Control/Dimming Chauvet LED Rain 56 DMX gone awol

[skapp]

We have been battling this issue for a while now. We have 10 Chauvet LED Rain 56's. At any given time, 1 or more just lose their DMX control. The only way we have found to regain control of the fixture(s) is to power cycle them.

At first this line wasn't terminated so we added that as suggested by Chauvet. no luck. They claim this in an unheard of issue and have asked that we send them back in. The only thing is it is completely random and never the same light.


Our current setup is as follows:
150' run from control to fixture #1.
In line with the 10 rain fixtures are 4 Venu LED 56 fixtures.
Control board for these 14 fixtures is a Elation DMX Operator Programmable DMX Controller.

Any one have any suggestions on what we can try to do to fix this issue?

Thanks in advance!

Skapp

 

[NickJones]

Sounds like a connection issue. Few steps should help:
a: Are you using XLR (Audio lead) or DMX?
b: Sure your lead isn't dodgy?
c: Sure everything is PROPERLY plugged in.

These are probably your most common problems.
Nick

 

[icewolf08]

Sounds like a connection issue. Few steps should help:
a: Are you using XLR (Audio lead) or DMX?
b: Sure your lead isn't dodgy?
c: Sure everything is PROPERLY plugged in.

These are probably your most common problems.
Nick

First of all, XLR is a type of connector, DMX is a protocol. The 5-pin connector that you find on a DMX cable is an XLR5, the connector on an audio cable is an XLR3. ON the other hand, you can also have XLR3 connectors on DMX cable as some devices have 3-pin connectors. Given all that, you should still make sure that you are using a DMX grade data cable and not an audio cable.

Second, it doesn't really sound like a cabling issue as a bad connection or short in cable would take out everything in the chain after the poor connection, not just one fixture.

When your fixtures loose control, what happens? Do they stay on or go off? Do they go haywire or just hold the last look? If the fixtures are not staying on when they loose data it could be an power issue, how are the fixtures powered?

 

[Esoteric]

I have seen this before in Chauvet LED fixtures. Just had to send them back in and get new ones.

Mike

 

[skapp]

To clear up any confusion, we are using DMX graded cables. They are all 3 pin connections. All connections are proper and secure. The Venu LEDs are in line with the Rains. The Venu's are mixed in and not grouped together in the line. The Venus work fine with out any issues.

The current electrical setup is 4 dedicated circuits with nothing but lighting on them. The rains have a daisy chain setup with power in, power out. The 5 on the back truss are chained together on 1 circuit and the 5 on the front truss are chained together on another circuit. The back truss is the only place that the 4 Venu's fixtures are placed and they may share the 2nd outlet on the circuit. I would have to double check on that.

When your fixtures loose control, what happens? Do they stay on or go off? Do they go haywire or just hold the last look? If the fixtures are not staying on when they loose data it could be an power issue, how are the fixtures powered?

It's completely random. Sometimes the light holds the last look, other times it does it's own thing which can be selecting its own color, going to sound activated mode etc. I don't belive they have ever just simply shut off. Seems any time it does this in a live performance, we get stuck with 1 light with a random color until someone goes and resets it at some point.


-Skapp

 

[derekleffew]

Information in this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/9943-chauvet-led-colorbank.html, may or may not be pertinent.

 

[skapp]

Interesting thread Derek. Could def be part of our issue!

 

[NickJones]

I'd send it back to Chauvet, try it with another console, different adresses and cabling. If you still have the problem send it straight back. Before it runs out of warranty.
Nick

 

[theisbr]

I have had a similar issue with our set of 10 LED Rain 56's. I have them running off a DFD 123 splitter daisy chained with both the power and DMX from the first to the last fixture. They are controlled by an Avolights Azure console. Occasionally a few of the lights would just start freaking out and cycling through colors. That turned out to be a loose DMX cable. I have also has the same problem where randomly one of the lights just freezes. The rest of the fixtures downstream on the DMX still respond, but the troublesome fixture stays the same (usually seems to be a Blue). After fixing the loose DMX connection and the DMX termination, I have not noticed that happening again, but it has only been about 3 weeks since I "fixed" the problem.

So you're not the only one this has happened to.

Our lights are used weekly for church services, but then sit all week till the next weekend.


Brian