Radiance Hazer DMX Issue

[FortMacTech]

We have a LeMaitre Radiance Hazer that we have never used on DMX until now. It works great in stand alone and when we plug DMX in, it promptly goes into overheat (fault) mode unless we have it plugged in on a 6' or shorter cord right beside the board. I even tried its own cord (60') and it does the same thing! Any ideas?

 

[porkchop]

Radiance hazers are really picky about when and if they want to play nice with DMX. Your best option is obviously to make stand alone mode work for you, past that you're probably best calling your local Ultratec dealer. I don't know if you've opened up your hazer or not, but everything that controls the output is really crammed in there and all really proprietary. Given how moody these units can be, your dealer will probably be able to give you a good idea if there is an easy fix, or a price estimate if you have to send it to them to make DMX work. Then you can decide if you really want it to work off of DMX or if something else will work for you.

FWIW we run our two units on stand alone mode off a non-dim because we got tired of fighting DMX operation.

 

[bishopthomas]

Not that I don't believe you, but I find it odd that the Radiance is as popular as it is but does not work well on DMX. I only ask because I'm looking into buying one soon. I really don't want to fork out the money for a DF50 but if the Radiance doesn't like DMX then it's completely useless to me.

 

[sk8rsdad]

I have had a Radiance in our theatre for years, have always operated it on DMX, and have never had a problem.

 

[kicknargel]

I run a Radiance on DMX--it works great and I LOVE it.

To the OP: Forgive me if you've done this, but some basics to check: is your data chain terminated? Are there other devices that are working properly (if not, could be bad cable). Not saying that there couldn't be a problem with the unit, but if it works next to the board and not in the data chain, then the problem probably lies in a piece of gear that's different between the two setups. Eliminate them one by one.

 

[FortMacTech]

It sounds like they either work great or are frustrating. I have tried putting it on its own cable right from the board and it is great if it is on a 6' cable and won't work if it is on a 60' cable! There is nothing else in the data chain. I found another website giving feedback about these units and theirs won't work unless it is first in line and on a short cable. Their must be a glitch in the electrics for DMX. Has anyone tried a booster with a unit that has troubles?

 

[firewater88]

It sounds like they either work great or are frustrating. I have tried putting it on its own cable right from the board and it is great if it is on a 6' cable and won't work if it is on a 60' cable! There is nothing else in the data chain. I found another website giving feedback about these units and theirs won't work unless it is first in line and on a short cable. Their must be a glitch in the electrics for DMX. Has anyone tried a booster with a unit that has troubles?

I have had one running for a few years on DMX. It is hung on the end of my first elex and also at the end of the DMX chain for that elex. It goes through 2 Mac's and a I-Cue power supply. I run ETC E-DMX. It is run off a node in the grid, then to a Doug Fleener 1x6. then a drop to each elex.

Did you try a different longer DMX cable? are you using 5 pin cable? or are you using 3pin adapters?

 

[coldnorth57]

I have one that I run off of a 50 ft cable coming out of a Strand SV 80 after a 80 ft run to the SV 80 runs graet (when I don't run it our of fluid....opps)

 

[kicknargel]

This sounds like a termination issue. Have you tried a terminator? Termination problems will change based on the length of cable, among other things.

 

[epimetheus]

This sounds like a termination issue. Have you tried a terminator? Termination problems will change based on the length of cable, among other things.

This. Classic symptom of no termination and a picky DMX receiver.

 

[pathway]

I doubt that termination is the issue here. From my experience, DMX-receiving products that work fine for one user but not the next, are simply very fussy about the DMX flavor they'll accept.

This can usually be blamed on the code writer who wasn't successful enough at accommodating the full range of timing possibilities allowed by the DMX512 standard, but some microprocessors are very restrictive in this regard. It's also possible that there's just a bug in the code.

I've also seen non-standard receivers used in an older Le Maitre DMX interface (the standalone box). These were obviously designed by someone who was more comfortable with audio, since he/she used an analog op-amp instead of the correct RS485 compliant part. That unit worked well in most systems, but if the control or opto-splitter used slew-rate-limited transmitters, it was often a no-go situation. I don't know what was used in the Hazer design.

Whatever the real cause, it sounds as though changing the DMX topology (shortening the cable, adding an inline DMX reprocessor or opto-splitter) is the best immediate solution.

 

[FortMacTech]

It is fixed!! We got a new chip with the updated operating program and it is all good now. It will even work without a terminator now and at the end of a set of dimmers and scrollers! Thanks Ultratec.

 

[bishopthomas]

Great to hear! I bought a Radiance since this thread started, so I'm glad to hear the customer service works.

 

[BillESC]

Ultratecfx, the US/Canadian supplier of the Radiance has excellent customer service. A recent client of mine purchased a Radiance and loves it. Then I get a call from him that one of his assistants used oil based fog fluid in it by mistake and the Radiance was no longer working properly. I called Ultratecfx to see what should be done. The tech said he'd call the customer directly to trouble shoot the problem. I have him the number for the client in Hawaii and haven't heard anything since.

 

[Nobrakes15]

How much was the repair and how long did it take? Mine is doing the same thing.