OK.. HELP!!! Frustration setting in...

[Guest guest]

Ok I'll do this from the top.
-I tested the 1602 MP3 when I got it with a few lights to just see if it turned on and stuff... Everything was fine!

-Flash forward to last week. I upgrade firmware to 4.01 and MP3 firmware to 2.0. I mount the box outside, plug in my lights, load the sequences, and watch.... Everything looks great.... while the show played....

-The show was set up to play once and then stay on via the hardware utility, until 9:30pm. First, the show never stops and then it keeps repeating until I shut it off at 10pm.

-Next night, same deal. This time I remove the SD card and turn the unit off and then on. When it turns on a few channels come on and then channels 1-9 fade on and off randomly. 10-16 are dead.

-I load the SD card with 1 show that has all channels on, I set it to play once, and then stay on. The lights all stayed on but some channels would turn on and off or fade on/off, or go off then come up to not-quite-full intensity.

- I keep it like this a few nights after hitting reset and it still stays the same.

-Now today, I drag my computer to outside (didn't want to unplug lights/box) and hook it up to the hardware utility. Here's where it gets interesting...

-First it find 6 units, all that say MC-PD ver 1(or something like that) I try again, 4 units, shows unit numbers but says unknown device. Third time I get my unit "ctb-16d 4.01". I start to test lights.

-I select effects they all seem to work. I start to do a chase sequence it runs through a few times with no problems. Then channels 1-9 start to fade on and off as it goes through the channels. Sometimes those channels will turn on and stay on until the chase gets to them and they shut off.

- I Try andc hange exisitng ID, I go from 1 to 6 and then reset, it changes and I still get the same problems.
- I turn it the system back off then on again and refresh unit and I get 10 found this time, all unknown. again... 4 unknowns, again... 0 found. Fourth time it finds mine.

- I test everything again, with the same results. I shut off and on, refresh the unit in utility and now it doesn't find no matter many times I do it.

HELP!!!!!!!
I would almost bet it's operator error somewhere but I can sure use help.

Greg

[Guest guest]

Okay ... some things off the top of my head. Apologies if you've already tried these.

1) Cables. Sounds like some of the cables might be damaged. Might explain the off/on again of finding the controllers.

2) Did you upgrade the Hardware Utility (HWU) on the computer? (If not, do this.)

3) When you upgraded the controllers, did you update them one at a time? If not, do this.

4) What are the contents of your show? Do you have a long animation sequence running after 9:30? Maybe the shows are running because your current sequence isn't finished. (Might be a good idea to check the time on your MP3 Director)

5) Did you *ever* load a stand-alone sequence into a controller? If so, make sure it's completely removed. (It should be the only thing connected when you do this.)

[Guest guest]

Don wrote:

Okay ... some things off the top of my head. Apologies if you've already tried these.

1) Cables. Sounds like some of the cables might be damaged. Might explain the off/on again of finding the controllers.

I have to test those, in regards to the hardware ultility, but that doesnt help with the lights going screwy before that.

2) Did you upgrade the Hardware Utility (HWU) on the computer? (If not, do this.)

I was going to say yes, but I was using 1.5.1 if that's right. Now it says 1.6 after I d/l the upgrade, but I just did that.

3) When you upgraded the controllers, did you update them one at a time? If not, do this.

I only have the 1.

4) What are the contents of your show? Do you have a long animation sequence running after 9:30? Maybe the shows are running because your current sequence isn't finished. (Might be a good idea to check the time on your MP3 Director)

The timing was checked and it was fine, the show only ran 20 minutes (it is my first year

5) Did you *ever* load a stand-alone sequence into a controller? If so, make sure it's completely removed. (It should be the only thing connected when you do this.)

I did this after testing to see if I could load the sequence that turns them all on. It did nothing to fix anything, then I tryied to unload it and that's when I couldnt find the controller on a reset. ( Opps should have mentioned that)

[Guest guest]

Greg, let's go through this:

When Don mentioned cables, I got the impression that you had more than one - assuming cat5 cable.

At the bottom of the support page of Light-o-rama there is an upgrade for the hardware utility for 1.5.10. Once this has been upgraded when you open the hardware utility it will say 1.5.10 at the top. It sounds like you have the upgraded scheduler for your controller?

Your show - Give me an exact description of you show (example - this is my show:

at 5:30 pm I have an 18:18 musical sequence show and a 41:42 static fake musical show. It runs for 1 hour and loops itself until 9:50 pm. When I mean fake musical - I created 20 songs under musical sequence and just turned all channels on so they would run a static display until the next show.

In the scheduler I scheduled the shows and said loop itself. I have not used the 'run once and then turn on feature'

It is probably in your best interest to not upgrade to version 1.6 software - I am not doing that until after this season. It might add to this years confusion.

I hope this helps some what - if not please respond with some more questions and I will try and help.

Bill Jr.

[Guest guest]

rossg10 wrote:

Don wrote:

5) Did you *ever* load a stand-alone sequence into a controller? If so, make sure it's completely removed. (It should be the only thing connected when you do this.)

I did this after testing to see if I could load the sequence that turns them all on. It did nothing to fix anything, then I tryied to unload it and that's when I couldnt find the controller on a reset. ( Opps should have mentioned that)

Try reseting the CTB16D to remove the standalone sequence: power off, Unit ID to 00, Power on, LED should do two flashes, pause, repeat; Power off, back to Unit ID 01.

[Guest guest]

Bill Jr. wrote:

Greg, let's go through this:

When Don mentioned cables, I got the impression that you had more than one - assuming cat5 cable.

I have only the one cat5, from the one controller.

At the bottom of the support page of Light-o-rama there is an upgrade for the hardware utility for 1.5.10. Once this has been upgraded when you open the hardware utility it will say 1.5.10 at the top. It sounds like you have the upgraded scheduler for your controller?

I have the updated hardware utility, 1.5.10. Updated scheduler? Don't know.

Your show - Give me an exact description of you show (example - this is my show:

at 5:30 pm I have an 18:18 musical sequence show and a 41:42 static fake musical show. It runs for 1 hour and loops itself until 9:50 pm. When I mean fake musical - I created 20 songs under musical sequence and just turned all channels on so they would run a static display until the next show.

In the scheduler I scheduled the shows and said loop itself. I have not used the 'run once and then turn on feature'
The whole show is 19:35 and then I had it turn itself on after and shut off at 9:30pm. When that didn't work I tried the loop of a static show and the lights did the possesed game.

It is probably in your best interest to not upgrade to version 1.6 software - I am not doing that until after this season. It might add to this years confusion.
I still have 1.5 for the sequence program, have not updated that at all, well I did but on a 2nd computer to test it. Not my main one.

I hope this helps some what - if not please respond with some more questions and I will try and help.

Bill Jr.

I will add this, after my first email I went back out to try and do this again. The momemnt I turned the box on (no SD card in) in just kept blinking on/off. It found the controller but it didn't let me do anything at first, then it did and then locked me out again. I tried the firmware again and that didn't do anything, at one point it displayed my unit as "bootloader 16". So I shut the box off before the nieghbors could gather the pitchforks.

Greg

[Guest guest]

LightORamaJohn wrote:

rossg10 wrote:

Don wrote:

5) Did you *ever* load a stand-alone sequence into a controller? If so, make sure it's completely removed. (It should be the only thing connected when you do this.)

I did this after testing to see if I could load the sequence that turns them all on. It did nothing to fix anything, then I tryied to unload it and that's when I couldnt find the controller on a reset. ( Opps should have mentioned that)

Try reseting the CTB16D to remove the standalone sequence: power off, Unit ID to 00, Power on, LED should do two flashes, pause, repeat; Power off, back to Unit ID 01.

I am using the dial in the box, correct, the two on the blue board? Is there any way to revert the box to the firmware version BEFORE 4.1 Any other ideas? at all? maybe a little one? please?
Thanks
Greg

[Guest guest]

I am using the dial in the box, correct, the two on the blue board? Is there any way to revert the box to the firmware version BEFORE 4.1 Any other ideas? at all? maybe a little one? please? Thanks Greg

It really sounds like there is a standalone sequence in this unit that is addressing other units, so you're really messed up.

Take the SD card out, E LED on the small top board(DC-MP3) will flash. Never have the SD card in when connected to the PC -- the PC and DC-MP3 may both try to speak. Crazy stuff can happen.

Turn the power off, set the Unit ID switches on the blue board to 00, turn the unit on, the LED on the blue board should do two flashes, pause and then repeat this sequence. After a few seconds, turn the unit off, set the Unit ID switches back to 01.

Try testing with the Hardware Utility now. Remember PC connected OR SD card in DC-MP3.

[Guest guest]

I will try the reset when I get home from work.
Greg

[Guest guest]

Problem fixed. Ok for all who helped me thanks! For everyone else. I'll explain how it all got resolved. It was all pretty much human error. I found your should NEVER have the SD card in the controller while the cat5 is connected to a computer and running the hardware utility. AS it turns out I had placed a standalone sequence in when I first got it and it was never fully removed. When I tried to check it I had the SD card and cat5 in and wierd things happened. After doing a reset everything went back to normal.

Thanks again everyone.
Greg