Noob question

[Mikkimcmurderer]

Hi guys,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but here goes:

I am unable function band and have a Chauvet Obey 70 and various lights like ADJ Innospots, mini Dekkers, Stairville TriBars. I linked them up and programmed some scenes and chases. All seemed sorted but when I reset them up at a gig, nothing happened apparatus from random flashes from the TriBars. I have just set it up again at home and mostly it still doesn't work but sometimes it starts talking to eachother again!
I am using all DMX cables and a terminator plug. I've tried just plugging in one fixture at a time and that is OK. It's when they are linked to more than one where it all goes wrong!

Any ideas why it could be so unpredictable and what to do to make it 100% reliable?

Cheers!

 

[Amiers]

Sounds like one of the fixtures got set to slave mode. I say that because if you said it all worked on first setup something got changed between teardown and setup.

Hook up each fixture one at a time til you run into the problem child.

 

[JD]

If the trick above doesn't work (making sure they are all set to DMX and nothing got changed to master/slave), then I would look to noise being injected into the DMX via a ground loop or other ground related noise. Even if they are DMX cables, check to make sure the pin one is isolated from the shell of the connector (open circuit.) I have had more than one case of finding a DMX cable with a jumper in the connector between the shell pin and pin 1. This is especially true on pre-made 3 pin XLR cables. If everything is plugged into the same outlet (which may have been the case when you first tested at home), the problems may not show up, but will when you take them to a job and they end up plugged in to multiple locations.

 

[Mikkimcmurderer]

Thanks guys.
I did have the Innospots on master mode so changed to slave and then back to dmx mode. That seemed to help initially and everything started working as it should but after a minute or so, it all went unresponsive again. I tried each fixture individually and that was fine again, linked them up but they go dark again when connected!

It's so frustrating as nothing physically is changing!

Any thoughts that might help?

Cheers

 

[josh88]

Thanks guys.
I did have the Innospots on master mode so changed to slave and then back to dmx mode. That seemed to help initially and everything started working as it should but after a minute or so, it all went unresponsive again. I tried each fixture individually and that was fine again, linked them up but they go dark again when connected!

It's so frustrating as nothing physically is changing!

Any thoughts that might help?

Cheers

How long is the total chain? how many fixtures are you talking about?

 

[Mikkimcmurderer]

How long is the total chain? how many fixtures are you talking about?

At the moment it's only 4 fixtures,a tribar, innospot and 2 Dekkers...couldn't get past that!

 

[Mikkimcmurderer]

At the moment it's only 4 fixtures,a tribar, innospot and 2 Dekkers...couldn't get past that!

And all connected with 1m length dmx cables for now none of which have the ground lugs connected.

 

[Mikkimcmurderer]

Update- all sorted but I had to reset the desk losing all my programming! I hope I never have to do that again and can't imagine what could have gone wrong...

 

[Amiers]

Real test now is can you set it up again somewhere else and it all stays the same.

 

[JD]

Not sure about the Obey 70, but the last Chauvet DMX 70 (basically the same unit) was DOA until I did a factory default clearing everything out of it, and that was new out of the box! Be aware, if it works for awhile, then does the same thing you may have a component in the board that goes thermal after the power is on for awhile. One "Standard Operating Procedure" I use on all new electronic equipment is when it is brand new, I plug it in, turn it on, and leave it on for 72 hours. If it passes then chances are it will be trouble free for many years electronically. This used to be a SOP for any quality equipment and done at the factory. For obvious reasons, manufactures have stopped doing this on all but the highest $ equipment.

 

[Mikkimcmurderer]

Well I reprogrammed a few chases and all was well but after half a day, turned it all on again, all worked for first few minutes then all of the programs wiped - nothing left!
Luckily I bought it on Amazon less than a year ago so back it goes!