Baffled by sequence peculiarities

[lleibeck]

I hope we find someone smart soon

It's difficult for me to live with it since it effects the leaping arches. During the arch sequence everything else is off so there is 100% attention to the arches. It is very noticeable then.

[cmoore60]

lleibeck

What version of the software are you using?

Chuck

[lleibeck]

I am running 2.0.16

[Dennis Cherry]

Question for everyone with random problems in this thread.

Are you running off a computer or MP3?

If a computer how much RAM and CPU speed?

Operating system?

USB device?

[Denny]

Dennis Cherry wrote:

Question for everyone with random problems in this thread.

Are you running off a computer or MP3?

If a computer how much RAM and CPU speed?

Operating system?

USB device?

I was using an old computer with only 128 mb of RAM; the operating system was/is XP and using the USB485B adapter. Once I changed over to the laptop, the problems went away. I had a lot of channels as well as the DMX, so I am only speculating that the computer just couldn't keep up with the information being sent to it. Perhaps LOR might revisit their minimum computer requirements and expand on them. It may be that the currently published minimum requirements are OK up to so many channels, but then when we add in the other goodies like DMX, etc., the minimum requirements increase. I too am curious if anyone is having the problem with the MP3 director or only computer based running.

[John]

I watched my show outside the other night and noticed that some times a channel misses and event. The same sequence was used last year on LOR-1 and I don't remember seeing that problem. It appeared when running Version 2.0.16. The event timing is 0.05 second. If I double up on the event timing and make it 0.10 seconds, I believe it won't skip that event. The channels in question have 300 mini lights on each channel. Weird... I'm going to have to watch it again and see if changing the event to 0.1 seconds really fixed the skipped channels.

The controllers are the kit version CTB16K and the adapter is a USB-RS485.
The computer has a Xeon 3.0 GHz processor with 2 GB RAM.

[George Simmons]

Update - the intermittent problem I originally thought only affects three sequences is more widespread than I thought - it is no longer limited to just those sequences where I saw it previously. Tonight I saw three or four different sequences affected the same way. I have narrowed it down to one controller - a cbt16pc which was pre-assembled. 7 mini trees and eight sections of a pole are dark. One mini tree and the remaining pole section are lit at full intensity and dim with the beat, but never shuts off. When the sequence ends, those two sections continue on for a second or two before shutting down. When the next song plays, they work as they're supposed to and I might not see the problem again for an hour.

I'm running 2.0.16, nine CBT16PC boards, USB485B. My show computer is a Compaq Presario, Celeron processor at 2.8 GHz, 504MB RAM, Windows XP 2002, SP3. Since this has surfaced, I've gotten into the habit of rebooting the PC prior to showtime each day.

Yes, with the problem worsening, I also need an expert to step forward sooner rather than later and get me pointed in the right direction.

[lleibeck]

Dennis,

I am using a computer with the following:
HP Pavilion
Intel Pentium 1.73 GHz
.99 GB of RAM reported

XP Professional, Version 2002 Service Pack 2.

I can not say for sure that only one sequence is effected. The leaping arches sequence is spread over three controllers (four arches, nine channels each arch). For sure two controllers have noticeable effects. but only one controller at a time.

Thank you

Lee

[morrisonri]

Hey Guys,

I had the same problem with my radio sign this year. So I added another channel with a light that I could monitor. This light was set the same in the sequence as the radio sign. When I did this it seemed to compound the problem. I would edit the sequence, save the file and let the program that I had built in the simple show builder run the sequences, I did this about three times. Each time I would edit the sequence save the file and enable the show. The problem just kept growing.

Then I realized that after saving the edited sequence, I needed to rebuild the program for the show using the Simple Show Builder. I did this and it solved my problem with channels not functioning properly. Everything worked as planned from that point on. So every time I edit a sequence that is running in the show I save the file and rebuild the show using simple show builder.

I am not expert at this by any means. I know that this worked for me.



I hope this helps you all.

[lleibeck]

Is there a way to change the directory that the Simply Show Builder uses for selecting sequences, or do I need to move my sequences?

[morrisonri]

I am not sure. I use two directories in my system. For my problem, it did not matter whether I edited the file in the LOR directory or transferred the file into that directory.

I use a different computer to build/edit my sequences than the one that runs the shows. I do this for three reasons:

1. The computer that runs the show is in my garage, and I have to stand to use it.

2. It is a lot more covenant to use my main computer to build/edit the sequences in the house. All files are then transferred over my network from my main computer to the garage computer.

3. I then have two computers with the sequences files on them. (This is my way of backing up the hard work that went into the sequences).





hope this helps

[lleibeck]

Do you have an IT background??? I too use two computers for the same reasons and one more. Last year I tired making a change 10 minutes before the show was to start and that was not a good idea. As cars started to show up I was scrambling to recover. Now I use the house PC as a development PC.

The two PC are setup identical for the reason you mention, backup. I guess I could also copy the sequences to the directory LOR is looking for.

Thanks,

Lee

[morrisonri]

I dabble is a lot of things, my career has mostly been in electronics. I do have a little back ground in the IT stuff. My house has a wired network and two different wireless networks. I do have more than two computers in the house in case you were wondering.

My wife thinks I am nuts. My response to her is I could be out at the bars, however she does put up with my extragunce.

I just get an idea in my head and work at it until I am satisfied with the out come. I do this kind of stuff for stress relief.



I guess that is why I love doing this animation stuff. It keeps me busy in the cold months of the winter, and into the summer. I do have a lot of other hobbies too.



I don't know how I find time to go to work LOL.