Falcon F16v5 Pixel Controller Full Tutorial (Part 1 of 2)
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- In today's tutorial, we dive into the new F16v5 pixel controller from Falcon Controllers and find out how to use it in your light show. There's a lot to get into, so buckle up for this awesome journey into discovering the new features of the F16v5!
This video is split up into 2 parts to make it easier to understand and digest. This first part explains what all the components, buttons, and switches do on the controller along with some of the new features. The second part explains how to use the controller's web interface and program it to control your pixels. Feel free to use the timestamps below to skip to the part of the video you want to see.
Some useful links:
Where to buy the F16v5: pixelcontroller.com/store/fea...
Falcon controllers' specification sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Falcon smart receivers' specification sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
F16v4 manual (the F16v5 manual isn't out yet but there may be some helpful information in the V4's manual): docs.google.com/document/d/14...
Meanwell power supplies to power the board:
12 volts: www.trcelectronics.com/View/M...
5 volts: www.trcelectronics.com/View/M...
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Welcome to How 2 Pixel
01:59 - New features on the F16v5
05:00 - Ethernet ports and wifi chip
08:56 - Fan connector, audio board, and input terminals
10:33 - Micro SD card slot
11:23 - Oled screen and control buttons
12:37 - External fuse control outputs
12:56 - How to power the F16v5
17:06 - The pixel ports
19:01 - How to wire in your pixels
22:03 - More info about differential receivers
24:33 - finishing up
Thanks for watching! If you enjoy the videos, feel free to leave a like and subscribe!
For more information about the show, or to see it in person, visit our Facebook page at: / bridgeportsbrightestli... - Навчання та стиль
I'm just realizing I forgot to mention how many pixels the F16v5 can control. It can control 16,384 pixels with just the onboard ports, or 32,768 with the onboard ports and an SRx1 receiver on each smart receiver output. Adding more receivers after that won't allow you to run more pixels, it will just stretch the 32,768 pixels across more ports (Aka less pixels per port). I was so worried about getting every little detail right about the F16v5 that I forgot this basic piece of information 🤣
Thanks for the modern videos. It's crazy how fast all this is moving. Even videos from a couple years ago are totally different. This is my first year, and I really appreciate your work.
Cheers to many more!
Thank you very much!!! It's so true, the technology is moving very fast, and it's hard to keep up with it. I'm glad the videos are helpful though!
That's really cool of you to donate.
Keep the videos coming I’ve always enjoyed watching this hobby & now I just ordered this controller today along with 600 pixels and I’ll be following your videos so I can learn how to use it to get started in the hobby keep up the good work!
Thank you very much! Glad the videos are useful!
Excellent instructional video on the Falcon F15v5. It could not have been done more clearly than you did it.
Thank you!
Great video ! I appreciate your attention to detail.
EXCELLENT instructional video!!!! Thank you!
Thank you!! Glad the video was useful!
Thanks Ned for the tutorials you do. I have been looking into this hobby for a while now and have learned so much from your channel keep them coming and I will keep learning. 😂
I plan on it! Thanks for watching!
Cant wait to see how this one is different from the v4 looking to buy one for next year
Outstanding video, you answered my last question on another video! awesome
I'm glad the videos are useful!
you speak quickly, it's good that there are subtitles. great job.
I'm really sorry about that. My whole family speaks really fast, so it's just been passed down to me and it's really hard to break the habit 😂
@@How2Pixel a really great movie, I watch it with interest and I'm starting to understand Falcon ;) (English is not my first language). you create very nice substantive films. Thank you very much.
Thank you! I'm glad the videos are useful!
Great explanation
Thank you!
Thank you, your video info's they are Great, you sure can talk FAST
You're not the first person to tell me I talk fast 😂. My grandpa always talks really fast, so my family jokes that I got his genes. Glad the video was useful though!
Great job.
Thank you!
Muchas gracias por tu video, apenas compre este modelo nuevo pero no tenia idea de como usarlo, yo tengo el modelo anterior y me trabaja muy bien pero es tiempo de actualizarlo
¡Me alegro de que el video haya sido útil! ¡Buena suerte configurando tu mando!
LOVE FROM BRAZIL
Thank you!!
One more cool feature about the E-Fuses is that if there is NO data detected passing through a port at any length of time during your show power is NOT sent to those pixels arbitrarily.
I saw that while I was researching information for the second part of the tutorial! It's crazy how many features they were able to pack into the controller.
Great video, Have you noticed with the Mean well LRS-350-12 hooked up to the Falcon F16V5 board the screen reads V1 and V2 Votage differently. An example is V1 11.9v and V2 12.3v.
That's strange. Is both V1 and V2 being powered by the same power supply? I know the voltage readers are a little off because it always says V1 has 0.6 volts coming in, even when I have no power supply hooked to it.
@@How2Pixel Yes, both of inputs of the V1 & V2 are powered by the MW LRS350-12. I plan to hook up the multimeter to the power supply and check it output. My thought was the board input V2 is draining that amount causing the difference. I am trying to find some documentation on how to use the Pot adjustment on the power supply since I haven't messed with it. Well, once again thank you for the videos. They have helped a lot since I just starting out. I have to check to see if you have a megatree video next. Thank you again and Merry Christmas
I'm glad the videos are useful! I don't have a specific video for just my megatree, but hopefully soon after I finish the F16v5 part 2 tutorial, I'll make a behind the scenes video for the 2023 show and talk about the tree. Merry Christmas!
Thank you very much for such in depth information on this new controller. As a brand new entry into this hobby, I am trying to decide which controller to invest in to support my future growth, I have such grand design plans.. What are the main advantages of this board over some of it's competitors, such as Experience Lights? More importantly, please elaborate more succinctly about the long range ports and how daisy-chaining them will effect the total node count. Does adding another F16V5 controller (having 2 total) to the long distance port double the total node capacity? For example: 1 Megatree 32K node to the left, and 1 32K node F16V5 controller to the right on a differential connection -- 64K Nodes---is that configuration supported and can be ran for a single player and sequence?
Now I may be biased since Falcon controllers are the only controllers I've ever used, but from the research I've done, Falcon controllers have by far the most features (especially the F16v5). Even though they are more expensive than other controllers, I know that when I get one of their controllers it will be of great quality. And if something is wrong with it, usually the Falcon controller support is great and will help me with anything. They have so many features such as the new e-fuses allowing you to control which ports have power, the 2 way talk and monitoring of the differential receivers, the ability to monitor the amperage on each port, the feature that allows the controller to count how many pixels are on each port, and so much more.
With daisy chaining the receivers, once the F16v5 is controlling over 32 ports, adding more receivers will not increase how many pixels the board can run. The max is 32,768 pixels, and adding more ports will just split the max number of pixels per port. For example, if I have a SRx1 receiver (a 4 port receiver) attached on the controller for ports 17 - 20, the max number of pixels I can run per port will be the default 1,024. But if I daisy chain another receiver off that receiver, it will then split the max pixels per port from 1,024 pixels on 4 ports, down to 512 pixels but on 8 ports. If I add more and more ports, the number will continue to be split across them.
Adding another F16v5 would allow you to control another 32,768 pixels from that controller, so total you could run 65,536 pixels. You can daisy chain it off the other F16v5, but you just have to make sure you plug it into the network ethernet ports (the black ones). Only plug differential receivers into the red RJ-45 ports. And yes, both these controllers can be run by a single show player and run off the same sequence. It will be a little bit more set up (for example telling the show player the IP addresses of all the controllers and which channels and universes go to which controller) but it is definitely possible. I hope all this information is helpful!
@@How2PixelThank you Very Very Much!! You answered my questions completely... I am so pleased to learn that I am not bound by the 32K limit on only 1 controller.. Now, because this is such a hybrid system... the learning curve to set this up will be steep.. maybe when you get some free time.. we can see your video tutorial on how to link to controllers in this fashion..? :)
I'll definitely add a video like this to my ideas list, but it might be a while till I can work on it. Connecting 2 controllers to one show player isn't that hard. Will you be using Falcon Player for your show player? If yes, I have a video explaining how to set up the whole thing, and instead of creating just one output in the output setup on the PI, you would create 2. One for each controller. Then hook both your controllers to the Raspberry Pi. You can do this through a network switch, or daisy chain the controllers right off the Raspberry Pi.
Excelente video puedes hacer un video de como inyectar voltaje con fuentes adicionales
¡Gracias! De hecho, ya he hecho un video sobre la inyección de energía. Si quieres verlo puedes hacerlo aquí: ua-cam.com/video/KRuLzQf5Xp4/v-deo.html
Hey thanks for the videos, anymore info on when they may release the F32?
I wish I had more info, but all Keith Westly mentioned was early 2024. Keith westly is one of the people who helped create the F16v4 and v5, and in a video from virtual Christmas summit, he just said early 2024 will be the release of the F32, F48, and some other new receivers.
One very important thing you forgot to mention about the 4-wire pixel, The new ws2815 pixels have a forth data line for redundancy. The 2 data line are labeled DI and BI. DI is the main data line and BI is the redundant line. It's very, very important that people don't try to connect the BI line to the CLK line of their controller or their pixels will not work. When connecting to the FC, DO NOT connect anything to the BI line. leave it floating. In fact, just cut the end off.
I'll make sure to mention this in future videos, thank you for letting me know!!
Im probably swapping out v3 to v5
hi, thank you for your videos!
Could you tell me if we can run a test sequence on the SRx1 smart receiver card (longe range)? via an input for example.
Thanks a lot
Glad the videos are useful! To answer your question, do you mean connecting the receiver directly to a Raspberry Pi or a computer to run the sequence off there? And have it go straight into the receiver? Sadly, you cannot do that and it will damage the receiver if you do. The receiver must be connected into a controller since it doesn't have the power to convert a sequence into pixel data itself. The controller does that, then it sends any pixel data a receiver needs over a cat 5 cable to it. So you could run a test through the controller, and have it go to the receiver, but the receiver itself cannot run a test sequence.
@@How2PixelYes! I wanted to know if there was a test button on the card. It's already good to be able to send a test sequence via the transmitter card. Thank you for your answer. 💪
Yes there is a test button on all smart receivers! The button will test all the pixels that are hooked onto that receiver.
At 4:13 you show two long range recievers, I can not find the one on the right anywhere? Who sells it? Also the links for the f16-v4 manual is not working, nor is the smart reciever specification sheet. Thanks for help with this!
The receivers are sold buy Pixel Controller, also better known as Falcon Controllers. Here's the link to their site pixelcontroller.com/ If you go to the accessories tab and click "long range expansion" you should be able to find it there. As for the links to the specification sheet, they seem to be working for me. What happens for you when you click them?
When using duo data lights, do both data wires go into the data hole?
I'm not quite sure what you mean by duo data lights. Do you mean the pixels that have the ground, positive, and 2 data wires? For a total of 4 wires? The extra wire should be labeled "Clock" or "Clk". If it is, that goes into the clock terminal on a port on the controller. The data wire still goes to data, ground to ground, and positive to positive. Know that if you have 4 wire pixels, you cannot use them with the smart receivers, only the actual controller. What type of pixels are they?
Do you have any info on where or how to get into this over in England?
I'm sorry but I don't. I'd recommend going to the Falcon Controllers website here pixelcontroller.com/store/ and try sending them an email there. They'll have more information for you.
The differential ports don't call them Ethernet ports call them a cat6 comms ports
Thanks for the tip! That'll probably cause less confusion for new people. Is it also correct to call them an RJ45 jack/port?
@@How2Pixel Yes it is correct to call them RJ45 jacks as that is correct name for that style and size connector.
How many pixels in total do you have in your show currently?
5,448
Great video but you really shouldn't call every RJ45 port an Ethernet port, they are not. The two black ones are but the 4 red ones are not and if someone were to plug a network switch into one of those red RJ45's, it could cause some damage. I would in the future just call them all RJ45's and when they are being used for Ethernet, just say so then.
Thank you for the advice!
Cant wait to see how this one is different from the v4 looking to buy one for next year