Jr. Master Playback Wing

Just another quickie on my Congo Jr...

My playback wing seems to be a little temperamental. It either stops responding or once it's come up with a "lost connection" message on the main console. I'm using it separately to the main console, rather than attached, via the USB cable and with the power supply.

In the main, it happens when I've put the main console into Blackout or Freeze (on a break, for example, to stop tampering) but on return, turning back to normal, the wing doesn't respond.  Also, sometimes when I start the desk, the LCD panels on the wing don't load, or take a minute or two to 'refresh', and sometimes the button lights don't come on either.

I know on the instructions for the wing it says to connect the USB to the main console and power up the console first, then plug-in the USB to the wing and the power to the wing in that order - but due to the lack of a "power off" switch on the wing I have been switching the whole lot on via a switch on the wall, then booting the console. Would something as simple as this affect it?

 

Thanks



[edited by: PDD at 4:07 AM (GMT -6) on Sat, Jan 27 2007]
  • A few questions for you...

    When you apply power to the Master wing do all the LED’s on the Master buttons chase from left to right then back left again.  Also when the power has been applied do your LCD Screens display the Congo jr Logo?

    I just mocked up your situation here and no matter if I start the console first then apply power or plug in the USB Cable after the Congo jr application has been launched the wing responds fine.  It takes about 2-5 seconds for the LCD Screens to re-paint themselves but after they’ve been re-painted with the graphic they seem to be very quick to respond to changes. 

    When the master wing looses connection, try moving a handle, in the bottom right corner of the Monitors is there a *Master indicator?



    [edited by: Benjamin Smith at 10:58 AM (GMT -6) on Wed, Jan 31 2007]
  • The UK guys have suggested it's just that I wasn't plugging up in the correct order, and the fault hasn't yet happened since. I'll let you know if it does. Thanks.

  • Re. my original problem - today when I switched on, plugged up and booted in the recommended order, but the Wing LCDs remained lit up but blank. It chases all the LEDs and displays "Congo" when you apply power, but then it didn't do anything else. I then unplugged the Wing and re-plugged it in and eventually it all came on, although the green LED for direct select page 1 didn't work. Is there a problem with my Wing or am I doing something wrong? At first I thought it might be temperature, but the control room has had background heating now continuously for at least a week so it can't be too cold!  What do you think?
  • Well, my wing is still playing up. Most of the time it comes on fine; other times just one screen comes on and the other stays blank; sometimes both screens stay blank; other times only a few LEDs come on, even though all the top-page playbacks are loaded; sometimes it won't change pages in Direct Select mode; etc.

    Is this really a firmware issue, in which case when will the update be ready? Or is it about time I took it back to the supplier and asked for a replacement?

    Also, I've frozen the main console a couple of times recently - sorry, I don't remember exactly what I was doing, although next time I'll write it down. Basically, all the functions stopped working except the mouse and the Browser section (which meant I was able to re-boot the desk from the Exit screen rather than having for force it). Next time, I'll try to make a more detailed report. (No error message came up; presumably because Windows itself didn't crash).



    [edited by: PDD at 3:43 AM (GMT -6) on Sun, Mar 04 2007]
  • Ive also had a small tempermental problem with my playback wing. Ive only had it 3 days. But sometime the left hand screen crashes??!! and sometimes it has what looks like destorted lines going through it! The only way round it, ive found, is by restarting the console. I know its not the same problem as your having, but its an problem im having. My fader wing isnt connected by usb through, its connected to the left hand side of the master unit. The screen normally does this while starting up, and will say like that until restart.

    The desk hasnt crashed or frozen or anything as of yet. Could this be a hardware problem, or software problem? 

  • The console freezing issue you describe sounds like a known fault.

    If you hold down the "Group" button for too long, the console starts showing the list of all groups on the wing/main display.

    In some situations, this gets stuck in an uncompleted state which disables most of the facepanel if you don't choose a group.
    - Basically, it's waiting for you to choose a group, but it hadn't finished showing you all the groups available.

    Pressing [Esc] a few times should clear the freeze.

    This is fixed in the next software version - one of the first things we tested!

    The wing boot failure issue sounds more serious than I first thought though - we may have to bring the wing in for testing.

    Can you send me another email with the wing serial number?
    I'll check with the team about what faults could cuase these symptoms.

  • Hi

    Our Master Playback Wing is also very independent because it doesn't do 2 things always the some way. It's attached to the left side of the Master unit and every time we turn on the power, in the displays of the masters wing sometimes doesn't appear nothing. After the congo software is ok to work sometimes on one of the masters wing displays (normally the right) only appear the vertical lines but if we look from the level of the Congo we can see that there is something write over there. Is it some problem of the wing connection or something else???

     

    Pedro

  • This could be caused by a connection problem. Make sure the two units are securely connected and that the wing and console are "flush" with each other (one is not higher than the other when connected). You could also try connecting via cable, or connecting to the right side of the console and see if the problem continues. If it does, please contact your dealer to get the wing serviced.

    Thanks!

    Sarah
     

  • I have also been having an issue with my Congo Jr in that more times that not, when i have it connected and boot the console, it will not change pages, and it freezes the facepanel. The mouse will still work, but no buttons on the console will. The only fix is to do a restart, sometimes multiple restarts.

    Facepanel is updated to latest firmware.

    Is this something I need to send into service?
  • I strongly recommend a call to Tech Service in this case.

    Thanks -

    Sarah

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