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Show PC can't see LOR controllers


Darrell

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I'm running a Dell laptop Windows 10 as my show PC with LOR v6.2.16 Pro.  There's 10 regular LOR controllers and 3 pixel controllers.  The regular LOR controllers are connected thru an older USB-R458 adapter with 2 separate Cat-5 chains (1 with 4 controllers, 1 with 6).  I've been getting things setup and tested for the last week and had everything running well.  I've been testing with the HU utility and directly running sequences thru the Sequencer.  I created a show with 6 sequences and have run those using the iPhone app to manual start and stop the show.

I very successfully started it all for my "Lights On" with my family last night and it all worked perfectly to start and then stop the show at the end of the night.  Today I went to switch it to run on the scheduler vs manually.  It started on time but will now only see the E1.31 controllers and can not find any of the regular LOR controllers.  Under the Control Panel, the LOR network shows connected with a green check.  However, when I start the HU, it initially says the Comm port 3 is in use by the CP. I answer yes to ask to use HU but when I refresh to find controllers it finds 0 units.  

Following some older posts here, I've checked and updated all the Windows updates and reloaded the latest FTDI driver for the USB-Serial port.  I've removed the USB adapter, rebooted and restarted the PC several times.  I've deleted the Scheduler entries but still no luck.  If I reboot the PC, restart CP, and then bring up the Squencer, when I hit Run, the LOR Regular lights turned-on for about 15 seconds then shut back off as if something else finished loaded and stepped on the comm channel.  If I reboot and immediately go to the HU thru the prompts, it will not find any units.

I don't know what else to try.  Help please!

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35 minutes ago, Darrell said:

I'm running a Dell laptop Windows 10 as my show PC with LOR v6.2.16 Pro.  There's 10 regular LOR controllers and 3 pixel controllers.  The regular LOR controllers are connected thru an older USB-R458 adapter with 2 separate Cat-5 chains (1 with 4 controllers, 1 with 6).  I've been getting things setup and tested for the last week and had everything running well.  I've been testing with the HU utility and directly running sequences thru the Sequencer.  I created a show with 6 sequences and have run those using the iPhone app to manual start and stop the show.

I very successfully started it all for my "Lights On" with my family last night and it all worked perfectly to start and then stop the show at the end of the night.  Today I went to switch it to run on the scheduler vs manually.  It started on time but will now only see the E1.31 controllers and can not find any of the regular LOR controllers.  Under the Control Panel, the LOR network shows connected with a green check.  However, when I start the HU, it initially says the Comm port 3 is in use by the CP. I answer yes to ask to use HU but when I refresh to find controllers it finds 0 units.  

Following some older posts here, I've checked and updated all the Windows updates and reloaded the latest FTDI driver for the USB-Serial port.  I've removed the USB adapter, rebooted and restarted the PC several times.  I've deleted the Scheduler entries but still no luck.  If I reboot the PC, restart CP, and then bring up the Squencer, when I hit Run, the LOR Regular lights turned-on for about 15 seconds then shut back off as if something else finished loaded and stepped on the comm channel.  If I reboot and immediately go to the HU thru the prompts, it will not find any units.

I don't know what else to try.  Help please!  I have ordered a replacement USB-R458 adapter but will have to wait till it can get here to run anything.  What really confuses me is that I did not not touch or adjust a single cable or connection.  I manually updated a single prop setting in Sequencer, saved and ran it successfully, and then switched the show from manual to scheduled.  Now I'm dead in the water.

 

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6 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

After you changed the Sequence/Preview did you prep the show again. It should have said Needs Prep.

Yes.  I've now also tried starting HU directly (without going thru CP) and am still getting No Units Found.

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7 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

More importantly is the adaptor showing up in the ports section of Windows Device Manager.

Yes and with the updated FTDI driver.

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Do you have a spare. I had a bad usb mini cable fry one of mine a couple of weeks ago. Acted really funky for a while untill I smelled smoke and hot plastic.

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1 minute ago, PhilMassey said:

Do you have a spare. I had a bad usb mini cable fry one of mine a couple of weeks ago. Acted really funky for a while untill I smelled smoke and hot plastic.

I do not have a spare.  I have ordered a replacement but no idea on how long did I get it.

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The lights are back on!!  Thinking I had time while waiting for the replacement USB-458 adapter, I went ahead and replaced a long Cat-5 cable that had a broken retaining clip.  I retried the show and now everything works.  Not sure if it was really the cable or if my 12 year old adapter is just acting flunky but I'm hoping it will hold until the replacement gets here.

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23 minutes ago, Darrell said:

I went ahead and replaced a long Cat-5 cable that had a broken retaining clip. 

Those broken clips will get you every time.

 

  • Haha 1
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4 hours ago, k6ccc said:

Those broken clips will get you every time.

 

Boy, will they ever!  They can sure mess up a sequence, especially if an animal happens to brush up against one and jar it ever so slightly loose.  It's why my cat5 cables are secured with a cable clip just as they exit my controllers, and a few more after it to hold it in place.  That way it can't move if brushed against and won't pull or damage the cat5 connectors inside the controller.  If there is a way to secure them inside the controller with a zip tie, they'll get secured in there too.

So far, no broken clips in the past 3 years I started doing this.  And I still leave just enough slack inside I can unplug and test the cable if it were to stop working.  A little extra work to replace it if something happens, but to me, it's well worth the liitle aggravation when I may need to replace a bad cable to keep from damaging my controllers input/output connectors, or break the retaining clip, which I broke several clips tripping over my cat5 cables. 

Don't have that issue any longer now that I secure them out of the way, and also helps keep them away from ~AC~ power cords.

Edited by Orville
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