No PC on Site. The Show Still Runs.
LEC3 and SPI Matrix play pixel LED effects straight from their SD card. A computer is only needed while you build the show. Once it is exported, the controllers run on their own, react to DMX, HTTP commands or buttons, and stay in sync with each other.
Build Once
Export the show to the SD card
Design scenes and shows in LED Strip Studio 4, then export them for the controller. LSS4 builds the SD card configuration for LEC3 and SPI Matrix: drag scenes and shows onto the animation slots and export, as described in SD card export.
Effects are stored as LN2 files. On LEC3 and SPI Matrix you don't have to take the card out of the device: new effects can be uploaded through the web configuration while the controller stays mounted in the rack.
- Up to 255 animation slots per controller
- LN2 effect files exported from LED Strip Studio
- Upload over the network from the web configuration
- Default animation and Autoplay after power-on
- Playlist to play animations in a sequence
Trigger
Start effects without touching a computer
Once the effects are on the card, choose how the show is started. The options can be combined, so a lighting desk, a wall button and a phone can all control the same installation.
- DMX desk: SD Card Mode selects and plays animations with 7 DMX channels
- HTTP commands: HTTP triggers start animations and set brightness or speed from a browser, iPhone Shortcuts, Shelly buttons, Apple Home or Homey
- Hardware buttons on the controller switch between animations
- Web Player and Playlist in the web configuration
- LSS Remote app for effect, speed and brightness on Android and iPhone, see what the app can control
Sync
Keep several controllers on the same frame
One controller drives up to 4096 pixels, so bigger installations use several. Standalone content then has to stay in step: with abstract effects a drift is hard to notice, with video it shows almost immediately.
DMX Synchronization daisy-chains the controllers over their DMX ports. From firmware 3.55 one device is the Master: it receives the DMX trigger and every Slave behind it follows. Ethernet Synchronization does the same over the network, so the controllers can sit anywhere on the local network. An overview for every controller is on Multi-Device Synchronization.
- Master and Slave roles set in Advanced settings
- Same animation on every controller in the chain
- Hold DMX keeps the last animation playing if the signal drops
- DMX OUT on the last Slave can play the effect to analog strips through a DMX decoder
FAQ
Standalone playback questions
No. A computer is only needed while you build and export the show in LED Strip Studio 4. After that, LEC3 and SPI Matrix play the effects from the SD card on their own. See also do I need a dedicated PC for playback. Full answer in Does LED Playback Require a Dedicated PC?
Yes. Since firmware 3.55 each protocol has its own mode, so DMX can trigger stored effects in SD Card Mode while Art-Net sends live pixel data in Pixel Mode. The full setup is in how to trigger LED effects with DMX.
That depends on the Hold DMX setting in Advanced settings. With Hold DMX on, the controller keeps playing the last animation instead of stopping.
Slightly. For SPI Matrix you create a Dummy device in LED Strip Studio in addition to your Art-Net nodes, then export as usual. The steps are in how to export effects to an SD card. The whole workflow, from the first export to a synchronized installation, is in our guide to running a pixel LED show from an SD card. More in Advanced SD Card Export of Effects.
All controllers must be on the same local network, connected through a switch or router. One unit acts as the sync Master; Ethernet Synchronization explains how the roles are set. More in Ethernet Sync of Multiple Controllers.
Planning a Show Without a PC?
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