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Comm Port and Other Set-Up Problems


Lisa Kennedy

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The Hardware Utility only supports COM1 thru COM16... This is an unfortunate limit on the Microsoft MSCOM control used by that particular program.

The rest of the system ( Sequence Editor and Show Editor ) are not limited to 16. So if COM21 is the correct port that can be verified in the Sequence Editor by setting the port to COM21. This is done by clicking Edit->Preferences->Network Preferences.

You will need to change the port to a value of COM21 or less. This can be done via the (right click)MyComputer->Properties->Hardware(tab)->Device Manager->(expand Ports(COM & LPT)->USB Serial Port (COM21)->(port Settings(tab)->Advanced then set the COM Port Number: to a value less or equal to COM17...

There is little chance that there is actually anything use all the ports below COM16 but if they are listed as in use you will need to pick on and COM16 is probably a good choice.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone!!! I was able to change my COM port to COM1 and now it has recognized the controller and I have been able to test lights on this first one.

Now I am going to spend the evening working on adding controllers so I can get them all functional for weekend light testing.

Thanks again to everyone for your help and suggestions -- it is great to have so many other Christmas light folks to get help from.

Lisa

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey folks...I'm new to this and I'm having the same problem. I'm trying to reboot the controller and I don't see a jumper on the 18 pin header. Could this be my problem? My comm port is 1 also, and I was able to change my USB to comm 1. It sees it fine, but when I hit the refresh button, it doesn't find the controller.

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Guest wbottomley

djberry wrote:

Hey folks...I'm new to this and I'm having the same problem. I'm trying to reboot the controller and I don't see a jumper on the 18 pin header. Could this be my problem? My comm port is 1 also, and I was able to change my USB to comm 1. It sees it fine, but when I hit the refresh button, it doesn't find the controller.

Before resetting the controller, have you set the comm port in the hardware utility? That's more than likely your problem as you described.

If the red led on the controller is blinking, then your comm port or adapter is not functioning properly. If it's solid, that would take on a whole different issue.
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If you have a ctb16pc controller, you need the jumper. If you have a 1602 controller, you should not have the jumper. Instead turn the controller off, set the ID to 00 and power up the controller. Watch for the fast flashing status light. Turn it off, and set the unit ID back to normal.

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Thanks for the QUICK response !! I have the LOR160xW controller. I reset the ID to 00, led blinked fast, reset to 01 and led is still blinking...normal rate. Yes...my comm port is set to Comm 1 which it says I should be set too. When I hit refresh, it finds 0 units.

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USB485. I even tried changing the comm numbers....to #2, changed it in the device manager, LOR hardware and the sequence editor. Still nothing. I changed it back to comm 1 and still nothing. The LED is still blinking. Oh...and I did update the driver for vista.

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Try bringing up the windows device manager list of com ports. Unplug the adapter and see which port goes away. Verify the same one comes back when you plug it back in.

That one will be the one you need.

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OMG......it found it. I didn't do a thing. Well......all I did was plug the USB into all my ports, then plugged it back into the original one. It found it !!!!!!!!!!!! Man......computers are great.....................when they work right. haha

Thanks everyone for your help.

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Thank-you everyone. I got it all up and running perfect. Took some "thinking" on my part, but.....I just made the entire schedule work (reset my computer clock to 9pm start time) and had the FM transmitter working also. It started and stopped as it was scheduled too. PERFECT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • 1 month later...

Well, just stumbled across this post, I to am having the same issues. But none of the suggestions work.

I am using a Keyspan USB to Serial adapter and a SC485 Adapter.

The hardware utiliy will not find my unit. After a little waiting on the search the results return 0 units, but sometime the light does go steady on my board and the lights that are plugged in will just start Random flashing etc.

Note: I bought my boards in 2006, but this is the first year I have tried to connect them. (We had a baby in 2006 and needless to say that took more time than my light hobby) BUT now in 2009 he is 3 and want to see the lights back! Daddy too!

Any suggestion? Also, I have tried this on two computers both running XP and sometime during the middle of trying to get it to work, both PC and Laptop will BLUE screen and crash.

Help!

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The USB-Serial Adapter may not have enough juice to drive the SC485 Serial adapter.
If you have a powered USB hub, using it to drive the adapter may help.

Alternately you could try running the SC485 on a hardware serial port if you can find a PC that has it, as I am assuming that neither of your machines has one, hence the USB-serial adapter.

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The SC485 adapter is powered from the controller. This is why the documentation states that the cat5 cable limit when using this adapter is 100 feet. In all actuallity the short cable the better for this connection, in my opinion.

Chuck

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  • 3 years later...
Hello,
 
I bought the LOR1602MP3g3 controller, Test it with the hardware utility and the HU recognize the controller. then I ran my sequences and everything work well.
 
Now I just bought the iDMX-1000 but the HU do not recongnize the DMX controller.  the red light stop to blink after I open the HU, I beleive this is ok.
 
Why the HU do not recognize my controller?
 
Is the select button on the iDMX-1000 reset the controller?
 
What else should I try?
 
Sorry about my english I am from quebec, canada
 
Claude

Sorry about my english I am from quebec, canada

 

Claude

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What version of the software do you have? You may have to change the Max Unit ID to a higher number, but that will depend on the software version you are running, i.e. "basic", "basic plus", "advanced".

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Hello,
 
I bought the LOR1602MP3g3 controller, Test it with the hardware utility and the HU recognize the controller. then I ran my sequences and everything work well.
 
Now I just bought the iDMX-1000 but the HU do not recongnize the DMX controller.  the red light stop to blink after I open the HU, I beleive this is ok.
 
Why the HU do not recognize my controller?
 
Is the select button on the iDMX-1000 reset the controller?
 
What else should I try?
 
Sorry about my english I am from quebec, canada
 
Claude

Sorry about my english I am from quebec, canada

 

Claude

For the iDMX as ships from the factory, you need to set max unit as high as it can go.   Otherwise the hardware utility does not scan all the way to the default facory shipping address of the IDMX (F0).  The HWU does not behave any differently based on license levels 

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