10
PixlArt416 V1.0 User Manual V1.1
© 2018 Moss LED Inc.
5
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Operation
5.1
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Startup
Upon applying power, if you already have pixels connected they may flash very briefly and then
immediately turn off as the controller takes control of the pixels. If no data is being sent to the
controller, then the pixels will remain turned off until valid data is received. During normal operation
the green power LED will remain on solid and the status LED will flash slowly to indicate the
controller is connected to a valid network and is ready to run. If the pixels are not controllable then
make sure you have selected the correct pixel IC type in the Diode Manager config under the ‘LEDs’
tab.
If no incoming data is received for a period of time, the pixels will be turned off automatically unless
that option has been disabled in your configuration.
5.2 - Sending Data
Input data is sent from the control PC/server/lighting console to the controller via Ethernet using a
“DMX over IP” protocol such as sACN (E1.31) or Art-net.
5.3
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Outputs
5.3.1
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Pixel Outputs
Each of the 4 outputs can drive up to 682 individual RGB pixels, or 512 RGBW pixels (4 DMX
Universes of data). This allows for a total of 2,730 pixels to be driven out of the one controller (in
addition to 1 DMX512 Universe output.) In expanded mode this limit is halved but the number of
outputs is doubled, equaling the same number of total pixels. Driving a full 682 pixels out of a single
output would also likely require power injection. How much power you need to inject and how often
will typically vary depending on the number of pixels used, their voltage and their individual power
consumption.
The refresh rate of the pixels will depend on the operating frequency of the specific pixel IC chip type.
Higher speed chips will result in higher refresh rates. PIXELS WITH NO CLOCK LINE ARE SLOW.
The refresh rates on these pixels is unavoidably slower than clocked pixels. Moss LED recommends
the use of clocked pixels whenever using a large number of sequential pixels on any output. Typically,
the refresh rate can vary from 20 fps at the low end and up to 100 fps at the higher end.
5.3.2
–
DMX512 Output
The PixlArt416 provides a DMX512 output which can be accessed by a 5-Pin Female XLR. The
hardware layer on which the DMX 512 protocol operates is the RS485 electrical communications
standard. This is a differential transmission system consisting of a two-wire differential twisted pair
and single wire ground connection.
