12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?
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    mousejam
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    12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mousejam » Fri Oct 02, 2020 11:50 pm

    I need to push 12 projectors with Madmapper, I was thinking of using a Mac mini to eGPU to three Matrox QuadHead2GO, has any one tried this? Has anyone tried Madmapper with the QuadHead2Go on Mac, I noticed that Madmapper 4 did some tweaks to make these work better, but have not read/found anyone actually using them.
    (I've read that this formula will work with Mac mini to eGPU to three Datapath FX4, but the FX4 are a bit pricey).
    Any help or thoughts with this, would be appreciated! :D
  • Benoit
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by Benoit » Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:35 am

    No experience with the QuadHead2Go, but with a good eGPU + the Matrox(s) you can run 12 projectors indeed.
    You do need strong specs though
  • mad-matt
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mad-matt » Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:58 am

    QuadHead2Go appears as a single 4k display. If I'm not wrong you don't need any Matrox driver, which keeps you safe from all bugs they had in the Dual/TripleHead2Go drivers... (seems they better with hardware than software)
    So 3 QuadHead on a GPU is like 3 4k displays. There's not issue with that until you don't use complex materials (shader processing is done per pixel, so 3x4k means 25 million pixels)
    We did tests with 4 Datapath FX4 on a simple nVidia 1080 and got smooth 60FPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwUdfu5LsiU
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    mousejam
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mousejam » Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:37 pm

    Mad-matt & Benoit, thank you so much for your posts. The video of the 19 projectors is great "proof of concept" thanks so much for leading me to that post and good to hear that Matrox QuadHead2Go may not need software!!! I will find a way to test them, one day. In the meantime, I will go for a couple Datapaths and keep it simple. The project I am working on will be short animated videos, mapped on to a 70ft curved building and the show will be configured with simple Scenes/Cues.

    If anyone is interested, I'm putting together a 2020 Catalina Mac mini Thunderbolt 3 connected to a Gigabyte Aorus Radeon 5700XT (3DP+3HDMI out) in a Razer Core X (total $1660 on Amazon US) out to three Datapath x4 (that I found on eBay total $900) I am hoping to get three 1920x1080 out of each Datapath x4, if I fail, I will go for the Datapath Fx4s ($$$$). The Datapath x4 manual states "...with the 1 x UHD input, 4 x HD outputs (can be converted up to UHD using a dual-link DVI)", I always get a bit nervous about this stuff since my Mac Pro 2013 never gave me the six outputs correctly the day of the show. This time, I have lots of time to experiment, the show is not until Jan 2021 :)

    Oh and Madmapper 4.0 kicks ass, I love it!

    Stay Safe my friends!
    Last edited by mousejam on Mon Oct 12, 2020 4:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • lxr0022
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by lxr0022 » Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:45 pm

    Hello. Not sure if this helps, but I currently have (1) QuadHead2Go and can tell you that it is now recognized as (4) independent displays with my Madmapper 4 software. I am using a 2018 MacMini i3. I also have a 2018 Mac mini i7 that works with it as well. The QuadHead2Go has a DisplayPort input and I am coming out of one of the USB C ports. I only own (1), so I can't test with multiple units. I am interested in doing more than (4) projectors as well.

    Last year I used a Sonnet RX560 egpu to run (4) projectors for a Christmas Light Park in Chesterland, OH. Thanks for posting and I would be interested in hearing / seeing any progress you make. Best of Luck!

    - Larry
    Cleveland, OH
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    mousejam
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mousejam » Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:13 am

    Thanks for confirming that the Quadhead2go is working, did you need to use any software or just plug it in and go?

    The eGPU (mentioned above) I put together with the Aorus AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT had no problem pushing 4 projectors + the monitor, I did not have to use the Intel in the Apple Mini.

    This doesn’t matter for our Quadhead2go conversation, but to accomplish pushing 12 projectors (within budget), I’m testing 3 Datapath x4 (not Fx4) that I found on eBay. Madmapper only sees each of the Datapath as one projector 1920x1080, but that may be because I may need to use an active DVI converter, the one with USB power, which I had to order. In the meantime, I was able to use Madmapper to layout and project what I wanted using the x4 but the thought process was a bit tricky because the x4 default layout is a 2 on top of 2 square. Now that I think about it, the projector outline was rather large in Madmapper, I’m going to have to revisit this test and compare the projector online to a 1920x1080 projector not on the x4.
    The Mac software for the x4 is command line, which I’m clueless :D but that may not matter. I’ll repost after I test with active DVI.

    If the x4s fail, I will move toward the quadhead2go, the Datapath Fx4 would be great, but would kill the budget.
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    mousejam
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mousejam » Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:39 pm

    Using the active DP to DVI-D dual link adapter, Madmapper sees the Datapath x4 (not the Fx4) as a DH2GO 3840X1080 screen 1 1920X1080 and screen 2 1920x1080. I can adjust the two projectors in Madmapper to give me two projectors side by side, but I would like to use four. If anyone is familiar with Datapath x4 and knows a way for me to get it to be seen as four projectors or lay it out four in a row, instead of two on top and two on the bottom, your help would be appreciated. The Mac Datapath software for the x4 is command line and I am now officially lost.
  • mad-matt
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    Re: 12 projectors with a couple Matrox QuadHead2Go?

    by mad-matt » Tue Oct 13, 2020 10:08 pm

    I know FX4 and you can setup the device with Wall Designer. I suppose if you reset it to factory default it will appear as a 4k display that will be splitted to 4 fullHD. At least that's what the FX4 does by default. FX4 does 4k @ 60Hz. X4 does only at 30 Hz I think.
    MadMapper see a 3840X1080 device because that's how it's discovered by your os. Ideally you should see a 4K display in your os display perferences.

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