flogger7 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Wanted to see if anyone had experienced something similar with the channel offset issue.Setup is LOR 3.1.4Single USB485 connectedSetup as raw DMX universe 1Using the $7 boxed DMX controllers like those from HolidayCoroI have 3 controllers at the moment. I have tested this in varying configurations of start channels set on the controllers, switching controllers and positions around, and changing which controllers are on which channels.I have a sequence that has 3 RGB channels in it. Lets call them A, B, and C.When I have a single controller on the network, it works when targeted as RGB starting at the start channel I set on it. Does not matter if I use 1, 4, or 99. Does not matter if I try to play RGB channel A, B or C against that start channel. Works just fine.When I have two controllers on the network, they work the same way.When I have three controllers on the network, RGB channel A needs to offset (increased) by 1 in LOR in order for it to play properly. I have swapped around the controllers, the start channels, cables, terminators, etc. And in every configuration, if I set the controller for Channel A to start channel of 1 or 4 or 99, I need to set the LOR start channel to 2 or 5 or 100. But only on RGB Channel A in the sequnce. B and C continue to work with the proper mapping not needing the offset.I have not yet tried to see what happens if I add a 4th or 5th controller to the universe - I don't have any at the moment but will soon.Hoping someone has seen the offset issue manifest itself in this partial way and might have some insight on it.Thanks in advance-Aaron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 What happens if you start the controller with a negative offset? I know you use a programmer to set them up. I havent seen the software yet but your not the first that have had this issue. Im curious to if you set the controller number to say 0 if thats possible it will play as 1,2,3. My idea is that the programmer is setting up the controller like a jumper its adding that to the start channel not becoming the start channel.Does that make any sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flogger7 Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Makes sense what you are saying. Thats what I would have guessed.But it plays nice and listens to the right channel when its the only - or one of 2 - controllers on the network.FWIW, the controllers are all the same. All programmed (and repeatedly reprogrammed) with the same software.Whats interesting is that of the 3 channels in the sequence, its the same channel that gets offset when I go to 3 controllers on the network. One of my next tests will be to create some other sample sequences (new channels, different tracks, etc) and see if I can figure out any pattern there that emerges... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Im on board of buying a ton of those little guys as well so keep the updates coming. Ive seen a 2801 Pixel controller in that same compact fashion that has my attention as well.Then the next question is there noise in the setup somewhere? Bad cabling or an issue along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flogger7 Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I spent the last day redoing all the cabling, made new terminators, replaced my splitters, everything. After a day worth of testing and swapping moving each cable and connector around to different places in the setup, I realized that the odd behavior was consistent and was the same each time (I felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner...should have tested with a less complicated sequence and I probably would have spotted it days earlier)Anyways, i will keep digging on it and let you know what I find out. Also I should have a handful more controllers here shortly to see what happens when I get more of them on the same network/universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Did you contact HolidayCoro, David has spent a year playing with these little gadgets. I wonder if hes ran into anything like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonB256 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 This issue has been identified and discussed since early 2011. The USB/RS485 adapters (both LOR's and D-Light's) do this consistently with the 3-channel controllers. It is a function of the DMX waveform shape and the size of the "Break" generated. They read the waveform correctly from every other DMX dongle tried. (E1.31, Lynx, ENTTEC Open or Pro, RPM)So, if you are saving money by using the 3-Channel controllers, use some of the savings to buy a better DMX dongle. The offset problem will go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 So the culprit is the lor dongle. Good to know and thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I have been using a DMX dongle from Holiday Technologies and has worked like a champ. Looks exactly an Enttec Pro to LOR software.$125 at http://www.holidaytechnologies.com/catalog/product.php?id_product=58Keep us posted on your results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flogger7 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 JohnB256 - thanks. I'm trying to figure out the best balance of saving money vs saving time and this may be one of the places where spending the money wins.Ken, are you setting that as an Entec device (and not raw dmx) in the network configuration of S3? Has that dongle/converter been around a while; do you know of others also using it successfully? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 The Holiday Technologies DMX dongle is set exactly as an Entec Pro and works exactly like it.Developer Drew Hickman (of Holiday Technologies) said it was 110% compatible with the Entec pro.At one of the LOR classes in Sacramento, he demonstrated it with the LOR sequence editor and Madrix (which looked great BTW). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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