Automated Fixtures Seachanger Problems: Intermittently won't settle on a color.

jglodeklights

Well-Known Member
So this is one of those problems I just haven't been able to figure out and am wondering if it's something physically failing or needing maintenance with the Seachangers. What's occurring is that when shifted to certain colors either during programming or during playback usually 2/3rds of my 20 Seachangers will just not settle on a color. The wheels seem to keep spinning. Selecting another color that was similar was working in July, although a bit unreliable. Now that won't work at all (although going back a cue where color is homed will). These instruments have basicaly been living on our stage booms for the past 4 or 5 years (I've only been in the venue since June) and pretty reliable until the past year from what I understand. Most are terminated (I need to get a few more). Doesn't seem to be a data chain problem since our Selador Vivid R11's are happy and those are into the same optosplitters and I had to changed out a few failed cables and those booms are problematic still. Control is an ION outputting two universes of DMX to a Pathport gateway converting DMX to StrandNet that connects to our buildings Strand network. Spits it out at in-wall SN110 nodes that connect to our Enttec optosplitters that connect to the booms. Thoughts guys?
 
From the sound of it, my first bet is on sensors. Dirty or broken. I have a theater with about a hundred SeaChangers, purchased in two groups (about 4 years ago and about 3 years ago) and they are starting to see some weird behavior. Belts, sensors, etc. There aren't a whole lot of things involved in them, so it should be pretty easy to narrow it down. I would definitely concentrate on the fixtures. Doesn't sound like a console/data issue.

-Tim
 
Guess I need to tear apart the one that stopped responding to DMX entirely and see what makes 'em tick, unless anyone knows of a resource with a parts breakdown, like those Varilite publishes?
 
We have a few of them in our rep plot. There are little magnets glued to the color flags. If one falls of ( which they are prone to do, I think we've fixed 3 in the past two years ) they won't settle correctly. So see if that's the issue. I will see if I can find the online manual later tonight.
 
Dug into the one that wasn't doing anything. Looks like the cable between the main board and the motor control board fried out at one point. That explains that. Toffee-good to know that the magnets fall off; I'll check that when I check for the following on the rest of them- when I pulled the sensor board out of the fixture a bunch of flakes fell off it. Turns out the sheathing on the wires that connect it to the main board had fried away at the sensor side and were shorting between each other. I'm not talking one, I'm talking 5 of the 8 were making various amounts of contact among themselves. Guess I need to make some new connections or see if I can just order new sensor board and cable units.
 
Dug into the one that wasn't doing anything. Looks like the cable between the main board and the motor control board fried out at one point. That explains that. Toffee-good to know that the magnets fall off; I'll check that when I check for the following on the rest of them- when I pulled the sensor board out of the fixture a bunch of flakes fell off it. Turns out the sheathing on the wires that connect it to the main board had fried away at the sensor side and were shorting between each other. I'm not talking one, I'm talking 5 of the 8 were making various amounts of contact among themselves. Guess I need to make some new connections or see if I can just order new sensor board and cable units.

This is a fairly common failure point on SeaChangers. I've had 4 die this way within the past 2 months or so.

You can order the cables from SeaChangers. There are a few other ways they tend to die so if possible you might want to pick up an LED display and a DC power cable. Page 26 in the manual has a list of spare parts.
 

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