need to look for controller with HU each time I power it up

[Max-Paul]

Well the subject line is kind of compressed. Let me explain a little more in detail. First time I powered up the controller and computer together. My USB adapter was found. I could not see the USB adapter till it was connected to the controller and it was powered up. Ok, opened HU and allowed it to find the comm channel it was going to use. It found the adapter on comm 4, ok looking good. So then I told it to limit the search to 0-10 address and it found my controller. I decided to set it to 10 and this looked good also. So then I played around with the twinkle, shimmer, chase and fade and all of the channels responded.

Closed down HU and fired up SE and a part way done seq to see how it looked so far. This also worked fine. So, I closed down the program and pulled the plug on the controller, and removed the USB adapter.

A few days later I wanted to play with the controller. I think I powered up the controller first. Then might have loaded the SE and seq, then connected the USB adapter. Well I started the seq and none of the display lights lit. So, I shut down SE and fired up HU. It shows comm4, but no controllers in the drop down box. So I did a search again and it finds my one and only controller. I select it and again the display lights work with the test patterns. Close HU and fire up SE and all works just fine.

So, the question which someone over at PC says that this is not normal. Ok, what did I miss or is this a problem and there is a fix. BTW I never have readdressed this controller. Just the first time.

Thanks and sorry for the long dialog, but wanted to give as many facts as possible.

Max

[-klb-]

I think maybe someone misinterpreted what was posted on PC..

What you describe sounds totally normal..

If you start the sequence editor without the USB adapter connected, it will disable the control lights option at startup. I'm not sure if you would have been able to enable control lights from the menu after plugging in the USB adapter or not, but it might be worth trying..

As for the hardware utility, it makes no attempt to remember what controllers you have previously found with it.. Probably a good thing for those of us who use the same laptop on hardware for more than one show. You should always have to rescan for controllers each time you launch the hardware utility. You should not have to rescan for the serial port, unless you have changed the USB adapter you are using..

[Ponddude]

The HU doesn't know what is connected to the computer. For that matter, either does the SE. The SE sends the commands out and the controller with that particular Unit ID, does what it says it should do. The HU needs to search for the units every time you want to test, load firmware, set triggers, etc. It does this because today you may have one controller on the network, tomorrow you can have 100 controllers on the network. When you search in the HU, it finds every single unit that is connected to the computer (within the search parameters) and allows you to pick which controller you want to control.

What it is doing is completely normal.

[Max-Paul]

Ok, klb from what I think you are saying is that. If I connect the adapter first and have the controller powered up also before I start the SE, that after all is done before starting SE, that SE will send commands and that the controller should work as expected?

So, the sequence should be:
1) power up the controller
2) connect the USB adapter
3) start the SE program and load the seq.
4) play seq. and lights should work

I must have started the SE program last before, cause I did not get the message that no serial device is present. I have seen this message when editing from the easy chair in the past.

Oh, well this is just a little glitch. This fall I will have a tower computer actually run the show and I do not plan to power anthing down (24/7).

Just wondering if this was normal and then someone else saying it was not, made me wonder if I was doing something wrong.

Thanks I think that your reply might have answered this for me.

Max

[-klb-]

Max-Paul wrote:

Ok, klb from what I think you are saying is that. If I connect the adapter first and have the controller powered up also before I start the SE, that after all is done before starting SE, that SE will send commands and that the controller should work as expected?

So, the sequence should be:
1) power up the controller
2) connect the USB adapter
3) start the SE program and load the seq.
4) play seq. and lights should work

I must have started the SE program last before, cause I did not get the message that no serial device is present. I have seen this message when editing from the easy chair in the past.

Oh, well this is just a little glitch. This fall I will have a tower computer actually run the show and I do not plan to power anthing down (24/7).

Just wondering if this was normal and then someone else saying it was not, made me wonder if I was doing something wrong.

Thanks I think that your reply might have answered this for me.

Max

Actually, what order the controller is powered up or attached does not matter. The key thing is that the USB adapter is connected, and has the appropriate COM port available for the sequence editor to attach to before the sequence editor is started. But yes, this sequence should cause the controller to respond as expected to the sequence editor.