"Overtemp" errors on Sensor3 racks

I have the same problem.

New system March 2013.  2 SR3 48 racks with CEM3 running 1.6.1  Got through change over and focus and then started getting random overtemp errors clustered in certain area of racks.  Old original Sensor rack from 1999 (studio theater) running happy next to new racks with problems.

The really odd thing is that in rack 2 I've installed a "filler" module that has no guts at all and it still showed an overtemp error.  There is DMX calling for circuits 125 & 126 as those are relays for LED power that I moved to another pair of relays but didn't take out of patch in show file.

The attached shows how I've been replacing/swapping modules trying to figure out what's causing the problem but no success.  Plain Dim numbers are all D20E modules.  Tx refers to one of our new 4 ThruPower modules.  Rx is a relay - new system had 2 R20AF modules and balance is a mix of R20 and R20AF picked up from eBay or 4Wall. 

I found this article that said a bad power cube can cause this error to show up in adjacent slots.  https://www.etcconnect.com/Support/Articles/Sensor-Overtemp-Operate.aspx

I've run the racks bringing each circuit to 100%, seen the occasional error, reset it and then unable to cause the error again.  

Checked racks after performance today and CEM3s were reporting 72 and 73 degrees.  Loads are almost all 750 watts with a few going up to 1,500 watts (2 Selador Classic 63 

Any way to bench test cubes?  Suggestions????

 

overtemp errors.pdf

Hey guys..
There is a known minor bug with cem3 causing false 'overtemp' errors. The factory is aware and troubleshooting the problem. If your errors are show stopping, contact the factory for a temporary work-around of disabling those..

Bob,

Thanks for the info... Heard any updates?

It's not show stopping, but it is slightly nerve-wracking waiting for the next error and wondering which channel is not going to work... I'm surprised nobody from ETC has chimed in on this.

Thanks,

Ethan

Bob,

Thanks for the info... Heard any updates?

It's not show stopping, but it is slightly nerve-wracking waiting for the next error and wondering which channel is not going to work... I'm surprised nobody from ETC has chimed in on this.

Thanks,

Ethan

Hello Ethan, Tom, Bob,

Sorry we took a while to get back to you about this.

We've been actively working on this problem at ETC and what we have discovered is that modern electronic loads (Moving lights, LED power supplies, etc) can introduce additional electrical noise (technically conducted RF emissions) into the Sensor rack, which get picked up by the distro boards and interpreted as overtemps (it is even possible for this to affect slots other than the slot with the noisy load - including empty slots as you noticed).

It is also possible for a bad module to cause it also. Step 1 is always to try and narrow it down to one module which could be the problem, but if the problem is persistent or irrespective of module, and you are switching "noisy" loads, I think this is what you are encountering.

We are hoping to be able to fix this with software improvements in our next version of software, 1.7.0. Until then - if the problem seems to be related to a particular load, you could isolate that and e.g. leave it always on; there is also a hardware modification to the CEM3 to disable overtemp sensing completely which we can provide as a temporary "fix" until the new software is available. Feel free to send me a PM or contact ETC directly if that's something any of you need to pursue.

Regards,

Tom

We limped through last show with random errors - it wasn't pretty.

Removed 4 R20AF relays for current show. So far no problems. Programming starts Friday.