FAQs – Shop.FalconPlayer.com

As a Vendor, can I purchase license key vouchers and sell them to my customers?

cpinkham — Mon, 23 May 2022 05:51:47 +0000

You may sell (or give away) the License Key Voucher as part of a bundle with a cape, but vouchers are not to be sold or given away without a cape.

As a Vendor, can I purchase license keys and give them to my customers?

cpinkham — Mon, 23 May 2022 05:48:15 +0000

No, we do not support transferring a license key from a vendor to a customer. If you want to provide licenses to your customers as part of their purchase, you can bulk purchase license key vouchers from us and give a voucher to your customer when they purchase a cape. This way the license key does not have to be transferred to the customer.

I am not ready to upgrade to FPP v6 yet, should I (or can I) still get a voucher for my old cape?

cpinkham — Tue, 17 May 2022 03:29:37 +0000

Yes, you should go ahead and get a voucher now and you can also redeem the voucher now if you want. The deadline is for the voucher distribution. There is no deadline on the redemption of the voucher or the installation of the license key.

If you want a level playing field between cape vendors, why do the capes from Kulp and Pitts come with pre-signed EEPROMs.

cpinkham — Mon, 09 May 2022 19:48:11 +0000

We do want to provide a level playing field for cape vendors, but feel that the capes made by the FPP developers deserve an exception. Over the years the FPP developers have spent tens of thousands of hours developing and supporting FPP. Dan wrote the code which all Beagle Capes are using to drive pixels. David is the original author of FPP and his Pi cape which uses the DPIPixels Channel Output was designed working with Chris Pinkham. We feel strongly that this pre-signed EEPROM ‘advantage’ is warranted given the time these developers have spent on FPP. If another Cape Vendor were to step in and start contributing to FPP with the same level of dedication, we would consider allowing that vendor’s capes to be pre-signed.

What is the enhanced functionality provided by the License Key activation.

cpinkham — Thu, 05 May 2022 18:16:38 +0000

When using a cape with an unsigned EEPROM, the BBB48String, BBShiftString, and DPIPixels Channel Outputs are limited to 50 pixels max per string output and are not allowed to use differential smart receivers. Sensor functionality may be limited as well. If you apply a license key or keys to sign the EEPROM, these limits are removed for the number of outputs covered by the license key(s) applied. The covered outputs are ALWAYS applied starting at the first outputs on a board, you can not select which outputs to cover with a license key.

How do I get support with licensing problems?

cpinkham — Thu, 05 May 2022 18:16:12 +0000

For licensing key issues, you can open a support ticket at https://shop.falconplayer.com/tickets/ You can also ask questions in the FPP forum at https://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php?board=8.0 or on Facebook, but if an issue requires investigation on the web site or signing API, you will need to reach out to us directly via a ticket. Please check the HOWTO Guides at https://shop.falconplayer.com/category/howto/ as well to make sure you are following all the instructions. If you find any issues with the provided instructions, please contact us and let us know.

What are banks on a Channel Output?

cpinkham — Thu, 05 May 2022 18:14:03 +0000

Banks allow a cape to control more direct attached pixel outputs than are physically present on the Pi or Beagle driving the cape. The Channel Output creates banks of pixels by essentially time-slicing the output on a physical port. If there are 24 physical outputs on a Pi, the DPIPixels Channel Output can use 16 of these in bank mode which can create 32 or 48 outputs. In this mode, the first output in each bank is connected to the same physical output on the Pi and are added together to share the same 800 or 1600 pixel max depending on the sequence timing. In this scenario, outputs 1, 17, and 33 must add up to less than the total max. Not all DPIPixels capes support banked mode as it requires extra circuitry onboard.

I heard that you are grandfathering-in some capes from other vendors and giving free license key vouchers. Is this true?

cpinkham — Mon, 02 May 2022 19:07:39 +0000

Yes. If you purchased a cape with more than 2 string outputs from another vendor on or before July 31, 2022, your cape is “grandfathered in”. Email sales@falconplayer.com with a picture showing proof of when the cape was purchased and how many outputs it has and we will send you a free voucher. NOTE: This does not apply to PiCap clones because they do not need a license key to continue functioning as they always have.

Who owns Falcon Player, LLC

cpinkham — Mon, 02 May 2022 19:04:52 +0000

On paper, “Falcon Player, LLC” and the falconplayer.com domain name are owned by Chris Pinkham who is one of the founding developers of FPP, because unfortunately someone has to deal with the tax man. The site and fees collected are used to help support active members of the FPP development team.

I heard that you guys are giving away free license key vouchers for DIY capes. Is this true?

cpinkham — Mon, 02 May 2022 19:04:02 +0000

Yes. If you built your own cape for your own personal use, we will give you a free voucher to get a license key for that cape. Take a picture of the cape with your email address on a piece of paper and email the picture to diy@falconplayer.com and we will email you a free voucher.