artnet problem ELC node

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wijnand
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:39 pm

artnet problem ELC node

Post by wijnand »

Hi,
I just discoverd this great piece of software and it is exactely what I was looking for. I use it with one of my ELC buddy's. They work great, but unfortunately not with this software.
Although the software is really straighforward in configuring the artnet and the lan part, the node ocasionally shows up in the Artnet Node list. When I have everything working in my studio, it is no garantee that it will work on site, connected in the same way, with the same equipment.

I can't really figure out what I just did when it popped up in the list, and when I recall the settings lateron it is no garantuee that this will work next time.
I configure "network"
I configure"dmx info"
And "dmx out"
I set the program to the appropriate "sharing ip adress", adapter for artnet, and set the dmx out settings. it makes no difference if I use broadcast of the ip of the LAN Buddy.

Any thoughts here?
admin
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Post by admin »

What is the network connection path from the computer to the ELC Buddy?

Does the computer have more than one network interface active? Is there more than one piece of software that uses Art-Net or talks to the ELC Buddy running at the same time?

It sounds like there's an IP address problem where the computer is either not able to receive packets or is not routing them correctly.

If you have more than one network interface active, most commonly wifi and ethernet, the computer may be forced to make a choice about which it thinks is best to send Art-Net. Usually, this would be obvious. If your wifi interface has the IP address 192.168.1.aaa and your ethernet interface is set to a static address of 10.bb.cc.dd, then sending a packet to 10.255.255.255 should go out the ethernet. The thing is that some wifi networks assign class A addresses 10.xxx.yyy.zzz instead of class C 192.168.1.www. So, with the above setup, if you change wireless networks and now the wifi interface has the address 10.141.196.208, the choice for the operating system of how to send that 10.255.255.255 packet may not be as clear. Of course, if you only have a single network interface active, then this isn't the problem.

To help you determine what the problem is, its going to be helpful to know what the IP addresses are both in your studio and what they are when you onsite.
wijnand
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:39 pm

Post by wijnand »

Thanks for your promt answer. I use it on a macbook pro and I use a thunderbold to ethernet dongle to communicate with the artnet node.
I already tried to switch off the wifi and force the program to look to the appropriate adapter with the correct ip adresses. But no luck. I never use automatic detection settings on show related software though.
My settings on MBP network :Ip 2.0.0.1, subnet 255.0.0.0
Setting on Artnetnode: Ip 2.0.0.201
When I use a network tool, I see the artnet dongle so the wiring and ip's are fine I guess.
Your suggestion of the wifi is correct, my wifi uses indeed a range of 10.xx.yy.zz, but should not interfere with the ip's of my arnet on 2.xx.yy.zz becourse I force the program to use a particular adapter for artnet communication. Right?
The settings in my studio are exact the same as on site. Even the hardware. I literally pick up my laptop and dongle and reconnect everything on site.

Strange thing is when I use a program like DMX assistent, it runs without any problems when I set the output to the arnetnode via the same routing and ip's.
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Post by admin »

If it works in one instance and not in another, the key to figuring out what the problem is lies in identifying what changes between the two. It doesn't sound like there are any changes. But, there must be something...

Just to be sure, what version of LXConsole and MacOS are you using? (It sounds like you are using one of the latest builds because you mention the Art-Net node list.)

Can you confirm LXConsole's preferences settings?

Just so you know, the "Network" tab of the preferences has to do with LXConsole's web interface and has no effect on Art-Net or sACN.

-----

In the "DMX Info" tab, is "Select Automatically" checked or unchecked. What is the setting for the "IP Interface for Art-Net" popup?

When you popup the "IP Interface for Art-Net" button there should be three possibilities, "Any Interface", "127.0.0.1" and "2.0.0.1". Are there any others?

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In the "DMX Out" tab, is the Art-Net popup set to "On 2.x.y.z"?

Is "Set to Broadcast Address" checked or unchecked? If it is checked, does the "Send to Address:" contain "2.255.255.255"?

Is "Send to Address" checked or unchecked?

-----

With "Send to Address" checked and "Set to Broadcast Address" unchecked, what happens if you enter the Art-Net node's IP address 2.0.0.201 and try sending directly to that address?

One possibility is that you'll get a no route to host message. That's going to point towards something in the IP settings of the computer. You can check the messages window (Window->Messages). You should see "Creating output socket" in white followed by "DMX ethernet out OK" in green.

If you don't get an error, it IS possible to communicate directly with that IPAddress. So that would point to something else like the Art-Net port-address settings as why you can't send DMX.
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Post by admin »

One more possibility. It's basic but hasn't been mentioned yet.

Art-Net and sACN output has a master switch, controlled with File->External->Ethernet or the toolbar button. Ethernet must be enabled for both the node to be found in the list and for output of any kind.

LXConsole always replies to its own Art-Net poll asking Art-Net nodes on the network to indicate their presence. If Ethernet is not enabled, no poll is sent (or can be received) and the nodes list will be empty.

You mentioned that your device does not appear in the nodes list. But, does LXConsole appear in the list?
wijnand
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:39 pm

Post by wijnand »

BAM! And its working. That's really a nasty one. Why this option here?
Why not under Preferences>Network? Than you will find it when you start configuring the signal path.
Thanks for the answer and solution!
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Post by admin »

The latest release candidate build of LXConsole moved and renamed the "Network" tab in the preferences to the less ambiguous "Web Sharing". Its not clear how often the ability to view and manipulate LXConsole from a remote web browser is used. This is especially true now that the OSC interface is mature. So, web sharing has been moved down the list of tabs in the preferences window. This gives greater prominence to DMX Info and DMX Out which, conversely, are probably used a lot because of the increase in setups that used either Art-Net or sACN.
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