Control/Dimming Need help diagnosing an issue with CD80 rack, Processor, and Strand auxiliary panel.

Van

CBMod
CB Mods
Premium Member
Sorry for the long title. Here's the deal: Our company sent a couple of CD80 rack processors in for repair, our main Dimming and control guy was going out of town and knowing I had a background as a field tech for Dimming and control, he asked that I do the re-installation. I went by the school yesterday morning, put the new processors in the rack, fired them up, set the dates and time, set the rack numbers <1 & 2>, went to the board ran a couple channels up, but there was a show active so couldn't be sure everything was working absolutely properly. The program director professed that he nothing about the lighting system but he had a student that did. The Student, a Controlbooth member BTW, called me that afternoon saying that houselights were coming up with the stage lights and the house light control push buttons were not responding, and why did I break it... < ok she didn't really say that last part.> I stopped back by on the way home and figured out, after a fair bit of head scratching, that I had not set the starting address of the second rack to "97". Once I did that the houselights ceased coming up with the stage lights.
OK, Almost to the problem.
There is an auxiliary panel in the booth with push buttons for the work lights, the architectural control buttons, sliders for the house lights, and a toggle switch that is supposed to run the projector screen.

Now here's the deal: when you hit the projector screen button nothing happens. if you go into the board and put dimmer 105 < not the real number but I've slept since then> at full the screen comes in. if you put dimmer 106 at full the screen goes out. How do you route the output from a dimmer to a projector screen? how do you get a toggle switch to send a DMX signal to control a dimmer to raise and lower a projector screen? Why don't schools retain important information like how the processor units internal patching was done or, for that matter a Riser showing the exact layout of the system.

Any idea what we're looking at here? I THINK one of the things I need to do is go back and make sure the Dimmers that control the up and down are set as Non-dims in the processor. I still don't see how that is going to help getting control back to the toggle switch. If I can I'll post a picture of the board, or ask the student to, if she sees this thread.
 
While the program director may not know it, I would expect the district facilities dept to have full construction drawings and O&Ms.

CD80s are not my forte but my first thought is that this booth panel is critical. If it's programming was in the bad processor rather than the panel then it will need to be reconstructed. Were some early Outlook systems done that way?
 
You do not mention it but I would assume that these are CD80 SV racks. When I have sent in a processor for repair previously it will usually come back with the settings unchanged. They will usually inform me if the settings had to be cleared.

A custom auxiliary control station at the booth or stage manager was not uncommon. If it contains Outlook stations then all the settings are in the processor. Besides DMX, there are multiple control input types with CD80 SV such as analog and contact closure. These have to be programed in the processor as well. It would be nice if system drawings could be found.

I would figure that the two dimmers are energizing forward and reverse windings in the screen motor? So energizing both at the same time is bad? Does the toggle switch have a center-off position?

Pictures would be nice. If you know who installed it then they might have drawings.
 
You do not mention it but I would assume that these are CD80 SV racks. When I have sent in a processor for repair previously it will usually come back with the settings unchanged. They will usually inform me if the settings had to be cleared.

A custom auxiliary control station at the booth or stage manager was not uncommon. If it contains Outlook stations then all the settings are in the processor. Besides DMX, there are multiple control input types with CD80 SV such as analog and contact closure. These have to be programed in the processor as well. It would be nice if system drawings could be found.

I would figure that the two dimmers are energizing forward and reverse windings in the screen motor? So energizing both at the same time is bad? Does the toggle switch have a center-off position?

Pictures would be nice. If you know who installed it then they might have drawings.
@Ron Foley Are you following this thread?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
Yeah I would love to see pictures of this.
 
This sounds like it could either be a configuration issue or a preset issue. I would call tech support 800.4.STRAND and see if Matthew has the configuration files for this job. It will depend on if it was factory commissioned or dealer commissioned.
I will give that a shot!
 
Good Morning

Strand should have the system on file.
I've been to Srtand training awhile back and I recall IP addresses needing to be set.

8/
 
Spoke top Matthew at 18004STRAND. He didn't have the config file but he had answers! I think I can fix it now!

Thanks Y'all!
 
Spoke top Matthew at 18004STRAND. He didn't have the config file but he had answers! I think I can fix it now!

Thanks Y'all!

Turn it off and blow in the slot??
 
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