Channel Sticking

[Guest guest]

I searched the forum, and the only other example that I could find was where someone suggested WD40 .

I am working on sequences. I have 3 of my 4 controllers laying on the floor behind me with 4800 Mini bulbs plugged into them. (My wfe is waiting for me to get them out of here.. ) When running through the sequences, every so often, I have a channel hang up. Its like it recieves a signal to turn on, but the signal to turn OFF is missed. So I have one tree that comes on and sits there until it gets a signal to turn on again. Once that second signal hits it, it goes back to running normal.

It's not in the same place every time. It's not on the same channel every time. It's not on the same song every time. It's not even in the same BOX every time.

When I install it, I will be using the ELL's, I have set it up with all three boxs' running off ELL's. I have changed frequencies, Data rates, and everything else that I can think of. My question is, is this a normal thing? It's not critical, but annoying. If not normal, what can be done to fix it? Have I got something out of adjustment someplace?

[Guest guest]

Brad,

Two possibilities could be, the physical wire distance or external electronic interference between your computer and the first LOR unit. I have LOR 1062Ws and the instructions are clear not to exceed 100' of Cat 5 signal cable. Your problem sounds like the signal might not be consistently going through.

Greg

[Guest guest]

ggregzim wrote:

. I have LOR 1062Ws and the instructions are clear not to exceed 100' of Cat 5 signal cable. Your problem sounds like the signal might not be consistently going through.

The 100' restriction is only between the serial connector and the first box. The distance between other boxes can be much greater (several thousand feet).

Also the USB interface doesn't have the 100' restriction.

-Tim

[Guest guest]

Try running your sequence in the show player. Your channel hangup might be happening in the sequence editor. I have a similar problem with twinkle. Channels set to twinkle, played in the sequence editor will come on and not flash. But when I play the same sequence as a show they work fine.

jeff

[Guest guest]

I'd also check the basics. Make sure you don't have the same channel defined in two places.

Also, if you are running through the scheduler and you have a background sequence or animation sequence programmed ... make sure you don't have the same channel defined in two different sequences.

[Guest guest]

Brad Bilger wrote:

When I install it, I will be using the ELL's, I have set it up with all three boxs' running off ELL's. I have changed frequencies, Data rates, and everything else that I can think of. My question is, is this a normal thing? It's not critical, but annoying. If not normal, what can be done to fix it? Have I got something out of adjustment someplace?

Brad,

Verify whether or not it is an ELL problem by hardwiring your setup.

Use the Hardware Utility -> "LOR RF" tab -> "Current Device Parameters" to make sure all ELLs have "ver=2.8" The problem you are describing is exactly one fixed by this firmware.

John

[Guest guest]

I have that exact same thing happened to me as well. I just need to find where the channel started to get stuck, delete that time slice, and then insert a new one fixed it.

[Guest guest]

Ok.. good information, but a bit more to tell.

Under testing and building the sequences, I am using 2 ELL's. One on my computer (hooked up with 3' of Cat 5 cable using the USB adapter) and one on the opposite side of the room (8' away) connected to the first Contoller with 10' of Cat 5 cable. Controllers 2 and 3 are daisy chained together with Cat 5 (50' rolled up)

The problem occurs during running the show from the sequence editor, AND when running the show from the Scheduler. Additionally, I have seen the problem occur when testing the controllers from the Hardware Utility.

Totally random. Different songs, different places, different channels, differant boxes. Only occurs about once or twice per song. I read in the manual for the ELL:


[align=left]LED3 This LED indicates an error, usually an overrun. Overruns occurs when the show is too complex for the transceiver. Meaning that the unit is unable to keep up with the data required to run the show. This LED really shouldn’t light.[/align]

[align=left]I tried to watch the LED AND the show at the same time, but with it being random, its hard to tell. I never saw the LED light up, but I don't know if the glitch occured during that run through. I have several more ELL's and am thinking about swapping them out to see if one of the ones that I am using is a bit flacky and just can't keep up. [/align]

[align=left]When I set up the show for real, EVERYTHING will be wireless because of the distance between the boxes and the crowd that will be walking through the area. (Circular walkway with part of the show in the circle, and part of it outside the circle)[/align]

[align=left]Not to worry though, this little glitch has NOT dampened my enthusiasm for the product in the slightest bit.[/align]
[align=left]ELL's are running V2.8 firmware. Sorry.. forgot to add that.. [/align]

[Guest guest]

Brad Bilger wrote:

I searched the forum, and the only other example that I could find was where someone suggested WD40 .

I am working on sequences. I have 3 of my 4 controllers laying on the floor behind me with 4800 Mini bulbs plugged into them. (My wfe is waiting for me to get them out of here.. ) When running through the sequences, every so often, I have a channel hang up. Its like it recieves a signal to turn on, but the signal to turn OFF is missed. So I have one tree that comes on and sits there until it gets a signal to turn on again. Once that second signal hits it, it goes back to running normal.

It's not in the same place every time. It's not on the same channel every time. It's not on the same song every time. It's not even in the same BOX every time.

When I install it, I will be using the ELL's, I have set it up with all three boxs' running off ELL's. I have changed frequencies, Data rates, and everything else that I can think of. My question is, is this a normal thing? It's not critical, but annoying. If not normal, what can be done to fix it? Have I got something out of adjustment someplace?

Have you tried reseting your LOR boards? When I moved my LOR boards to their production location last week, I had a similar problem. Sometimes channels would stick, and sometimes channels would misfire (turn on in places where there was no command to turn on.) A quick board reset fixed the problem.

[Guest guest]

Brad,

I came upon the same thing when it came to hooking up my ELL's to send my sequences to the controllers. When I had them connected in my living room using Cat5 cables, everything worked great as far as timing and doing what they were suspose to do. When I connected my controllers to my ELL's I started experiencing some strange things happening like what you described. My lights were falling behind my sequence, they were blinking when they should have been off, and things were not going well. I had 4 ELL's. They were installed just like the drawing on page 11 of the ELL Instruction Manual. Only I connected the first ELL to the computer, the second to the first set of controllers the third to the end of first set of controllers and then a fourth to the beginning of the next set of controllers. I thought the ELL's had to be like "daisy chained".

The Solution: I thought along the same line as you. Changed the frequencies,data rate and everything possible. It was not until I REMOVED the ELL at the end of the first set of controllers that the problem went away. It was interfering with communications flow. EVERYTHING WAS GREAT! I had to look at the ELL's as broadcasting a signal from my computer(Transmitter) to all the ELL's at the same time (Receivers) on the same frequency, and not daisy chained like Cat 5 cables are. Worked for me. I was getting desperate!

[Guest guest]

Brad:

Do you have any other cordless devices in your house that operate at 900 MHz? Make sure you do not have an older cordless phone nearby that may be sending out signals jamming the ELL's. Other things like wireless headphones or video senders can also raise your noise floor and cause missed packets.

What you are describing was somethind I found this July and worked with John to isolate and get perfected. 2.8 is what is running my Halloween setup right now, and I have not seen one miss or lock on. And like "One Lite Shy" said, it's a one to many network. You can't have one at the computer and one at the end of a wired string on the same channel. Make sure all your units are at 2.8. Start with only 2, and see if the problem exists and work up from there.

Mike

[Guest guest]

Ok.. must have been electrical interferance. I had one sitting on TOP of my computer, and the others sitting ON TOP of the LOR boxes. Hmm.. let's see.. Computer? Wireless router? Cordless phone? Cell phone? TV? Two laptops? Naw.. nothing there to cause interference

I just put on a demo in the back yard for my boss and 18 other friends and family of everything that I had done..

And it worked PERFECTLY. No glitches.. no bobbles, no errors.. PERFECT. I also reset the boards before I carried it outside.

So now... onward to the park to finish assembling the show.. Each year, the local TV station does a bit on the lights at the theme park. I expect (ok, I hope) that they will do an article on us again this year. So... Hopefully, I'll have some videos to show sometime..

Once again, to everyone that responded.. My undying thanks and gratitude..

[Guest guest]

Wes wrote:

I have that exact same thing happened to me as well. I just need to find where the channel started to get stuck, delete that time slice, and then insert a new one fixed it.

Not trying to trump anyone who knows your hardware better but one way to tell if a triac or relay, etc is bad is it never turns off... always on... also half way bad triacs will work reliably until they warm up then stay stuck on... you would know they are bad by cutting the power to the card and plug back in and while warm, instantly come on again...

I have seen good 20 amp triacs go bad instantly... my neighbor accidentially caused a direct short circuit on a triac'd circuit by touching hot to neutral and even with the fuse on board, GFCI tripping... it was still enough to destroy the triac. I was able to go to radio shack and get a replacement and fix it for him. But thought this is worth knowing information.