Sequencer is not controlling lights (Resolved)

[Steven]

I broke something after installing 6.0.4 and I don't know why it's not working.

I have just one test controller connected to this laptop.

When I play the sequence from the Control Panel it works.

When I play it from the sequencer, it may get 1 event and then the lights don't change.

If I play something with an entirely different Preview, it works.

[MattBrown]

How is the network configured? Enhanced or not? Speed?

What kind of controller? How many channels (or pixels if applicable)?

How similar are the 2 previews?

Matt

[k6ccc]

I have been playing my show from the Show Player since S6 day one on my server.  I can't run Sequencer on that computer (not acceptable video capability), but I will move the cables over to my show computer and load 6.0.4 onto that and test from the Sequencer.  I'll let you know in an hour or so.

 

[PhilMassey]

6.0.4.

One Regular LOR network, non enhanced.

One LS adaptor doing DMX

Two Sandevices 6804.

I just tried to play a Sequence through sequencer. First time the lights froze after a fraction of a second and it took a full computer restart to turn them off. The music and preview kept playing fine. The second attempt, nothing happened and nothing plays now. Show on Demand works fine.

Played fine yesterday. This is the first time I played Sequencer since 6.0.4

 

I'm getting deja vu on this one. Something similar happened on an S5 update some time ago. 

[PhilMassey]

This is what I was thinking of.

 

 

[Steven]

5 hours ago, MattBrown said:

How is the network configured? Enhanced or not? Speed?

USB485B

5 hours ago, MattBrown said:

What kind of controller? How many channels (or pixels if applicable)?

CTB16PC. The Preview (and sequence) also has channels in network "Aux A" and "DMX", but this is not the show computer.

5 hours ago, MattBrown said:

How similar are the 2 previews?

They are completely different. The one that works only has 8 channels. It is for testing.

[k6ccc]

Tried a test with this computer - my primary sequencing computer.  Upgraded it to 6.0.4 and loaded a sequence into Sequencer.  Played the sequence with it controlling the lights.  The only thing connected and controlled was my P5 and 10 matrix panels (108 universes - 18,432 pixels).  None of the other stuff is connected to this computer.  The two matricies played fine except the P5 was a bit ratty.  Then it dawned on me that I was likely pushing my network.  You have to understand that this computer does not have a NIC on the E1.31 network, so even though the matricies are only 10 feet from me, the network path is this PC > Family room switch > garage switch > Router #1 > garage switch > family room switch > matrix test switch > each matrix.  The network connections for all of that except the last two hops is gigabit.  That would not be a problem until it dawned on me that I am in the middle of backing up a half TerraByte of files from my server to this computer  - and that will pretty much choke the network between the family room and garage.  I will try again after the backup is completed.  In the mean time, I will move the show from the server over to light show computer and update it to 6.0.4

 

[Steven]

Just tried this experiment:

• Uninstalled 6.0.4 Beta.
• Installed 6.0.2 Beta.
• Played from Sequencer. Worked fine.
• Exited Light-O-Rama. Installed 6.0.4 Beta.
• Played from Sequencer. Doesn't control lights^*.

I didn't change anything else, so it appears something in 6.0.4 broke it.

^* It sent the lighting event at 0:00.00. But no other events.

The "Lights Off Now" button in the Sequencer works.

[k6ccc]

In case anyone asks, the egg on my face is scrambled.

Tried to run a show on my show computer using S6.  Ran into a little problem that I had not even thought about - that computer is running Windows 7.  According to the information about S6, it WILL NOT RUN on Windows 7 - and that is apparently true!  S6 installed apparently correctly, but when I enabled the player, it said that there were problems and to see the player log.  That had this:

2022-07-09 17:04:38    Scheduler    INFO    Schedule loaded
2022-07-09 17:05:23    Scheduler    INFO    Enable schedule requested
2022-07-09 17:05:23    Player    INFO    Initializing show: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Year-round_Evening.lss
2022-07-09 17:05:24    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping evening fast 2021-01-03.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:27    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping evening fast 2021-01-03.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:27    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping evening slow 2021-01-03.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:29    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping evening slow 2021-01-03.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:29    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping transition 2022-02-09.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:29    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping transition 2022-02-09.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:29    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping startup 2022-02-09.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Landscaping startup 2022-02-09.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from door 2022-02-09.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from door 2022-02-09.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from walkway 2022-02-09.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from walkway 2022-02-09.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    INFO    Creating new playback file because LOR enhanced networks have changed: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from driveway 2022-02-09.loredit
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    ERROR    Unable to create playback file for 'L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Steps up from driveway 2022-02-09.loredit'. Unexpected failure creating playback file
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    INFO    Registering startup trigger for L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Year-round_Evening.lss
2022-07-09 17:05:30    Player    INFO    Started show: L:\Sequences\Year round landscaping\Year-round_Evening.lss

So, reloaded S5 on that computer and will run the show from that this evening just to make sure it's happy, but we'll have to see about upgrading that computer to Win 10 or replacing it.

So at least for now, can't make that test.

 

[k6ccc]

3 hours ago, k6ccc said:

Tried a test with this computer - my primary sequencing computer.  Upgraded it to 6.0.4 and loaded a sequence into Sequencer.  Played the sequence with it controlling the lights.  The only thing connected and controlled was my P5 and 10 matrix panels (108 universes - 18,432 pixels).  None of the other stuff is connected to this computer.  The two matricies played fine except the P5 was a bit ratty.  Then it dawned on me that I was likely pushing my network. 

It was not the network.  Looking at the status page on the FPP instance that was driving the P5 matrix showed that after universe 237, the error counts skyrocketed.  Yes, I have confirmed that there is not another source sending E1.31 packets to this address.

More to follow...

http://www.newburghlights.org/images/S6.0.4_P5_errors.png

Light-O-Rama Control Panel (64-bit)
Version 6.0.4 (BETA)
Copyright 2022 Light-O-Rama, Inc.
Pro Edition
Registered to: Jim Walls

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Intel® Core™ i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
Intel® UHD Graphics 630

 

 

[johnwayne]

I'm going to confirm this but in a simpler installation.

6.0.2 works.  6.0.4 doesn't.

I have two data networks.  

Reg:  57.6K running LOR (for simple light controllers)

Aux 1:  500K running ELOR (for pixel tree)

My test platform is a Win11 PC connected to LOR protocol converters and controllers with real lights/pixels connected.

Everything works great with beta 6.0.2 Sequencer.  Sequence plays, preview looks great and the real lights and pixels dance to the music.

Installed beta 6.0.4. and Sequencer no longer sends signals to the controllers.  What's odd is the status lights on the controller boards are steady on meaning they're hearing a heartbeat signal from LOR.

Rolled back to 6.0.2 and all works as it should again.

Can't help but point my finger at something in 6.0.4

 

[k6ccc]

deleted - wrong thread.

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by k6ccc

[PhilMassey]

Updated to 6.0.6. All  lights still freeze on start of Sequencer playback. Preview and audio continue to play normally. Show Player is not affected.

1 reg LOR network LS adaptor not enhanced.

1 LOR LS adaptor doing Open DMX.

2 E6804 E1.31 with 4 universes.

 

Lights freeze at first event. Lights Off Now is only way to turn stuck lights off or closing the program.

Changing the Reg network to enhanced seems to fix the issue, even though the adaptor is LS and the connected controllers are CMD 16D QC V1 DC controllers.

Reverting to Non Enhanced causes the lights to freeze again.

 

Reverting to 6.0.2 fixes the issue.

[johnwayne]

Bingo.  One of my LOR data networks is running at 56K regular.  Not enhanced. 

The lights flash fine when running from the Sequencer in 6.0.2 but not in 6.04 or 6.06.

[PhilMassey]

So, is there any downside to setting a LS adaptor to enhanced.? Everything seems to be working.

[k6ccc]

4 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

So, is there any downside to setting a LS adaptor to enhanced.?

Only if you either have devices that don't support Enhanced LOR mode or you are needing to read inputs (for example for interactive sequence groups).  The latter is why I have one non-enhanced network.  The only thing on it is an InputPup.

 

[PhilMassey]

I have several DC cards which were made long before enhanced mode existed. The floods on them  seem to be working. I don't want or expect to do motion effects on them.

I may just use a HS adaptor and keep the black as a spare.

[k6ccc]

The old CMB16D DC cards will run with ELOR mode as long as they have the firmware that was released for them about the time that ELOR was introduced.  I have three of those old cards in my year round landscape lighting.

 

[MattBrown]

On 7/26/2022 at 8:44 AM, PhilMassey said:

Updated to 6.0.6. All  lights still freeze on start of Sequencer playback. Preview and audio continue to play normally. Show Player is not affected.

1 reg LOR network LS adaptor not enhanced.

1 LOR LS adaptor doing Open DMX.

2 E6804 E1.31 with 4 universes.

 

Lights freeze at first event. Lights Off Now is only way to turn stuck lights off or closing the program.

Changing the Reg network to enhanced seems to fix the issue, even though the adaptor is LS and the connected controllers are CMD 16D QC V1 DC controllers.

Reverting to Non Enhanced causes the lights to freeze again.

 

Reverting to 6.0.2 fixes the issue.

Phil, I can duplicate the issue using the sequence you sent me recently. We will get it fixed for the next release.

Matt

[PhilMassey]

Thanks, Matt.