Q Light Controller+

So I've got QLC+ running on my Raspberry Pi and I'm very impressed. In my test setup I'm using it to control a bunch of LED strips in a home theatre, as an automation test.

The only thing I find a little cumbersome is editing the project file. Unless you do it on the RPi itself (which because of its performance is pretty cumberson, and also means you have to plug in an external screen) the only other way of doing it is to work on QLC+ on my PC and then send the project file across via the web interface (Which works remarkably well). The disadvantage of this is that you have to also plug the PC into the USB Pro to get control of the lights so you can see what you're plotting.

It would be great if there was a way of setting the Raspberry Pi QLC+ as an interface on the PC, so QLC+ on the PC is talking directly to the USB Pro via the Raspberry Pi. Does that make sense? I guess it would be something like setting up the PC QLC+ to send data out on ArtNet, and then having the QLC+ on Raspberry Pi receiving the DMX data via Artnet and sending it out on the USB Pro.

Then updating lighting plots would be a simple matter of loading up the PC, loading up the project file, connecting it to the RPi on the same network, and doing the changes. Then sending the updated project file back across to the Pi.

Hello to you,
yes, the IO configuration difference is something that has not been fully addressed yet.

Basically the idea is to entirely design a project on the PC and then transfer it to the Pi when it's completed, keeping the same IO setup.

Otherwise you can just copy and paste the IO right before sending the project to the Pi.
The XML section you are interested in is at the beginning of the project file and it's within the tags:

...


Just use a simple text editor and change ONLY that part.

There would be a third solution, more techy, using the WEB API:
http://www.qlcplus.org/Test_Web_API.html
Basically you can create a simple HTML page with the JavaScript code to set the IO you want and attach the code to a HTML button.
So, load the project via web, push the "config button" and you're done.

Oh, by the way, what you asked is already possible:

- set the PC to send data via ArtNet
- set the RPi to receive data on the same ArtNet universe and set the output to your DMX USB device
- !! tick the "passthrough" check box so data will be forwarded from one protocol to the other !!

Oh I thought it must have been possible! But it's not working for me. I think I've set it up as you said:

... and here are the settings on the RPi

I see. Please try this:
- power up the Pi and enter the web interface. Do not load any project
- go to settings and set ArtNet to DMX USB in passthrough
- reboot

If it doesn't work, then there is indeed something wrong in the plugins connections. I will have some time during the weekend to look at this

Yup that fixed it! Wow it runs perfectly! Next to no latency even over wifi.

OK but yes the problem comes back when you load up a project. I think there is something wrong with the Passthrough setting not remaining checked after a reboot, even if you save the current file as the autostart.
In my case it seems like it would be better if the in/out WASN'T carried in the project file, and just stayed constant on the RPi, as it isn't the same settings as the PC anyway, but I can see how that may not be helpful for other people's setups. Maybe that should be an option? To be able to override whatever settings come in on a loaded project?

Interestingly, I think that the 'solo frame' bug with the web interface only happens when you first load up a project. After a reboot autostarting back into the project the solo frame responds properly.

To clarify the earlier bug, it appears that these two things create the problem:

1) Passthrough mode doesn't activate when selected, only on reboot of the RPi
2) The Selected passthrough setting isn't remembered when autostartingup with a project - it only remembers it if there is no autostartup selected.