Light O Rama CR150D, CB50D Programming Manual

RGB, Macro & Color Effect

Programming Guide

for the

Cosmic Color Ribbon

CR150D

&

Cosmic Color Bulbs

CB50D

November 22, 2010

V1.0

Copyright © Light O Rama, Inc. 2010

Table of Contents

Introduction..............................................................5

Firmware Version ....................................................6

Hardware Configuration...........................................6

Resolution, Macro & Color Channels.......................7

Logical Resolution (channel 151).........................8

Color Effects (Channels – 155, 156, 157)............9

Twinkle Effects Table .......................................9

Dazzle Effects Table ......................................10

Macro Effects (Channels – 152, 153, 154)......... 11

Macro Effects Table ....................................... 11

Macro Mode 1 – Fill from Controller to End....12

Macro Mode 2 – Fill from End to Controller.... 12

Macro Mode 3 – Fill from Ends to Center.......13

Macro Mode 4 – Fill from Center to Ends.......13

Macro Mode 5 – Chase away from Controller 13

Macro Mode 6 – Chase towards Controller....14

Macro Mode 7 – Double Arch Fill Away .........14

Macro Mode 8 – Double Arch Fill Towards.....14

Macro Mode 9 – Beat Chase Away................14

Macro Mode 10 – Beat Chase Towards.........15

Macro Mode 11 – Strobe All...........................15

Macro Mode 12 – Strobe Random .................16

Caveats..............................................................16

Hardware and Software Set Up.............................17

Using the Hardware Utility (HWU) to experiment...17

HWU –RGB Channels ....................................... 19

HWU –RGB Channels and Resolution............... 20

HWU – Macro Effects ........................................21

HWU – Fill from Controller to End Example ...21

HWU – Beat Chase Away Example ............... 22

HWU – Color Effects Example .......................23

HWU – Color Effect + Macro Effect Example.23

Using the Sequence Editor (SE)............................24

SE – Adding the CCR/CCB................................25

SE – Color Fade Example .................................28

SE – Color Fade with Chase..............................29

SE – Color Effect Example.................................31

SE – Macro Effect Example...............................34

SE Color Effect with Macro Effect...................... 39

Introduction

This guide explains how to control the Light O Rama
(LOR) Cosmic Color Ribbon (CCR) and Cosmic
Color Bulbs (CCB). Manual control using the
Hardware Utility and software control using the LOR
Sequence Editor will be covered.

The CCR and CCB are multiple pixel LED devices.
The color and intensity of the pixels can be
individually controlled. When used in raw mode, the
CCR and CCB controllers have 150 intensity
channels. These are the red, green and blue
intensity channels for each of the 50 pixels. Normally
the devices are configured in the Sequence Editor
as 50 RGB channels to make control and color
selection easier.

Both devices also support Color Effect and Macro
Effect programming. These are shortcuts that allow
all the pixels to be manipulated with a small number
of non-RGB channels.

There are two ways to set the color and intensity of
pixels. One is to directly manipulate the RGB
channels. The other is to use a Color Effect. There
are three Color Effect control channels. These select
the effect, the speed and the intensity of the effect.
For example, a twinkle effect will cause all the pixels
to twinkle. Instead of using the 50 RGB channels to
affect each pixel individually, setting three channels
will cause all the pixels to twinkle at a particular
speed and intensity.

A Macro Effect is another shortcut that allows all the
pixels to be controlled with three channels. A Macro
Effect can be thought of as a pattern placed over the

pixels that exposes the pixels in some interesting
way. For example, you could set all the RGB
channels to 75% brightness in blue and select the
Fill-from-Controller-to-End Macro Effect. Selecting
this effect causes all pixels on the device to go dark
until you change the intensity of the macro effect
channel to an intensity other than 0%. Varying the
intensity of the macro effect channel from 0-99% by
using a fade will cause the pixels to light from the
controller to the far end depending upon how ‘bright’
the fade is at any moment.

Firmware Version

This document describes the capabilities of the
Cosmic Color Ribbon (CR150D controller) with
firmware version 1.07 or later and the capabilities of
the Cosmic Color Bulbs (CB50D controller) with
firmware version 1.07 or later.

Refer to the User Manual for your device to
determine the firmware in your controller. If your
firmware is older than specified above, refer to the
Updating the Firmware section of your User Manual
to download and update your controller’s firmware.

Hardware Configuration

This guide requires the following hardware
configuration in your controller(s):

Unit ID: 01
Unit ID Mode: Normal
Channel Mode: Triples
Resolution: 50
Strips: 1

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Refer to the QuickStart Guide to make sure the
hardware is properly configured; otherwise the
examples may not work. The guide is available here:
http://www.lightorama.com/Documents/QuickStartGu
ideForColorRibbon.pdf

Normal Unit ID Mode means the controller appears
as one device on the LOR network with 157
channels.

Triples Channel Mode means that the RGB
channels for a pixel will be adjacent. E.g., channels
1, 2 & 3 are the R, G & B channels for the pixel
nearest the controller.

Resolution 50 means that each pixel on the device
can be individually controlled.

Resolution, Macro & Color Channels

The first 50 RGB channels (150 raw channels)
control the color/intensity of the pixels.

Channels above the first 150 are used to access the
Color and Macro effects. These channels never
move, they are always 151 to 157.

Logical Resolution (channel 151)

This channel allows the logical resolution of the
device to be changed on the fly. The logical
resolution is the number of pixels the device appears
as in the Sequence Editor or Hardware Utility.

The CCR and CCB have a physical resolution of 50
pixels. There are 50 individually controllable physical
pixels. This means the device can appear as up to
150 regular channels or 50 RGB channels. If the
logical resolution channel is set to one of the
following intensities, adjacent physical pixels may be
combined to reduce the number of logical pixels:

1, 2, 5, 10, 16, 17, 25 & 50

Any other value will select the resolution configured
with the Hardware Utility, which should be 50.

When Logical Resolution channel is set to 1%
intensity, a single RGB channel will set the
color/intensity of the entire device. The entire device
is one logical pixel. The Logical Resolution channel
must be set to 1% intensity for the entire time you
want this logical resolution to be in effect.

Channel 151 – Logical resolution
Channel 152 – Macro mode
Channel 153 – Macro submode
Channel 154 – Macro effect
Channel 155 – Color effect mode
Channel 156 – Color speed
Channel 157 – Color intensity

These channels must be set to the appropriate
intensity (values listed below) in the Sequence
Editor for the entire time the effect or resolution is
desired.

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When the Logical Resolution channel is set to 5%
intensity, five RGB channels will set the
color/intensity of the five equal segments of the
device. Each group of ten adjacent pixels (30 RGB
LEDs for the CCR and 10 RGB LEDs for the CCB)
will change as a unit.

Note that logical resolutions 16 & 17 do not divide
evenly into 50 physical pixels. With a logical
resolution of 16, the logical pixels at the ends of the
device have one more physical pixel than the center
logical pixels. In the case of 17, the center logical

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pixel has one fewer physical pixels than all the other
logical pixels.

Since we are in Triples channel mode, only as many
RGB channels as are necessary to address the
current resolution are used. I.e. the first five RGB
channels control the entire device if the logical
resolution channel is set to 5% intensity.

In Sequential channel mode, the logical resolution
selected causes the points where the G and B
channels start to move. I.e. the first G channel will
be 51 if the logical resolution is 50. The first G
channel will be 6 if the logical resolution is 5. This
was done for legacy support and DMX.

Color Effects (Channels – 155, 156, 157)

There are two ways to manipulate the colors and/or
intensities of the logical pixels. The most familiar
way is to set or fade the RGB channels. This permits
great control but can be tedious. The second way is
to use a Color Effect. When using a color effect, the
RGB channels should be off.

If you use the RGB channels and a color effect at
the same time, they will step on each other since
they share the same internal variables in the
controller.

Setting the intensity of Color Mode channel 155 to
one of the following values selects the color effect:

Twinkle Effects Table

1 – Twinkle red
2 – Twinkle green
3 – Twinkle blue
4 – Twinkle red + green

5 – Twinkle red + blue
6 – Twinkle green + blue
7 – Twinkle white
8 – Twinkle random (red + green + blue)
9 – Twinkle random (2 million colors)
23 – Twinkle red or green
24 – Twinkle red or blue
25 – Twinkle green or blue
26 – Twinkle random (red or green or blue)

Dazzle Effects Table

10 – Dazzle red
11 – Dazzle green
12 – Dazzle blue
13 – Dazzle red + green
14 – Dazzle red + blue
15 – Dazzle green + blue
16 – Dazzle white
17 – Dazzle random (red + green + blue)
18 – Dazzle random (2 million color)
19 – Dazzle red or green
20 – Dazzle red or blue
21 – Dazzle green or blue
22 – Dazzle random (red or green or blue)

“Red + green” means an ‘on’ pixel will be red or
green or yellow (red+green). “Red or green” means
an ‘on’ pixel will be red or green.

Dazzle varies the intensity in a small range and can
randomly select colors. It is like twinkle, but with no
‘off.’ Sort of a color shimmer.

During Twinkle or Dazzle effects, channel 156
controls the speed of the effect and channel 157
controls the overall intensity (brightness) of the
effect.

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You can use the resolution channel to set the size of
the logical pixel that changes during a color effect. If
the logical resolution is set to the physical resolution,
then each physical pixel changes independently. If
your audience is far from the device, you may want
to lower the logical resolution so that one or more
adjacent physical pixels change together to make
the effect more noticeable.

Macro Effects (Channels – 152, 153, 154)

The Macro Mode channel 152 selects a macro effect
that will be placed ‘on top’ of the RGB channels or
Color Effect. The Macro Effect is a pattern placed
over the pixels that exposes them in different ways.

For most macro effects, setting the Macro Mode
channel 152 to a legal macro effect ‘intensity’ will
cause the device to go dark until you set the
intensity of or fade the Macro Effect channel 154.

Macro effects always run at the full physical pixel
resolution of the device regardless of the current
logical resolution setting. Logical resolution only
affects the RGB and Color Effect channels.

The Macro Effect channel responds to intensities up
to 99% and fades to 99%. There is a discontinuity
between 99% and 100% so to obtain smooth effects
do not go above 99%. This restriction does not apply
to strobe effects.

5 – Chase away from Controller
6 – Chase towards Controller
7 – Double Arch Fill Away
8 – Double Arch Fill Towards
9 – Beat Chase Away
10 – Beat Chase Towards
11 – Strobe All
12 – Strobe Random

The Macro Mode channel is set to one of the
intensities listed in the previous table for the duration
of the effect. The Macro Submode channel 153 is
usually set to an intensity for the duration of the
effect.

Macro Mode 1 – Fill from Controller to End

As you fade the Macro Effect channel from 0 to
99%, the pixels will be exposed from the controller
end to the far end. What you see depends upon the
current state of the underlying RGB channels or
Color Effect.

Setting the Macro Submode channel to an intensity
between 1% and nn% will move a segment of that
many physical pixels from the controller to the far
end as you fade the macro effect channel. nn cannot
be larger than one less than the physical number of
pixels on the device.

Macro Mode 2 – Fill from End to Controller

Macro Effects Table

1 – Fill from Controller to End
2 – Fill from End to Controller
3 – Fill from Ends to Center
4 – Fill from Center to Ends

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As you fade the Macro Effect channel from 0 to
99%, the pixels will come on from the far end to the
controller end. What you see depends upon the
current state of the underlying RGB channels or
Color Effect.

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Macro submode is not used.

Macro Mode 3 – Fill from Ends to Center

As you fade the Macro Effect channel from 0 to
99%, the pixels will come on from ends to the
center. What you see depends upon the current
state of the underlying RGB channels or Color
Effect.

Setting the Macro Submode channel to an intensity
between 1% and 24% will move a segment of that
many physical pixels from the ends to the center as
you fade the Macro Effect channel.

Macro Mode 4 – Fill from Center to Ends

As you fade the Macro Effect channel from 0 to
99%, the pixels will come on from the center of the
device to ends. What you see depends upon the
current state of the underlying RGB channels or
Color Effect.

Macro submode is not used.

Macro Mode 5 – Chase away from Controller

Macro Mode 6 – Chase towards Controller

The Macro Submode channel sets the number of
pixels on and off in the chase. E.g. an intensity of
16% means 1 pixel on and 6 pixels off. What you
see depends upon the current state of the
underlying RGB channels or Color Effect.

The Macro Effect channel controls the speed of the
chase.

Macro Mode 7 – Double Arch Fill Away

Double arch fill from controller and center of device
towards the far end. Submode and effect channels
are used as with macro mode 1. What you see
depends upon the current state of the underlying
RGB channels or Color Effect.

Macro Mode 8 – Double Arch Fill Towards

Double arch fill from far end and center towards the
controller. Submode and effect channels are used
as with macro mode 2. What you see depends upon
the current state of the underlying RGB channels or
Color Effect.

The Macro Submode channel sets th e number of
pixels on and off in the chase. E.g. an intensity of
42% means 4 pixels on and 2 pixels off. What you
see depends upon the current state of the
underlying RGB channels or Color Effect.

The Macro Effect channel controls the speed of the
chase.

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Macro Mode 9 – Beat Chase Away

The Macro Submode channel sets the number of
pixels on and off in the chase. E.g. an intensity of
42% means 4 pixels on and 2 pixels off. What you
see depends upon the current state of the
underlying RGB channels or Color Effect.

Each time the intensity changes on the Macro Effect
channel the chase steps one pixel away from the
controller.

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