ADVATEK LIGHTING PixLite A4-S Mk3 User manual

www.advateklights.com PixLite A4-S Mk3 User Manual V211013
PixLite A4-S Mk3 User Manual

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www.advateklights.com PixLite A4-S Mk3 User Manual V211013
1 - Table of Contents
1 - Table of Contents 2
2 - Introduction 4
2.1 - Management &Configuration 4
3 - Safety Notes 5
4 - Physical Installation 6
4.1 - Wall Mount 6
4.2 - DIN Rail Mount 7
5 - Electrical Connections 10
5.1 - Supplying Power 10
5.2 - Smart Electronic Fuses & Power Injection 10
5.3 - Control Data 11
5.4 - Connecting Pixel LEDs 12
5.5 - Expanded Mode 13
6 - Network Configuration 14
6.1 - Network Layout Options 14
6.2 - IGMPSnooping 15
6.3 - Dual Gigabit Ports 15
6.4 - IPAddressing 16
6.4.1 - DHCP 16
6.4.2 - AutoIP 16
6.4.3 - Static IP 17
6.4.4 - Factory IPAddress 17
7 - Operation 19
7.1 - Start-up 19
7.2 - Sending Ethernet Data 19
7.3 - Pixel Outputs 19
7.4 - Aux Port 20
7.5 - Button Actions 20
7.6 - Hardware Test Pattern 21
7.7 - Operating Refresh Rates 22

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8 - Firmware Updates 23
8.1 - Updating via the Management Interface 23
9 - Specifications 24
9.1 - Derating 24
9.2 - Operating Specifications 25
9.2.1 - Power 25
9.2.2 - Thermal 25
9.3 - Physical Specifications 25
9.4 - Electrical Fault Protection 26
10 - Troubleshooting 27
10.1 - LEDCodes 27
10.2 - Statistical Monitoring 29
10.3 - Solutions for Common Issues 29
10.4 - Other Issues 29
10.5 - Reset to Factory Defaults 30
11 - Disclaimer 31

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2 - Introduction
This is the user manual for the PixLite A4-S Mk3 pixel controller. The PixLite A4-S Mk3 is
a powerful pixel LED controller built upon Advatek’s 3rd generation PixLite Mk3
processor. At its core, the controller converts sACN, Art-Net and DMX512 protocols
from lighting consoles, media servers or computer lighting software into various pixel
LEDprotocols. With the PixLite Mk3 processor, the PixLite A4-S Mk3 brings powerful
operational functionality and advanced management platforms.
2.1 - Management &Configuration
This manual covers physical aspects of the PixLite A4- S Mk3 controller and its
essential setup steps only. Detailed information about its configuration options can
be found in the ‘PixLite Mk3 Management Guide’.
Configuration, management, and monitoring of this device can be performed either
via the web-based Management Interface or using Advatek Assistant 3*. To access
the interface, open any web browser and navigate to the IP address of the device.
*At the time of writing this user manual, Advatek Assistant 3 has not been released. The method to
manage the device is via the Management Interface only at this stage.
Figure 1: Management Interface Home Page
Other manuals and the PixLite Mk3 Management Guide may be downloaded from:
www.advateklights.com/downloads

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3 - Safety Notes
This LEDpixel controller should be installed by someone with proper technical
knowledge only. Installation of the device should not be attempted without such
knowledge.
The pixel output connectors shall be used for pixel output connection only.
Completely disconnect the supply source during abnormal operation and before
making any other connections to the device.
Specification and certification markings are located on the side of the device.
The bottom of the enclosure is a heat sink which can become hot.

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4 - Physical Installation
4.1 - Wall Mount
Assemble the unit onto the wall / ceiling using four screws of a type suitable for the
mounting surface (not supplied). The screws should be a pan head type, 3mm in
thread diameter and at least 15mm long, as shown in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2: Controller Assembled to Wall

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4.2 - DIN Rail Mount
The controller can be mounted to a DIN rail using the optional mounting kit (part
number MNT0102).
1. Align the controller's mounting holes with the outermost mounting holes on
each bracket. Using the four supplied M3, 12mm long screws, assemble the
controller to the mounting brackets, as shown in Figure 3 below.
Figure 3: Controller Assembled to Bracket

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2. Align the lower edge of the bracket with the lower edge of the DIN rail (1), and
push the controller down so it clicks onto the DIN rail (2), as shown in Figure 4
below.
Figure 4: Controller Assembled to DIN Rail

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3. To remove the controller from the DIN rail, pull the controller horizontally,
toward its power connector (1) and rotate the controller up and off the rail
(2), as shown in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5: Removal of Controller from DIN Rail

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5 - Electrical Connections
5.1 - Supplying Power
Power is applied to the PixLite A4-S Mk3 via the large lever clamp connector. The
levers should be lifted up for wire insertion and then clamped back down, providing a
highly robust and secure connection. Ensure the wire’s insulation is stripped back 11-
12mm, so that the clamp does not rest on the insulation when closing the connector.
Polarity for the connector is clearly marked on the top surface, as shown in Figure 6
below. The type of wire required for supply connection is 4.0mm2, 10AWG, VW-1.
Refer to Section 9.2 for operating specifications for powering this device.
Note: It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the power supply used matches the
voltage of the pixel fixture they are using and that it can supply the correct amount of
power/current.
Figure 6: Location of Power Input
5.2 - Smart Electronic Fuses & Power Injection
Each of the 4 pixel outputs are protected by a Smart Electronic Fuse. The functionality
of this fuse type is similar to a physical fuse, where the fuse will trip if the current goes
above a specified value, however with smart electronic fusing, the fuse does not

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require a physical replacement when it is tripped. Instead, the internal circuitry and
processor is able to automatically re-enable the output power.
The status of these fuses can be read via the Advatek Management Interface, as well
as live measurements of the current that is being drawn from each pixel output.
If any of the fuses trip, the user might need to resolve any physical faults with the
connected load, and the smart electronic fuses will automatically re-enable power
output.
Each of the fuses on the PixLite A4-S Mk3 have a tripping point of 7A.
The number of pixels that can be physically powered through this device may not be
as high as the amount of pixel control data that is being output. There is no definitive
rule as to how many pixels can be powered from the controller, as it depends on the
type of pixel. You need to consider if your pixel load will draw more than 7A of current
and whether there will be too much voltage drop in the pixel load for it to only be
powered from one end. If you need to “inject power” we recommend bypassing the
controller’s power output pins entirely.
5.3 - Control Data
Ethernet data is connected via a standard network cable into either of the RJ45
Ethernet ports located on the front side of the unit, as shown in Figure 7 below.
Figure 7: Position of Ethernet

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5.4 - Connecting Pixel LEDs
A high level wiring diagram for connecting pixel LEDs to a PixLite A4-S Mk3 is shown in
Figure 8 below. Refer to Section 7.3 for the specific capacity of a pixel output.
Figure 8: Pixel Set up
The pixel lights are connected directly via the 4 pluggable screw terminal connectors
on the rear of the unit. Each connector is labelled with its output channel number (1-
4) which is clearly marked on the top surface. Simply wire your lights into each screw
terminal and then plug them into the mating sockets.
The cable length between the output and the first pixel should not exceed 15m.
Figure 9 shows the pin-out of the pixel output connectors.
Figure 9: Pixel Output Pinout - Expanded Mode Disabled

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5.5 - Expanded Mode
If your pixels do not have a clock line, you may optionally activate expanded mode on
the controller, via the Management Interface. In expanded mode, the clock lines are
used as data lines instead. This means the controller effectively has twice as many
pixel outputs (8), but half as many pixels per output can be run.
Compared to pixels with a clock line, pixels that only use a data line have the
potential to lower the maximum achievable refresh rate in a pixel system. If a pixel
system is using data-only pixels, then the refresh rates will typically be improved by
using expanded mode. Enabling expanded mode allows for twice as many data
outputs, so the same number of pixels can be spread out over these outputs,
resulting in a large improvement to refresh rate. This becomes more important as the
number of pixels per output increases.
The pinout for expanded mode is shown in Figure 10 below.
Note: Mapping of these pixel outputs in the Management Interface will appear as
follows:
lManagement Interface Output 1:Pixel output 1 - Data 1,
lManagement Interface Output 2:Pixel output 1 - Data 2,
lManagement Interface Output 3:Pixel output 2 - Data 1,
lManagement Interface Output 4:Pixel output 2 - Data 2, etc.
Figure 10: Pixel Output Pinout - Expanded Mode Enabled

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6 - Network Configuration
6.1 - Network Layout Options
Figure 11: Network Layout using a Switch and Router
Figure 11 shows a typical network topology for the PixLite A4-S Mk3. Daisy-chaining
PixLite devices and redundant network loops are both explained in Section 6.3.
The Lighting Control Device could be any source of Ethernet data - e.g. desktop PC,
laptop, lighting console, or media server.
Having a router on the network is not mandatory but is useful for IP address
management with DHCP (see Section 6.4.1).

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Figure 12: Network Layout Without a Switch/Router
The controller can alternatively be connected directly to the host machine, as shown
in Figure 12. A crossover cable is not required in this case, but it may be used if
desired.
The controller(s) can be integrated straight into any pre-existing LAN such as your
media, home or office network, the above diagrams are only provided as examples.
6.2 - IGMPSnooping
Traditionally when multicasting a large number of universes, IGMPSnooping is
required to ensure that the pixel controller is not overwhelmed with irrelevant data.
However, the PixLite A4-S Mk3 is equipped with a Universe Data Hardware Firewall,
which filters out irrelevant incoming data, removing the need for IGMPSnooping.
6.3 - Dual Gigabit Ports
The two Ethernet ports are industry standard gigabit switching ports, so any network
device can be connected to either port. A common purpose for the two is to daisy-
chain PixLite Mk3 devices from the one network source, simplifying cable runs. The
combination of the speed of these ports and the included Universe Data Hardware
Firewall means that latency caused by daisy-chaining is practically negligible. For
any practical installation, an unlimited number of PixLite Mk3 devices can be daisy-
chained together.
A redundant network cable can be connected between the final Ethernet port in a
chain of PixLite Mk3 devices and a network switch. Since this will create a network
loop, it is important that the network switches being used support Spanning Tree
Protocol (STP), or one of its variants such as RSTP. STP will then allow this redundant
loop to be automatically managed by the network switch. Most high-quality network
switches have a version of STP built in and the configuration required is either none or

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minimal. Consult the vendor or documentation of your network switches for further
information.
Another use case for the second Ethernet port is to connect a third-party network
device, like a laptop or a server, to the end of a chain of PixLite Mk3 devices. A PixLite
device with only a single Ethernet port could also be connected to the end of a chain
of PixLite Mk3 devices.
6.4 - IPAddressing
6.4.1 - DHCP
Routers typically have an internal DHCP server, which means they can assign an IP
address to a connected device, if requested.
DHCP is always enabled by default on this device, so it can immediately connect to
any existing network with a router / DHCP Server. If the controller is in DHCP mode and
is not assigned an IP address by a DHCP server, it will assign itself an IP address with
Automatic IP Addressing, as explained in Section 6.4.2 below.
6.4.2 - AutoIP
When this device has DHCP enabled (factory default), there is also functionality for it
to be operational on networks without a DHCP server, via the AutoIP mechanism.
When no DHCP address is being offered to this device it will generate a random IP
address in the range of 169.254.X.Y that does not conflict with any other devices on
the network. The benefit of AutoIP is that communication can happen between the
device and any other compatible network device, without the need for a DHCP server
or pre-configured Static IP addressing.
This then means that connecting a PixLite A4-S Mk3 directly to a PC typically does not
require any IP address configuration - communication will be possible because both
devices would generate their own valid AutoIP.
While the device has an AutoIP address in use, it continues searching for a DHCP
address in the background. If one becomes available, it will switch to the DHCP
address instead of the AutoIP.

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6.4.3 - Static IP
In many typical lighting networks that this device would operate in, it’s common for
the installer to manually manage a set of IP addresses, instead of relying on DHCP or
AutoIP. This is referred to as static network addressing.
When allocating a static address, the IP address and the subnet mask both define the
subnet that the device is operating on. You need to ensure that other devices that
need to communicate with this device are on the same subnet. Therefore they should
have the same subnet mask and a similar but unique IP address.
When setting static network settings, the Gateway address can be set to 0.0.0.0 if it is
not required. If communication between the device and other VLANs is required, the
Gateway address should be configured and will typically be the IP address of the
router.
Note: You may not assign a static IP address equal to the Factory IP address
(192.168.0.50).
6.4.4 - Factory IPAddress
When you are not sure what IP address the device is using, you can force it to use a
known IP address (referred to as the Factory IP). This is particularly useful for first time
access of the device, without requiring Advatek Assistant 3.
To activate the Factory IP and establish communication with the device:
1. While the controller is running, hold down the "Reset" button for 2 seconds.
2. Release the button.
3. The controller will immediately restart its application with the following
factory default network settings:
IPAddress: 192.168.0.50
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address: 0.0.0.0
4. Configure your PC with compatible network settings. If you are not sure, you
can try the following example settings:
IPAddress: 192.168.0.49
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address: 0.0.0.0

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5. You should now be able to access the device’s Management Interface by
browsing to 192.168.0.50 in your web browser.
After establishing a connection to the device, make sure to configure the IP address
settings for future communication and save the configuration.
Note: The Factory IP is only a temporary setting used to regain connectivity to the
device. When the device is reset (powered off and on again), the IP address settings
will revert to what is configured in the device.

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7 - Operation
7.1 - Start-up
Upon applying power, the controller will quickly begin outputting data to the pixels. If
no data is being sent to the controller, then the pixels will remain turned off until valid
data is received. During normal operation, the multi color status LEDwill be flashing
green to indicate the controller is running and outputting any received data to the
pixels.
7.2 - Sending Ethernet Data
Input data is sent from the control PC/server/lighting console to the controller via
Ethernet using a “DMX over IP” protocol such as sACN (E1.31) or Art-Net. This device will
accept Art-Net or sACN data on either Ethernet port.
Sync modes are supported for both Art-Net and sACN. To learn more, refer to the
technical note on synchronous mode here:
www.advateklights.com/knowledge-base
Details of incoming and outgoing packets can be viewed in the Management
Interface.
7.3 - Pixel Outputs
Each of the 4 pixel outputs on the PixLite A4-S Mk3 can drive up to 6 universes of data.
This allows for a total of up to 24 universes of pixel data to be driven out of the one
controller. The number of pixels that can be driven per pixel output will depend on the
configuration, as shown in the table below.
Expanded Mode Disabled Enabled
Color Type RGB RGBW RGB RGBW
Max Pixels per Output 1020 768 510 384
Max Total Pixels 4080 3072 4080 3072
The PixLite must be configured before it can correctly output pixel data. Refer to the
PixLite Mk3 Management Guide for how to configure and patch your pixel outputs.

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7.4 - Aux Port
The PixLite A4-S Mk3 has 1 multipurpose auxiliary (Aux) port that can be used for
DMX512 communication using RS485 electrical signals. It is capable of outputting
DMX512 to other devices or receiving DMX512 from another source.
Configure the Aux port to DMX512 Output to allow conversion of a single universe of
incoming sACN or Art-Net data to the DMX512 protocol. This then allows any DMX512
device(s) to be connected to this port and effectively be controllable over Ethernet.
Configure the Aux port to DMX512 Input to allow the PixLite to be driven by an external
source of DMX512 control. Whilst this is limited to only a single universe of data, the
PixLite can use DMX512 as its source of pixel data for situations where a DMX512
control system is required to be used instead of Ethernet-based data.
The Aux port connector is located on the front side of the unit as shown in Figure 13
below.
Figure 13: Location and Pinout of the Aux Port
7.5 - Button Actions
The 'Test' and 'Reset' buttons can be used to perform various operations, as listed
below.