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    LightGuy145
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Sensor CEM3 D20 Coupled Dimmers and Swapped Circuits

I have a standard 96 dimmer rack of all D20 modules with a new (within the past year) CEM3 controller running 1.6.1. This is a fixed dimmer-per-circuit rack in a auditorium.

Note: For both these problems I have tried swapping dimmer modules around and powering down the separate architectural control system. I've also reset the CEM. No change whatsoever. The problems exist no matter what controller is sending DMX to the rack (architectural controller, Express 48/96, PC controller, etc). This leads me to believe it must be an issue with the dimmer rack itself.

Problem 1 - Coupled Dimmers

Two sequential dimmers 75 and 76 (in the same module) will not turn on unless they are both on together. They aren't configured for dimmer doubling. In fact, I don't see any difference between their dimmer settings and any of the other properly functioning dimmers. Does anyone have any idea what might cause this behavior? I thought maybe the module was going bad but it happens even after I swap it out with another properly functioning module.

Problem 2 - Swapped Circuits

DMX address 58 turns on circuit 70 and DMX address 70 turns on circuit 58. I've double checked that both the circuit assignment and the patching are as they should be... DMX address 58 is assigned to circuit 58 and circuit 58 is assigned to the correct lug. Same goes for circuit 70. How could the swapped behavior therefore be possible unless the circuit wires going into the modules were at some point swapped? It seems unlikely this would have happened as part of the installation of the CEM3. It seems even less likely that anyone has been inside the raceway for any reason. I know I can "solve" this problem by reassigning DMX address 58 to circuit 70 and vice versa, but that doesn't offer any explanation as to why this problem began after the CEM3 was installed. I need answers! I need the universe to make sense!

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  • I agree with Tom on get with the factory to get this checked by a tech if under warranty, but a couple of things do come to mind that could have happened with just a CEM upgrade. This assumes that no high-voltage wiring was touched during the upgrade. There could be an issue with the ribbon cables not properly seated, or a bent pin on the terminal of the backplane, though with the 75/76 issue I would expect that to manifest as a "either turns both on" rather than the described "both must be on for either to work". However if this is a phase-balanced rack I would point out that all four of these circuits noted are in the same phase and what looks to be the same ribbon cable, so that'd be where I'd be looking.

    75/76 issue: Possible this could be some kind of weird hot/neutral swap or open neutral if these circuits are in the same piece of distro, but I would have expected that to have been noticed long before this upgrade if the rack hasn't been changed (unless something got jostled while wrangling new cables or the backplane in to place), and usually that shows up on "sequential" circuits in different phases. Probably worth putting a GamChek on the circuits to check that the wiring is all as intended.

    If Tom didn't mention it, if you choose to look into this yourself, make sure to fully power down the rack before poking around with any of these items as you're going to be removing modules to do so. But again, if a factory-authorized tech did the upgrade, I'd have them come back out on warranty to check into it if you've got to go deeper than what Tom suggests.
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  • I agree with Tom on get with the factory to get this checked by a tech if under warranty, but a couple of things do come to mind that could have happened with just a CEM upgrade. This assumes that no high-voltage wiring was touched during the upgrade. There could be an issue with the ribbon cables not properly seated, or a bent pin on the terminal of the backplane, though with the 75/76 issue I would expect that to manifest as a "either turns both on" rather than the described "both must be on for either to work". However if this is a phase-balanced rack I would point out that all four of these circuits noted are in the same phase and what looks to be the same ribbon cable, so that'd be where I'd be looking.

    75/76 issue: Possible this could be some kind of weird hot/neutral swap or open neutral if these circuits are in the same piece of distro, but I would have expected that to have been noticed long before this upgrade if the rack hasn't been changed (unless something got jostled while wrangling new cables or the backplane in to place), and usually that shows up on "sequential" circuits in different phases. Probably worth putting a GamChek on the circuits to check that the wiring is all as intended.

    If Tom didn't mention it, if you choose to look into this yourself, make sure to fully power down the rack before poking around with any of these items as you're going to be removing modules to do so. But again, if a factory-authorized tech did the upgrade, I'd have them come back out on warranty to check into it if you've got to go deeper than what Tom suggests.
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