Problem with controller(s) ?

[PaulXmas]

I run a small Halloween display.

It allows me to test the system before Christmas.

This year I added a singing face.

Tested it in the house, looked good..

Tried it outside with just the one controller powered, looked so cool.

Got eveything hooked up and played the show....

My face was so wrong !

My cables are outside so I thought maybe they were bad.

I have a couple of ELL so I hooked them up...same!

Buy a new 50' Cat5e .

Same result..

Disconnect the controllers that come after the face....same result..errrrr

Swap out that controller, same  big errrrrrr

At this point I am running out of options.

Ummm I have a spare USB adapter...create another network and put 1/2 the yard on the new network.

PERFECT!

FYI I had 19 controllers on the regular network.

Lessons learned:

- Start early

- Have spare parts

[Dave Batzdorf]

Spare parts is almost a must.  I have spare controllers, USB adapter and transmitter.  I use several ELLs, therefore I have data cables ready to go, just in case!

[PaulXmas]

Face was a hugh hit at Halloween!

[Jeff Messer]

Paul, Strange things happen last year with my faces and they are on controller 31 and 32 of the network. Yes I only run one network and noticed that I had 3 controllers that I could not see in the hardware. Had a bad comm port on the card but it played fine. Called LOR and got the repeater and problem with faces went away plus gave me a port to run show about mid way of the network. Right now I have 28 LOR boxes on the same network as RGB's replaced a few from last years show.

 

Jeff