Funny problem with ETC Insight 3 and Chroma Q Color Block

[rantonio]

Hi All,

Funny problem and I hope that you can tell me where to look. We have an older install, only one universe (512 addr). We have 180 fixed dimmers. We support 4 Vari lights and 4 Mac 500s.

We were demoing a Color Block and we are having some problems controlling it. I set the CB PSU to use dmx addr 300 (we have no dimmers or moving lights in that address range). I could not get the color block to respond. I moved the PSU to dmx addr 275 (another unused addr) and still no response.

Next I moved the PSU to addr 1, which is actually used by a dimmer and I could control the Color Block. Then, just for yucks, I moved the PSU to dmx addr 316, which is shared with one of our Macs. Again, I can control the Color Block.

So it seems that are are certain addresses that my board is not communicating on. I looked and made sure that these channels are not parked, nor independent. Can someone point me at where else I can look?

Best regards,
.rob.

 

[xander]

How are you trying to control them? Are you bringing them up one dimmer at a time? Or have you patched them? If so, how? Normal patch or fixture patch? Are you trying to bring them up with the keypad or submaster handles or encoder wheels?

-Tim

 

[rantonio]

We haven't patched them yet, and no patches exist (to the best of my knowledge) on those addresses. I was just trying to assign a value (manually) to a particular dmx addr.

Thanks.
.rob.

 

[rantonio]

To answer more specifically, I am using the keypad

"channel 300 at 'value'"

 

[xander]

Well that would be the problem. The correct syntax for bringing up a DMX address would be "[Dim] <address> [At] <value> [Enter]". You cannot use channel until you patch the address to a channel. That is why when you addressed it to an address you were already using you could control it, because the address was patched.
Hope that helps.

-Tim

 

[rantonio]

Sorry, I left out the "enter" in my syntax.

I'll look into the patching though. That sounds like the problem.

I didn't know that if a dmx address wasn't patched, then the dmx controller would not affect its value.

Thanks again.
.rob.

 

[techno89]

unless the patch is one to one you need to patch the dmx address you set to a channel you haven't used

 

[xander]

That is not what I said. The problem with your syntax was using the [Chan] button instead of the [Dim] button (and when you are bringing up a dimmer you need to use [Enter] at the end, but you don't when calling up a channel). When you call up a channel, what you are really doing is telling the board that you want to alter the state of the dimmer(s) patched to that channel. If you haven't patched the dimmers to anything, you cannot control them with channels. It does not however follow that you cannot control them with the console. You just need to tell the board that you want to control a dimmer, not a channel (which the board assumes you want unless you tell it otherwise).

Let me know if you need more help,
-Tim

 

[rantonio]

I think my basic problem is my understanding of the differences between a channel and a dmx address.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

A dmx address is tied to the protocol physically going down the wires. (That's why every device gets to have a dmx address associated with it.)

A channel, on the other hand exists at the control board. It doesn't have to have a 1 to 1 mapping (that it, channel 1 doesn't have to map to dmx address 1).

A patch links the channel (on the board) to the dmx address on the wires.

Thank you so much for your instruction. It really helps my understanding of the whole system.

Best regards,
.rob.

 

[xander]

A dmx address is tied to the protocol physically going down the wires. (That's why every device gets to have a dmx address associated with it.)

A channel, on the other hand exists at the control board. It doesn't have to have a 1 to 1 mapping (that it, channel 1 doesn't have to map to dmx address 1).

A patch links the channel (on the board) to the dmx address on the wires

Yes that is for all intents and purposes correct. We are using DMX address and Dimmer interchangeably and while they are not the same thing, in this case it is acceptable.

Does this help you understand what you are doing with your Color Blocks?

-Tim

 

[rantonio]

Yes, this helps me understand the color blocks and the system much better than before.

Too bad I can go and try it out right now...

Thanks!

Best regards,
.rob.

 

[xander]

Well, when you do get a chance, make sure you check back here and let us know if you figured it out or if you need more assistance.

Good luck,
-Tim