My LOR 800 Commercial Show time controller displaying "no connection" and wont communicate with my PC

[zack]

I have just received my controller but, its not communicating with my PC or software. I am using just a high speed ethernet cable so I am not quite sure if there any drivers or other parts I need. This is my first show controller and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Don]

UNPLUG THE CABLE ASAP!

Take a look at these typical setups. You need to connect it to the USB485 adapter.

[zack]

4 minutes ago, Don said:

UNPLUG THE CABLE ASAP!

Take a look at these typical setups. You need to connect it to the USB485 adapter.

Shoot did I damage it?

[Don]

Honestly? You won't really know until you get the USB Adapter and see what happens.

[Orville]

11 minutes ago, zack said:

I have just received my controller but, its not communicating with my PC or software. I am using just a high speed ethernet cable so I am not quite sure if there any drivers or other parts I need. This is my first show controller and any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you plugged that cat5 cable directly into your computers ethernet jack and into your controllers cat5 cable jack, you may have already damaged your controller.  Let's hope not.

If you have an RS485 USB Adapter, that is what the controller plugs into and the adapter plugs into a USB port.  You also need the FTDI Drivers to communicate with the controller through the RS485 USB adapter.

But you won't know if there are any issues with your controller now until you have the RS485 USB adapter and the FTDI drivers installed.  Then if you can't communicate to the controller via the hardware utility, your controller may have been damaged by the incorrect connection.  If that is what you did to communicate with the controller initially.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Orville

[zack]

1 minute ago, Orville said:

If you plugged that cat5 cable directly into your computers ethernet jack and into your controllers cat5 cable jack, you may have already damaged your controller.  Let's hope not.

If you have an RS485 USB Adapter, that is what the controller plugs into and the adapter plugs into a USB port.  You also need the FTDI Drivers to communicate with the controller through the RS485 USB adapter.

But you won't know if there are any issues with your controller now until you have the RS485 USB adapter and the FTDI drivers installed.  Then if yu can't communicate to the controller via the hardware utility, your controller may have been damaged by the incorrect connection.  If that is what you did to communicate with the controller initially.

 

 

Would there be anyway to fix it if it is damaged? I wasn't warned by the seller about this it was described as ready to go for the holidays.

[Don]

23 minutes ago, Orville said:

If you plugged that cat5 cable directly into your computers ethernet jack and into your controllers cat5 cable jack, you may have already damaged your controller.  Let's hope not.

If you have an RS485 USB Adapter, that is what the controller plugs into and the adapter plugs into a USB port.  You also need the FTDI Drivers to communicate with the controller through the RS485 USB adapter.

But you won't know if there are any issues with your controller now until you have the RS485 USB adapter and the FTDI drivers installed.  Then if you can't communicate to the controller via the hardware utility, your controller may have been damaged by the incorrect connection.  If that is what you did to communicate with the controller initially.

That's what I said.

[zack]

1 minute ago, Don said:

That's what I said.

Would there be anyway to fix it if it was damaged?

[Don]

22 minutes ago, zack said:

Would there be anyway to fix it if it is damaged? I wasn't warned by the seller about this it was described as ready to go for the holidays.

It would depend on the damage. Once you get the USB485 adapter from the Light-O-Rama Store, then you can see if it will connect. If it does, great.

If not, then submit a ticket to the help desk.

[Don]

2 minutes ago, zack said:

Would there be anyway to fix it if it was damaged?

I can't type 300 words per minute. Gimme a second. :)

[zack]

Just now, Don said:

I can't type 300 words per minute. Gimme a second. :)

Sorry panicking seller described it as "tested and ready for the holidays" so I put no thought into just hooking it up going to be out $200 😬

[Don]

Just now, zack said:

Sorry panicking seller described it as "tested and ready for the holidays" so I put no thought into just hooking it up going to be out $200 😬

You won't know until you get it hooked up correctly. Until then, don't panic. The box may have been tested and ready to go, and might still work. Just have to see if it works when you get the adapter. You might also check out the LOR Warranty. (Obviously you aren't the original purchaser. Go read it anyway.)

[Don]

Also, I'm guessing you don't have the LOR software yet. You might start here.

[zack]

10 minutes ago, Don said:

Also, I'm guessing you don't have the LOR software yet. You might start here.

I bought basic and I was puzzled on why it wouldn't connect had no idea I needed an adapter but, yea just send an order for an adapter praying to god its ok.

[dibblejr]

14 minutes ago, zack said:

I bought basic and I was puzzled on why it wouldn't connect had no idea I needed an adapter but, yea just send an order for an adapter praying to god its ok.

I will give you a "like" to get you off that goose egg under your user name. Plus you sound like a guy with good character taht wasnt provided with useful information from a seller.

Just an example of what I continuously say about used controllers and the sellers not giving all information needed to run these successfully. 

this is exactly why I will not sell a controller to a person that cannot stop by my house and physically learn a little about it and test it on actual props.

Hopefully it will work out for you.

I was helping a member here with his pixie controller a few years ago. My first words were "follow along with me, do not get ahead of me and let me know if I lose you". As soon as I finished my sentence he plugged it in to the ethernet port on his computer and it never worked again.

I thing they are a little more delicate than your ac controller though, I could be wrong.

Best wishes and HAppy Lighting

JR

Edited November 13, 2020 by dibblejr

[zack]

3 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

I will give you a "like" to get you off that goose egg under your user name. Plus you sound like a guy with good character taht wasnt provided with useful information from a seller.

Just an example of what I continuously say about used controllers and the sellers not giving all information needed to run these successfully. 

this is exactly why I will not sell a controller to a person that cannot stop by my house and physically learn a little about it and test it on actual props.

Hopefully it will work out for you.

I was helping a member here with his pixie controller a few years ago. My first words were "follow along with me, do not get ahead of me and let me know if I lose you". As soon as I finished my sentence he plugged it in to the ethernet port on his computer and it never worked again.

I thing they are a little more delicate than your ac controller though, I could be wrong.

Best wishes and HAppy Lighting

JR

Ya I kinda wish there was at least a warning both on the sellers posting and LOR website because I did a bunch of product research and didn't see anywhere that something like that would be a problem I just though those plugs where for newer laptops and not desktop PCs. I bought this commercial controller for a test run to see how difficult it would be to set up a show before I invest more time/money into my Christmas and Halloween displays I would hate for it to be put off until next year.

[Orville]

23 hours ago, zack said:

Ya I kinda wish there was at least a warning both on the sellers posting and LOR website because I did a bunch of product research and didn't see anywhere that something like that would be a problem I just though those plugs where for newer laptops and not desktop PCs. I bought this commercial controller for a test run to see how difficult it would be to set up a show before I invest more time/money into my Christmas and Halloween displays I would hate for it to be put off until next year.

If you put your location in your profile, there may be some folks that do these type displays in your area that could help you out directly.  A lot of folks on here have even loaned folks a controller while they had to send on in for repair.   You're not the first person to make this error and I'm sure you won't be the last.

Perhaps we should suggest to the Light-O-Rama folks they need to set up a page or post in the forum here what "Ready-To_Go" and any other statement that might confuse a new user with their definition of exactly what those statements mean in the world of the LOR hobbyist.

I think that could possibly help alleviate some of the confusion that can occur like plugging a controller into the computer ethernet port, and what accessories or other products would be required for that "Ready-To-Go" unit to be set up correctly.

Just a suggestion, but I think a good one, because each year how many times have most of us seen this error by someone entering into this hobby?  Once is one time too many in my book, so it'd be nice to have a definitive set of definitions defined by the LOR folks.

Anyone else agree with that?

[dibblejr]

8 hours ago, Orville said:

If you put your location in your profile, there may be some folks that do these type displays in your area that could help you out directly.  A lot of folks on here have even loaned folks a controller while they had to send on in for repair.   You're not the first person to make this error and I'm sure you won't be the last.

Perhaps we should suggest to the Light-O-Rama folks they need to set up a page or post in the forum here what "Ready-To_Go" and any other statement that might confuse a new user with their definition of exactly what those statements mean in the world of the LOR hobbyist.

I think that could possibly help alleviate some of the confusion that can occur like plugging a controller into the computer ethernet port, and what accessories or other products would be required for that "Ready-To-Go" unit to be set up correctly.

Just a suggestion, but I think a good one, because each year how many times have most of us seen this error by someone entering into this hobby?  Once is one time too many in my book, so it'd be nice to have a definitive set of definitions defined by the LOR folks.

Anyone else agree with that?

The manual that comes with the equipment both online and included with the purchase. There are warning of this in hundreds if not thousands of posts here. But most people like me do not even know there is an LOR forum until well after a purchase. I didn't know for 7 years after my purchase. All I knew was I had controllers, a laptop and props. I didn't know anything about sequencing. The software on the laptop was 2. something.

I actually stumbled across and tried Nutcracker first. Trying to sequence faces but that didn't go well. Shortly after found and lurked the LOR forum but .... didn't join. The one thing the seller told me - NEVER plug the controllers directly to the computer, always use this adapter. 

Being that the OP purchased this used comes back to my previous statement. The sellers should make every attempt to inform the purchaser of at least the bare minimal safety precautions. To do so is just a bad business person.

He should have been told "no matter what you do,  do not plug this directly to an ethernet port" period. I reiterate that many times as well as show them how they and the software work.

At this point the OP doesn't even know if it worked when he purchased it.

This is why I only sell o people that are local or willing to drive to my home. 

JR 

[zack]

3 hours ago, dibblejr said:

The manual that comes with the equipment both online and included with the purchase. There are warning of this in hundreds if not thousands of posts here. But most people like me do not even know there is an LOR forum until well after a purchase. I didn't know for 7 years after my purchase. All I knew was I had controllers, a laptop and props. I didn't know anything about sequencing. The software on the laptop was 2. something.

I actually stumbled across and tried Nutcracker first. Trying to sequence faces but that didn't go well. Shortly after found and lurked the LOR forum but .... didn't join. The one thing the seller told me - NEVER plug the controllers directly to the computer, always use this adapter. 

Being that the OP purchased this used comes back to my previous statement. The sellers should make every attempt to inform the purchaser of at least the bare minimal safety precautions. To do so is just a bad business person.

He should have been told "no matter what you do,  do not plug this directly to an ethernet port" period. I reiterate that many times as well as show them how they and the software work.

At this point the OP doesn't even know if it worked when he purchased it.

This is why I only sell o people that are local or willing to drive to my home. 

JR 

Yea pretty much a "hey make sure you buy this adapter if you don't it will break" would have sufficed my only saving grace at this point is either my motherboard refusing the connection (which was what it was doing) or if I just got lucky.

[dibblejr]

6 hours ago, zack said:

Yea pretty much a "hey make sure you buy this adapter if you don't it will break" would have sufficed my only saving grace at this point is either my motherboard refusing the connection (which was what it was doing) or if I just got lucky.

Three weeks ago a forum member came to my house for 2 controllers and actually purchased 3. We spent 3 hours , with me showing him a little about S4, how to set unit ID's, set NP and how to connect them all together including the adapter.

As he was leaving he said "now all I have to order from LOR is the adapter".

That made me think and I ran in and got him a brand new red adapter.

He and his family made a second trip down to see my Halloween show.

JR