Control/Dimming Ion Update 2.1.0 destroying Chroma Q intensity curves??

[jbart74]

I'm working on a show that relies heavily on my favorite unit, the Chroma Q strips, for some very subtle cyc lighting with long up fade times. I've been using these units in various venues for a couple years now and this is the first time I am getting a VERY steppy intensity curve up from 0% to about 30%. New software 2.1.0 was just loaded onto the particular Ion I am using. Is this the problem? We are running the units in Mode 5 and using the new Mode 5 personality in the Ion software. I go back into the theater in 6 hours and need to figure this out. If anyone else has solved this problem please let me know! Many thanks,
John

 

[HansH]

Hi there,

We haven't heard of steppy fades in version 2.1.0 specifically -- while we have had a few bug reports that will be rolled into a pending patch release (2.1.1), this doesn't sound like any of them. A few questions for you:

Is it steppy in all fades, or just the longer fades? Is there a particular cue where it always does it? What is it fading from/to?

There's no harm in downgrading the software to version 2.0.1 to see if it was a software version thing, but if it's only on longer fades, it could be a limitation of 8-bit fades. The best way to see this would be to open About, select the channel, and observe the DMX column for the fixture in question. Do the steps follow the DMX level changes?

Hans

 

[jbart74]

Hi there,

We haven't heard of steppy fades in version 2.1.0 specifically -- while we have had a few bug reports that will be rolled into a pending patch release (2.1.1), this doesn't sound like any of them. A few questions for you:

Is it steppy in all fades, or just the longer fades? Is there a particular cue where it always does it? What is it fading from/to?

There's no harm in downgrading the software to version 2.0.1 to see if it was a software version thing, but if it's only on longer fades, it could be a limitation of 8-bit fades. The best way to see this would be to open About, select the channel, and observe the DMX column for the fixture in question. Do the steps follow the DMX level changes?

Hans

Hey Hans. It seems to be most offensive/noticeable in fades from 0% intensity to about 30% Every fade in this particular show is at least 5 seconds. Some are 2 mins. I notice it in both the 5 second and the 2 min fades. All of them. As I said, this never happened before in my experience with the Chroma Qs while using the Ion (or a Hog).

I won't be in the theater again til this evening but I'm really hoping to fix it before tonight's rehearsal. Shouldn't these be operating 16 bit all the time? That stuff is a little beyond my comprehension but I get the basic idea.

I'd like to try the software downgrade but I don't have a copy of it available. Is it archived on ETCs website somewhere?

Thanks Hans,

John

 

[jbart74]

I should also mention that adding an IES Square curve helped reduce the steppiness at low levels by about 50% (still unacceptable though) but of course, that's not the curve I want :-/

 

[HansH]

Indeed, while it has been archived, version 2.0.1 is available on the website - it's under Downloads and Software, but you'll need to click "Show all downloads, including archives."

http://www.etcconnect.com/product.software.signin.aspx?docID=23610

Looking at the manual for the fixture, I'm only seeing 8 bit parameters -- if they were 16 bit, some parameters would take up 2 DMX addresses, but in my quick glance, I only saw single 8-bit parameters.

IES square would make a bit of sense for better fades, as it tends to ramp up faster at the lower end of the curve and balance out around 55%.

Let me know how the downgrades go -- looking at things on the bench here, I'm not seeing any fading issues with the fixture profile, but I don't have an actual ColorForce fixture in front of me.

 

[derekleffew]

Any updates, @jbart74 ?

... We haven't heard of steppy fades in version 2.1.0 specifically -- while we have had a few bug reports that will be rolled into a pending patch release (2.1.1), this doesn't sound like any of them. ...

To those concerned, EOS/Gio/Ion/Element 2.1.1 was released into the wild Wed. Jan 22, 2014: http://www.etcconnect.com/product.software.signin.aspx?docID=23610 .