Right now I am working with a
Palette VL 16 running 10.8.4 and the last couple of months I have been having operational issues. The light board is randomly freezing and acting very slow. I have been sending log files to Horizon Control but I have never received a response from them.(sent my first log file several weeks ago) The dealer that the board was purchased from is now starting to think about fixing the board or replacing it completely which is great because it is under warranty. Here are my questions.
1. Has anyone had similar issues with a
Palette board. For example during a show or programming. Freezing, or acting very sluggish. having "tiles" not work?
2. What is the normal response time for Horizon Control to respond? I sent one at the beginning of September and never heard a response. Sent some afterwards and still no response. I am very frustrated with the lack of response.
3.Has anyone had to replace a whole board due to defects? I want to do this because it seems like the easy way to solve these problems once and for all.
And please no "well go and get an
ion" responses please. They are great boards but that is not an option.
I'll run through these fairly quickly... But feel free to pester me for more detail...
1. Yes, yes we did. Often referred to by my
Stage Manager as "Go-No-Go's" and sluggish keystroke response, or "skipping" a keystroke.
The "tiles" in a
Light Palette (what we have) are connected slightly differently than the panels in a
Palette console, so I believe that symptom would present differently between our boards.
2. Depends on the email
address used, and the information given... Usually a matter of hours. Though I have a somewhat closer/more constant relationship with them than some people, I find it hard to believe that I am given prefferential service on my mindless questions.
3. Never a whole board. Our problem was solved by a replacement of the original
processor unit.
We had an early edition
Light Palette VL, that was running an older (and thus slower)
processor that couldn'
t handle the newer software. We were given a newer
processor, and everything went back to normal.
(Easy was to tell: Is your
console running XP or Vista?)
I'm not sure about the hardware makeup of the
Palette series over the
Light Palette series... It's the same software, but with slightly different hardware... A
processor replacement may or may not be the right way to go, or even an option... Only a certified tech would be able to tell you for sure.
[EDIT: Well, I can tell you that the processor *can* be swapped, at least the Strand Website says it can... Whether it needs to be or not is a different matter.
I can actually talk you through the setup for using an external computer (Laptop or Desktop) to become the "brains" of the console temporarily to check if this clears up the problems, if you would like to attempt to troubleshoot... I'm actually really surprised your dealer didn't suggest this.]
Bobby Harrell may be able to help more, as well...
The Horizon Control guys recently were aquired by another company, but are still supplying and supporting the
Palette software... This should not affect response times... It's possible your requests got eaten by the internet?
And don't worry, you'll never hear a "Go get an
ION" response from me... I've used dozens of consoles over the years, and still use an
ION on a semi-frequent basis... Nothing will ever replace the love I have for the
Palette.
The trouble with the
palette is it runs windows, which is not a real time
system. Check that nothing has been installed on it that would slow it down.
It's a locked down version of Windows designed for permanent one-purpose installation... And is thus without direct access to any of the core components...
"Installing" software is not possible, it's simply locked out.
The only software that can be run from the
console is "Registry Independant" software, IE: Open
Palette stuff... Which is generally unable to do any damage. Which is why
Strand supports it.
