Enttec DMX usb pro loses connection

[Gary]

We purchased an Enttec DMX USB pro and d-pro. We installed on a windows 7 desktop computer.
We started to have a problem right away.
The Dongle with loose connection to the computer intermittently.
First we tried different cables then we tried making sure the USB settings
on the computer were set so the power save functions were off. It seemed to work until we have
an audience and then it would freeze up and lose its connection.
We tried a power regulator, power conditioner and they both just made it worse.
Then we called ENTTEC support. We've exhausted the possibilities.
They went into our computer and made sure all of the settings were right.
It seemed to work until we have an audience again.
Then we thought it might be the Dongle itself so we purchased another one.
We're still having the same problem. We try all the
USB ports on the computer but the same thing would happen. we try a laptop computer with windows
7 and it worked for several shows perfectly
we thought we had a problem under control but now sadly it's happening on the laptop as well.
We also tried plugging into different circuits the building
but no luck. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. Is a USB signal unstable?
We love the program but if it doesn't work and it's
just been a waste of money. Now we have two Dongles, D-pro and still a problem with our lighting.
Do you have any suggestions? We are at our wits end.
Should I upgrade to the DMX USB pro mk2? And if I do will it work?
Or will I be stuck with three dongles that I can't use?

 

[JChenault]

I have had generally good results with the USB pro. One issue we did have was with the power supply of the computer not quite driving the USB pro. The solution was to get a powered USB hub. This cleared up the issues.

Just curious - what was the failure mode. IE did the green LED light on the USB PRO still blink, or was it silent? If it is still blinking ( fuzzy memory) that implies that this might be a software problem with your computer program, not the dongle.

If you unplug and replug the dongle what is the effect. IE how do you restart things?

Two other possibilities you may want to try. One is to look at the offerings from DMX King. They make a functional clone of the USB Pro. Another would be to switch over to an ArtNet device.

http://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70305

or
http://dmxking.com/artnetsacn

If you go artnet, I would suggest not using a POE device unless you get a separate box such as

http://dmxking.com/accessories/power/poe-injector-802-3af


Disclaimer - I do not work for either Enttec or DmxKing. I have used both products and have developed software consoles that use them.

 

[Bubby4j]

You might try using different software just to see if it's D-Pro. I use the USB DMX Pro and it works absolutely fine. It works with my laptop and a desktop with no stability issues.

 

[JD]

You also have to watch out what other software is on the computer. It is posible that another application, or even a background process is clipping the connection. Whenever you use a computer as a console, you what it to be plain vanilla and not have any internet connection. Even AV software can throw a wrench in the works.

 

[Bubby4j]

You also have to watch out what other software is on the computer. It is posible that another application, or even a background process is clipping the connection. Whenever you use a computer as a console, you what it to be plain vanilla and not have any internet connection. Even AV software can throw a wrench in the works.

I've not personally had a problem with internet, but I can agree that if AV software decides it's time to start a scan, you can be in trouble.

If it's not a fairly clean install of windows, there could possibly be a ton of background programs running.

Windows 7/Vista/XP:
Press Windows key + R
Type "msconfig" and hit enter
Go to the startup tab
Disable stuff you don't need

Windows 8:
CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (to open task manager)
Go to the startup tab
Disable stuff you don't need

 

[dbaxter]

It's not the nature of computers to do one thing one day and another the next given the same environment. The fact that you were running fine with the laptop and then 'suddenly' it developed the same problem makes me suspicious that something was installed on the laptop - maybe to give it the same added feature the original computer had - and it's interfering with your USB. The Enttec (and DMX King units, for that matter) interfaces have been very reliable in my experience. One thing to check is whether you are using a virtual serial port in the software or a D2XX driver. Switch to the other one and see if the problem goes away. You won't have found the culprit, but you'll be running your shows.

 

[Mitch Baker]

Hi All, new member here.

We have had almost exactly the same problem with an ENNTEC Open DMX USB. At this stage the problem only seems to occour intermittently when running the dongle with a desktop computer. As soon as we turned on a number fluorescent lights on the same circuit (magnetic ballast) the problem occupies straight away and the computer's CPU jumps straight to 100% usage. With a laptop computer this problem, at this stage, does not occour. We have tried using ferrite beads, power conditioner and changing circuits to no avail. The desktops and the laptops both run QLC+ one on Windows 7 (32 bit) and one on Windows 10 (64 bit). Any help would be much appreciated, and I've thrown a few more variables onto the table for someone with a bit more expertise to have a look at. Many Thanks,

Mitch Baker

 

[dbaxter]

The Enntec Open relies on the host computer for its timing signals, so it makes sense that when the CPU goes to 100, you have problems. By 'power conditioner' do you mean just a surge filter or a full-blown battery UPS? If the latter, try running with that providing the power for a bit (unplug it) and see if the lights affect the computer. Unfortunately, I can't give you any reason why a noisy power line would drive the CPU to 100%.