Can I run multiple ESPixelsticks from SD cards with xScheduler?

D

DamnRock

New member
Hello,

I think I'm getting pretty close but I need some guidance. I'm running 10 pixel sticks Using xLights and xScheduler and have a total of about 6,000 pixels and have just now run into what I think is WiFi bandwidth issues. Switching to unicast/DDP helped but it could still be better. So I'm going to update my pixel sticks to V4 and move the sequences to SD cards, but I'm not quite sure of the steps necessary to do this. I understand how to parse the sequences and upload those to the SD cards on the pixel sticks but I'm not sure how to schedule them to run using xScheduler. Is that even possible? Or do I have to use some other tool to schedule it?

Thanks in advance!

Rocky
2nd year, doubled my pixels!
 
The espixelstick v4 software on hardware with sdCards runs in FPP remote mode. So, you treat them just like a remote FPP. xScheduler should work fine with them. I don't use xScheduler but I know it can be set as master using multisync so that is how it will start and sync the sequences.
 
MikeKrebs said:
The espixelstick v4 software on hardware with sdCards runs in FPP remote mode. So, you treat them just like a remote FPP. xScheduler should work fine with them. I don't use xScheduler but I know it can be set as master using multisync so that is how it will start and sync the sequences.
Click to expand...

I must be missing a step. I've flashed all my ESPixelSticks to latest V4 and have set primary input as DDP and secondary as FPP Remote. I've added all of them by IP address as FPP remotes in the "Configure FPP Remotes" screen in xScheduler. I set Master mode in xScheduler to "FPP Multicast (preferred)".

I've uploaded my sequences using "FPP Connect" in xLights. Had some timeouts but several retries overcame those issues. I see the sequences in the File Manager in each ESPixelStick UI.

This seems like everything but nothing happens when I play a playlist. My controllers show as connected (highlighted green). Nothing else. If I play a sequence directly from one of the ESPixelSticks, with FPP Sync turned on on that specific ESPixelStick, the others do follow along. I just can't get xSchedule to activate the FPP Remote ESPixelSticks at all.

Do I actually have to have FPP installed somewhere for this to work? I was thinking not. I don't have a Raspberry Pi lying around to install it so I am trying to make this work with Windows.
 
xSchedule can be set as an FPP 'player'. Then put an SD card in each ESPixelStick and run those in FPP remote mode.
This works when I run my ESPixelStick driven Santa hat :).
 
Maraku said:
xSchedule can be set as an FPP 'player'. Then put an SD card in each ESPixelStick and run those in FPP remote mode.
This works when I run my ESPixelStick driven Santa hat :).
Click to expand...

Ok I have my show working with the ESPixelSticks as FPP remotes. I'm having to run the xScheduler in FPP Unicast mode. Dunno the impact of that, but Multicast didn't seem to work.

My main issue now is that I get weird results after each sequence plays. I have a playlist with 7 sequences. The first one starts up immediately and looks great. It's clearly running the sequences loaded on the SD cards. After the sequence ends, or if I stop the playlist, the pixels seem to take a bit (10-20 seconds) to fully reset. During that time, they're kinda just acting weird. Some flashing here and there, and then they go dark and the next song is good to go. In my normal playlist, one song ends and the next begins immediately. In that setup, the first 10-20 seconds of the next song is messed up. It initially doesn't do much of anything and then they start coming on and are kind of accelerated and then they sync up and all is good 15-20 seconds in. Then, end of that song, same thing happens to the next song. If I just stop the playlist, I can see the delay in the lights shutting down and some weird artifacts that show up and go away over the following 10-15 seconds.

SO... to fix this temporarily, I added a 10 second delay between each song. That gives the "end-of-sequence shenanigans" to work themselves out and then when the next song hits it seems ready to go. I hate having 10 seconds of just blank while you're waiting, though. Any ideas? I'm trying to find some way to force the FPP remotes (the pixel sticks) to reset or shut down more quickly to prepare to start the next sequence.

While I do want to figure this out, I went ahead and ordered a Raspberry Pi 4B so I can run FPP player. Maybe it won't have weird issues like this, but this doesn't feel like an issue caused by xScheduler. It just seems like the end of a sequence leaves the controllers in a weird state.
 
DamnRock said:
Ok I have my show working with the ESPixelSticks as FPP remotes. I'm having to run the xScheduler in FPP Unicast mode. Dunno the impact of that, but Multicast didn't seem to work.

My main issue now is that I get weird results after each sequence plays. I have a playlist with 7 sequences. The first one starts up immediately and looks great. It's clearly running the sequences loaded on the SD cards. After the sequence ends, or if I stop the playlist, the pixels seem to take a bit (10-20 seconds) to fully reset. During that time, they're kinda just acting weird. Some flashing here and there, and then they go dark and the next song is good to go. In my normal playlist, one song ends and the next begins immediately. In that setup, the first 10-20 seconds of the next song is messed up. It initially doesn't do much of anything and then they start coming on and are kind of accelerated and then they sync up and all is good 15-20 seconds in. Then, end of that song, same thing happens to the next song. If I just stop the playlist, I can see the delay in the lights shutting down and some weird artifacts that show up and go away over the following 10-15 seconds.

SO... to fix this temporarily, I added a 10 second delay between each song. That gives the "end-of-sequence shenanigans" to work themselves out and then when the next song hits it seems ready to go. I hate having 10 seconds of just blank while you're waiting, though. Any ideas? I'm trying to find some way to force the FPP remotes (the pixel sticks) to reset or shut down more quickly to prepare to start the next sequence.

While I do want to figure this out, I went ahead and ordered a Raspberry Pi 4B so I can run FPP player. Maybe it won't have weird issues like this, but this doesn't feel like an issue caused by xScheduler. It just seems like the end of a sequence leaves the controllers in a weird state.
Click to expand...

It always seems like just posting a question forces me to find the answer. Right after posting this, I found a setting in xScheduler... Edit --> Options --> Send data when not running sequence. I checked that and it appears that has resolved the weirdness after each sequence ends. I tested it for 10-15 minutes but we'll see if that continues to be true tomorrow.
 
MartinMueller2003 said:
What it really sounds like is that there is another device sending FPP Sync messages.
Click to expand...

I agree and I thought maybe I left "Send Sync Messages" enabled on one of the ESPixelStick remotes, but I verified that was not the case.

As an update, I ran the show tonight with no issues. No gibberish between sequences. Good to go for now!
 
OK. Just wanted to be sure. Yes, if there are multiple sources of sync messages in your network, things can get very interesting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top