RoyS Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Got a strange one here… Just got 4 new movers (http://prolight.co.uk/item/ISIM09/) and am trying one at home before taking them into work tomorrow. Normally use MagicQ on a PC with a PC Wing. In this instance I’m using a £10 MagicDMX dongle to control it with my normal MQ PC. The DMX path is PC>Dongle>XLR Cable>Fixture>Terminator. Matt from Chamsys has previously advised on the hed file to use – which is suitably patched in the SW.The head is in 16ch mode and addressed correctly. The DMX LED on the fixture indicates an incoming signal. The first thing I notice is that when I select the head and click Locate it centers as you’d expect but the colour is not open white but a dull yellow.. Control is very erratic and strange.. To cut a long explanation shorter… I thought I’d try to test the fixture… Created a new show with 16 channels of dimmers and setup my playbacks so ch1 does pan, ch2 tilt, etc.. When I try to control the fixture It’s still mucking around…. e.g. If I control ch5 (shutter) it also makes the fixture pan & tilt.. If I go to the outputs window, I can see the other channels outputs altering as I adjust ch5…… If I disconnect the fixture the outputs are still going crazy… Any advise ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grum Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Created a new show with 16 channels of dimmers and setup my playbacks so ch1 does pan, ch2 tilt, etc..This seems a bit strange and pointless since you can already access all of the features using the encoders. You're just going to be using up faders for the sake of it. When I try to control the fixture It’s still mucking around…. e.g. If I control ch5 (shutter) it also makes the fixture pan & tilt.. Double tap the "S" key for the cue stack then select the "View Cue" option from the top of the screen. Now select "View Levels" this should show you what information is in the cue. If there's anything other than shutter information this is what is causing the problem. MagicQ records all information that is in the programmer so if you either located the fixture or changed position values when you recorder the cue then that information will be recalled when you re-play the cue. If I go to the outputs window, I can see the other channels outputs altering as I adjust ch5……This suggests that you have recorded more than just shutter information in the cue If I disconnect the fixture the outputs are still going crazy…They will do, DMX is a broadcast system, the desk will output the same signal regardless of what is connected to it. Just because there are no lights there to listen doesn't mean that the desk stops shouting orders. Any advise ? Oh, and the dull yellow could just be the lamp or possibly the cheap optics in the mover. e2aFrom what you've described the desk appears to be working as it should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Created a new show with 16 channels of dimmers and setup my playbacks so ch1 does pan, ch2 tilt, etc..This seems a bit strange and pointless since you can already access all of the features using the encoders. You're just going to be using up faders for the sake of it.I read this as patching 16 dimmers instead of personality. If so then I would say that was the most sensible thing to do in eliminating personality fault. If I disconnect the fixture the outputs are still going crazy…They will do, DMX is a broadcast system, the desk will output the same signal regardless of what is connected to it. Just because there are no lights there to listen doesn't mean that the desk stops shouting orders.I read this as meaning the MagicQ output view is showing the values on multiple channels with the fixture disconnected. Probably not necessary but removes fixture from equation. Oh, and the dull yellow could just be the lamp or possibly the cheap optics in the mover.Or a fault in the personality... Assuming you have patched 16 dimmers do you still see single dimmers affecting multiple channels in the output window when raised by encoder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wol Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Can you take a copy of your showfile and drop it to me in an email (luke@chamsys.co.uk) to see if I can reproduce the problem you're having with multiple channels being triggered from one playback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyS Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi all, A few things.. A rogue bit of XLR has been found... My £10 dongle works OK'ish. The £60 one seems faulty.. The hed file is def suspect... I was going to drop in tomorrow for a chat with Matt.. What time will he/you all be in? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyS Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Hi All, Just to say thanks to the great service from the nice people at Chamsys: Luke & Matt, cheers guys. Reasons for the problems: The hed file did not match the fixture, probably because the manufacturer changed the firmware/spec/chipset/something else… On my £60 MagicDMX dongle: I changed the 5 pin XLR to a 3 pin and automatically (I am natively a noise boy) soldered the red wire to pin 2…. and it should have been pin 3… Muppetry on my part.. Anyway.. all sorted. Best regards to all respondents… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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