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F-Test 

 

Pixel Tester/Data Analyzer 

Owners Manual 

 

 

The  F-Test  is  a  small,  handheld  all-purpose  tester/analyzer  to  help  troubleshoot  and  diagnose  problems  in 
animated lighting shows. The F-Test can help you isolate the problem to a specific component by being able to 
not only send test data to pixels, receivers, etc. but to also analyze incoming WS281x, Differential data, DMX 
and other common data types used in animated lighting shows.  
 
There are many more things this hardware is capable of but has not been included in the first release because 
we are unsure of demand for those features. If you have something that you would like to have the tester do 
and  we  get  enough  support  for  the  idea  (or  it  is  trivial  to  implement)  then  it  may  well  be  included  in  a 
firmware update. Please visit 

https://github.com/Pixelcontroller/f-test_issues

 to lodge your request. 

 

 

Summary of Contents for F-Test

Page 1: ...so analyze incoming WS281x Differential data DMX and other common data types used in animated lighting shows There are many more things this hardware is capable of but has not been included in the fir...

Page 2: ...6 Main Menu 7 Settings Page 8 Save Settings Page 10 Testing Modes 10 Pixel Out 10 Smart Receiver Out 12 DMX Out 13 Monitoring Mode 14 Pixel In 14 Data 15 Brightness 16 Volts Current 16 Oscilloscope 1...

Page 3: ...ew trend data The F Test has a visual display that can show relevant data such as Line Voltage on pixel lines Line Amperage on pixel lines Connected Pixel counts DMX Renard LOR values for all 512 chan...

Page 4: ...Page 4 F Test Overview Front View 1 xConnect Pixel Data Input 2 Navigation Buttons function will vary depending on the active screen 3 xConnect Pixel Data output Back View 1 3 2...

Page 5: ...the USB port Side Two 1 Smart Remote Input port This port is used to monitor the Smart Remote data that a controller is sending to the remote receivers If using HinksPix controllers you will need an...

Page 6: ...s used to output Smart Remote data to Smart Remote to see if they are functioning correctly If using HinksPix receivers you will need an adapter cable refer to the References section 2 DMX Input Port...

Page 7: ...The function of each button is labeled above the button The up and down buttons will scroll through all of the different menu items Pressing the Select button will take you to the Highlighted option...

Page 8: ...ceiver In Smart Receiver Out DMX In DMX Out Frame This is where you select whether the tester should display frame times in Milliseconds or Frames Per Second e g 50ms or 20fps Logging In input modes w...

Page 9: ...lor Chase TwinkleFox Static Blink Breath Color Wipe Color Wipe Inverse Color Wipe Reverse Color Wipe Reverse Inverse Color Wipe Random Random Color Single Dynamic Multi Dynamic Rainbow Rainbow Cycle S...

Page 10: ...s is useful for testing pixels or displaying a selected pattern It will also count the number of functioning pixels that are connected Only WS2811 and compatible pixels are supported at this time Ther...

Page 11: ...from these options Alternate Lights up alternate channels On RGB pixels this results in alternating Green Magenta pixels RGB Lights all pixels up red green then blue RGBW Lights all pixels up red gre...

Page 12: ...Falcon V3 Typically red or white boards This will send 100 pixels of data to each of the 3 receivers o Falcon V4 Typically blue boards This will send 100 pixels of data to each of the 6 receivers Thi...

Page 13: ...the USB port or the Pixel Input Pressing the Up and Down buttons will navigate through the available options in the highlighted menu item The Next button will move the highlighted selection to the ne...

Page 14: ...In The Pixel In page is used to monitor several different attributes to help you determine if you are receiving the signals data that you anticipated In this mode the pixel data is read from the input...

Page 15: ...ing inconsistent with what you might expect This happens if the last pixels on your prop are turned black The tester will also indicate if it suspects torn frames by displaying the pixel count in red...

Page 16: ...he overall brightness of your pixels averaged over time by RGB color order Volts Current This plots over time the input voltage on a scale of 0 15V and the output current draw on a scale of 0 5 Amps T...

Page 17: ...tage required for a pixel to interpret the data If the waveform displayed is not displaying above this pink line then you probably have a weak signal that will need to be remedied Unfortunately the ch...

Page 18: ...probe mode will not work with Hinkspix controllers due to the nature of how it is sent out The screen displays the following data Brand In this option select the type of Receiver data you are expecti...

Page 19: ...es in the Smart Receiver Input page that monitors different data Pressing the Next button while the Receiver option is selected will progress to the next viewing mode Data This will give you a graphic...

Page 20: ...you are expecting to receive The tester is also able to monitor and detect the appropriate protocol speed with reasonable but not perfect accuracy To do this press and hold the Up Down buttons until t...

Page 21: ...ew shows the channel data over several pages use up down to move between them as a column chart where the height of the column represents the channel value The number to the bottom left of the chart i...

Page 22: ...Page 22 Values This view shows the actual channel values over several pages use up down to move between them If this page is blank it is because no data is being received...

Page 23: ...e page provides diagrams of Pinout diagrams for several different connectors Ray Wu This shows the typical male and female pinouts of an Ray Wu pigtail xConnect This shows the typical male and female...

Page 24: ...wiring to connect a RJ45 jack that would connect into a controller to a DMX fixture using a SLR male or female plug Renard Adapter This shows the cat 5 cable that you need to connect a Renard control...

Page 25: ...o start at the pixels and move backwards through every component to isolate your problem For example connect the F test in between the controller and the pixels Use the Pixel Output tester function to...

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