LED control issues

[mchalk]

I have a Chauvet Stage Designer 24 that I am trying to use to control ColorKey LED par64 lights. I cannot get the board to control the lights at all, they won't come on. Anybody have any troubleshooting tips. I don't know where to start.

[shiben]

Well, first check that you have assigned the LEDs addresses, and plugged everything in correctly. Then I guess check the patch on the board, make sure its working properly.

[derekleffew]

Start by downloading the appropriate manual, and making sure the fixture is in the mode you intend. Then it's likely to be a matter of making sure the control channel (4, or 4/5/6) is at the proper level for the desired effect.

ColorKey - Support

[ship]

Noted today while doing a ColorKenetics power supply that the DMX to ethernet adaptor was really odd in concept for wiring of it. DMX pin one green/white, pin two orange/white, pin three orange; yet the ethernet connector was pin one orange/white, pin two orange, pin three green/white. (Lost my cheat sheet for doing this and only in finding another copy was I able to solve the problem of data short of like ten years ago having to try every option for data.)


If your DMX converts to ethernet was the connection correct in providing data? Than after that assuming seperate data from power supply that might not be the case is the data verses common and power supply also the correct orientation?

In other words one way to quickly determine if its a data problem I find at least on CK gear is if your fixture lights up at like 25% intnsity if given proper power to the fixture but not so good data, its probably a data problem. If it blows up in not lighting or doing anyting, might be a power problem if not going to pilot light mode. Obviously other brands of LED gear might vary in wiring options for it. No light could very much be a concept of data to the power and the low voltage or line voltage to the data which could blow the circuitry hopefully fused or zener dioded otherwise.

Such a thing is easier to manage with a fixture that has different data from power of course but I'm still thinking no light is power and quarter power is no data amongst lots of other troubleshooting concepts for LED fixtures.

Also thinking that the next bright person to come up with a LED fixture data/power tester one can just plug into the power for it is gonna make a lot of money. Should be simple enough to invent and will be tremendously useful in diagnosing problems in if data or common or power.

[len]

A couple other possibilities:

1. If you have the older version of the led (one hanging yoke, dip switches), then switch 10 needs to be on. That will give you dmx control. Those fixtures have a 4 channel protocol, with 1 = red, 2 = green, 3 = blue and 4 = dimmer/strobe. The dimmer channel runs 0 - 189 for dimming, then 190 - 250 +/- for strobing, then 250+ (I think those are the values, check the manual) for full on. So channel 4 has to be up somewhere to get them on.

2. If you have the newer version (2 yokes, LED display of address) you'll need to make sure the address is the correct (obviously). Also, they run in 2 different dmx modes, one being a 3 channel RGB and the other a six-channel which gives you a strobe channel, some macros, etc. You can tell the difference by looking for a small dot below the address number. That's 3 channel mode. With that, there is no dimmer channel.

3. Check the back of the controller. There might be a switch allowing you to reverse polarity of data. A lot of Chauvet and ADJ/Elation products do that even tho Martin hasn't made a product which required reverse polarity in years.

4. It may be possible to re-assign faders to different channels. Make sure the channels are assigned correctly.

5. There might be an output for "smoke" or "strobe" on there. Make sure your data line isn't connected to one of those (I say that having done far dumber things myself).