Wiring & Cable Runs

This page documents cable run constraints, SmartReceiver placement and topology, per-zone connector assignments, universe assignments, and hardware recommendations. It is the working reference for planning and executing the playa installation.

Cable Run Limits

F48V5 → SmartReceiver (Cat6 differential)

Working limit: 90m (300 ft)

The Falcon differential system uses RS-485-style differential signaling over Cat6. Falcon rates the SmartReceiver connection at 300+ feet; standard Cat6 spec is 100m.

For the Gothic Folly: The structure is ~20m across at most. Even the longest diagonal run from a ground-level controller to a high-corner SR is well under 30m. This is not a constraint. The F48V5 can be located wherever is convenient and reach any SR on the scaffold with margin to spare.

SmartReceiver → LED strip first pixel (data wire)

This is the critical placement constraint.

Distance Verdict
≤5m Reliable without special measures
5–10m Works with AWG18 or heavier + doubled ground return
>10m Signal degradation — need null pixels or signal booster

Key insight: Ground wire gauge matters more than data wire gauge. Voltage drop on the return path is what kills the signal at distance. On 4-core cable, use the spare 4th wire as a doubled ground.

24V note: Higher voltage helps power delivery along the strip but the data signal is still TTL-level (5V logic) regardless of strip voltage. Data signal distance limits are the same as for 12V WS2811.

Null pixels: A null pixel is a dummy addressable pixel inserted in the data line to act as a signal repeater — it regenerates the data signal before it continues to the strip. Use them when a run must exceed 10m.

Why this limit only applies to the first pixel: WS2811/WS2815 ICs regenerate the data signal at every pixel — each IC receives the signal, processes its own data, and retransmits the remainder fresh to the next IC. The 5m constraint is only on the passive wire from the SmartReceiver output to the strip’s first pixel — that wire has no amplification.

For the Gothic Folly: SRs must be mounted on the scaffold, close to the strips — not at ground level. Since arch strips and spire strings reach up to ~14m, a ground-level SR would require 10m+ data runs to many strips. Plan weatherproof SR enclosures at height, with ≤5m runs to each strip entry point.

Scaffold-length rule of thumb: Each scaffold box is 1.98m per side and 2.02m diagonally. Wires run along scaffold members, so a 2-scaffold-length run is ~3.96–4.04m — comfortably within the 5m limit. When placing SRs, keep every strip entry point within two scaffold lengths of the SR. This makes placement easy to eyeball on the structure without measuring every run.

Power Wire Sizing — 24V Runs

Voltage drop is the key constraint for 24V power runs. Target: < 1V drop (< 4.2% on 24V) at the strip far end. Formula:

V_drop = Current (A) × 2 × Length (m) × Wire resistance (Ω/m)

Wire resistance (round trip, both conductors):

AWG Ω/m round trip Good for
8 0.0042 High current or long runs
10 0.0066 Medium runs, heavy loads
12 0.0105 General purpose
14 0.0166 Short runs, light loads
16 0.0264 Very short runs only

For a given current and gauge, max run length at 1V drop limit:

Gauge 5A max run 10A max run
AWG 10 30m 15m
AWG 12 19m 9.5m
AWG 14 12m 6m

Dual-End Power Injection — Safety Rule

When a strip needs power at both ends (to avoid voltage sag), the safest approach is to use the same PSU to feed both ends — run two wires from the same supply, one to each end. No risk of PSU conflict since it’s one source.

If two separate PSUs must feed opposite ends of the same continuous strip, the +V line must be cut or left unconnected at the strip’s midpoint. Data and ground lines must remain intact through the midpoint.

Why the cut is required with different PSUs: If +V is continuous and the two PSUs have even a slight voltage difference, current will flow between them through the strip traces, causing heating, noise, or PSU damage. Cutting +V at the midpoint creates two independent power domains while the unbroken data and ground lines keep the pixel signal flowing end-to-end.

Per zone:

  • Major arches: Single continuous strip, foot to foot (data unbroken). Power injected at each foot and at each mid-point (where leg meets curve). Cut V+ at the crown — this is where the two mid-point injection zones would otherwise meet and the PSU feeds could conflict. Data and GND pass through the crown.
  • Minor arches: Single continuous strip from foot to foot over the arch. Single PSU — no V+ cut. Power injected at the right foot (SR end) and at a T-connector at the peak. Data is continuous foot to foot.
  • Rose window: Use the same PSU to feed both ends of each petal. One PSU for Rose Window A (petals 1–8), one PSU for Rose Window B (petals 9–16). Each PSU feeds both the hub (1b) and rim (2a) ends of its 8 petals — no midpoint cut needed.

→ Complete injection point reference: For every zone’s injection points with SR connector IDs and voltages, see Power — Power injection points.

Main Arch Power Architecture

Each main arch is a single continuous strip running from foot to foot (data line unbroken through the entire arch). Power is injected at multiple points along the strip:

Section Length
Legs (all 10) 6m each
Arch A curve halves 6m each
Arch B & C curve halves 5.5m each
Arch D & E curve halves 5.0m each

Strategy: one PSU per foot, each serving its own leg + curve half.

  • PSU sits at the foot of each arch leg (ground level — no 120V on scaffold)
  • Directly injects power into the foot of the strip
  • Runs a single AWG 14 wire 6m up the straight leg to inject at the mid-point junction
  • The curve half (5–6m) is thus powered from both mid-points simultaneously — current meets at the crown

Why mid-points, not the crown:

  • Wire run is only 6m (straight leg), not 20m up and over the arch
  • The mid-point is a natural injection point — this is where the straight leg meets the curve
  • V+ must be cut at the arch peak/crown — this is where current from both mid-point injections would otherwise meet and the two PSU feeds could conflict. Data and GND pass through the crown uncut. See the Dual-End Power Injection rule above.
  • Shorter, lighter wire (AWG 14 vs AWG 8 needed for a full-arch run)
  • No wires cross the entrance between the arch feet; no wires run over the arch at all

Current and PSU sizing per foot:

Arch Leg + curve half Current at full white PSU spec
A 6m + 6m = 12m 7.2A 24V/10A (240W)
B & C 6m + 5.5m = 11.5m 6.9A 24V/10A (240W)
D & E 6m + 5.0m = 11m 6.6A 24V/10A (240W)

Wire drop (AWG 14, 6m leg run, 3.6A): 3.6A × 0.0166 × 6m = 0.36V ✅

Crown injection: Not required for normal show operation (30–50% brightness). At full white, there may be slight voltage sag at the crown (~5–6m from each mid-point through strip traces), but 24V headroom makes this tolerable. A crown tap can be added later if needed.

Total for main arches: 10 PSUs (2 per arch × 5 arches), all at ground level.
Recommended PSU: Mean Well LRS-350-24 (24V, 14.6A, 350W) — provides headroom above the 7.2A max draw and is a standard, reliable unit. ~$35–45 each.

Rose Window — Power Injection (tested 2026-06-25)

Power injection required at BOTH ends of every 9m petal strip. Tested a petal with power connected only at one end: the strip began failing noticeably past the halfway point at higher brightnesses, especially with warm white colors (which draw more current than cooler colors at the same brightness setting).

  • 12V strips at ~5A full white — voltage drop over 9m of strip traces is significant enough to cause visible failure midway
  • Fix: inject 12V at both the strip entry end (near 1b hub) and the strip tail end (near the 2a rim), so current meets in the middle
  • This was confirmed empirically — not optional
  • Use the same PSU for both ends of each petal — one PSU for Rose Window A (petals 1–8), one for Rose Window B (petals 9–16). Each PSU feeds both the hub (1b) and rim (2a) injection points for its 8 petals. No midpoint cut needed since it’s the same source. See Dual-End Power Injection rule above.

SmartReceiver Power Constraint

All Falcon SmartReceivers (SRx1 V5, SRx4 V4) accept 5–13V input only — not 24V.

Zone Strip voltage SR power solution
Rose window 12V Direct from 12V WS2815 PSU ✅
All 24V zones (arches, spires, canopy, spirelets) 24V Buck converter (24V→12V, ~$5–10) at each SR enclosure

Recommended: mount a small step-down buck converter inside each SR enclosure, tapping 24V from the strip PSU already at that location. No extra cable runs needed.

Power vs. Data Architecture — 24V Strips

The SR output has 3 wires: GND, Data, and +V. For 24V strips, the SR’s +V pin is at the SR’s input voltage (12V via buck converter) — far too low to power LEDs that need 24V across 6 LEDs in series. So power and data arrive at each strip from two separate sources:

Wire Source
V+ (24V) PSU — direct, bypasses the SR entirely
GND Shared — PSU and SR share a common ground
Data SR output

In practice at each SR enclosure:

  1. 24V PSU feed arrives
  2. Buck converter steps 24V → 12V to power the SR
  3. SR outputs GND + Data to the strip; the SR’s +V pin is unused for 24V strips
  4. 24V also runs directly to each strip’s V+ lead

Connector implication: Each xConnect pigtail has 3 wires (V+, GND, Data), but they come from two sources. The enclosure or junction point must combine the 24V V+ from the PSU with the GND and Data from the SR before they reach the strip connector.

Data signal voltage — no level shifter needed: The WS2811 IC uses 5V logic for its data input regardless of strip supply voltage. The 24V only powers the LEDs; the WS2811 internally regulates down to 5V for its logic. The Falcon SRs (powered at 12V via buck converter) output a 5V data signal — exactly what the WS2811 expects (VIH min = 3.5V). No level shifter is required between SR and 24V WS2811 strips.

This only holds for the Falcon SRs, which output a 5V data signal. Any 3.3V-logic source (e.g. a bare ESP32) sits below the 3.5V VIH minimum and would need a 74AHCT1G14 level shifter. SR → strip: no shifter needed.

SR Architecture — Ports, Sub-addresses, and Chaining

The fundamental unit: 4 ports per Cat6

Each Cat6 cable from the F48V5 carries 4 ports of pixel data. The F48V5 has 48 ports total, so it has 12 Cat6 differential outputs (ports 1–4, 5–8, 9–12 … 45–48).

Note: The F48V5 also has 4 onboard strand connectors. These are ports 1–4 and mirror the first Cat6 socket — they carry the same data. Useful if something is close enough to wire directly to the controller, but ports 1–4 can only be used once (onboard connectors OR the Cat6 socket, not both independently).

How SRs break out those 4 ports into strand connectors

SmartReceivers receive the 4 ports from the Cat6 and expose them as physical strand connectors. The A/B/C/D letter is a sub-address that multiplies the number of physical connectors per port:

SR model Strand connectors How it works
SRx1 4 (1A 2A 3A 4A) 4 ports × 1 = 4 connectors
SRx2 8 (1A 2A 3A 4A + 1B 2B 3B 4B) 4 ports × 2 = 8 connectors
SRx4 16 (1A–4A + 1B–4B + 1C–4C + 1D–4D) 4 ports × 4 = 16 connectors

The SRx2 and SRx4 are single units that internally handle the sub-addressing. The port numbers stay the same across A/B/C/D — what changes is which physical connector the port’s data flows to.

Reference: Falcon SR port numbering — YouTube

Chaining SRx1s

You can chain SRx1s by running a Cat6 from one SR’s output to the next SR’s input. The same 4 ports travel down the chain, but each SR in the chain is set to a different letter (via its dial), so each gets its own unique set of strand connectors:

F48V5 ──Cat6──► SRx1 (dial A): 1A 2A 3A 4A
                    └──Cat6──► SRx1 (dial B): 1B 2B 3B 4B
                                   └──Cat6──► SRx1 (dial C): 1C 2C 3C 4C
                                                  └──Cat6──► SRx1 (dial D): 1D 2D 3D 4D

A chain of 4× SRx1s is functionally equivalent to one SRx4 — 16 independent strand connectors from the same 4 ports — but distributed across multiple physical locations on the scaffold.

Reference: Falcon SRx1 chaining — YouTube

Ports vs. Universes

  • Ports are hardware — 48 physical pixel outputs on the F48V5, hard limit. Each Cat6 carries 4.
  • Universes are software — sACN/E1.31 protocol constructs, 510 channels (170 RGB pixels) each. Many universes can map to one port (for long strings), or multiple ports can share a universe (for short strings). Universe count is not constrained by port count.

xLights controller configuration

Port assignments, sub-addresses, and universe mappings must be configured in xLights under the controller setup. This needs to be done once SR placement and topology are decided. Until then, xLights sequences are built against universe/channel assignments only — the port config is a separate layer that maps those universes to physical hardware.

SR Placement Principles

  1. SRs live on the scaffold, within 5m of the strips they serve — not at ground level
  2. Cat6 from F48V5 runs long — don’t let Cat6 routing constrain SR placement
  3. Group strips by proximity — SRx4 (16 outputs) for dense clusters; SRx1 (4 outputs) for small or isolated zones
  4. Each SR needs a 12V source — buck converter off local 24V PSU, or dedicated 12V feed
  5. Weatherproof enclosures required — SRs mounted at height on the scaffold will be exposed to playa dust and weather

SRx4 Connector Layout

The SRx4 has 4 physical groups labeled ID, ID+1, ID+2, ID+3 on the board. Each group has 4 connectors numbered 1–4. The ID Selection dial sets the sub-address letter.

Key: Each GROUP holds one connector from each of the 4 incoming ports. Each PORT COLUMN holds 4 connectors (one across each group), all driven by that port’s pixel data stream sequentially.

Example: ports 5–8 arriving on Cat6, ID dial set to B:

              Port 5    Port 6    Port 7    Port 8
Group B:        5B        6B        7B        8B
Group B+1:     5B+1     6B+1     7B+1     8B+1
Group B+2:     5B+2     6B+2     7B+2     8B+2
Group B+3:     5B+3     6B+3     7B+3     8B+3

Each port has one independent universe/channel assignment. The 4 connectors in that port column divide that stream into sequential sub-strands.

An SRx4 = 4 ports × 4 strands per port = 16 total strand connectors.

Chaining note: Chained SRs on the same Cat6 share the same 4 ports. Each SR in the chain extends the strand count per port at a different ID dial setting. All SRs on one Cat6 access the same 4 ports — not a different set.

Tower Smart Receiver Topology

Directional convention

All left/right/front/back references use the viewer’s frame: standing outside the cathedral, looking at the rose window. Front = rose window face. Right = your right.

One Cat6 per tower, Smart Receivers chained

Each tower uses one Cat6 cable carrying 4 differential ports. All Smart Receivers for that tower are daisy-chained on that single Cat6, each set to a different ID selector so they share the same 4 ports without conflict:

  • Front towers: SRx4 (ID=A) → SRx2 (ID=E, exposes E+F) (restored from SRx1 to feed the lower canopy — #95, front-fed canopy)
  • Back towers: SRx4 (ID=A) → SRx1 (ID=E) → SRx1 (ID=F)

The SRx4 at ID=A provides 16 strand connectors (4 strands per port × 4 ports). Each chained SRx2 or SRx1 extends the strand count per port.

Quad arch SR placement (chained, 2026-07-12): each quad is one data string entering at the front face’s right foot and looping clockwise (Front→Left→Back→Right) back to that corner, so data-out foot meets data-in foot at each corner (~0.46 m jumper). The repurposed SRx1 sits at a corner within ≤6 m data reach of the quad’s front-right corner and both lower spires:

  • Front-right tower: SRx1 at back-right corner of the quad
  • Front-left tower: SRx1 at back-left corner of the quad
  • Back towers: back-bottom quad on the tower SRx1; back-top quad on the spire SRx4’s spare port (16D/20D)

Quad power injection: add an injection point at the arch-feet pairing directly across from the SR — e.g. back towers inject at the back-left corner (opposite the SR). One continuous data string still runs the full loop; power is injected across from the data entry to balance the run.

All-tower F48V5 port summary

Zone Ports Cat6 Smart Receivers
Front-right tower 5–8 1 1× SRx4 + 1× SRx2 (E+F; restored to feed lower canopy, #95)
Front-left tower 9–12 1 1× SRx4 + 1× SRx2 (E+F; restored to feed lower canopy, #95)
Back-left tower 13–16 1 1× SRx4 + 1× SRx1 (2nd SRx1 freed)
Back-right tower 17–20 1 1× SRx4 + 1× SRx1 (2nd SRx1 freed)
4 towers total 16 4 4× SRx4 + 2× SRx2 (front, E+F) + 2× SRx1 (back) — front corners restored SRx1→SRx2 to feed the lower canopy (#95), using the 2 SRx2s freed by the quad chaining

Remaining differential ports: 32 of 48 available for minor arches, major arches, rose window, and future zones.

F48V5 location and Cat6 routing

The Falcon F48V5 controller lives near the bottom of the front-right tower.

Destination Route Co-routed with
Front-right tower Direct — controller is here —
Front-left tower Along support wire between the two front towers 2 Cat6 cables share this support wire
Minor arches — left side Up front-right tower, across support wire, down front-left tower to SRx2 at arch 3 2 Cat6 cables share this support wire
Back-right tower Along rightmost canopy line (straight across at same level) Canopy run
Back-left tower Along diagonal canopy line from front-right tower to back-left tower Canopy run

SR Connector Assignments — All Zones

SR count summary — 15 units total (rose window went 1× SRx4 → 4× SRx1, 2026-07-13)

Zone SR Count
4 towers — spires, spirelets, canopy + chained quads (back-top on the SRx4’s spare port 16D/20D) SRx4 4
Rose window — one petal per dedicated port (ports 33–48) SRx1 4
2 front tower corners — chained quad + lower spirelets + wash + lower canopy (#95) SRx2 2
2 back tower corners — chained back-bottom quad + spare SRx1 2
Minor arches — left side SRx2 1
Minor arches — right side SRx2 1
Major arches SRx2 1
Total   15

By type: SRx4 ×4 (towers), SRx1 ×6 (4 rose window + 2 back tower corners), SRx2 ×5 (3 arches + 2 front tower corners). The rose window’s former SRx4 is freed (see the rose-window per-output cap note below).

Chaining savings (2026-07-12, issue #76): each quad is now one string on one output, so back-top quads fold onto the spire SRx4’s spare port and each back tower needs just one SRx1. This freed 2× SRx2 (front-tower quad SRx2s) and 2× SRx1 (back-tower second SRx1s). Update (#95, 2026-07-15): the 2× SRx2 go back to the front tower corners (E+F) to feed the lower canopy on their F sub-address; the 2× SRx1 remain spare.

Ordered: 7× SRx4, 7× SRx2, 6× SRx1. Need now: 5× SRx4, 3× SRx2, 4× SRx1 → comfortable spares of every type.

Port assignments

  • Ports 1–4: reserved — mirror the F48V5 onboard strand connectors; keep free for nearby direct connections
  • Ports 5–8: front-right tower
  • Ports 9–12: front-left tower
  • Ports 13–16: back-left tower
  • Ports 17–20: back-right tower
  • Ports 21–24: minor arches — left side
  • Ports 25–28: minor arches — right side
  • Ports 29–32: major arches
  • Ports 33–48: rose window (4× SRx1, one petal per dedicated port — 16 petals × 517 px each; petals can’t share a 704-px port)

Chaining and ID selector

  • Front towers: SRx4 (ID=A) → SRx2 (ID=E, exposes E+F) (restored from SRx1 to feed the lower canopy — #95, front-fed canopy)
  • Back towers: SRx4 (ID=A) → SRx1 (ID=E) → SRx1 (ID=F)

Connector notation

Full connector ID = <port><letter>, where the letter is the sub-address group:

  • SRx4 (dial A) exposes four groups per port → letters A, B, C, D (e.g. port 5 gives connectors 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D). The letter is the group; earlier docs wrote these as 5A, 5A+1, 5A+2, 5A+3.
  • Chained SRx1s continue the letters down the chain: a repurposed front-tower SRx1 is dial E (5E), and a second chained SRx1 is dial F (13F).
  • An SRx1’s four connectors map one-to-one to its four ports and share a single dial letter, so there’s no separate group — the tables show - in the Group column for SRx1 rows.

Quad arch face order: clockwise from front

Starting from the arch face pointing toward the viewer (rose window side), going clockwise from above:

  1. Front (facing audience), 2. Left, 3. Back, 4. Right

Tower re-architecture (2026-07-12, issue #76): quads are now chained (each quad = ONE data string on ONE SR output — Front→Left→Back→Right, pixel 0 = front right foot). Front towers swap their SRx2 for a repurposed SRx1 at the quad corner (quad + lower spirelets + wash); the SRx2s become spares. Back-top quads move onto the spire SRx4’s spare port (16D/20D). Towers relocated u17–u38 → u50–u75.

Reading connector IDs for installers: connector 5E → box SR 5-8 (E), connector No. 1. Connector 16D → box SR 13-16 (A), group ID+3, connector No. 4. Box = SR <first>-<last> (<dial letter>); the Conn No. and Group columns below are the installer’s connector number and board group.

Front-Right Tower — ports 5–8

SR 5-8-A: SRx4 at spire base · installer box: SR 5-8 (A)

Drives all 8 spire globe strings and the 4 upper corner spirelets. Port 8 group is spare.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
5A ID 1 Spire strand 1 — back-most strand u50 1 13
5B ID+1 1 Spire strand 2 u50 40 13
5C ID+2 1 Spire strand 3 u50 79 13
5D ID+3 1 Spire strand 4 u50 118 13
6A ID 2 Spire strand 5 u53 1 13
6B ID+1 2 Spire strand 6 u53 40 13
6C ID+2 2 Spire strand 7 u53 79 13
6D ID+3 2 Spire strand 8 u53 118 13
7A ID 3 Spirelet FR-1 (upper, front, right) u54 1 1
7B ID+1 3 Spirelet FR-2 (upper, front, left) u54 4 1
7C ID+2 3 Spirelet FR-3 (upper, back, left) u54 7 1
7D ID+3 3 Spirelet FR-4 (upper, back, right) u54 10 1
8A / 8B / 8C / 8D ID..ID+3 4 SPARE — — —

SR 5-8-E: SRx1 at back-right corner of front-top-right quad · installer box: SR 5-8 (E)

Repurposed SRx1 (was an SRx2). Carries the chained quad + the two lower spirelets + a reserved wash connector.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
5E - 1 CHAINED QUAD front-top-right (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R, pixel 0 = front right foot) u50 157 340
6E - 2 Spirelet FR-6 (lower, front, right) u53 157 1
7E - 3 Spirelet FR-5 (lower, back, right) u54 13 1
8E - 4 Wash floods (reserved) u55 1 —

Chained quad 5E spans u50 ch157 → u51 ch409 → u52 (340px). Faces within: front (u50 ch157, 84px) → left (u50 ch409, 86px) → back (u51 ch157, 84px) → right (u51 ch409, 86px).

Port totals (FR tower, ports 5–8 → u50–u55): p5 = spire strands 1–4 + the chained quad (392px, spans u50–u52); p6 = spire 5–8 + spirelet FR-6 (u53); p7 = spirelets FR-1–5 (u54); p8 = wash, reserved (u55).

Front-Left Tower — ports 9–12

SR 9-12-A: SRx4 at spire base · installer box: SR 9-12 (A)

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
9A ID 1 Spire strand 1 — back-most strand u56 1 13
9B ID+1 1 Spire strand 2 u56 40 13
9C ID+2 1 Spire strand 3 u56 79 13
9D ID+3 1 Spire strand 4 u56 118 13
10A ID 2 Spire strand 5 u59 1 13
10B ID+1 2 Spire strand 6 u59 40 13
10C ID+2 2 Spire strand 7 u59 79 13
10D ID+3 2 Spire strand 8 u59 118 13
11A / 11B ID / ID+1 3 SPARE — — —
11C ID+2 3 Spirelet FL-3 (upper, back, left) u60 1 1
11D ID+3 3 Spirelet FL-4 (upper, back, right) u60 4 1
12A ID 4 Spirelet FL-5 (upper, front, right) u61 1 1
12B ID+1 4 Spirelet FL-6 (upper, front, left) u61 4 1
12C / 12D ID+2 / ID+3 4 SPARE — — —

SR 9-12-E: SRx1 at back-left corner of front-top-left quad · installer box: SR 9-12 (E)

Repurposed SRx1 (was an SRx2). Chained quad + lower spirelets + reserved wash.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
9E - 1 CHAINED QUAD front-top-left (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R, pixel 0 = front right foot) u56 157 340
10E - 2 Spirelet FL-1 (lower, front, left) u59 157 1
11E - 3 Spirelet FL-2 (lower, back, left) u60 7 1
12E - 4 Wash floods (reserved) u61 1 —

Chained quad 9E spans u56 ch157 → u57 ch409 → u58 (340px). Faces: front (u56 ch157) → left (u56 ch409) → back (u57 ch157) → right (u57 ch409).

Back-Left Tower — ports 13–16

SR 13-16-A: SRx4 at spire base · installer box: SR 13-16 (A)

Drives spires, spirelets, and the back-top-left chained quad on its spare port (16D). Canopy moved to the front towers (#95, 2026-07-15) — 16A/B/C are now free.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
13A ID 1 Spire strand 1 — back-most strand u62 1 13
13B ID+1 1 Spire strand 2 u62 40 13
13C ID+2 1 Spire strand 3 u62 79 13
13D ID+3 1 Spire strand 4 u62 118 13
14A ID 2 Spire strand 5 u65 1 13
14B ID+1 2 Spire strand 6 u65 40 13
14C ID+2 2 Spire strand 7 u65 79 13
14D ID+3 2 Spire strand 8 u65 118 13
15A ID 3 Spirelet BL-1 (front, left) u66 1 1
15B ID+1 3 Spirelet BL-2 (back, left) u66 4 1
15C ID+2 3 Spirelet BL-3 (back, right) u66 7 1
15D ID+3 3 Spirelet BL-4 (front, right) u66 10 1
16A / 16B / 16C ID / +1 / +2 4 SPARE — canopy moved to front towers (#95); see runbook ports 8/11/12 — — —
16D ID+3 4 CHAINED QUAD back-top-left (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R) u67 379 176

SR 13-16-E: SRx1 at back-left corner of back-bottom-left quad · installer box: SR 13-16 (E)

The back-bottom quad is now one chained string on 13E; the other three connectors are spare. (The former second SRx1, 13-16-F, is eliminated — freed for the front-tower repurpose.)

Port Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
13E - CHAINED QUAD back-bottom-left (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R) u62 157 332
14E / 15E / 16E - SPARE — — —

Chained quads: 16D back-top spans u67 ch379 → u68 (176px); 13E back-bottom spans u62 ch157 → u64 (332px). Faces within each run F→L→B→R.

Back-Right Tower — ports 17–20

SR 17-20-A: SRx4 at spire base · installer box: SR 17-20 (A)

Mirror of back-left. Spires, spirelets, and the back-top-right chained quad on 20D. Canopy moved to the front towers (#95) — 20A/B/C are now free.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
17A ID 1 Spire strand 1 — back-most strand u69 1 13
17B ID+1 1 Spire strand 2 u69 40 13
17C ID+2 1 Spire strand 3 u69 79 13
17D ID+3 1 Spire strand 4 u69 118 13
18A ID 2 Spire strand 5 u72 1 13
18B ID+1 2 Spire strand 6 u72 40 13
18C ID+2 2 Spire strand 7 u72 79 13
18D ID+3 2 Spire strand 8 u72 118 13
19A ID 3 Spirelet BR-1 (front, left) u73 1 1
19B ID+1 3 Spirelet BR-2 (back, left) u73 4 1
19C ID+2 3 Spirelet BR-3 (back, right) u73 7 1
19D ID+3 3 Spirelet BR-4 (front, right) u73 10 1
20A / 20B / 20C ID / +1 / +2 4 SPARE — canopy moved to front towers (#95); see runbook ports 8/11/12 — — —
20D ID+3 4 CHAINED QUAD back-top-right (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R) u74 379 176

SR 17-20-E: SRx1 at back-left corner of back-bottom-right quad · installer box: SR 17-20 (E)

Back-bottom quad chained on 17E; other connectors spare. (Former second SRx1, 17-20-F, eliminated.)

Port Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
17E - CHAINED QUAD back-bottom-right (all 4 faces, F→L→B→R) u69 157 332
18E / 19E / 20E - SPARE — — —

Chained quads: 20D back-top spans u74 ch379 → u75 (176px); 17E back-bottom spans u69 ch157 → u71 (332px).

Minor Arches — Left Side — ports 21–24

5 arches spanning the left wall, front to back. Each arch is one pixel string; pixel 0 is at the right (inner, center-facing) foot.

Cat6 route: F48V5 → up front-right tower → across support wire between front towers → down front-left tower → SRx2 at right foot of arch 3. Shares the support wire with the front-left tower Cat6.

SR 21-24-A: SRx2 at right foot of minor arch 3

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
21A ID 1 Minor arch 1 — right foot (largest, front-most) u7 1 134
22A ID 2 Minor arch 2 — right foot u9 1 120
23A ID 3 Minor arch 3 — right foot (at SR location) u10 1 108
24A ID 4 Minor arch 4 — right foot u11 1 98
21B ID+1 1 Minor arch 5 — right foot (smallest, back-most) u7 403 90
22B ID+1 2 SPARE — — —
23B ID+1 3 SPARE — — —
24B ID+1 4 SPARE — — —

Port totals: p21=u7–8 (224px — arch 1 at u7 ch1; arch 5 at u7 ch403, spans into u8); p22=u9 (120px); p23=u10 (108px); p24=u11 (98px).

Minor Arches — Right Side — ports 25–28

Same structure as left side: 5 arches, same pixel counts, pixel 0 at right foot.

Cat6 route: F48V5 → short direct run to SRx2 at right foot of arch 3. Co-located with the front-right tower.

SR 25-28-A: SRx2 at right foot of minor arch 3

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
25A ID 1 Minor arch 1 — right foot (largest, front-most) u12 1 134
26A ID 2 Minor arch 2 — right foot u14 1 120
27A ID 3 Minor arch 3 — right foot (at SR location) u15 1 108
28A ID 4 Minor arch 4 — right foot u16 1 98
25B ID+1 1 Minor arch 5 — right foot (smallest, back-most) u12 403 90
26B ID+1 2 SPARE — — —
27B ID+1 3 SPARE — — —
28B ID+1 4 SPARE — — —

Port totals: p25=u12–13 (224px — same spanning pattern as left side); p26=u14 (120px); p27=u15 (108px); p28=u16 (98px).

Major Arches — ports 29–32

5 arches spanning the entrance, front to back. Full resolution (2026-07-12): each arch is now every addressable WS2811 pixel (~216–233 px), not the old 20 grouped “show pixels.” Pixel 0 at right foot. Pixel counts below are provisional pending crown-overshoot measurement.

Cat6 route: F48V5 → short direct run to SRx2 at right foot of arch 3. Arch 3 is co-located with the front-right tower — very short run.

SR 29-32-A: SRx2 at right foot of major arch 3

Each arch now spans two universes (>170 px) and enters at ch 1 of its first universe, flowing across the boundary. Arches relocated to the tail block u39–u48; the old u3–u6 are vacated.

Port Group Conn No. What Univ Start ch Px
29A ID 1 Major arch 1 — right foot (largest, front-most) u39–40 1 233
30A ID 2 Major arch 2 — right foot u41–42 1 229
31A ID 3 Major arch 3 — right foot (at SR location) u43–44 1 223
32A ID 4 Major arch 4 — right foot u45–46 1 219
29B ID+1 1 Major arch 5 — right foot (smallest, back-most) u47–48 1 216
30B ID+1 2 SPARE — — —
31B ID+1 3 SPARE — — —
32B ID+1 4 SPARE — — —

Port totals: p29 carries arch 1 (u39–40) + arch 5 (u47–48); p30 arch 2 (u41–42); p31 arch 3 (u43–44); p32 arch 4 (u45–46). Each arch ~216–233 px = 2 universes. Provisional counts — regenerate after crown-overshoot is finalized.

Note — major arches no longer need FSEQ pixel expansion. Because each addressable pixel is now its own xLights node, the arches are configured directly from xLights like the towers/spires. Only the rose window still uses the offline FSEQ expansion (see shows.md).

Rose Window — ports 33–48

16 petals, one petal per dedicated port across 4× SRx1 (each 517-px petal needs its own 704-px port; petals can’t share — see #77). Petal 1 points straight up (12 o’clock); petals count clockwise. The four SRx1s co-locate at the window hub; each is powered by its own 12V PSU (A–D).

Cat6 route: F48V5 → up the tower scaffold to the window hub. Four Cat6 runs (ports 33–36, 37–40, 41–44, 45–48), one per SRx1.

Two xLights models under one “Rose Window” group (design / cell level):

  • Rose Window A — petals 1–8, right side (12 o’clock clockwise to ~5 o’clock), Universe 1
  • Rose Window B — petals 9–16, left side (6 o’clock clockwise to ~11 o’clock), Universe 2

Each model: 8 petals × 14 cells × 3 channels = 336 channels, fitting cleanly within one universe. (Physical LEDs — ~517/petal — are driven by the offline FSEQ expansion in a higher universe block; see shows.md.)

Ports 33–48: 4× SRx1 at the window hub (each dial A)

Group column is - (SRx1 connectors map one-to-one to ports). Conn No. is the connector within each SRx1 (1–4).

⚠️ These are the F48V5 port-config values — the PHYSICAL (expanded) block, not the u1/u2 design cells. Each rose port drives one petal’s ~517 physical WS2815 LEDs, fed from the expanded-FSEQ universes (u76–u139) that expand-fseq.py appends. Do not configure these ports to u1/u2 — those hold the 14-cell design only, and no F48V5 port listens to them (see the design-level note below). Canonical source: F48V5-config-runbook.md / expand-fseq.py --map.

Port Group Conn No. SRx1 / PSU Petal Cfg Univ Start ch Px Type Color Bright
33 - 1 #1 / PSU-A Petal 1 — 12 o’clock u76 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
34 - 2 #1 / PSU-A Petal 2 u80 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
35 - 3 #1 / PSU-A Petal 3 u84 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
36 - 4 #1 / PSU-A Petal 4 u88 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
37 - 1 #2 / PSU-B Petal 5 — 3 o’clock u92 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
38 - 2 #2 / PSU-B Petal 6 u96 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
39 - 3 #2 / PSU-B Petal 7 u100 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
40 - 4 #2 / PSU-B Petal 8 u104 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
41 - 1 #3 / PSU-C Petal 9 — 6 o’clock u108 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
42 - 2 #3 / PSU-C Petal 10 u112 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
43 - 3 #3 / PSU-C Petal 11 u116 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
44 - 4 #3 / PSU-C Petal 12 u120 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
45 - 1 #4 / PSU-D Petal 13 — 9 o’clock u124 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
46 - 2 #4 / PSU-D Petal 14 u128 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
47 - 3 #4 / PSU-D Petal 15 u132 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%
48 - 4 #4 / PSU-D Petal 16 u136 1 517 WS2815 RGB 50%

Each petal gets 4 universes (517 px × 3 ch = 1551 ch ≈ 3.04 universes, rounded up and universe-aligned). Petals 1–8 = Rose Window A, petals 9–16 = Rose Window B.

Design-level (xLights-internal, not a port config): the rose is painted at the cell level — 14 tracery cells × 3 ch = 42 ch/petal. Rose Window A = petals 1–8 in u1 (ch 1, 43, 85, … 295), Rose Window B = petals 9–16 in u2 (same offsets). 224 logical cells total. expand-fseq.py blows this up to the physical block in the table above before the show runs; u1/u2 are transmitted but no F48V5 port reads them.

Universe Assignments — Complete Reference

Universe layout (updated 2026-07-12): rose window u1–u2 (design/cell) · minor arches u7–u16 · major arches u39–u48 (full resolution) · towers u50–u75 (spires/spirelets/canopy + chained quads). Vacated: u3–u6, u17–u38, u49. Rose-window physical-pixel expansion lives u76–u139 (16 petals × 4 universes, universe-aligned; see expand-fseq.py --map). F48V5 supports 192 universes.

Universe(s) Port(s) Zone
u1 33–34 Rose Window A (petals 1–8) — design/cell level; physical LEDs via expanded FSEQ (see shows.md)
u2 35–36 Rose Window B (petals 9–16) — design/cell level; physical LEDs via expanded FSEQ
u3–u6 — VACATED 2026-07-12 — former 20-px major arches. Major arches moved to u39–u48 (full resolution).
u7–u8 21 Minor arches left p21 — arch 1 (u7 ch1) + arch 5 (u7 ch403, spans into u8)
u9 22 Minor arch left 2
u10 23 Minor arch left 3
u11 24 Minor arch left 4
u12–u13 25 Minor arches right p25 — arch 1 (u12 ch1) + arch 5 (u12 ch403, spans into u13)
u14 26 Minor arch right 2
u15 27 Minor arch right 3
u16 28 Minor arch right 4
u50–u52 5 Front-right tower p5: spire strands 1–4 + chained quad FTR (5E, 340px)
u53 6 Front-right tower p6: spire strands 5–8 + spirelet FR-6
u54 7 Front-right tower p7: spirelets FR-1/2/3/4 + FR-5
u55 8 Front-right tower p8: wash (reserved)
u56–u58 9 Front-left tower p9: spire strands 1–4 + chained quad FTL (9E, 340px)
u59 10 Front-left tower p10: spire strands 5–8 + spirelet FL-1
u60 11 Front-left tower p11: spirelets FL-3/4 + FL-2
u61 12 Front-left tower p12: spirelets FL-5/6 + wash (reserved)
u62–u64 13 Back-left tower p13: spire strands 1–4 + chained quad back-bottom-left (13E, 332px)
u65 14 Back-left tower p14: spire strands 5–8
u66 15 Back-left tower p15: spirelets BL-1/2/3/4
u67–u68 16 Back-left tower p16: canopy runs + chained quad back-top-left (16D, 176px)
u69–u71 17 Back-right tower p17: spire strands 1–4 + chained quad back-bottom-right (17E, 332px)
u72 18 Back-right tower p18: spire strands 5–8
u73 19 Back-right tower p19: spirelets BR-1/2/3/4
u74–u75 20 Back-right tower p20: canopy runs + chained quad back-top-right (20D, 176px)
u39–u40 29 Major arch 1 (233 px, full resolution) — right foot, largest/front-most
u41–u42 30 Major arch 2 (229 px)
u43–u44 31 Major arch 3 (223 px) — SR at right foot
u45–u46 32 Major arch 4 (219 px)
u47–u48 29 Major arch 5 (216 px) — right foot, smallest/back-most (port 29 sub-address +1)

Major arch pixel counts are provisional pending crown-overshoot measurement. F48V5 supports 192 universes, so the tail block has ample room (incl. the rose-window physical-pixel expansion, ~49 universes — see shows.md).

Spire strand convention: Strand 1 is the back-most strand (pointing directly away from the audience). Strands 2–8 continue counterclockwise when viewed from above. Mark strand 1 clearly at installation.

Wiring Diagrams

To be added — planned as programmatically generated SVGs from pixel-map geometry data.

Cable Label System

Each connector end gets a printed label: junction ID + M/F in large type, strand ID below it, and a note describing location and SR source. Labels are generated from the wiring database and printed on paper, then taped to each connector before installation.

⚠ Labels need regeneration — SR sub-address IDs were corrected 2026-07-10 (B/C → E/F for secondary SRs on tower chains). All existing label files still use the old connector IDs (e.g. 5B, 13C). Regenerate all label sheets before printing.

Print-ready label sheets — open in a browser and print:

Strand type Cable-end labels SR output labels
Rose window petals rw-petal-labels rw-sr-labels
Major arches major-arch-labels major-arch-sr-labels
Minor arches minor-arch-labels minor-arch-sr-labels
Quad arches quad-arch-labels quad-arch-sr-labels
Spires spire-labels spire-sr-labels
Spirelets spirelet-labels spirelet-sr-labels
Canopy canopy-labels canopy-sr-labels

Wire connectors — WAGO

Use WAGO solderless push-in connectors (made in Germany) for all wire-to-wire junctions inside enclosures, at midpoint V+ cuts, and anywhere a reliable solderless connection is needed. WAGO connectors (also called “lever nuts”) are quick to assemble, secure, and re-openable if a connection needs to change on-site.

  • WAGO 221 series — lever-style, accepts multiple wire gauges, re-openable
  • WAGO 2273 — push-in, for solid/stranded wire

Sources

The Gothic Folly — Burning Man 2026