20
Product Version 1.0 | Revision A | Released 2023-01-10
UNIVERSAL DATAGRAM PACKET (UDP)
UDP is used for entertainment lighting data because it is fast. Speed and timing are critical in creating coordinated,
instant changes in a pixel array. Network infrastructure products such as switches are typically designed for TCP/IP
packet traffic with occasional UDP data. They also expect to see the majority of data as unicast. Lighting control
networks often contain mainly UDP and can contain a significant percentage of broadcast data.
In Full-Duplex networks, The TCP and UDP protocols are part of the IP layer. Both TCP and IP have their own flow
control techniques. However, the TCP and IP methods of flow control are oblivious of each other and having both
enabled on a network can lead to problems. For this reason, many ethernet switch manufacturers ship their prod-
ucts with IP flow control disabled, assuming that TCP will handle its own flow control. That assumption is fair in an
office environment. However, entertainment networks tend to be primarily UDP which does not have any flow
control. SGM recommends to enable IP based flow control if possible.
NETWORK SIZE
SGM does not specify a preferred topology for a network. However, in large networks, the introduction of routers and
extra switches can introduce data delays on the signal path. It is recommended to incorporate a minimum of
devices between the lighting data controller and the VPL installation.
VPLs can make use of Rapid Spanning Tree if desired. However, the above applies if the signal path is lengthened or
routed in a significantly different way in the event of a path change. See later in this manual for details on how
Rapid Spanning Tree is handled.
FIXTURE PROPERTIES
FACTORY DEFAULT
From the admin tool the factory default settings can be re-initialized. This can be set for each available VPL or all
VPL´s - even when the VPL´s are located in another IP range.
Hall sensor input on the actual VPL can be activated with a magnet. On the trailing edge of an activation the state is
shifted one position.
State 1 - RED LED´s test
State 2 - GREEN LED´s test
State 3 - BLUE LED´s test
State 4 - WHITE LED´s test
State 5 - GREEN LED count sequence. Hall sensor activation for 10 seconds = VPL will re-initialize factory defaults
and restart.
State 1…
Alarm service
Monitoring of a VPL installation. If a VPL is not online a service technician is automatically notified.
