ENTTEC DMX USB Pro Keeps Shutting Down

[StradivariusBone]

So I've got a PC running LightFactory. I've got a DMX King Micro USB for input from an ETC Express. Output is on an ENTTEC DMX USB Pro. I just installed the Micro today, wiped the FTDI drivers and reinstalled manually for the Micro. Originally, I couldn't get it to work plug and play. Neither LightFactory nor DMX King's configuration tool would recognize it, but it also wasn't showing up as a port in Device Manager, hence the wipe.

Got the DMX King Micro to be recognized and it started showing as a COM port. Plugged in the ENTTEC and nothing. Tried installing the FTDI drivers over the top using whatever utility ENTTEC links to on their site. Got output, two COM ports linked to USB Serial Converters. Hooray.

Now, without warning, the ENTTEC will power down. Signal output stops (as evidenced by the 10 second delay and slow fade out on all dimmers from my Sensor rack), and the indicator light on the dongle stops blinking. Hotplugging the dongle or restarting the DMX service in LightFactory will fix it instantly which leads me to believe that it's a power management issue. All my settings are at maxed out, with only the display shutting down after 3 hours.

I had trouble using the ENTTEC as an input device and was told to try the DMXKing as an alternate and so far it seems to work perfectly. With the ENTTEC as an input device, I would get all sorts of errant data which appears to be manifesting with some issue with the internal timing. I am running it through a powered hub at the moment, going to try and patch it directly to a main USB port to see if it makes any difference.

 

[sk8rsdad]

It may not be the Entec. It might be your PC powering down the USB due to the power saving scheme. Disabling that behaviour would depend on your OS.

 

[StradivariusBone]

It's Win 7 and as far as I can see power settings are to the max. I'm wondering if there's a registry key hidden somewhere that's timing it out.

And you're right, in this instance I don't think it's the Enttec necessarily, but the DMX King works fine even while the Enttec has shut down, which is odd since they are both FTDI devices. This didn't start happening until I installed the DMX King though, so it's definitely linked somehow.

 

[Amiers]

Power option is one.

The other is conflicting IRQ and Memory sometimes. I know gnhat most newer computers handle this very well these days but sometimes they get wonky. Use a different USB like th front that gets routed through a different bus.

 

[sk8rsdad]

https://pattersonsupport.custhelp.c...isable-power-management-on-windows-7-machines

 

[JChenault]

I have seen issues with the USB dongles when the computer is getting old, and there is not enough juice coming out of the USB port to power the device. Try getting a powered USB hub. Connect your Enttec through the powered hub and see if anything changes.

 

[JD]

This shouldn't work, but sometimes it does: If the PC has more than one USB port, use a different one. We still have two PC's running windows 7 and I've had this pop up before. A device will not work correctly on one USB port (other things will), unload/reload drivers etc, and problem continues. Move it to a different port and everything works fine. In the most recent case, I ended up swapping the printer and keyboard. Both ports work fine, one just sometimes didn't like the printer. Probably an odd registry entry, but I didn't bother digging any further. That was a year ago.

 

[StradivariusBone]

It was on a powered hub. We had trouble with it before direct to the computer. Switched it to another port direct from the PC and it "worked" for a while. Came in a few hours ago for a load-in for a one off straight play and it's dead again. Had to use the Micro I got for the input-Express-wing as an output and had to solder a cable since I didn't have any male 3 to female 5 adapters handy. Knocking the %$%^ out of some wood, but it's working well on the DMX King dongle.

Here's what I'm wondering, the DMX King documentation mentions that it prefers to use VCP instead of D2XX. I'm fairly confident that the Enttec uses D2XX. I recall reading a while back that there are conflicts with using both, but I can't find anything that speaks to that at the moment. The IRQ comment took me back a couple decades. I remember trying to get my joystick, mouse, Sound Blaster and keyboard to all work at the same time took some doing with IRQ settings. IIRC all USB devices per bus use the same IRQ through sharing. I think part of this is that I do have an older computer (a problem that is being rectified) and I think some previous config setting buried somewhere is causing hell on how this is working.

I'll try that setting @sk8rsdad when we finish up with this show. Between walking into the shop being left unlocked by a teacher or custodian, this light crap, and a last minute mic swap requested by the client that resulted in a dead mic on stage, I'm ready to be done for today. Thanks for the insight, gang.

 

[Amiers]

What kind of powered USB hub did you have? And... did you have anything else on it. I have ran into that issue when I used the hub as more of an extender than just getting a straight cable.

Driver conflicts could exist I wouldn't put it past them to use similar functions and cause some cross talk and scramble things.

I would take that ENTEC box home away from the environment and do a full blown test on it. If it passes then introduce the DMX king and see if they go zerker mode.

If the ENTEC does go kaputz then maybe you got a bad box. It's not unheard of, from people I've talk to they don't recommend ENTEC for the reason that they are very unreliable in a clutch.

As far as the other issues those days suck. Drink a beer and forget about it. Ehhhhhhh.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Drink a beer and forget about it. Ehhhhhhh.

Just finished the out. Bout to do just that, friend!

 

[Amiers]

So am I. I just did a 120 tv install for an expo. There is no amount of beer that will satisfy my thirst tonight.

Cheers from the west bro

 

[StradivariusBone]

What kind of powered USB hub did you have? And... did you have anything else on it. I have ran into that issue when I used the hub as more of an extender than just getting a straight cable.

Driver conflicts could exist I wouldn't put it past them to use similar functions and cause some cross talk and scramble things.

I would take that ENTEC box home away from the environment and do a full blown test on it. If it passes then introduce the DMX king and see if they go zerker mode.

If the ENTEC does go kaputz then maybe you got a bad box. It's not unheard of, from people I've talk to they don't recommend ENTEC for the reason that they are very unreliable in a clutch.

As far as the other issues those days suck. Drink a beer and forget about it. Ehhhhhhh.

It's an 8-port powered hub and it has a lot on it. Granted- this was all working before I wiped and restored the FTDI. I configured the new dongle first and then the Enttec second, but only because I couldn't get the new dongle to be recognized at all when I plugged it in, which is odd since they are both FTDI devices. Sorry for the double-post. Focused on beer.

 

[Amiers]

Yeah, the ENTEC doesn't like to share power and USB will power to whatever it wants from my understanding.

I would try to get it on its own dedicated USB. If that means adding a PCI board it will benifit you in the future anyways.

 

[sloop]

Lose the entec. I have seen a lot of problems with them. Go with DMX King.

So I've got a PC running LightFactory. I've got a DMX King Micro USB for input from an ETC Express. Output is on an ENTTEC DMX USB Pro. I just installed the Micro today, wiped the FTDI drivers and reinstalled manually for the Micro. Originally, I couldn't get it to work plug and play. Neither LightFactory nor DMX King's configuration tool would recognize it, but it also wasn't showing up as a port in Device Manager, hence the wipe.

Got the DMX King Micro to be recognized and it started showing as a COM port. Plugged in the ENTTEC and nothing. Tried installing the FTDI drivers over the top using whatever utility ENTTEC links to on their site. Got output, two COM ports linked to USB Serial Converters. Hooray.

Now, without warning, the ENTTEC will power down. Signal output stops (as evidenced by the 10 second delay and slow fade out on all dimmers from my Sensor rack), and the indicator light on the dongle stops blinking. Hotplugging the dongle or restarting the DMX service in LightFactory will fix it instantly which leads me to believe that it's a power management issue. All my settings are at maxed out, with only the display shutting down after 3 hours.

I had trouble using the ENTTEC as an input device and was told to try the DMXKing as an alternate and so far it seems to work perfectly. With the ENTTEC as an input device, I would get all sorts of errant data which appears to be manifesting with some issue with the internal timing. I am running it through a powered hub at the moment, going to try and patch it directly to a main USB port to see if it makes any difference.

 

[Marki555]

Try to use Zadig software to assign different drivers to the King and ENTTEC. That way one can use VCP and the other can use D2XX.