Pixel Mapping for LED tape
I’m running Millumin 4.18.j I’ve got a small presentation built that’s sending video over several columns to a few different displays, and then along the columns I’m sending both DMX to three RGB lights, and pixel mapping a video “chase” that’s sending over ArtNet/sACN to a Madrix Nebula, that’s converting to SPI data for the LED tape.
Yesterday, the output too the Nebula over ArtNet wasn’t working. I changed the drop down in the Layer settings for the DMX Layer from ArtNet to sACN, and it started working and it was great. ‘Skip last channels’ is checked. Then, I left my office and started tinkering at home, got my ArtNet>DMX converter sending RBG values to channels 1, 4 and 7 and changing my lights on cue. The universe is set to 0. Perfect. The DMX Curve is configured as alpha 0.26, minimum 0, maximum 226.
This morning I tried to combine the two and I’m running into trouble. Initially, it didn’t want to transmit over sACN, only ArtNet. Eventually that changed back, but I’m not certain why. I could have not set the ethernet interface for the Devices? My primary, current concern, is that the color on the LED tape has a huge shift, from white to yellow, across the tapes. Blue and red looks fine. If I change the curve maximum, down to 30, the white looks ok. This of course tones down the brightness of the LED. If I strip out the Lights/States layer, the shift goes away. The color shift across the LED is present when I turn on Test Mode in the pixel mapping layer settings options. I’ve got the various states configured to send.
I’ve tried setting the ArtNet universe (in Device Manager, check unicast, click the cog wheel) and then changing it on my converter, but I don’t even see ArtNet on the DMX monitor when I adjust the universe there. I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the sACN universe in Millumin (though now I think I’d tell it, 1@10, then set my Madrix box to receive Universe 10-14), so I tried a channel offset in my Madrix configuration, and setting the sACN DMX channel to 10, but that seems to overlap with the ArtNet output.
I’ve also tried taking the ArtNet adapter out of the equation and using an Enttec DMX USB Pro, but nothing changes in the color shift behavior.
I also am getting moments of a couple of seconds where Millumin stops transmitting data over sACN, as seen in the Monitor. My lights go dark and the Monitor shows nothing going out. As soon as they light up again, the data starts updating in Monitor.
Finally, I can’t find any documentation to explain what the DMX channel value of “97 @3” is when I google it. Is that channel 97 at universe 3? (I wrote this before I think figuring out that that’s just, the designated channel, in the designated universe?)
Comments
Adding, I downloaded 4.18.k and the current v5 release and see the same coloration issue.
Hello @imadamb,
From what I understand, there are several questions/issues in your message.
► How do you express Artnet or sACN channels in Millumin ?
On the first universe, Millumin simply shows the DMX channel (1-512). On the other universes, it shows the DMX channel @ the universe.
For example 97@3 means the 97th channel of the 3rd universe. Of course, you can also type the value 1633 (512*3+97) in the channel field, it means the same. Click-and-drag the filed on the left/right, so you could see how the DMX channel changes.
Be careful : universes start at 0 for Artnet but 1 for sACN.
► Configuring Artnet and sACN
First of all, these protocols uses different ports, so there is no reason to have conflicts between them. I think you should not use unicast in your case (you only have one device receiving DMX).
As they are both network protocol, you may have issues with your network : if you are running macOS Sequoia or higher, be sure you allowed Millumin to access the local network (see this article). If your problem persists, disable all your network services except the one used for Artnet/sACN, then retry.
Lastly, use Millumin's Monitor to test if your DMX channels/universes work correctly.
► Color shift from white to yellow
Sorry, I am not sure to understand. Do you have a short video showing the phenomenom ?
If you use Millumin's Monitor (I mean adjusting manually each DMX channel to get the right color), do you see such a shift ?
► I also am getting moments of a couple of seconds where Millumin stops transmitting data over sACN, as seen in the Monitor.
Are you running Millumin with an expired trial ? If so, this is normal : DMX is interrupted periodically.
Best. Philippe
Thanks Philippe,
► How do you express Artnet or sACN channels in Millumin ?
I understand the @ values now, thank you for confirming. For the 3 RGB lights, I'm just using universe 0, set at Device Manager/DMX, checked unicast and made sure the universe was set, then on my ArtNet to DMX converter, made sure that's set to universe 0. For the ribbons/tapes over sACN with pixel mapping, in the configuration page for the Madrix Nebula, I've made sure that's set to 1-4 on the port I'm using, for the 4 daisy chained LED ribbons. Communications seem to be solid there it's just that I can't seem to push to a different
► Configuring Artnet and sACN
Disabling unicast didn't have any effect. I have two instances of Millumin5 in the System Settings list, no Millumin4, both are switched on. When you suggest disabling network services, do you mean in that list, disabling all of the other apps? I also dropped the ArtNet to DMX converter to leave network traffic strictly for the sACN transmission, and brought in a USB-DMX converter, but I still saw the same behaviors. I then tried assigning the Madrix device as an ArtNet receiver, set it to receive starting at universe 10, set the Device Manager to unicast mode for ArtNet and set the Madrix as universe 10, then directed the pixel mapping to go to ArtNet, 1@10. Only 2 of the reels of LED lit up. I think it was...if I changed the universe to 11 in Device Manager? All 4 reels of LED lit up, but the animation only appeared on the first two reels. I didn't try limiting the channels in the Madrix box. Lots more to poke around I suppose.
► Color shift from white to yellow
In the attached video I attempt to show the monitor and the tape with color changing from low brightness but mostly consistent white with a very low DMX Maximum, to a white-to-yellow fade when using anything over ~35 as the DMX Maximum value in the Curve. https://tinyurl.com/ycykuksd
I can't figure out how to manually adjust each DMX value for the pixel mapping output like I can with the DMX States or the Lights map (and selecting an individual fixture) The DMX slider in Monitor/Masters does adjust the brightness. If I look in Monitor/DMX and toggle the two buttons at the top right of the window to change the view, I can see channel sliders if I follow a certain sequence, but they don't respond well, like they snap back to their original position.
► I also am getting moments of a couple of seconds where Millumin stops transmitting data over sACN, as seen in the Monitor.
That makes sense! I'd read that highlight multiple times and it never clicked that THAT'S what was happening. Thank you! That was really the only thing I couldn't work past for this weekend.
I think, if you see anything obvious, I'll work on it, but otherwise I've managed to tackle most of the immediate hurdles, and I'll play with some of this later for future applications.
Well, I just added a second Pixel Mapping DMX layer and routed that to 1@7 over sACN, opened up 7-10 on the Madrix Nebula's Port 2, and it's working in tandem with 1@1-4 on Port 1 just like I need. In testing the white color shift, I spread the power supplies out to the second train of 4 reels, and I can see the color shift from yellow tinted to even yellower when power is removed. I've got some more testing to do there but it seems it's related to that.
Hello @imadamb,
Yes it makes sense : when the LED are full-white, they consumes the most power, and if you do not have enough power, such a result can occur.
Best. Philippe