years to run everything.

**sctwohig** · 01-27-2023, 09:42 AM

I agree screen shots of the fpp configs would be helpful. I normally configure mine manually for testing before I set anything up in xlights/vixen. I usually just enable the cape and then configure 50 pixels on each port. I then connect some pixels but fpp in test mode and verify the pixels are lighting up.

Thanks,
Shawn