help with an ETC Express 48/96

Tallghost

Member
Hi, I'm totally out of my depth with lighting issues, and I'm in a panic. I'm a director, with very little tech training, but my school only has a department of one, and I'm trying my best. I'm hoping someone here can slap me in in the face and say "the answer is obvious!" But I doubt it.

So, I turned on my board for rehearsal this afternoon, and I am getting no response from the lights. There is poer to the board (all the indicator lights work) and it it communicating with the monitor (when I move a slide, the screen responds) but there is nothing shining down on the stage.
Any ideas of things I should check before I call in a tech expert?
 
ETC has 24/7 tech support, 1-800-688-4116, so don't hesitate to cal them. You pay for that service when you purchase their equipment. Other than that several things come to mind.
1. The DMX cable in the back of the board is not plugged in or plugged in the wrong universe (output 1 - 512 or 513 to 1024).
2. The DMX cable is not plugged into the dimmer rack.
3. The dimmer rack is turned off at the breaker panel or all the breakers on the dimmers have been switched off.
4. Check that the grand master is up.

These are the things I consider likely, but it somebody was very creative with the light board there are other things that could have been done to it that are more complex. Look at these areas and then go ahead and call ETC. They are there to help.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions!
I am in Stage mode, and nothing is in blackout.
The DMX to the board is set up correctly.
The DMX to the dimmer rack is set up.
The Dimmer rack is receiving power
Grand master is on full, and channels are patched 1-to-1

we had problems with the dimmer rack a few years ago, so I'm wondering if this could be the case once more.
Thanks for all of your help. I've tried calling ETC, but their offices are not open today. I guess I will have to try again on Monday.
 
I once had a failure of the DMX transceiver chip in my Sensor rack. It would give you this kind of behavior. As I recall, there was am unused chip on the board that I was able to swap. The chip is in a socket.
 
I've tried calling ETC, but their offices are not open today. I guess I will have to try again on Monday.
You can leave your number, and a tech will return your call within 15 minutes, day or night, weekends and holidays. It's left up to you to determine how critical it is that the system works RIGHT NOW.
 
I once had a failure of the DMX transceiver chip in my Sensor rack. It would give you this kind of behavior. As I recall, there was am unused chip on the board that I was able to swap. The chip is in a socket.


There is a work around for this.

On the back of the console there are two DMX outputs. By default output one is universe 1 ( 1 to 512) and output 2 is universe 2 ( 513 to 1024). You can however change this in setup.

So one thing you might try is to go into setup, and set the output of the second output to 1 to 512, then plug your DMX cable into the second output.

Good luck.
 

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