Controller not keeping up? What to troubleshoot?

[rhino]

I have 18 controllers in the display this year.  I have several on one side of the yard that doesn't seem to be keeping up, or giving random commands to the lights.  How should this be trouble-shot?

 

1.  Is it possible the cold weather has something to do with this?  (Was -8F last night when I noticed this, but the other controllers were working just fine.)

2.  Is it possible the wireless linker isn't pointing in the right direction?

3.  Is it possible the controllers are "loopy"?  G3 Commercial Controllers.

 

Thanks!

[plasmadrive]

Hard to tell anything without a bit more info. 

 

 

You mentioned wireless linkers..  how is all this tied together?  How are you connecting all of them?

 

Did it all work correctly before? 

 

In the absence of the rest of the info I would suggest perhaps you make sure your ELLs (if that is what you are using) are all on the same channels and programmed for the same baud rate.  As well your network should have the same baud rate as the ELLs..

 

Also there is the usual stuff, change all the ELL channels to one that is different just to see if that helps.... Check Cat5 connections and cables.  Maybe re-seat the connectors. 

 

I have 4 in my system with one being the transmitter and 3 being the receivers. I only have 15 controllers and an IDMX but they all keep up just fine.

[rhino]

plasmadrive,

 

THANK YOU for your expertise and experience.  Sorry I didn't provide enough information.  Not quite sure what all information is relevant.  And, with your questions, it's obvious I'm very inept with the ELL's.  I went with more of a "plug-n-play" approach with the ELL's, and not too concerned about the configuration.

 

Configuration

1 MP3 Director

18 Controllers (several are G2, majority are G3)

5 ELLs (1 transceiver, 4 receivers)

0 computers

 

Yes, it all worked correctly before, but there would be the occasional "blip" in this troubled area.  When I say 'occasional blip', I mean like 1x/4 hrs that I would notice that a channel would remain on when it shouldn't.  But now, it's several times in a 3-min song.

 

How does one determine if all the ELLs are on the same channels?  Programmed for same baud rate?  Is it done by taking down each one, bring it inside, attach it to the computer and run the Hardware Utility?  I am not familiar with this ELL configuration process.  Sorry -- I obviously missed something in my learning curve.

 

Rapidly reading the ELL RF-V4 Wireless Module User Manual, but getting confused quickly.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.  If I am missing other critical information, feel free to let me know.

[rhino]

Oops!  Forgot to include...

 

Also have an FM Transmitter for the music.  It's connected to the MP3 Showtime Director.

[plasmadrive]

I haven't used the MP3 SD but the data stream should be the same.  If you have just this one side of the yard that is giving you issues I would bet it is a cable or connector.  I just found that very same issue last night on my system.  I need to fix it today.  The connection is not real good so data slips or stops and then goes again but intermittently.. Mine will be an input cable or jack on the LOR controller because it effects the other controllers down stream as well as the one that I first noticed had the problem.  The could only mean the cable or the jack being used as the input.    Find which controller  the problem starts with, replace the cable leading to it.. that is the first step.  If that doesn't cure it, take a look at the jack on the controller.. you may need to clean, fix, replace it or the controller until you can get it fixed. 

 

As for the ELLs... if they worked before you are most likely set up as the default condition.. however, it couldn't hurt to use the HU to check the ELLs to see that the channels and baud rates are the same for each.