Depending on the selected microcontroller (IC), the number of usable control components, static blocks, FX blocks, and pixels is limited.
When designing a fixture configuration, all selected components must be summed up and validated against the limits of the chosen IC.
Supported ICs and Limits
| IC | Max FX Blocks | Max Static Blocks | Max Pixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| nRF52840 | 18 | 20 | 100 |
| nRF52833 | 17 | 12 | 66 |
Important:
- Limits apply per fixture configuration.
- Static blocks and FX blocks are counted separately.
- Exceeding any limit is not allowed.
Pixel Usage
Only the following control components can allocate pixels:
- Color (min. 1 pixel)
- White (min. 1 pixel)
- Pan (min. 1 pixel)
- Tilt (min. 1 pixel)
- Zoom (min. 1 pixel)
- Color 2 (min. 1 pixel)
- White 2 (min. 1 pixel)
If multiple pixel-capable components are used, the sum of all configured pixels must not exceed the IC’s maximum pixel count.
Control Components vs. Internal Blocks
A control component is what the developer selects conceptually (e.g. Color, Pan, Zoom).
Each control component internally consumes:
- Static blocks (always active logic)
- FX blocks (logic required for effects)
These internal blocks must be counted against the IC limits.
Shared Blocks
Some components share internal blocks.
Shared means:
- A shared block is counted only once, even if multiple components use it.
- It is not duplicated when multiple dependent components are enabled.
Internal Block Cost per Control Component
The following table defines how many static blocks and FX blocks each control component consumes.
| Control Component | Static Blocks | FX Blocks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan | 1 | 1 | |
| Tilt | 1 | 1 | |
| Pan Rotation | 1 | 0 | |
| Tilt Rotation | 1 | 0 | |
| Color | 3 + 1 (shared) | 8 + 1 (shared) | Shared with Color2, White, White2 |
| Color 2 | 1 (shared) | 3 + 1 (shared) | Shared with Color, White, White2 |
| White | 1 (shared) + 1 (shared) | 1 + 1 (shared) | Shared with White2 and Color/Color2 |
| White 2 | 1 (shared) + 1 (shared) | 1 + 1 (shared) | Shared with White and Color/Color2 |
| UV | 1 | 0 | |
| Zoom | 1 | 1 | |
| Focus | 1 | 0 | |
| Frost | 1 | 0 | |
| Prisma | 1 | 0 | |
| Iris | 1 | 0 | |
| Fog | 1 | 0 | |
| Fan | 1 | 0 | |
| Fire | 1 | 0 | |
| Gobo | 1 | 0 | |
| Framing | 9 | 0 | |
| Special FX 1 / 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Special 3 – 5 | 1 | 0 |
Example Configuration Calculation
Target IC: nRF52833
Limits: 12 static blocks, 17 FX blocks, 66 pixels
Selected control components:
- Color (RGB)
- White
- Pan
- Tilt
- Zoom
- 40 pixels
Static Block Calculation
- Color + White (shared):
- Color: 3 + 1(shared)
- White: 1(shared) + 1(shared)
→ shared blocks counted once
- Pan: 1
- Tilt: 1
- Zoom: 1
Total static blocks: within limit
FX Block Calculation
- Color + White (shared FX block counted once)
- Pan: 1
- Tilt: 1
- Zoom: 1
Total FX blocks: within limit
Pixel Calculation
- Total configured pixels: 40
- Max allowed: 66
Result: ✅ Configuration is valid for nRF52833