Has anyone had any issues with Colorsource Spots causing RF interference with wireless mics?

We are currently running a show with Colorsource spots on booms.  Two of the booms are sitting in front of the wireless microphone receivers and we are experiencing critical interference on the microphones when the Colorsources are on.

 

Has anyone had this issue before?  We haven't done much troubleshooting yet, as they are using the mics in rehearsal.

 

Thanks,

Craig

  • Not to dredge of up a post from the dead, but we were also seeing RF interference from our Colorsource Spots over the summer.  We had 36 of them on dance/backlight booms all over our stagehouse, and when the units were given power, the noise floor in certain parts of the wireless spectrum would jump up by 10dB or more. The noise would increase when the units were actually emitting light.

  • Hello,

    I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your system.  The ColorSource products have all been tested to the UL/ETL and CE standards and fall within the necessary radiated emissions levels that those regulatory bodies require.  However, that does not mean that there are no emissions occurring, so there may be some things to try. 

    I would start by making sure that the antennas you are using are not in close proximity to the fixtures (or any other electronics for that matter).  I would also try swapping any fixtures near the receivers/antennas to make sure that there is not a problem with a specific fixture.

    If you continue to experience issues, please contact our technical service department (1.608.831.4116) as they may be able to further assist you.

    Have a good day,

    Jim Uphoff

    Marketing Product Manager- Entertainment Fixtures

  • This issue has just been brought to my attention from another venue.  after a long, multi-person phone call across the ETC food chain, the final answer from an ETC engineer was that: given that the units are within a certain Serial Number range, they are creating interference in a wireless com system.  The engineer said the motherboards in the CS units need to be replaced.

    (I've not seen it in my venue, but we're going to experiment).

    ETC:  what range of serial numbers are affecting wireless gear more than others.

    Thanks.

  • Hello Andrew,

    There have been a number of changes to hardware over the life of the ColorSource products. (This is a pretty common thing)  Some of the changes that have been made have lowered the radiated emissions of the fixtures but, as stated above, they have always been below the UL and CE standards.

    If you have having problems that do not go away after troubleshooting, you should, as always, contact Technical Services for assistance.

    Jim Uphoff

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