Q Light Controller+

Sorry for all the posts, I'm setting things up/learning and I do try to search first!

Last night I was setting up a PKnight Artnet interface (https://www.amazon.com/Pknight-Ethernet ... C71&sr=8-3) and was having a pain of the time. Somehow, I got it working! Sliders via Simple Desk make the light turn on. Great, I then went into my actual Workspace where I was setting up all the lights and put in the same settings and... nothing. Nothing would operate. Going into Simple Desk and moving sliders wouldn't even change any DMX values on other lights via the monitor (I only had one light attached for testing). Take out the Universe output and things work again.

Go back and start a black workspace, put in the same settings, added the test light, moved the slider in Simple Desk... nothing!

Finally, out of just random luck, I hit the "Reset All" button on the Simple Desk. Presto! It works.

Moved over to the "production" workspace, put in all the same settings.. nothing until I hit the "Reset All" button again.

Now, as I understand it, Simple Desk overrides scenes and functions and hitting the "Reset All" releases those sliders so they go back to the previous setting. I don't know how setting up a Universe Output would have been affected by it.

My memory might be a little fuzzy, I might not have all the steps right as I wasn't documenting it, but hitting Reset All did make everything work when I did nothing but set up the outputs and added my test light.

Please attach your workfile (.qxw).

I don't have experience with ArtNet, but i'm sure that the experts will need your file.

MichelSliepenbeek wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:37 pm I don't have experience with ArtNet, but i'm sure that the experts will need your file.

Sorry Michel, Artnet -here- has nothing to do with the problem.

Simple Desk is the last man standing (before values are computed and outputted). It overrules everything and if the OP did touch some faders in Simple Desk, they become red and whatever you do, these values stick.
The OP should have noticed that if he clicked the 'reset all', all red sliders became grey again and hence his other functions started to work.

What is more intriguing is:

Going into Simple Desk and moving sliders wouldn't even change any DMX values on other lights via the monitor (I only had one light attached for testing). Take out the Universe output and things work again.

If you touch sliders in Simple Desk and your DMX monitor does not show those changes? Never seen this before - I would start finding the fixture definition errors somewhere? IDK

Yes, your project file (with custom definitions) would interest me.

i was wondering what would happen if someone would set ArtNet for Input and for Output in the same universe; do you get a kind of Feedback ?
That might explain the symptoms.

Notice that i used the word "someone" (not You or I).


I'm aware that i'm not the person who could solve this problem, but i"m interested to learn from it (as i just bought an ArtNet Node myself).
Hope Mathew sends his file soon.

Thanks, I'll attach it tomorrow. The "lighting console" is boxed up right now (basically computer and monitors and accessories in a tote so it can be stored and portable). Thursday I'll see if I can play around with it and attach the file at that state.

I think I found a problem.

My node is attached to the PC running QLC+. From the documentation: Do not set the output IP address with the same IP address of your transmitting node (e.g. the PC where QLC+ is running) as it is just wrong and can cause a network loop. If you need to communicate with an ArtNet node running in the same machine where QLC+ is running, use the loopback device instead (127.0.0.1). This might explain the behavior.

How do I then set it up with a Loopback device?

Right now my PC running QLC+ is on 10.601.0.10 is connected directly to the PKnight node on 10.601.0.100. Subnet 255.0.0.0. I connected the PC as the output which recognized the node/universes. QLC did not show the node itself as an option. My screen when clicking on the PC for the Output does not look like the video Massimo made. Not sure if it's due to a new version though. It does not give the IP of the Node at all, just lists Universes available.

Wait wait ... how did you manage to have a network address 10.601 <- 601 !! This should even not be made possible to enter such a mistake.
Move everything over to 10.60.0.10 and 10.60.0.100.

So your Artnet runs in the 10.x.x.x ip-range. Not necessary but some devices need this (or the 2-range network).
Now you have to instruct QLC+ that f.i. universe 1 has Artnet as output. In the Artnet config, you have to tell where to network packets have to go to. Or Broadcast 10.255.255.255 or Unicast 10.60.0.100. And tell it what Artnet universe you want to use. (Pay attention, some devices are 0-based, others 1-based, so universe 0 could be 1 on the other end.)
Start debugging by 1st ping the device, 2 watch the counters rise in QLC+ in/output tab under Artnet. You might even see the node tree (all discovered devices).
If you want to verify which values are sent, you need the DMX-workshop tool so you can sniff your Artnet network traffic.

Sorry, brain fart. The address is 10.201.6.10 for the PC and 10.201.6.100 for the node. These are the settings that work:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pV1KRmLf9dnaBVkY8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rczU8LBVEbSb4uoR9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/od3VPCuUoFARPPW78

Not sure why the images aren't loading, maybe it doesn't work with Google Photos?

My concern now is with "loopback". I don't understand it yet but by the note in the ArtNet documentation it says the node shouldn't be on the same address as the PC. I tried to set the output to the 127.0.0.0 but it doesn't detect the node.

Are these settings good? It does work....

Note: Do not set the output IP address with the same IP address of your transmitting node (e.g. the PC where QLC+ is running) as it is just wrong and can cause a network loop. If you need to communicate with an ArtNet node running in the same machine where QLC+ is running, use the loopback device instead (127.0.0.1).

You have a separate Artnet Node (not running in the same machine), just ignore this.

This only applies when you have an Artnet Extension Card in (one of the slots of) your PC. I personaly have never seen such a card, tried to google for "PCIE Artnet Card" but without result, maybe it is something typical for a Raspbery Pi.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/rdMJJWH5-ys[/youtube]

Maybe my guess was right

MichelSliepenbeek wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 8:56 pm

Note: Do not set the output IP address with the same IP address of your transmitting node (e.g. the PC where QLC+ is running) as it is just wrong and can cause a network loop. If you need to communicate with an ArtNet node running in the same machine where QLC+ is running, use the loopback device instead (127.0.0.1).

You have a separate Artnet Node (not running in the same machine), just ignore this.

This only applies when you have an Artnet Extension Card in (one of the slots of) your PC. I personaly have never seen such a card, tried to google for "PCIE Artnet Card" but without result, maybe it is something typical for a Raspbery Pi.

THANK YOU! I thought it meant a node connected directly to the PC.

As for the original topic, sorry... it's working and I'm not in a hurry to touch anything. It's probably 100% my fault though as I was changing settings and moving sliders on the fly trying to figure it out. I'm sure I did something backwards. If I ever see the behavior again I'll remember to save and grab the workspace file.

127.0.0.1 is a TCP/IP loopback address. It has nothing to do with QLC+ loopback. This is called a loopback address because it always refers to the pc you are on, regardless of the operating system. Every PC, Mac and Linux machine will respond LOCALLY to that address.