DIGWDF RenStick. Overview. Assembly & User Guide

Transcription

1 DIGWDF RenStick Assembly & User Guide Overview RenStick is the result of merging a tiny, minimal yet powerful wireless Renard controller with a DC SSR to provide low-voltage control of up to four, moderately-powered DC circuits. While the onboard microcontroller has full 8-channel capability, only four of them may be assigned to the selected outputs. RenStick may be powered by 5-12vdc providing each of the four outputs upwards of 2 amps of current. The microcontroller can be flashed with either Renard or Renard DMX firmware; the plug-in ESP8266 wireless module provides wireless operation over a common Wi-Fi network. The RenStick PCB is 4-5/8 L by.95 W. BOM Bill of Materials (* = optional, ** = substitute part) Qty Item Source P/N 4 KSC2328AYBU transistor mouser.com 512-KSC2328AYBU 4 PC817 optocouplers mouser.com 782-SFH615A ohm 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistors taydaelectronics.com A-2049 (pkg 10) ohm 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistor taydaelectronics.com A-2067 (pkg 10) 4 1K ohm 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistor taydaelectronics.com A-2123 (pkg 10) 2 10K ohm 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistor taydaelectronics.com A-2115 (pkg 10) 1.1uf non-polarized capacitor taydaelectronics.com A-214 1* 100uf electrolytic capacitor, 6.3v taydaelectronics.com A x20 pin female header (cut off a 2x4 section) taydaelectronics.com A ESP8266 module ebay or Aliexpress.com ESP-01 1 PIC16F1825 microcontroller mouser.com 579-PIC16F1825-I/P 1 RenStick PCB DIGWDF Store 1 UA78M33 3.3v regulator or LM1117T 3.3v regulator mouser.com taydaelectronics.com 595-UA78M33CKCSE3 A pin breakaway male header taydaelectronics.com A Dupont connection cables (or similar) ebay/amazon/etc. 1* DIP-16 socket taydaelectronics.com A-003 1* DIP-14 socket taydaelectronics.com A-004 1* LED (any color) taydaelectronics.com A-261 5* 5mm terminal blocks taydaelectronics.com A-662 ** PN2222ABU transistor (1 amp) mouser.com 512-PN2222ABU ** PN2222 transistor (.6 amp) taydaelectronics.com A-109 Consider searching for parts on ebay and save yourself a lot of money. Many general NPN type transistors can be used in the RenStick such as the 2N2222A with different resistor values at R5-R8 used to drive them. ebay and aliexpress.com are probably the most convenient sources for ESP-01 wireless modules ; order early as delivery times can be a bit long. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 1

2 Assembly READ COMPLETELY THROUGH BEFORE YOU START ASSEMBLY!!! Like most electronic projects, assemble the components by their height, starting with the shortest parts and graduating to the tallest. After soldering the parts in place, be sure to clip off the excess leads as close as possible to the bottom of the PCB. Be aware of heat-sensitive parts such as transistors, voltage regulators and others that are partially plastic to avoid overheating and damaging them. 1. If you plan to mount the RenStick inside a short length of PVC tube, do the following test fit first because where you install some components on the RenStick PCB can be dependent on the PVC pipe s inside diameter. a. RenStick s slender design is intended to fit inside the 1 thin-walled PVC pipe. The inside diameter of thin-walled PVC is actually 1-3/16 while the thicker walled PVC is only an inch. b. Insert the regulator into the proper mounting holes and bend the pins on the bottom inward slightly. Don t solder it in. Slide the RenStick into the PVC pipe to see whether it fits. It should fit quick nicely inside the thin-walled PVC but the thickwalled creates an obvious problem which requires a different mounting technique. c. You ll need a female 2x4 header for the next test; cut off a 2x4 length from the 2x20 row of female header pins and plug the ESP8266 module into it. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 2

3 2. Set it in place on the RenStick PCB and slide it into the PVC tube. Again, you should find the thin-walled PVC is trouble free while the thick-walled PVC creates a conflict. The solution for mounting the ESP8266 module inside thick-walled PVC will be to solder the module directly to the RenStick PCB without using the 2x4 female header. While this works, it s not the most ideal solution because it makes reprogramming the ESP module more difficult because it can t be simply unplugged. The voltage regulator and the ESP module are the last two items to be installed on the RenStick PCB, but now you know why thin-walled PVC is preferred. For now, set the voltage regulator and ESP8266 module aside and continue with the main assembly. 3. Bend the leads of resistors R5, R6, R7 and R8 (near the center of the board) and insert into the appropriate locations as noted on the PCB silkscreen. There is no polarity concern for resistors but for a cleaner, professional appearance, it s a good idea to install them so the resistor stripes are oriented the same way. Solder the resistors is place and clip off the extra leads. Note: 330 ohm resistors are suggested if the KSC2328AYBU transistor is used; 470 ohm resistors are suggested for the PN2222ABU, 2N2222A or MPS2222A transistor. 4. Install and solder the two 10K resistors near the location of the ESP8266 module. 5. Optional: mount and solder the DIP-16 socket in the location where the four PC817 chips reside. If you choose not to use the DIP-16 socket, remember that the square hole in the upper-left corner of each PC817 location is pin Optional: mount and solder the DIP-14 socket in the location marked PIC16F1825. Be sure to orient the socket with the notch matching the printing on the PCB. 7. Install the.1uf non-polarized capacitor near the PIC16F1825 chip. 8. Cut off three lengths of 4 male header pins from the 40-pin breakapart row of male headers. Install these at the locations marked Channel and SSR. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 3

4 9. To reduce the footprint of the circuit board, the remaining 8 resistors are installed in stand-up mode. To make a stand-up resistor, bend only one of the leads around the side so that it s parallel with the other lead, like the example to the right. Then the resistor is inserted into the mounting holes so that it s standing up instead of lying flush on its side against the board. 10. Make four 330-ohm resistors into stand-up form, and mount/solder them into the holes marked 330 to the left of the column of PC817 chips (or the DIP-16 socket). There is no polarity concern for resistors but for a cleaner, professional appearance, it s a good idea to install them so the resistors are all standing the same way. 11. For resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4: make four 1K-ohm resistors into stand-up form, and mount/solder them into their locations to the right of the PC817 chips (or the DIP-16 socket). 1k-ohm is recommended if 12vdc will be used to power the SSR. If powered by 5vdc, you may use 680-ohm resistors instead; if powered by greater than 12vdc (not recommended!) use 1.5K ohm resistors. 12. Optional: Install four terminal blocks in their locations. Terminal blocks are designed so that they link together, so do that first and then insert the row of 4 together so that the openings are toward the side of the board, not toward the center; solder in place. 13. Optional: Install the power-in terminal block in the location next to the ESP8266 module, with the openings toward the side of the board, not toward the ESP Install the transistors in their locations, orienting the transistor s outline to match the outline on the silkscreen. Caution: transistors are heat-sensitive parts. Transistors must be installed with the correct orientation or they won t work. From left-to-right, the four holes are E-B-C-B, which stands for emitter, base, collector and base. The extra base hole is for transistors which don t follow the E- B-C format but use the E-C-B order instead. This is the case for the KSC2328AYBU. The dots beneath the transistor outline are reminders of which holes to use for the type of transistor chosen. Transistors are manufactured in multiple packages and the package type for this example is called a TO-92 case, and this format is a very economical way for manufacturers to produce transistors. However, there are variations in the shapes and sizes of the cases, but more importantly, the order of the transistor leads must be recognized. In the example to the right, notice that the 2222 type is generally EBC while the KSC2328 is ECB. For the KSC2328, simply spread the leads apart a bit more and insert E into the E hole, C into the C hole and the B lead into the additional B hole just outside and to the right of the outline on the board. Another case type is called the TO-18 and it s usually a round, metal case such as the example to the left. 2N2222A transistors are often packaged this way, and the larger case type makes a difference: this type can often handle more current 800ma in this example. Whichever case type your transistors have, just be sure that the proper transistor lead is inserted into the proper hole! DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 4

5 15. The voltage regulator installation is next. RenStick is designed to fit two different 3.3v regulators: the UA78M33 or the LM1117T. The markings on the PCB denote which set of 3 holes the respective regulator uses: The UA78M33 uses the 3 holes on the right marked with dots; the LM1117T uses the 3 holes on the left marked with small triangles. Be sure to use the proper holes for the regulator you choose, and BEFORE you solder it in place, retry a test fit inside the PVC pipe as follows: a. Insert the voltage regulator into the proper 3-hole mounting location so that the metal tab is toward the edge of the board, per the silk screen marking. Slide it all the way down. Bend the excess leads slightly over toward the middle of the board on the bottom side. b. Slide the RenStick into the pipe and check the fit. It will be snug such as in the photos below of a unpopulated and populated board inside thin-walled PVC: c. However, if thick-walled PVC is all you can find, you can try mounting the regulator on the BOTTOM of the board, bending the pins over like this example: If you go this route, be sure to insert a sliver of cardboard or some other non-metallic material between the regulator and the PCB to insulate the back metal side of the voltage regulator from the other solder points. And remember that you re working on the BOTTOM side of the PCB: be sure to insert the regulator so that the proper pins are in the right holes! 16. When soldering the voltage regulator, take care as it is a heatsensitive part. This voltage regulator has been chosen because it powers both the PIC and the ESP module. You cannot substitute a 5volt regulator the PIC chip will be unaffected with 5vdc but the ESP module is a 3.3vdc module only and will be damaged. 17. Lastly, mount the ESP-01 module. Here again, depending on whether you have thin-walled or thick-walled PVC, the mounting method used is different because of available space inside the PVC pipe. a. With thick-walled PVC, you must solder the ESP8266 module directly to the RenStick because it won t fit inside the PVC tube if you use the 2x4 female header DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 5

6 it s too tall. Important: be sure to program the ESP module BEFORE you solder it to the RenStick PCB! b. With thin-walled PVC, you have the option to either solder the ESP8266 module directly to the PCB or use the 2x4 female header, which makes it easily removable. Here again, you can try a test-fit inside the PVC that you have to verify whether you must solder the ESP8266 directly to the RenStick PCB or whether you can make it removable using the 2x4 female header. Important: if you decide to solder the ESP module directly to the RenStick PCB, be sure to program it beforehand! 18. The physical assembly of the RenStick is now complete except for plugging in the programmed PIC16F1825 chip. The procedures for doing this are well documented elsewhere and are beyond the scope of this manual. Electrical Safety RenStick does not include a fuse. It is the end-user s responsibility to provide fused electrical protection by splicing an appropriate in-line fuse into the supply power line ahead of the RenStick power-in terminal block. ESP and Renard Firmware Where can I find it? Because both Renard and Renard DMX firmware are available for the PIC16F1825 chip, it s suggested that the addresses of the firmware used be set to channel 1 and if DMX is used, universe 1. This will be more convenient later on because the ESP8266 module s firmware has its own start channel and universe options that can be set remotely at any time even with a smartphone! Note that if normal Renard firmware is used in the PIC16F1825 chip, higher communication speeds are possible than the default baud that s typically used for XBee-based wireless controllers. Of course, when DMX is used, the default DMX speed of 250kbps is required. Bill Porter s terrific implementation of Shelby Merrick s ESPixelStick firmware is used to flash the ESP-01 module. Porter s version includes the serial option which is necessary to communicate with the PIC16F1825 module. Go to or you may also download the firmware from the firmware page at the DIGWDF Store: On-board Channel Selection Flexibility RenStick s PIC16F1825 chip includes 8 control channels, but RenStick only has four output channels. You select which 4 of the 8 available channels to use by connecting the appropriate channel pins to the desired ssr pins with the short connection wires (Dupont cables). The control channels are marked 1-8 and the SSR channels marked A-B-C-D: Increasing Output Current If you need greater than 2A output per channel, you may link more than one output channel together; linking two would essentially double the current capacity to 4A. Connecting A-B together and C-D together would essentially create a 2-channel SSR, each having 4A capacity. Simply solder a wire between the appropriate A-B-C-D SSR pins; then attach the connection wire from one of those interconnected pins to your chosen control channel. You d also have to interconnect the OUTPUT wires, too. Theoretically, one could interconnect all four A-B-C-D outputs together and control all four from only one control channel, thereby creating a one-channel SSR that has 8A capacity. Theoretically, anyway sometimes we discover it works on paper but doesn t in practice DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 6

7 12vdc vs 5vdc power While the UA78M33 regulator can handle input voltages up to 30vdc, remember that the higher the voltage, the more heat it will have to dissipate and yes, it can get very hot. Adding a heat sink to the regulator is a good idea if you plan to use 12vdc or greater. Mounting RenStick RenStick was designed to slide inside a short piece of 1 thin-walled PVC pipe for weather protection and for better wireless reception properties than thick-walled pipe. To aid in wireless reception, it s suggested that the ESP-01 end be the topmost part in situations where the PVC pipe is mounted vertically with the main power wire and four control wires exiting the bottom of the PVC pipe. A simple PVC end cap or pressure cap can be easily glued in place at the top to keep rain out. Alternately, RenStick includes plenty of mounting holes for other installation possibilities. Terminal Block Polarity The LEFT terminal on ALL terminal blocks is +V while the right terminal is the GROUND connection. The output voltage is the same as the input voltage used to power RenStick. PIC16F1825 Firmware Settings Because this is a DC SSR, remember to set the PIC16F1825 Renard firmware to the following settings, which are found in the first 50 lines of the ASM source code: PWM_build 1 DC_build 1 CLOCKRATE BAUDRATE your baud rate here START_ADDR your start address here we suggest 1 CTR_LOCKOUT 1 OUTPUT_NEGATIVE_TRUE ESP8266 Network Connection Tips Not all routers/access points are compatible with the ESP8266 module, and the usual problem that arises is that after a period of inactivity (usually about 5 minutes) the ESP module no longer responds to commands sent to it. This behavior is designed into the ESP module itself and the solution to it depends on the settings of your router/access point. How to solve this issue: Use a dedicated router/access point for your show network. Using your home network s unit for your show will bring your normal network speed down to its knees. Set your router/access point s beacon interval to something less than 100ms. If your unit does not have this configuration option, you may or may not encounter problems. Set your router/access point s DHCP lease time to 2 or 3 minutes. This is a critically important setting; if your unit does not have this option, you will likely encounter problems. Set the ESP modules to MULTICAST mode. This assures that every module sees the network whenever anything is transmitted. Of course, set your sequencer s software to multicast mode as well. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 7

8 Set the IP addresses of the ESP modules to use DEDICATED IP addresses. This will this make it easier to know which unit is where out in the display and you should make a chart so that you know each unit s location and IP address. Even with the dedicated IP address, when the router/access point sends out the DHCP lease update, the ESP module will be refreshed. What the above settings essentially do is continually keep the ESP modules communicating with the wireless access point, even when your show is not running. In testing the above concepts we were able to leave the ESP modules powered on but not receiving any show control commands for upwards of 18 continuous hours and when the show commands resumed, the ESP modules responded immediately. Of course, YMMV after all, this is a DIY platform Parts Substitutions A 100uf, 6.3 volt electrolytic capacitor can be used in place of the.1uf capacitor. If used, the + side of the capacitor should be to the left, toward the PIC16F1825 chip; the side to the right toward the mounting hole. The 100uf capacitor may aid with keeping the ESP module connected to the network if the power supply used provides marginal current supply. As mentioned earlier, many NPN-type transistors can be substituted, each providing a different amount of collector current. In most cases a 330 or 470-ohm resistor should work, but you may find different resistor values may be required. Consult the data sheet for the selected transistor. It is okay to use different transistors for each of the 817 s outputs if you wish, and then each would obviously provide different current outputs. The set of four PC817 optocouplers can be replaced by a single K847PH chip. The K847PH is essentially four 817 s on a single chip. The 817 s were selected because they could be purchased on ebay for about 5cents each while the K847PH chip was far more expensive. The 330-ohm resistors for the left side of the PC817 chips can generally be replaced with other resistor values between ohms, but performance may be affected if substituted values get too far out of this range. The L78L33 regulator (Tayda # A-492) is not recommended for it does not provide enough current. Modification/Hack to use new ESPixelStick firmware In July 2016, Shelby Merrick (original creator of the ESPixelStick and its related software) released an updated version of his firmware. This version incorporated the Renard and DMX features that Bill Porter had added earlier. Shelby s new firmware is more efficient but unfortunately, is not directlycompatible with Bill Porter s version so that the original RenStick will not work with it directly unless you make the following modifications to the RenStick PCB. The issue is that the new firmware uses a different output pin on the ESP-01 module than Bill Porter s version. A new PCB was produced to accommodate these different versions of firmware more easily: DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 8

9 New PCB Design The newer version of the RenStick PCB includes three columns of pads immediately adjacent to the ESP s 2x4 header. These pads are marked TX, 2 and 0, and correspond to the TX, GPIO2 and GPIO0 pins of the ESP module. If you have this version of the RenStick PCB, you must solder a bridge across the pair of pins appropriate for the version of ESPixelStick firmware you plan to use. The RenStick will not work unless the correct pair of pins are connected for the version of firmware you ll be using. The solder bridge connects the ESP s data output to the 16F1825 chip. Q&A How do I flash the ESP8266 modules with new firmware? To flash the ESP8266 modules, you might consider purchasing an ESP Flashamater, another DIGWDF product, along with an USB-TTL adapter to connect the Flashamater to your computer. Alternately, you can flash ESP modules directly using any USB-TTL adapter that has 3.3vdc available and the Dupont connection cables. Remember that the ESP modules are 3.3vdc only and 5vdc power or similar voltage on the signal lines can (and usually will) damage them. What is Cut Here on the bottom of the PCB? your PCB may or may not have this marking on the bottom side of the PCB and if you do, it means nothing for normal use. However, should you wish to hack the board and separate the wireless controller half from the SSR half, you would cut the board complete across on the line, cutting between the eight square pads. Why might you want to do this? Well, the controller side then becomes a very tiny wireless 8-channel controller that you could connect to something else, using all 8 channels by tapping the channel outputs off the eight channel output pins and using +3.3v from the remaining row of 4 square pads (that you cut between). It wouldn t take much work to connect some cat5 cable to it and create a nice 8-channel controller for external SSRs The leftover SSR half is less useful but could still be recovered after a bit more work Why didn t you put a row of header pins on it for ICSP programming? No room on the PCB. If you soldered the PIC chip to the PCB then yeah, that s a bit of a problem, but you can still program it using a spring test clip to clamp onto the pins like the example to the right: I need help setting up my network, can you help me? No, sorry. There is a plethora of information about network this and that on the web as well as in private and public forums. It s your job as a DIY er to learn the ropes and do the research on your own. With very few exceptions, there s little difference between setting up a wireless network for blinky-flashy and setting one up in your house for using the Internet. Do you stock parts for this product? Yes and no. The DIGWDF Store will likely make some complete kits available but other than the bare PCBs and complete kits, we don t plan on selling individual parts to fill various needs. We listed the parts, sources and part numbers on the first DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 9

10 page for your convenience there are no exotic parts there, almost all of them are common to many DIY controllers and SSRs available today. Can I buy the ESP-01 modules from you so I get the right ones? No. See above answer. Can I get the Gerbers or source design files so I can get my own boards? No. RenStick is a proprietary design and as long as it s a product in our store, those files are not available. Can I buy pre-assembled RenSticks? Not from DIGWDF, no. We re not a manufacturer. We supply the designs and often complete kits and you build them yourself. When are you going to make an AC version? We don t have any current plans to do that because making an AC version is more complicated -- needing transformers and power supply circuitry to convert the AC current to DC to power the parts, ZC signal lines to allow dimming, etc. and all those things equate to bigger. Besides, DIGWDF already has compact AC controllers available in the store. My ESP module connects for a while and then doesn t work. What s wrong? Did you read the ESP8266 Network Connection Tips earlier in this user guide? Your answer is likely there. My RenStick doesn t dim it turns on/off, but no dimming. You didn t compile it with the right parameters. See the PIC16F1825 Firmware Settings information on page 7. More specifically, you probably didn t set the DC Build and CTL_LOCKOUT settings. Note that in assembly programming, variables are case-sensitive, too a simple typo error can wreak havoc. No channels do anything. It s not working. One of the most difficult questions to ask is this one because it doesn t give any direction at all and there are a dozen things that can cause this problem that have nothing at all to do with the RenStick assembly! First, make sure it s powered up and that you have connected channel pins to the ssr pins. Other than that, check firmware, network settings, channel assignments, baud rates, controller and channel settings in your sequencing software, the sequencer s plugin, your access point, etc. Lights are on all the time but turn off when I turn ON a channel! Likely a firmware problem in the PIC, and you compiled the firmware using LSD settings, which inverts the polarity of the output signal from the PIC. Make sure OUTPUT_NEGATIVE_TRUE is active. If my kit build doesn t work, can you help me fix it? Absolutely! DIGWDF offers a no-fail build guarantee for our kits. If it doesn t work, you can send it to us along with return postage and we ll fix it free! DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 10

11 ESP Module Configuration The brilliant ESP8266 firmware was originally created by Shelby Merrick for his ESPixelStick. Bill Porter added the capability to control both Renard and DMX in addition to Shelby s Pixel control. RenStick was originally designed to use Bill Porter s version, and it is highlighted below. The ESP modules are flashed using Arduino software and the use of that software is amply addressed elsewhere; consequently that will not be addressed here. This document will address only the Renard configuration options as it relates to replacing an XBee network with an ESP-based network. The basic steps to setting up an ESP8266 module are: Compile/flash the module with Bill Porter s version of the ESP firmware Log into the module via the IP address using a browser Set and save the configuration options Plug the module into the ESP Snap-in Plug the ESP Snap-in into the controller Test the controller for proper function Logging into the module is easy: type its IP address into your browser s address bar and GO. The default screen will be similar to this one: Don t be alarmed that it says Pixel Configuration. Change it as follows: 1. Click on the ADMINISTRATION button. 2. The default setting will be Pixel, click the down arrow to change it to SERIAL, then click SAVE. The ESP8266 will then reboot. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 11

12 3. After rebooting, the screen will display the SERIAL CONFIGURATION option. Select it. 4. The Serial Configuration screen is where you may give the module a name, in this case we ve called it window2a. Because we wanted to simply replace the existing XBee-based Renard network without changing anything else, we chose the same settings that the XBee network used. At baud, this setup had 280 channels and the serial type was set to Renard. And even though Renard doesn t use universes, it was set it to 1 (the default). The start channel was also set to 1 and the channel count set to 280 so that the device could receive all 280 channels of Renard data. This setting allows using the standard Renard addressing structure that s flashed into the PIC itself and the controller will react to the normal channels its PIC firmware is already set to use. However, Bill Porter s Start Channel setting opens some interesting doors. Unlike the normal Renard start-address firmware which is based on 8-channel blocks, in a Renard mode, the ESP setting is the actual channel. This means that if you set the ESP configuration to use start channel 2, the first PIC on the controller will actually get the data for channels 2-9 instead of 1-8 or Setting the ESP to start channel 9 would cause the first PIC on the controller to receive data for channels What this means is that you should use EITHER the normal Renard start-address firmware in your controllers and set that firmware to the start addresses you need and use ESP start channel 1, OR set all the firmware in the controllers to address 0 (or 1 depending on the firmware used) and then change the ESP configuration to the start channel. The caution is that if you use BOTH the PIC s start address firmware and an ESP start channel you will get very confused. So use one or the other, but not both. (Yes, both will work, but you ll have a difficult time figuring out which channel the controller will respond to!) DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 12

13 NOTE: At baud rates higher than 57600, more Renard channels become available and using the ESP start channel instead of flashing the PIC with a start address may result in better overall performance. If setting the ESP start channel is used, remember to set the first PIC to start address 0 (or 1) depending on the PIC chip involved. 5. Other configuration screens are available where you can set the IP address instead of using DHCP and also change the network SSID and password from what was set into the firmware when it was compiled in the Arduino IDE and flashed into the ESP module. Your network SSID will be different than what is displayed in the examples below: Notice specifically the checkbox for Multicast. Checking this box allows the ESP unit to receive all channel data, which simulates how the XBee network functions. Un-checking the box logically makes it into a unicast unit whereby it will receive only those data packets specifically assigned to its IP address. Therefore, in unicast mode, you should not use DHCP addressing but set the IP address of each ESP device to be unique. The Network Status box displays the MAC address. The last 3 values (01:17:4D) in this example become the device s network name. You might take note of this! 6. There are both merits and drawbacks to using DHCP addressing instead of dedicated IP addressing of the individual ESP modules. In the examples above, with only a 280-channel Renard setup where the PICs in the controllers are already pre-addressed for use in an XBee network, each ESP module could be configured virtually identically and set to start channel 1 and simply plugged into the controllers, replacing the XBee. No other configuration would be necessary at all. In DHCP mode however, being a wi-fi device, the ESP module has its own built-in hardware ID and Mac address and it may appear in your router s display something like this picture. This doesn t really tell you much about its IP address or what controller it may be assigned to. You may want to create your own spreadsheet or table cross reference so that you know which ESP device is in each controller. Then you can log into the router to find out what IP address it s using, and then use your browser to log into the ESP module should you need to make configuration changes. But notice the network name of the ESP_01174D device the name includes DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 13

14 the last 3 values of the MAC address as mentioned on the previous page. 7. In this example, a comment has been added inside the router s own configuration to note that the ESP_01174D device is assigned to window2a in the display, and clicking on it in the router s device table displays the comment and the IP address the ESP device is using: Vixen Configuration This guide wouldn t be complete without some information about configuring Vixen software for the ESP module. This is easy to do. First, install the J1SYS E1.31 plugin for Vixen. This plugin is readily available and information about installing it in Vixen is readily available. Generally speaking, you ll put the plugin in the Output folder that resides inside the plugins folder DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 14

15 At the Vixen 2.x Plugin Mapping screen, select the plugin in the available list, then check the box to enable it and set the number of channels the plugin is assigned to use: Then choose the Plugin Setup button to finish the configuration, making it Act (active), setting the universe, starting channel and size (number of channels) Then use the dropdown list to select the Destination, which is your local area network. Click OK to save. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 15

16 The Vixen+ screen is very similar although all the settings are on the same page: If you use Vixen 3 or XLights to control your show, consult those user guides for information on configuring the E1.31 plugin; it s likely similar to the above. Notice that this setup assumes the multicast output mode. This directs the entire output of the plugin to the network and lets the individual receiving units select the appropriate channels to use. In a test to see how this might affect an active wi-fi network where others may be using the Internet, the following test was performed: o A computer was put into an FTP download mode of a large file. o o A Raspberry Pi was put into movie mode and a movie was playing. The above setup (280 channels) was started on a busy sequence. Only one controller was put in use and only 8 channels monitored. The result: o The FTP download speed dropped by 87% o The Raspberry Pi began showing choppy video with periodic pauses o There was no noticeable effect on the controller, although the test only monitored 8 channels. It s logical to assume that had all 280 channels actually been in use, there would likely have been some misfires or timing issues. Our recommendation: Use a separate network for your show instead of putting your lighting network on your home network. DIGWDF RenStick v Assembly & User Guide Page 16