Control/Dimming logic chip

[plucked4th]

running a couple smartpacks to control par64s and i am having troubles with lights a few lights on one of the socas flickering when more than one is turned on of the six.
i heard that it could be a logic chip in the dimmer itself, just wanted to check and see if others may have had the same sort of problem.
thanks

 

[Pie4Weebl]

Before jumping to the idea that chip in the dimmer pack is bad troubleshoot it a little more:

Swap the pack out and use the same soco, and lights, is the problem still there, then it might be your soco. Likewise make sure it is fully tightened, jiggle the connectors you tighten it to assure a tight seal. If you can verify all the other components are good then it is a dimmer pack issue.

I'm sure many will echo this, but if you don't already know how to service a dimmer pack, this is not something you should be messing with on your own and send the pack back to the dealer for service.

 

[Footer]

Is the DMX terminated?

 

[jonliles]

Once upon a time, I had Lightronic Dmx packs for most things, but one show we supplemented the packs with other borrowed "generic" dmx packs (Optima's). On low level intensity, we saw the flicker, and yes, we were terminated at the end of line. After many rounds of comms with Lightronics guys (who were very helpful), we finally pulled the terminator and BEHOLD the flicker went away.

Before that, we tried swapping packs out whole sale, swapping orders of packs, & pulled new cables. Since we were not using any other intelligent fixtures, pulling terminator worked.

-just my random experience.
Jon

 

[mc2880]

By 'Logic Chip', it would depend on what you are referring to. It's not likely to be the DMX transceiver (that would cause a more regular problem), but that is the easiest to swap.

However, I've seen a very similar problem on a strand SD6. It was the power supply for the logic board. A few capictors had failed, but not in a catastrophic enough way for the power to cut out. It would keep the power regulated enough untill there was a full load on the dimmer, then it would cause the dimmers to flicker.

I would make sure you have started from the begining with all your troubleshooting before blaming stuff like logic chips. Do you happen to have a spare smart pack to swap out?

 

[derekleffew]

... just wanted to check and see if others may have had the same sort of problem.

If anyone was aware of a similar behavior, it would be the manufacturer itself, wouldn't it?

Give ETC a call, 24/7/365, at 1-800-688-4116.
​

They'll be happy to assist with the issue, and have a 99.44% chance of being the ones to have seen the problem, vs. anyone else.