New Congo Kid Flashing/Flickering Problem

[jdsilverm]

Hey everyone. I posted this on the ETC forums, but I am also posting this as a shot in the dark because maybe someone else has seen/heard of this problem:


We recently got a brand new Congo Kid console and haven't been able to use it yet! Here's a little history of the past few days: When we plugged in our DMX cables to universes 1 and 2, we got erratic flashing and flickering of certain lights. We have two dimmer racks (one small and one large), and it only affected the small dimmer rack. We didn't know whether it was our new console, DMX problem, etc. BUT, it's worth noting that the problem never happened at all when we plugged in our current console, which is a much smaller SmartFade console. None of those problems showed up using that. But, as soon as we plug in the DMX lines to the Congo Kid, things start to go haywire! So, we called ETC support which was very helpful. After not being to fix the issue, ETC hooked us up with a local repair shop. They thought it was maybe the Command Module on the small Unison dimmer rack that was going crazy, so they sent us a loaner Command Module to try out and replace. Well, after putting that in, the problem REVERSED itself! The smaller dimmer rack now worked fine, but the large dimmer rack was now going crazy with flickering/flashing! Basically, the problem moved from one dimmer rack to the other! VERY WEIRD! So, we are still using the old SmartFade console and our new Congo Kid is just sitting there because the repair technicians can't come out until later next week. This is absolutely unbelievable!


I would appreciate any and all guidance! Thanks.


Jeremy

 

[icewolf08]

Do you have a DMX tester/analyzer? If you do, I would suggest you test the output of your new console. If you see levels going crazy on the tester then you have some kind of control issue, if not you have other issues.

What kind of dimmer racks do you have?

Have you tried ensuring that you have the correct outputs set up on your Congo? Have you tried adjusting the DMX rate? Are you sure there are no cues or effects or any other things running on the Congo? Do you have other DMX devices that you could test with the Congo and look for erratic behavior? Can you connect your Congo directly to your dimmers via ETCNet? (assuming your dimmers are new enough to support this).

On the other hand, since you say the issue changed when you replaced the Unison processor, it would seem to me that the issue could lie in the programming of the processor.

 

[jdsilverm]

Hey icewolf08. Thanks so much for the quick reply. Let me answer some questions:

1. No, we do not have a DMX analyzer. We were hoping to solve this issue before having our tech guy come to our facility. Since he is an hour and a half away, it would literally be $400 just to bring him out there. But, he is extremely nice and knowledgeable, and worth it!

2. We have a 96 channel Sensor dimmer rack which controls house architecturals and some stage lighting. There is another smaller 24 channel Unison dimmer rack which controls only stage lights. BUT, this is the CMED unit with the disk drive that holds the Unison configurations and must be the brain to the architectural control panels throughout the building. Also noteworthy: both are older units from the late 90s/early 00s.

3. We "think" we have all the outputs set correctly. There's only 2 universes and we aren't even dealing with Universe 2 yet. This is only Universe 1 issues. (Our movers are all on Universe 2 and we are keeping them out of the loop in order to properly diagnose this conventional issue.) But, it's pretty much a 1:1 map at this point.

4. Yes, we slowed the DMX rate gradually from fast to slow and it still shows the same exact issues.

5. NO effects or anything running. We literally start the Congo with a new play and fresh configuration each time to ensure no dynamic effects or anything.

6. Yes, we got a few of our extra LED fixtures and hooked them up directly to the output 1 of the console and they seemed to work fine. We changed levels, colors, etc, all which daisy-chaining a few together and they worked fine for a long time. We even got some movers out and hooked them up to the console as well and they responded fine.

7. No, our system does not support ETCNet. (At least, I don't think! Don't see any ethernet ports anywhere).

Thanks again for all the info. We'll keep looking!!!

 

[icewolf08]

Ok, it sounds like you have the older Sensor Racks (red beacon). OSunds like an SR48 and either an SR12 or Unison DRD. Without knowing how your DMX distribution was originally laid into the racks it is harder to tell you what to look at. It also means that you are right, there is not an ETCNet input to the older racks.

Are there any other theatres or performance venues hear you that you could take your Congo to to test with their gear? It would be interesting to know if the problem exists on other dimming systems besides your own. If the problem doesn't go with the console then there is something that the Unison Processor and your setup doesn't like about the data from the Congo, and the problem is not with the console itself.

 

[jdsilverm]

Ah, good idea! I will call in some favors with some other local large churches and see if we can hook it up with their system. Great ideas! Again, I really appreciate all your time!

Jeremy

 

[shiben]

2. We have a 96 channel Sensor dimmer rack which controls house architecturals and some stage lighting. There is another smaller 24 channel Unison dimmer rack which controls only stage lights. BUT, this is the CMED unit with the disk drive that holds the Unison configurations and must be the brain to the architectural control panels throughout the building. Also noteworthy: both are older units from the late 90s/early 00s.

Ok this seems odd to me that the 24 channel rack is controling stage lights and the 96 rack has both on it... It seems that one would put the house on the 24 channel rack, especially if its a unison rack... I have no idea, just thinking aloud, if you will. How many stage circuits do you have?

 

[jhochb]

Good Morning Alex
I'm the local ETC tech working with Jeremy. btw I'm on the east side of FL & he's on the gulf coast, 120 miles away. I'd like to make only 1 trip.
This is a church so most of the system is house lighting.They have 1 SR48 & a DR12. Thats 24 dimmers for the stage, not unusual for HOW. Typicly the DMX goes into the DR rack & than to the SR48 thru DMX A.
The Unison stations go into the DR rack & the ARCH prossor spits out DMX into the SR rack to DMX B.
Jeremy has sent me the system config so I can check if all is well.
Bringing the Congo to another venue is a good test, Thanks for sugesting that.I hope it's not a congo issue but it anythings possible.
It is a CEM classic rack & the Unison is running V1.8.2 ( current is 1.9.3)
Jeremy, Good to see your networking to solve the issue. With the right info, the more minds on this the better.

 

[jdsilverm]

Hey Jack! WOW! So cool to see you on here! This forum has been fantastic with my past questions and advice. So many helpful people!

Yeah, I figured I would post the situation on this forum to get some more feedback just in case someone else had heard of this same problem. I will take the Congo to another venue tomorrow and see how she does.

By the way, I want to publicly thank you and the rest of ETC for such amazing tech support. We almost went with another board from a competitor and the world-famous ETC support network really persuaded us to stay with the brand we know and trust.

Anyways, we will keep trying new things and get you on over here if needed. Thanks again!

Jeremy

 

[icewolf08]

Something I just thought of that may be worth checking. Are you using the same DMX lines to connect your Congo as you are the older console? If you changed the cables, I suppose it could be possible that one of the cables is bad.

Beyond that, I would be interested to hear the results of taking the console elsewhere.

 

[DavidNorth]

My money is on a wiring problem from the original installation. It is possible that Data - and Data Common are swapped somewhere in the wiring plant. We used to use black heatshrink for Common which in a dark room looks a lot like the black conductor for Data -. Depending on the grounding schemes of the consoles, this wiring may or may not work and certainly the SmartFade console is floating.

Oh, one more idea, because we have seen a few of these failures over the years. It is also possible that the terminator board in the back of the Sensor rack is at fault. Rare, but can happen as does show itself simlar to what has been posted. The only way to really know is to pull it out.

Now, with all this being said, I think Jack is the best person to solve this in a safe manner. After all, we are talking about components in racks and in the wall....not places you want to go into unless you have some training and knowledge.

David

 

[jdsilverm]

Hey everybody. Just an update: as per lots of advice on the forum and our ETC expert Jack (who posted a few posts ago), we happened to have an extra Command Module for the LARGE Sensor Dimmer rack in the back and swapped it out too. IT ALL NOW WORKS! Amazing, it happened to be a rare combination of BOTH command modules in the small and large dimmer racks. AMAZING! So, there it is. Everything is working well now.

I appreciate everyone's expert help and advice. You are all a blessing to us!

Jeremy

P.S. I will be working with Jack to get both our modules back to ETC for repair. I can't stress enough how awesome ETC has been.