Help!!!!!!

[David Stokes]

We have gotten loads of snow here in Calgary and it has gotten to -37 with wind chill, last night my show went on and this morning my lights were on constant. I unpluged the controler and then tryed it again this evening and my com[uter does not recognize any controller at all. It powers on but wont work. Any ideas woul be great!



Cheers,

[SBontempo]

Hi David,

This may be a long shot, but I had a few issues with the com port locking up on my laptop and even though the show thought it was playing, it wasn't.

What I had to do was to disconnect my USB adapter and after a few seconds plug it back in.

May not be what is going on in your case, but it sounds like a communication problem to me so that is the first thing I would do. Good Luck with it.

Steve

[David Stokes]

Thanks, I have tried everthing in the book. I have a com port and I have restarted the computer and CTB16KDWHS (LOR Box) like 20 times. I am going to try and give it a new ID. It was working for 3 weeks and all of a sudden nothing... Well except the red blinking light... but I didnt buy it for one red blinking LED.



cHEERS,

[David Stokes]

Its definatly a comunication problem. Will LOR Help me with this problem?

[bisquit476]

Are you using a PC or SD card to control the show?

[David Stokes]

I am useing a PC with a Com Port

[bisquit476]

I know you've probably already done it but did you refresh in the hardware utility, and is it showing or not showing a controller. You might also need to hit the auto configure for the setup comm port again.

[bisquit476]

With all the snow you may have moisture in the cat5 cable also, causing weird stuff to happen.

[David Stokes]

I have done everything, I brought my controller inside and all solder joints are fine. I have changed the cat5e cable and the LED is still blinking and no lights. Here is a picture of what may be the problem I think. The 2 white (FET’s not sure what they are called) have some black soot on them, do you think this might pose a problem? They may have heated up, not sure why? I have done all the trouble shooting and have tried 2 computers. Poor Dan is so busy these days and he is not sure whats up with it, I have asked him to send me some new ones and I will try it.

[David Stokes]

OK I think I have it, it is the Comm - Cat5e connector it smells like it was burning at one point. is the usb a better one to go with? Man a million things can go wrong just have to find it.

[David Stokes]

Well it was definatly the Comm connector. Just got my USB connector today and it fixed my problem. Thanks for all your help anyways.

[LightORamaDan]

With the "soot" on the board and a "fried" com adapter, I think there may have been some type of short on the board. Not sure what could have caused it.

[Max-Paul]

Dan, first time will be this fall and I have never seen one of your controllers in person yet. So, please entertain this question if you would. I have seen that boards / systems that are already assemblied and boards that a person can assemble. Of the pre made boards, do they have some kind of coating across the copper traces and solder pads? I worked in the military goverment contract business and we made devices that went on the F-15. Once the boards were built and tested they got what we called a "conformal coating". That made the boards impossible to show by loose metal hardware or moister / condinsate. I would think that if in the instructions something was said that the builder would maybe head off any troubles if they got a can of clear Kryon spray paint and coat the board. Of course they would want to mask off the stake-on connectors and the header pins and the ICs that are installed in sockets and anything else I missed. This might even have helped with the one board that a snail shorted out, maybe.

Anytime a electronic board is put outside, it should be conformal coated.

Max