sequence not playing the right channels

[craigh]

I am having a very strange problem, hopefully I can explain this correctly.

First let me say I have checked the sequences to make sure it is not something I set incorrectly, I will keep looking, but I am pretty sure that they are correct.
I also checked my connections to the controllers, and they are connected correctly, but I will check them again.

My hardware is:
5 - CTB-16D boards (blue boards) updated to firmware 4.20, bought in 2006.
4 - LOR1602Ws controllers (64 channel add-on package), firmware 4.01 (I think), bought in 2007.
2 CMB-16D Deluxe DC controllers, not sure the version of the firmware, bought 2008.
LOR software 2.0.16
Laptop computer runs Windows XP SP 2.

My problem:
The sequences do not correctly play the channels as they are set in the sequence. For instance in one of my sequences there are four channels that are suppose to come on at the same time, only one does, however in the rest of the song they do come on.
In another sequence I turn on 4 green icicles (4 separate channels), 1 channel is blue and the other 3 are green, they all are suppose to be green.
I know this sounds like a connection problem, I have checked and they are set correctly, although as I am typing this I am thinking that maybe I have incorrectly set the channel in the property grid, I believe that they are correct as when I watch the sequences in the Sequence Editor I do not see the wrong colors coming on like they are when the show runs.

Any ideas as to what could be wrong with the sequences not correctly turning on the right channels?


Update: upgraded the firmware on my newer controllers, they were on verions 4.01, while my older controllers where on 4.20, now they are all the same version.

Ran the hardware utility to check the channels and to make sure the lights are connected correctly and that they come on, everything checked out fine. So I don't have anything connected to the wrong channel.

So my sequences still do not turn on the correct channels, blue icicles come on when they should be green.
I had a problem with my show file as well, it would not run the show - said it was enabled but none of the sequences would run.
I created a new show file and this fixed that problem.

Is it possible that I just need to save my sequences with a new file name and that will fix them?


Thanks for your help

Craig

[Tim Fischer]

Are you using tracks? If so, you want to make sure you duplicate the channel from the master track, not add it as a new channel with the same settings, or bad things like you describe will happen...

Same goes if you have two rows assigned to the same physical unit/circuit #, even within a single track (or LOR I sequence).

-Tim

[Tim Fischer]

(phantom double-post bug strikes again!)

[iresq]

I'd start with an indepth study of your property channel grid. With that many controllers, might be easier to open in excel and review.

[bob]

One possibility:

Could you have more than one channel in the sequence set up to control the same unit/circuit? If so, they will "fight" for control of the circuit, and that might end up looking something like you describe.

One way that this sometimes happen is that people will sometimes set up two different tracks, with different channels, but manually set up those channels to be the same unit/circuit. The "real" way to accomplish what they want to do is not to set different channels to be the same unit/circuit, but to copy or duplicate the channels from one track to the other; that way the same channel is in both tracks, as opposed to two channels that happen to be for the same unit/circuit.

[craigh]

Tim,

I am not using tracks.



Craig

[craigh]

Bob,

I am not using tracks, not even sure how to use tracks!

I have checked the property grid and checked the hardware utility tool - turned on just one channel at a time checking them against my spreadsheet when I get to the blue icicle channel for that section of the house only those come on and nothing else, same with the green for that section.

Ran the sequence editor and it plays the sequence correctly, no wrong colors come on when they are not suppose to.

I have 2 DC controllers that I am only using 6 channels on each controller and have not defined the rest of the channels in the property grid - would this cause this type of problem?

Craig

[bob]

Another possibility (same idea) is if you have two channels in two different sequences that are set up to the same unit/circuit and are played simultaneously in the show. That would explain why (as you say) it works fine in the Sequence Editor, but not the Show Player.

[bob]

I have 2 DC controllers that I am only using 6 channels on each controller and have not defined the rest of the channels in the property grid - would this cause this type of problem?

No, or at least not if I'm understanding you correctly. One thing to check, though, in case I've misunderstood:

If you have any channels set up as "Light-O-Rama" device types, but without any unit ID set, change them either so that they have unit IDs or so that their device types are "None".

[craigh]

bob wrote:

Another possibility (same idea) is if you have two channels in two different sequences that are set up to the same unit/circuit and are played simultaneously in the show. That would explain why (as you say) it works fine in the Sequence Editor, but not the Show Player.

Bob, not sure what you mean?

When I created my first sequence for this year I used the property grid to set all my channels, then exported this as my template, then for each new sequence I imported this template.

I guess I could have something set wrong in the property grid, I will give it another look.

More info - in another sequence there are problems with different channels then mentioned above - it is not consistant to the same channels in all songs, it changes! In another sequence the snowflakes on my roof don't all come on - only one does and there are suppose to be 4 that come on, I have 4 different channels for these and only the first channel comes on, but in another song they do come on. This is making it really hard to narrow down, I could see it being two channels using the same id if the problem occurred in all the sequences, but is doesn't!

Craig

[craigh]

bob wrote:

I have 2 DC controllers that I am only using 6 channels on each controller and have not defined the rest of the channels in the property grid - would this cause this type of problem?

No, or at least not if I'm understanding you correctly. One thing to check, though, in case I've misunderstood:

If you have any channels set up as "Light-O-Rama" device types, but without any unit ID set, change them either so that they have unit IDs or so that their device types are "None".

I am not at home right now, but I think that the open channels on the DC controllers are just set to "Light-O-Rama" with the unit ID filled in, thought I filled them in but not sure - I will check when I get home and assign them correctly if needed.

Craig

[bob]

I mean, you might have two sequences playing at once - for example one in your show's "background" section, and one in your show's "musical" section - both of which are trying to control the same unit/circuit.

[craigh]

bob wrote:

I mean, you might have two sequences playing at once - for example one in your show's "background" section, and one in your show's "musical" section - both of which are trying to control the same unit/circuit.

ok...got it.

The background only runs the sign lights which is on channel 9.16 and no other channels set for the sign lights. I have excluded that channel from all my sequences. Had that problem last year when I forgot to exclude my sign lights from my sequences!

Craig

[craigh]

I found the problem, the channels that were not working correctly were in fact not set correctly in the property grid - now I feel like such a dope! I checked that several times and thought it was correct - but apparently not!

Just goes to show that even when you think you checked it and you think everything is right - check it again!

Thanks to everyone for your help!

happy lighting

Craig