ENTTEC Pixel Designer

How far can pixel data run?

Smart PXL pixel data reaches 3 m per hop: from the controller to the first dot, and from one string to the next, because every dot re-drives the signal. To put the controller further away, PLink carries the data over Cat5e or Cat6 cable up to 300 m to a PLink Injector at the start of the run. Beyond about 300 m, ENTTEC's team designs the system with you.

Work it out for your layout

The limits

LinkUp toHow
Controller to the first dot3 mDirect pixel data from the controller port
One string to the next3 mLead to lead, or a data extension cable
Controller to the start of a run300 mPLink over Cat5e or Cat6 to a PLink Injector
Furtherover 300 mDesigned with ENTTEC's sales engineers

Every Smart PXL dot receives the data and sends it on, freshly driven, to the next. So the distance limit applies to each gap: between the controller and the first dot, and wherever two strings meet. The total length of a run is not limited by the data, only by how many dots one port refreshes at your frame rate and by power injection.

If the show comes from a lighting console rather than a pixel controller, Smart PXL60 DMX dots take their data through DMX nodes instead.

Worked example: a 20 × 8 m facade

  • Controller beside the facade (2 m away): direct pixel data, 2 × OCTO MK3 driving 8 outputs.
  • Controller in a plant room 25 m away: too far for direct data, so Pixel Designer chooses PLink: 1 × PIXELATOR MINI MK2 with a PLink Injector at the start of each run, 16 outputs.

Work it out for your own layout

Pixel Designer is ENTTEC's free online tool for planning pixel dot installations. Enter your layout's size and dot spacing and it applies every rule on this page: strings, controllers and ports, universes, power supplies, injection points and cabling, with a parts list. No account needed.

Open this example in Pixel Designer Start a new design

Questions

How far can pixel data travel between pixel dots?

Up to 3 m between one Smart PXL string and the next. Every dot re-drives the data, so the limit applies to each gap, not to the length of the whole run.

How long can the cable from a pixel controller to the first dot be?

Up to 3 m for direct pixel data. For longer distances, PLink carries the data over Cat5e or Cat6 cable up to 300 m to a PLink Injector at the start of the run.

Is the length of a pixel run limited by the data?

Not by its length. A run is limited by how many dots one controller port refreshes at your frame rate (308 RGBW Smart PXL dots at 40 fps) and by where you can inject power.

What is PLink?

ENTTEC's long-distance link for pixel data. A PIXELATOR controller sends the data over Cat5e or Cat6 cable, up to 300 m, to a PLink Injector at the start of the run, and the dots are powered there.

What if the controller has to be further away than that?

Beyond about 300 m, Pixel Designer hands the design to ENTTEC's sales engineers, who plan the data path with you.

More pixel planning guides

The figures on this page come from Pixel Designer's own engine and settings, which follow the Smart PXL, OCTO, PIXELATOR and PLink manuals and datasheets. Background reading on the ENTTEC support site: Design your Pixel Dot system with Pixel Designer, How many pixels fit in a DMX universe?.