Gladiator 1CE Revolver Abstract Scanner's Problem

[ahocknul04]

As soon as I connect these two scanners too the DMX Desk (Zero 88 Jester 24/48) the scanners respond and work well for the first 10 minutes of so then the mirrors start jamming but they work much better as seperate units on Sound to light mode, is this a problem with the mirror motor's or just the scanner's themselfs?

[soundiesam]

what do you mean by jamming?

[paulears]

If the mirrors work fine on sound to light mode - which on those automatically takes over when DMX input is absent - the stepper motors are obviously ok. If as my memory says have a loop on the sound to light - so the first unit detects no DMX and goes into sound to light mode automatically, but OUTPUTS DMX to the others in the chain. If you mean that this mode, where they all do the same, in time with the music, works fine - then the problems is with the DMX getting into the first one.

 

If my brain was wrong on how these old scans work, then just ignore this post.

[KevinE]

Often, on sound-to-light, the movement of the mirrors is restricted so that any 'missed steps' will take a while to appear, ie before the mirrors crash into the hard stops. On DMX, it is more usual to have a wider scan angle available, and if this is part of the DMX program, they will crash sooner.

 

I suggest the mirrors are missing steps ocassionally, check the mirror flexi and then the motors by substitution.

[timsabre]

Often, on sound-to-light, the movement of the mirrors is restricted so that any 'missed steps' will take a while to appear, ie before the mirrors crash into the hard stops. On DMX, it is more usual to have a wider scan angle available, and if this is part of the DMX program, they will crash sooner.

 

I suggest the mirrors are missing steps ocassionally, check the mirror flexi and then the motors by substitution.

 

This is true, the mirror movement is restricted to between DMX 64-192 when in sound to light mode.

The drum "swivel" movement is most prone to missing steps as it's big and heavy. We were a bit overenthusiastic with the movement speed on these and it doesn't take much gunk in the motor before it can start to lose position and hit the end stops.

[KevinE]

This is also a problem with the NJD Quasar and Raptor barrel scanners.

 

A solution is to make sure the fixture is mounted on the truss so that the shaft of the panning motor is perfectly vertical, in the case of the NJD this is also an optimum angle if suspended at pub-ceiling height! That way, the weight of the motor doesnt pose any gravity problems of its own.

 

The problem of intermittent flexi of course only occurs with moving mirror scans rather than barrels or prisms which it doesnt affect.