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Channels hang On randomly


Shubb

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I'm not sure if this is a Hardware problem or a Software problem.
I have searched through the forum and found similar issues, but solutions have already been tried to no avail.

1 controller, the new CTD16D board has a couple of channels that hang on. As soon as that channels toggles it will go off correctly. It is random between 3-4 channels. It did work perfectly for the first few hours of testing/running.
2-3 channels that hang have 300 mini lights. 1 channel has 700 mini's.

This is 1 of 2 controllers connected to the 2nd ELL. The first 8 are daisy chained to the computer, the 8th connects to the 1st ELL. (LOR supplied cable) The 2nd ELL is 80 feet away. Both are 8' off the ground. The more the show ran, the more I noticed the channels hanging up. I don't know if this is the case, or if it was me focusing on the "hanging" channels.

List of components:
10 controllers
1 CTB16D, version 3.0 (last years)
1 CTB16D, version 4.01 (new this year)
8 CTB16PC version 4.02
2 ELL's version 2.8 spd=57,600 chn=16 pwr=15dBm
LOR 2.0.0.
I tried to upgrade to version 2.0.8 but error message said I don't have Light-ORama installed in this PC. (Obviously, that is incorrect)

Any help or suggestions?

Thanks,

Scott

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Until you said 300 minis (1 amp) and 700 minis (2.2 amps), I would have said you were underloaded, a problem seen with some LED strings.

I'm not sure that your problem is with LORII. One way to be sure would be to create a brand new test sequence with just that controller on it.

Is it hanging after a fade out or just an Off from 100%? When you say they "hang on" what just happened prior to that point (full on, shimmer, twinkle, ramp, etc.

And, does it do it every time it plays or just occasionally?

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JonB256 wrote:

Until you said 300 minis (1 amp) and 700 minis (2.2 amps), I would have said you were underloaded, a problem seen with some LED strings.

I'm not sure that your problem is with LORII. One way to be sure would be to create a brand new test sequence with just that controller on it.

Is it hanging after a fade out or just an Off from 100%? When you say they "hang on" what just happened prior to that point (full on, shimmer, twinkle, ramp, etc.

And, does it do it every time it plays or just occasionally?


I didn't think it was a "load" issue, because I have another controller that is working fine with less lights on some channels. But it is not on the wireless transceiver.
When I noticed the channel "hang on" was during a chase sequence. I have 10 channels (same controller) that chase back and forth for .2 seconds. All off prior to, and after. Sometimes they will hang on the 1-10 chase, then 10-1 will work fine. the sequence has maybe 5 chase "scenes" 1-2 channels will hang probably 2-3 times of the 5. I watched 3 consecutive times and different channels hung on at different times. Another channels that stayed on had twice the mini's. That channels is on for about 3 seconds, off for 3 seconds and so forth. It almost looked like it changed from "On" to a "Shimmer" when it was supposed to be off. When it was signaled to turn "On" it stayed on, then toggled off like programmed. I only noticed that once, while the other channels were significantly more often.

I do have a spare controller, a CTB16PC I can change out without too much work.
I might do that for tonight's show and see if it is still a problem.
I'm just not sure if it is a issue with the controller or the ELL's.

Thanks for your help.

Scott
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OK, that sounds like things I saw last year if I watched really carefully. I always just attributed it to "too much data" on the CAT5 cable, and since it didn't happen every time, or even the same controller, I chose to ignore it.

On the D-Light forums (since I use D-Light boards but LOR software, I look at both), there was a recent post about someones FM transmitter causing interference with their USB485 adapter. If your antenna and/or transmitter are near the adapter or even near the CAT5 cable, try increasing the distance.

After reading that post, I wrapped aluminum foil around the adapter. Don't know that it helped but it made me feel like I had done something positive.

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I don't think that is an issue. The USB adapter is connected to the computer, inside the house, about 50' away, through 4 walls. The antenna is in the garage, at 8' level, above the the 8 controllers. The 2nd antenna is about 80' away at 8' above ground again, at least 6' above the last 2 controllers. The last in line is having the "channel" issue.

It's almost dark now, so I won't have time tonight to change controllers so I'll see how bad it is once I start the show. Tomorrow I am defiantly going to change the controller.

Thanks for your help.

Scott

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I just noticed tonight that in addition to some channels staying on, other channels do not light at all. All the errors appear to be on just one contoller so I don't think it is a software or ELL issue. I might be wrong, but if it was software I should see problems on all controllers. If it was ELL, how come the 2nd controller is not having any problems? Ugh!!!!!

Any advice from the pro's would be great.

Scott

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Did you use Chuck's utility to edit your LOR channel Config? For some reason my created channel config that I was using successfully in LOR I did not agree with LOR II and I was having some of the same issues you are seeing. After creating a new channel config from scratch within LOR II and re-importing that to the problem sequences, all my problems went away.

Matt

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I used Chuck's utility, but I have some concerns over it's compatibility with LOR II.
Most of the channel config. agreed with the LOR II Channel grid tool.
However, on Chuck-O-Rama 1 of the controller #'s are wrong. Unit 5 has numbers scattered all over. From 05, 5, 8, 01 and 10. Now I know about 10 and A0 but not in #5!!
Plus the channels I am having hang on are on unit Ao (10).
Another update, during last night's show I did have a section where all 10 channels stayed on. During a chase sequence they chase from 1 - 10 then 10-1 for about 4 times then flash twice then off. The chase had 2 channels hang on. Then flash once, but all stayed on for about 10 seconds, till the next chase sequence.

I ran the LOR reg clean tool, re-did my channel config. check all the Ethernet cables.
The next thing is to change out the whole card I guess.


Any ides?

Scott

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Mine had some channels hang on last night. Not sure if this has happened before. I just happen to be outside at 6:00 PM when they are set to start. On my opening I run through each channel separate from 1 to 112 during the opening statement. I was waiting for it to come on last night and the lights started 30 seconds late. Soon as they started I had 3 strings light up on one of my leaping arches. Soon as the first song started, all was well. I have only seen this happen one time so far.

James

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Shubb wrote:

I just noticed tonight that in addition to some channels staying on, other channels do not light at all. All the errors appear to be on just one contoller so I don't think it is a software or ELL issue. I might be wrong, but if it was software I should see problems on all controllers. If it was ELL, how come the 2nd controller is not having any problems? Ugh!!!!!

Any advice from the pro's would be great.

Scott


If it is just one controller then I would not suspect the ELL...I would reset that controller.
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  • 11 months later...

im having a close problem to this,

i have two controllers that is hardwire on the USB, then a ELL that come off the USB. 2 controllers have a ELL on them each, the controllers are about 250 feet from the computer ELL. controllers ELLs are about 7 or 8 feet off the ground, computer ELL is in the 2nd Story bedroom with the computer, there are 5 channels that does it

1- 100 incandescent c7

2- 100 incandescent c7

3- 1200 mini incandescent

4- 350 mini incandescent

5- 400 mini incandescent no LEDs is doin it

i have reset all 4 controllers today, and switch that controller out with one of the others one and it is still doin it tonight

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