Baldrick CunningFX: Build Standalone Looks and Test the Handoff
CunningFX is useful when you want your pixels to display a repeatable look without starting a musical sequence: an evening roofline, a simple prop demonstration or an interactive color change. Build one clear preset first, then add complexity only when its target and behavior are predictable.
Reviewed October 29, 2026. The workflow below uses the manufacturer's documented CunningFX functions. Available controls depend on board and firmware. Begin with a configured, electrically checked pixel layout that already passes a local test.
Decide what should create the light
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Your goal | Use |
|---|---|
| Check pixels or model boundaries | The controller's test functions. |
| Repeat an everyday lighting look | A CunningFX preset using the intended ports/models. |
| Play your sequenced musical show | A computer or FPP player sending the prepared show data. |
| Choose a look live from a phone | Busk Board buttons assigned to existing presets. |
Keep these jobs separate in your test notes. A preset looking correct proves its own target and settings. It does not verify the channel mapping of a musical sequence sent by another device.
Give each target a useful model name
Before creating an effect, compare the board's configured models with the actual connected sections. Names such as Left Window and Right Window are easier to recognize than two unnamed ranges.
For a bench exercise, imagine two already tested 50-node sections arranged in that order on one output. Record the boundary after node 50. This is a layout example, not a recommendation that every pair of props can share one power feed.
If xLights maintains your controller configuration, save the layout first. A later output upload can change model definitions, so recheck preset targets after moving, renaming or resizing models.
Create one preset with one effect
Open CunningFX in the board interface. Create a descriptively named preset, choose one supported effect and select the intended target. Effects can target a controller, a port or a model; choose the smallest target that proves your idea.
For the two-section exercise, try a Fader between two clearly different colors on Left Window. Use a slow speed so you can see the transition. Confirm Right Window is unaffected before adding another layer. The pass condition is the correct physical section responding, not merely seeing some lights change.
Next add a restrained Twinkle treatment to Right Window, selecting its background and twinkle colors. Test that section by itself, then run the full preset. Preserve the brightness limits already established for the connected load.
Check layer order before changing wiring
A preset combines effects as layers, with upper effects taking priority where targets overlap. If your whole-controller layer covers a model-specific layer, changing the cable will not resolve the visual conflict.
Use this check: disable the additional effects, prove each target individually, then restore one layer at a time. Write down which effect should remain visible on each model. When the result changes after adding a layer, you have narrowed the problem to that preset rather than the whole controller.
Give finished presets names that describe their intended use, such as Evening Blue Fade or Window Demonstration. Save a record of the targets, colors, speed and layer order with your controller recovery notes.
Prove the transition to your musical show
The Baldrick release notes document CunningFX pausing when incoming pixel data takes over. Test the full change on your installed firmware: start the preset, start the real show player, stop the player, and observe what happens afterward.
Do not assume that the end of a playlist automatically selects the exact preset you want. Record the observed behavior and configure the desired next action through supported controls. Also check whether your player continues transmitting channel data while idle; ongoing data can affect whether a standalone effect gets the output.
Repeat the transition with the computer's xLights output disabled so only the intended player is sending. A second sender can make a successful handoff look unreliable.
Check startup separately from a manual preview
If you want a preset after power-up, set that explicit startup choice where your installed interface supports it. Current Baldrick Buddy documentation includes selecting a preset to start when the board powers up.
Save, restart the board and verify the real result. Then repeat with the show player already running. These are different conditions, and both matter for a display whose controller and player may start in a different order after a power interruption.
Add live control when the preset is dependable
Busk Board provides configurable phone/tablet controls for preset activation. Open it from the board interface, map a small set of buttons to your verified looks and check every button before using it with visitors. Clear labels help another family member operate the display.
For a physical button or sensor, continue with multiple controllers and interactive inputs. Start with one harmless lighting action and confirm the input behavior before linking it to the whole musical show.
Sources and next steps
Explore the Mattos Baldrick Learning Center · All Mattos guides
