I posted a while back about a problem I thought was dmx related. I have since checked and changed all the cables and went over the internal solder connections on the data board. Here is the updated condition. I am running a 10 fixture setup and currently this one is number 8 in the line. When starting up it cycles fine and then begins to "flutter". More specifically, with the shutter and gobo open and the dimmer at full no matter where the mirror is positioned the fixture "blinks" continually. The shutter flashes and the mirror moves to like a "home" position. It will continue to do this even if the dmx cable is unplugged for a moment. I have another data board but it has problems too. where is the best place to start? Any ideas would be apprectiated. The whole system is as follows: colortran innovator 72/144, 8-intellabeam 700hx, 2-meteor elipscans.
1 - is your DMX line properly terminated (with a 120 OHM resistor) 2 - is all your equipment on the same power source....more specifically on the same ground. 3- how long are your data runs?
Try terminating if not already done. Or maybe try putting a good Opto-splitter in.
1- yes the dmx line is terminated after the last fixture 2- unsure- we are running in theatre situation and are having to use seperate recepticals to power the fixtures rather than use a distro and feeder. but probably the same ground. 3- initial run from console to fixture 1 is about 100' and then a total of about 200' to the problem fixture with about 50' after the problem to the end of the run.
i did have a thought, i currently have the console in the house to program a show ( no HH remote ) so I could run a shorter dmx line directly to the problem fixture and see if that helps. I will try that today and post again tomorrow.
just seems weird that this fixture is not at the end or beginning of the line but somewhere in the middle.
Ok, here are the results of my tests: I used a shorter 50' cable and went directly from the console to the problem fixture only and also moved my terminator to that fixture. the fixture responded the same as before. I changed the data board with an older one i had out of another fixture and it seems to have corrected the problem. Now, is there any way to repair or troubleshoot the bad board or should i just junk the thing totally?
I haven't used i-beams myself, but i've noticed on some trackspots that the address DIP switches sometimes get flaky, and cause problems similar to what you're describing. I have one fixture that has that problem currently, but it goes away if you physically hold the dip switches in position. Doesn't work for a show, but that's how I determined the problem was the DIP switch. I had thought that it was addressed incorrectly, and was using a small screwdriver to adjust the switches, when I held the lowest order switch in place, the behaviour stopped, and life seemed better. Now I just need to pull the thing apart and replace that switch.
[quote=JCS Lighting]Ok, here are the results of my tests: I used a shorter 50' cable and went directly from the console to the problem fixture only and also moved my terminator to that fixture. the fixture responded the same as before. I changed the data board with an older one i had out of another fixture and it seems to have corrected the problem. Now, is there any way to repair or troubleshoot the bad board or should i just junk the thing totally?
Glad you were able to figure out the cause.
I would send the bad PCB to Light Parts....they will be able to tell you if it is worth repairing or not, and if it is they can fix it as well.
I did use the same ribbon cable with both the good and bad boards. I thought about switching the eprom but was unsure about it since the versions printed on the chip were different ( i assumed due to the manufacture dates of the fixtures the boards came from ) and I didn't know how that would effect the fixture performance. I was also curious if it could be a driver chip for the stepper motors but it wasn't isolated to just one motor. I will try the above and see what happens. I have another eprom but it was an earlier version - what is the difference?
