colonel Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I've hit a limit or don't understand. With 4 USB485B's with the lastest FTDI firmware and in versions 3.10.6 thru 3.11.2, and across 2 computers and internal and external USB output, all 56k, I can only get the first 2 USB485B ELL's to be recognized in HWU. First 2 see the ELL's on CH 7 and 16, 3rd and 4th ELL's don't see when plugged into them. I can take the cable from USB485B 1 or 2 and move to 3 or 4 and they are not seen. Only the first 2 USB ports recognize the ELL's. What am I doing wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Testing through Hardware utility, selecting COM port, then refreshing the device list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hi Colonel don't really understand what your trying to do? if your using 4 USB485"S then you would have 4 com ports and 4 lor networks and then you tell each controller to be on a certain network. explain a little more what your trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Testing through Hardware utility, selecting COM port, then refreshing the device list? Yes hardware utility. Comm drop down box lists Com's 5, 6, 7, 8. Ony 5 and 6 see the ELL's. Another computer Com's 4-7, only 4-5 (the first 2) see the ELL's. Unplug the 1st com and now it is the next 'first' 2. Only plug ELL's into last 2 and no see. Plug in 5 and 7 and only see 5. By see I mean the Ell's symbol at the bottom and LOR RF tab finds it. Tried LOR RF Get Config, works fine n first 2 but can't find on last 2. Not sure what "then refreshing the device list" means? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hi Colonel don't really understand what your trying to do? if your using 4 USB485"S then you would have 4 com ports and 4 lor networks and then you tell each controller to be on a certain network. explain a little more what your trying to do. Yes that is what I am trying to do. Only had 2 ELL networks and 2 cabled last year. This year trying to get at least 3 ELL networks to work. I update the network configuration but don't think HWU looks at it. But it doesn't change the test. My controllers are either in the basement or buried out there in the snow somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Are you moving the same ell that was already identified to the other ports, or is it always the same ones being set up on 3rd and 4th network?Have you tried those on the lower ports?Is it possible that they were reconfigured for slow speed instead of normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Are you moving the same ell that was already identified to the other ports, or is it always the same ones being set up on 3rd and 4th network?Have you tried those on the lower ports?Is it possible that they were reconfigured for slow speed instead of normal? I've rotated 8 ELL's thru this and when I can see them on the first 2 ports, I can GET, UPDATE and SET defaults on all of them in the RF tab. Tried different channels, etc. But all are 56k. I avoid the lower com ports, old-school, might interfere with my 64 baud modem. Is anyone using more than 2 ELL's off of the computer running the LOR program? I have some roads and water that make cabling difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 There may be some limitation in the hardware utility for how many ELLs it will recognize at once. But it probably doesn't matter. The sequence editor and show player don't recognize them at all. They are transparent for all purposes except configuring them. You do need to pick which ones will be on each of your 4 networks, and assign a frequency/channel for each of the networks, and put the same channel on all ELLs to be on the same network. Then set up a controller after the ELL on the 3rd and 4th networks. I'm expecting that the HWU will still be able to control the lights, even though the HWU does not see the ELL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightORamaJohn Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Make sure there is nothing wrong with the USB485B adapters: Even if they are not configured properly in the software, as long as they are plugged into the USB port, they should supply accessory power. If they are supplying accessory power, LED1 on the ELLs should be flashing about once/second. Some PCs have high and low power USB ports. If you find that the ELLs flash when the USB485B is plugged into one PC USB port but not another, that could be the problem. There is no limitation on the number of ELLs you can use other than the maximum of 16 (one on each USB485B on comm ports 1 through 16.) The Hardware Utility on recognizes the ELL when it first starts up. If you change the comm port, you probably have to stop and restart the HWU to get it to see the ELL on that port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Make sure there is nothing wrong with the USB485B adapters: Even if they are not configured properly in the software, as long as they are plugged into the USB port, they should supply accessory power. If they are supplying accessory power, LED1 on the ELLs should be flashing about once/second. Some PCs have high and low power USB ports. If you find that the ELLs flash when the USB485B is plugged into one PC USB port but not another, that could be the problem. There is no limitation on the number of ELLs you can use other than the maximum of 16 (one on each USB485B on comm ports 1 through 16.) The Hardware Utility on recognizes the ELL when it first starts up. If you change the comm port, you probably have to stop and restart the HWU to get it to see the ELL on that port. Let me delve further in the testing. ELL's are good but I've not cracked them open and I'll see if I can find a port power setting. Now that I know it can be done, I'll figure it out. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you find that the ELL is not powering up, and you don't have any additional USB ports that do supply enough power, you may need to move to a powered hub, which should solve the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 After much testing, one USB-485 works cabled but not with an ELL. But if both CAT5 and ELL cables attached, they both work. Bad 485, I believe. I learned more than I wanted and found that all my usb controllers had 500mW available to each port and that each of the USB485's required 90mW. I did try a powered USB hub but nothing changed. Control Panel, Device Manager, Universal Bus Controllers, Hub, Power. Also in mixed controllers like my older machine, it lists Enhanced and Open (High-Low, 2.0-1.0) hub controllers. Probably different on different computers. Geesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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