VENUE- ThinPar 64

Andy Haefner

Active Member
Has anyone had experience using Venue ThinPar 64s? For a show we are using about 26 in one DMX line with some other fixtures (movers, geyser fog machines) and all our other fixtures work great but the LEDs just don't seem to want to work right... Incorrect channels will turn on lights, some fixtures just won't work at all. I've tried swapping DMX cables in between, tried isolating chains of fixtures, various other things... The only things I could think that might have any effect would be the length of the run limiting the LEDs or the DMX running along AC cables, would either of these have any effect? I can supply a diagram of fixtures and addresses of anyone wants it.
 
Hi Andy,

Would addressing all the fixtures in order of the DMX chain help with it?

No, but if it does you have bigger problems. With the way DMX works the order of the fixtures is irrelevant.

I haven't used this specific fixtures, but I do know they're on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of cost. If you have 26 of these and a bunch of other units, you might be nearing/surpassing the maximum number of devices able to be used on a single daisy chain. 32 devices is the suggested maximum, but the actual number before unreliable operation will vary slightly depending on the fixture type. Try unplugging all the other units and see if your ThinPars can run happily together. If not, start removing them one by one until things begin to behave. If you still have issues with less than 20 devices there is something else wrong. Are you using proper DMX cable and not mic cable? The length isn't as important - you can run very long strings without issue, but be sure you have a terminator in place on the last fixture.

See if any of this helps. If not, you might have to consider using a splitter. That will resolve the "too many fixtures" problem and can also help if certain units just don't play well together. Good luck!
 
A lot of low cost LED fixtures have quality control issues. Some of the common issues are cheap connectors and cold solder joints, both in the fixture and in the cables connecting the fixtures to data and to power. Sometimes swapping cables can help isolate the problem.
 

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