sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 Hello,I'd like to use my Vista laptop to run my shows. However, the HU isn't recognizing any comm ports except 1, and that is assigned to the Listener. I've tried manually assigning Comm ports in Network Preferences, but I get the error message that it doesn't recognize the Comm port. What am I missing? Or will this not work on a Vista machine? Please let me know. thanks,Sally Simpson
bob Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 I doubt that Vista has anything to do with it. What USB adapters do you have set up on the computer? Is it just the one, set up to be COM1? Or are there others? When you say that COM1 "is assigned to the Listener", do you mean that the Hardware Utility gives you a message saying something like "COM1 might be in use by the Listener"? If so, that message should give you a choice to tell the HWU to ask the Listener to temporarily give up control of the port, so that you can use it in the HWU.
sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Author Posted November 17, 2015 I have the red USB 485 adapters which I believe are the high-speed version. I used these last year. Last year's configuration was: Regular Network: 13Aux A: 14 (12 ccrs) Yes, the HU does give the message/option to have the Listener give up control. And I can refresh the comm port and see the devices. However, I can't have it assign the comm port for the Aux network. Also, while in HU I can test the lights attached to the regular network, and they work. However, when I close the control panel, open a sequence, make sure that "control lights" is checked, and run the sequence, the lights connected to the regular network don't fire. What am I missing? Thanks,Sally
bob Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 When you say you "can't have it assign the comm port for the Aux network", by "it", do you mean the Hardware Utility? Comm ports are assigned to networks in the Network Preferences program, not the HWU. In your computer's Device Manager, do both adapters show up under "Ports (COM and LPT)"? What Comm Port numbers do they have?
sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Author Posted November 17, 2015 Yes, by it was meaning the HU. However, I've tried assigning the ports in Network Preferences. When I do that and open HU, I get the 8002 error saying there was a problem with the comm port. In Device Manager under Ports(Com and LPT) it is only showing USB Serial Port 18. Under USB controllers I have several entries for Family USB Universal Host Controller with different hex addresses, 2 USP Comsite Device entries, 8 USB Root Hub entries, and 1 USB Serial Converter entry. Based on another post I did go in and make sure that the system couldn't turn off any of the ports. And rebooted the system. Still can't assign a comm port.
sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Author Posted November 17, 2015 Some more info:Was able to successfully assign comm ports on my Windows 10 laptop and see the connected controllers. The vista laptop was used to run last year's show with no problems. Not sure what's going on this year. 1
bob Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 Device Manager shows only a single port under "Ports (COM & LPT)"? Is that correct? And it is port 18? If so: (1) Are both adapters plugged in at the time it displays only a single port? An adapter needs to be plugged in in order to show up in Device Manager. (2) The Hardware Utility only supports up to COM16, so COM18 won't work. You'll have to get Windows to reassign the adapter to a different COM port ID. Here's how you could do that under Windows 7 (I believe Vista will be basically the same; let me know if you can't get it based on these directions): Shut down any LOR programs you may have running (including not just stuff like the Hardware Utility, but also "Unload Light-O-Rama" on the LOR Control Panel). Go into Device Manager, then Ports (COM & LPT), then right click on the COM18 entry, then select "Properties" from the popup menu. That should open a new window, with several tabs; select the "Port Settings" tab. Click the "Advanced" button. That will open up another window. One of the settings there should be a dropdown box labeled "COM Port Number". Select some COM port number that is 16 or less, and that is not in use. Click "OK" and stuff like that until you get back to the Device Manager. At that point, personally, I would reboot, though I don't know that it's necessary. Then start up the HWU and see whether or not you can access the adapter via the new COM port number that you selected for it.
sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Author Posted November 17, 2015 Thanks, I was able to access the comm ports that way. However, most of the comm ports between 3 and 5 are in use. Do you happen to know how I can find out if I can reclaim any of them?
bob Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 I'm sorry, I don't really know. I know that I've reclaimed ports in the past simply by recklessly blowing through the "that's in use" warnings that Windows was giving me, and it worked out fine for me, but I don't know that it would also work out fine for you.
sasmuse Posted November 17, 2015 Author Posted November 17, 2015 Ok, thanks. Now next issue. The computer (Vista) is recognizing both the regular and the aux network on the assigned comm ports. When I go into HU (without the control panel loaded) the correct number of attached LOR controllers and/or ccrs display. I can run test patterns on the lights connected to the regular network so I know the addressing is correct. I also have 3 E1.31 controllers connected via a switch. I can ping those connections; all is good. I exit the HU, start up the sequence editor and load a sequence. (control panel still not loaded) Control lights is checked. At this point, the sequence starts playing. The pixel lights connected to the E1.31 controllers fire correctly. The lights are the regular network are not firing...at all. It's my understanding that the lights connected to the regular network should be working. What am I missing?
Sully Posted November 17, 2015 Posted November 17, 2015 Control panel needs to be running to have the listener active for the lor portion
sasmuse Posted November 18, 2015 Author Posted November 18, 2015 Fired up the control panel....still nothing on the lor network. I've even removed the DMX settings, and when I run the sequences nothing. I have doubled checked the channel assignments and replaced ethernet cables. Is there some other setting that needs to be "set" with S4? I didn't have any problems with S3 last year. What am I missing?
bob Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 Have you set up the networks in Network Preferences? Do the settings of the channels in the sequence match those networks/unit IDs?
sasmuse Posted November 19, 2015 Author Posted November 19, 2015 Just wanted to let you know that I found the problem. I had set the LOR Regular Network to "enhanced" but my controllers are too old to handle the "enhanced" functionality. Once I unchecked the enchanced feature, the lights on the regular network fired. No change to comm ports needed. Thanks for all the help.
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