Lights randomly flashing on by themselves.

[PostmasterX]

I've got 4 CTB16G3s running my led light lines, and randomly this year they have been coming on without a show running on my computer. Even when I turn off the computer they still flash on randomly. Any ideas what would be causing this? Is there something where the controller itself is trying to run an internal sequence? 

[bdwillie]

Check and doublecheck your data cables, loose or corrosion can cause these controllers to do weird stuff.  Good luck!

[TheDucks]

Terminate the last controller with 120ohms (across the blue pair on a stub of CAT5 cable) since the AC controllers do not have the jumper Gen2 Pixies have.

Also AVOID running the CAT5 alongside the power cords as much as possible.

Got a HAM Radio operator (or a CB'er that is pushing the power rules HARD) nearby.  Any high power RF source within a block, could sneak in.  Rearrange your cable. flat on the dirt might help.

[dgrant]

I had this problem a bunch of years ago but I was using ELL's. The issues stopped when I removed them and ran Cat5. As already suggested, assuming you aren't using ELL's, make sure your connections (RJ45) are clean and the pins are not malformed. Something else is to insure you don't have background or animation sequences, also commanding the same channels. Example, lets say your background is turning some props on/off but your running musical sequence is also sending commands...this creates an issue. One sequence turning them on and another turning them off. A way to fix this is to create a "Preview" with only the channels needed for the background and nothing else. Then in your main preview(s), do not put those same channels in it.

[TheDucks]

20 minutes ago, dgrant said:

I had this problem a bunch of years ago but I was using ELL's. The issues stopped when I removed them and ran Cat5. As already suggested, assuming you aren't using ELL's, make sure your connections (RJ45) are clean and the pins are not malformed. Something else is to insure you don't have background or animation sequences, also commanding the same channels. Example, lets say your background is turning some props on/off but your running musical sequence is also sending commands...this creates an issue. One sequence turning them on and another turning them off. A way to fix this is to create a "Preview" with only the channels needed for the background and nothing else. Then in your main preview(s), do not put those same channels in it.

He said the computer was OFF and it still happened.  Your version of the problem bit me this year (2 places in the sequence, fighting over the same nodes )

[Steven]

3 hours ago, TheDucks said:

He said the computer was OFF and it still happened. 

If it happens with the computer off, and the lights in question are LED, I would suspect that the hot and neutral connectors on the power cord are reversed.

[PostmasterX]

@TheDucks @dgrant @dibblejr

I'm wondering if any of you know. I've been reading through the forum and I 've seen the number of 2500 max per network is recommended. Is that lights, or channels? I did add a 1000 light display item, with another CTB16PC controller, and I'm wondering if those extra lights (even though it was only 16 more channels) is causing the issue and I need to run a third network. I was hoping to avoid that, as I've got a very long run for each network cable to get it from my show computer in the house to the controllers, but if that'll solve my issue, I'll try it. I'm going to try disconnecting the new controllers, and see if the flickering is still a problem.  

[k6ccc]

14 minutes ago, PostmasterX said:

I 've seen the number of 2500 max per network is recommended. Is that lights, or channels?

Channels

 

[Jimehc]

Pixels.... 9000 Channels max on a 500K Network......

[tlogan]

16 hours ago, PostmasterX said:

I need to run a third network. I was hoping to avoid that, as I've got a very long run for each network cable to get it from my show computer in the house to the controllers,

If you need long cables, try Monoprice. Here's a 100ft bootless Cat6 cable for $19.99: Monoprice Cat6 100ft 

I've used them for years. Great company and products at great prices, fast chipping, too. I bought all my cables for my home theater there and a lot for the band I used play in. 

[TheDucks]

6 minutes ago, tlogan said:

If you need long cables, try Monoprice. Here's a 100ft bootless Cat6 cable for $19.99: Monoprice Cat6 100ft 

I've used them for years. Great company and products at great prices, fast chipping, too. I bought all my cables for my home theater there and a lot for the band I used play in. 

Monoprice is good for more than just CAT5. I got 18-4 (white) speaker wire to roll my own (long) dumb RGB cables

Or buy a spool of CAT5 (6 is too stiff if you do not use dongles and may loosen the connectors) and build your own.

💡 I use movable boots https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYLGWSY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that slide back if in the way (dongles), but can slide forward to protect the tang when handling the cable 👍

 

[k6ccc]

I agree onMonoPrice.com  Been using them for years.  I use 18AWG "speaker" cable for dumb RGB (and other purposes).  One thing that is nice is that the cable has foot markings so among other things, it is easy to tell how much cable you still have on the spool - in other words, do I have enough for whatever project is upcoming, or do I need to buy another roll.

And as for Cat-5 and Cat-6 cable, I stock several colors in 1,000 foot boxes.

I do have the advantage if really needed that they are only 20 minutes from home.

 

[PostmasterX]

26 minutes ago, tlogan said:

If you need long cables, try Monoprice. Here's a 100ft bootless Cat6 cable for $19.99: Monoprice Cat6 100ft 

I've used them for years. Great company and products at great prices, fast chipping, too. I bought all my cables for my home theater there and a lot for the band I used play in. 

Last year I bought a spool of 1000' cable and started making my own. So far that has been working, and I'll just need to make another longer one for my run. My trick is getting it under my driveway. I built a conduit chase underneath to run my data cables, but it's much easier if pull them through all at once, rather than trying to get 1 additional cable through. I may live with the random flashing this year, and add another network next year, assuming that solves the problem. 

[PostmasterX]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:01 PM, TheDucks said:

Terminate the last controller with 120ohms (across the blue pair on a stub of CAT5 cable) since the AC controllers do not have the jumper Gen2 Pixies have.

I added a couple of the Pixie8 controllers onto this network that's acting up. Could that be causing the issue? They are at the end of the run. Is there something I should do with a jumper (I'm not 100% sure what that is). 

[tlogan]

45 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Monoprice is good for more than just CAT5.

Agreed 100%. I bought all my speaker cable, HDMI, Cat5 and COAX (a LOT of coax to make my own component cables...yeah, it was 12 years ago) from them. For the band I was in, I bought a lot of XLR and speaker cables from them when the guy we were using as sound engineer wouldn't replace cable because they were "too expensive." He couldn't believe what I paid and was really impressed with the quality.

 

43 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

I do have the advantage if really needed that they are only 20 minutes from home.

Sweet. I'm on the other coast, but I usually get everything in to two or three days. I DO have a Microcenter about 10 miles away, so I got that going for me.

[TheDucks]

35 minutes ago, PostmasterX said:

I added a couple of the Pixie8 controllers onto this network that's acting up. Could that be causing the issue? They are at the end of the run. Is there something I should do with a jumper (I'm not 100% sure what that is). 

The Last One, put a jumper on JP 4  (and only 1 CAN have the termination), Besides meeting RS485 specs, it help with noise immunity

[k6ccc]

39 minutes ago, PostmasterX said:

but it's much easier if pull them through all at once, rather than trying to get 1 additional cable through.

When you first pull cable into a conduit, include a pull rope.  I use lightweight paracord for pull rope.  If you need something heavier, you can pull a heavier rope through and use that to pull the cable (and the paracord, so it will be available the next time).

 

[TheDucks]

1 minute ago, TheDucks said:

The Last One, put a jumper on JP 4  (and only 1 CAN have the termination), Besides meeting RS485 specs, it help with noise immunity

Jumper is one of those little black blocks that came in the bag

[TheDucks]

1 minute ago, k6ccc said:

When you first pull cable into a conduit, include a pull rope.  I use lightweight paracord for pull rope.  If you need something heavier, you can pull a heavier rope through and use that to pull the cable (and the paracord, so it will be available the next time).

 

And don't pull Data and power in the same pipe. That couples powerline noise into the CAT5

[Steven]

On 11/1/2022 at 7:10 AM, PostmasterX said:

but it's much easier if pull them through all at once, rather than trying to get 1 additional cable through.

A Cat6 cable has 4 pairs, with very excellent cross-talk protection that prevents a signal from one pair interfering with another. A LOR network uses only 2 pairs. Therefore, if the cable is already in place, you could wire a splitter on each end to run 2 LOR networks through one Cat6 cable.