Ion DMX/dimmer communication issue

Question

I am seeking information on an issue my theatre has with our newly purchased Ion console. When plugged into our dimmers and these are brought up at any value the lamps flicker or pulse. We have two different dimmer rooms and it only applies to one of them. Unfortunately I do not know the make of the dimmer boxes off hand. We have tried uploading the latest system software and changing the DMX rate but it did not help. What could be the possible problems causing this and are there any tests I could make on the console to verify it is one of these problems? Any information on this topic would be greatly appreciated 
 
 - 
 distressed lighting designer

CrazyCanuck · Answer

One of the first times I did an Ion Installation, we ran into something similar (or the exact same). What we determined to be our issue was that the building power that our console was on, and the power that the dimmers were on were using 2 different grounding rods. (In our situation, part of the building was an expansion wing). 
 
 Our solution was to disconnect pin 1 (reference), and then the system worked. Another solution would be to put an optical splitter in-line between the console and dimmers. 
 
 Hope that helps. Look forward to an update as to what you find.

Jason Lord · Answer

Turn off RDM. If what you're controlling is "unknown", I've found that some older electronics do not know what to do with the RDM signal. I've had LED tape pulse due to the controllers being junk.