Control/Dimming Strand 300 Command Wing not turning on

[01sdandrews]

Hi All,

New here, seems like a cool place. Now on with the details!

I've got a Strand 300 in my theatre, it was taken down a few weeks ago. I've gone to put it back in today and the command wing won't turn on. I've tried all the ethernet ports on the back of the main unit, and while the fader wing works, the command wing isn't responding at all. The fader wing is connected to the main unit through the command wing, so it's not the specific ethernet cable (and I've tried others just to make sure!)

Can anybody shed any light as to my problem?!

Thanks!

Stefan

 

[RonHebbard]

Hi All,

New here, seems like a cool place. Now on with the details!

I've got a Strand 300 in my theatre, it was taken down a few weeks ago. I've gone to put it back in today and the command wing won't turn on. I've tried all the ethernet ports on the back of the main unit, and while the fader wing works, the command wing isn't responding at all. The fader wing is connected to the main unit through the command wing, so it's not the specific ethernet cable (and I've tried others just to make sure!)

Can anybody shed any light as to my problem?!

Thanks!

Stefan

Stefan;

Please let me begin with a few questions;
- The fader wing works, actually fades fixtures up and down, or only its LED's light?
- I gather the processor has been switched off for a few weeks, has it also been unplugged from a source of power as well?
- How old is the processor, basically how long since it's had a new internal battery?
- Have you tried leaving the processor plugged into a source of power for a day or two immediately prior to trying to boot the system?
You don't need to leave the processor turned on to attempt charging the internal battery but it does have to be connected to a source of power. As the processor's battery ages it holds its charge for less and less time. If the processor is left connected to a live receptacle, not a power strip that's switched off nightly, the battery may be able to retain enough charge for things to work. If the processor hasn't seen power for a few weeks its battery could be totally flat.
The internal battery is soldered in place on the motherboard.
Re-soldering a fresh battery requires major disassembly to access the underside of the motherboard for re-soldering, a PIA the first time, less so after your first dozen.

I guess I should've asked; is the system fully booting?

From one of the colonies.

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[01sdandrews]

Stefan;

Please let me begin with a few questions;
- The fader wing works, actually fades fixtures up and down, or only its LED's light?
- I gather the processor has been switched off for a few weeks, has it also been unplugged from a source of power as well?
- How old is the processor, basically how long since it's had a new internal battery?
- Have you tried leaving the processor plugged into a source of power for a day or two immediately prior to trying to boot the system?
You don't need to leave the processor turned on to attempt charging the internal battery but it does have to be connected to a source of power. As the processor's battery ages it holds its charge for less and less time. If the processor is left connected to a live receptacle, not a power strip that's switched off nightly, the battery may be able to retain enough charge for things to work. If the processor hasn't seen power for a few weeks its battery could be totally flat.
The internal battery is soldered in place on the motherboard.
Re-soldering a fresh battery requires major disassembly to access the underside of the motherboard for re-soldering, a PIA the first time, less so after your first dozen.

I guess I should've asked; is the system fully booting?

From one of the colonies.

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Ron,

Apologies for not getting back here sooner, it appears the internal battery was flat (ish). Left it plugged in over the weekend, first thing this morning I turned it on and everything booted up fine.

Thanks for your help.

 

[RonHebbard]

Ron,

Apologies for not getting back here sooner, it appears the internal battery was flat (ish). Left it plugged in over the weekend, first thing this morning I turned it on and everything booted up fine.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Stefan;

Basically I'd suggest you take this as a warning that your processor's battery is aging and that you ought to plan to have the battery replaced sometime soon at your convenience, preferably prior to it totally failing normally at no one's convenience.

Take care Sir!

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[yunebug]

Hi. Sorry to bring up a dead thread, but I'm experiencing the same problem with my 300 series console. The difference is, my unit is plugged in and it stays on. The other day, they were working on the AC in the building and cut the power to the building, cutting off the power to the lighting unit. When I came in the next day, I noticed it was too quiet (no hum of the fan) and realized the unit was off. I turned it on and then noticed the command wing unresponsive and receiving no power. The fader wing works perfectly fine. I was able to reboot the unit from the keyboard and ran the 220CLEAN program. Still nothing. Tried plugging in different ethernet cables. Nothing. <:0)

Could it be that my internal battery is flat-out dead?

 

[yunebug]

To add, now the unit will not boot at all. Definitely the internal battery?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I am speculating, but I'd say that's a good guess, given the earlier comments in the thread, yes.

 

[venuetech]

usually those battery's are easy to change once you get the cover off, it may be worth your time to take a peek at the main PCB and try to find the battery. it is likely about the size of a quater (a bit thicker) and in a holder. Likely to be very close to a regular computer CMOS batteries so you could do a web search to find information on changing that style bat.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

RonHebbard suggests above the battery is soldered in on that model, and coin cells with solder tabs on them are not especially uncommon, so...

 

[yunebug]

I'm afraid we're looking at a new console. I suppose I'll have to start looking into a new one.

ETC Eos TI looks like a great choice for our theater. <:0)

 

[Les]

Do you mind sharing what the issue was?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yunebug]

Didn't get a chance to look at it - it's still sitting there, dead. I figure this is a chance to upgrade to something more capable. :0) I was hoping it was an easy fix. Fact of the matter is, everyone (meaning me) was expecting the unit to fail at some point.