jfuller8400 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I had an interesting time on Fri night. The show's been running great this year so far. Look out and see that almost everything in the front yard is dark. Not a big deal, I think, as we did get some light rain earlier and it's probably just a tripped GFI. Nope, GFI's are fine. Then I realize that it's everything connected to my Aux A network. Strange..... Start checking controllers and sure enough - no comm signal. Interrupted the show and started using the HU to check comm status. It can't find anything (including my ELL). Now I start thinking maybe I blew an RS485 adapter. Happen to have one extra. Replace it and........ Nothing!!!! Panic starts to set in as I'm thinking did I just fry my only other adapter but I maintain my cool while I reboot the show PC. Still nothing... Ok, now we start the serious troubleshooting. Haul out another spare controller and start testing adapters (both fine), USB cables (fine), USB ports (fine). Go to first controller after show pc - no comm signal. Check Cat 5 cable between PC and controller - it's fine. Plug in spare controller to the cat 5 from the show PC and it gets a comm signal! So now I'm thinking did I blow something in the first controller for the show (maybe a comm chip or something)? It's a CMB24D, which (while inconvenient if I have to change it) I do have a spare. I use cat5 pigtails for running in/out of the controller enclosures (makes teardown much easier in sub-zero Jan weather), so just to be safe, I bypass the pigtails. Lo and behold the controller gets a comm signal! That's when I finally notice this: I keep my controllers in bins and something had gotten into the bin and chewed through the pigtails right next to the enclosure! The pigtails are zip tied to some other wires coming out of the enclosure so they didn't move. It was almost impossible to spot the damage in the dark. So after an hour of troubleshooting, I replaced the pigtails (a two minute fix) and got the show up and running again. Sigh..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Ah, yummy coper cable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDucks Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Are you sure that was a "chew"? It almost looks like a sever pinch or slice from a sharp edge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basis21b Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I used to have problems with rodents nesting in my cord storage bins. I decided to add moth balls to the bins to see if it would persuade them to nest elsewhere. So far it has been successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcktpwrd Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 at least it was an easy fix after finally finding the problem! We had squirrels get into the shed where a lot of our display is stored and they ate a bunch of wires! Took a while to repair everything. Wife found this to spray on the lights/wires in the yard: AmazonSmile: Nature's Mace Squirrel Repellent 1 Gal Spray/Covers 87,000 Sq. Ft./Keep Squirrels & Chipmunks from Destroying Trees, planters, flowerbeds, and Bird feeders/Safe to use Around Children & Plants. : Health & Household Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfuller8400 Posted December 7, 2021 Author Share Posted December 7, 2021 22 hours ago, TheDucks said: Are you sure that was a "chew"? It almost looks like a sever pinch or slice from a sharp edge My wife thought the same thing. However there's nothing sharp at the cut point that could do that. Plus the show ran fine the night before and I haven't been in that bin since it went live. If it had been vandals, I would have expected them to do more damage (these were the only wires that were cut) and they were kind enough to put the lid back on the bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 That looks like a cut to me as well. I had a comm line get cut by a young girl playing with bolt cutters. She didn't know the consequences and her family very nicely replaced the whole cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDucks Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 I was thinkin' weed whacker. Chews are more irregular Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lights on Lotta Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Rabbits do the same kind of chewing through wiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts