ARTNET /ENTTEC USB PRO problems

[Richard CSL]

So I am having problems connecting anARTNETSUN 6 way DMX device to the input of the Enttec pro. Which I am using tocontrol Pangolin lighting software. (on the same laptop)

 

So I am using Magic Q via an ARTNETSUN6 device outputting DMX into a brand new Enttec USB pro dongle, which just cant handle the speed of DMX.

 

I am getting an overflow warning fromPangolin software.

 

 

So with only the power connected to theARTNETSUN 6 (and no ethernet connection) the USBPRO immediately startsreporting overflow on Pangolin.

 

 

If I connect an old (2008) TransensionDMX Operator style device all works perfectly. (older slower DMX I guess)

 

 

I have downloaded Enttec DMX PRO Managersoftware and increased the input speed to max(=0), updated and this made nochange.

 

Another observation is that the Enttec device is seeming to slow down the operation of Magic Q, physically slowing down keyboard / mouse commands.???

 

 

any help appreciated.

 

 

[timmeh2]

Hi

 

Sounds like you have a device or resource conflict on the laptop.

 

What OS are you using?

[Richard CSL]

No the conflict is between the artnet device and the Enttec usb input.

As I said with an old fade controller it works just fine. As soon as the artnet device is connected, ( which works perfectly with the lights) I get an overflow warning from the laser software, about 2 times a second.

[Richard CSL]

this is the device I am using.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Art-Net-to-DMX-sACN-ArtNet-6-output-input-ports-ArtNet-Ethernet/321060993223?hash=item4ac0b9f8c7:g:7TcAAOSwo0JWLKxc

 

I cant find any way to alter the speed and packet ratios on the DMX port outputs.

 

I am sure this would solve the problem, but information is non existent.

[timsabre]

DMX comes at a fixed "speed", the only thing you can change is the idle time between channels, but it's unusual these days to find a product which needs idle time to work properly. I think the problem must be something else.

 

There are some non standard versions of DMX which send more than 512 channels. I can see how this would cause an overflow error on the receiver. Might your box be sending out 1024 channels or something like that.

[gyro_gearloose]

Can the Pangolin software understand Artnet/sACN, or do you have to use DMX to control it? If you can use a network protocol surely you can do away with all of the DMX/Artnet hardware, and have both your lighting and laser software use IP address 127.0.0.1 to talk to each other.

[Richard CSL]

OK so after a lot of probing and testing I have established the following.

 

The Artnet6un works perfectly with cheap movers, ADJ led bars, cheap geyser smoke machines , and cheap lasers from ebay

if I use a cheap 2.4ghz DMX transmitter receiver, the enttec works as expected. So this acts as a buffer on the signal, as a splitter would.

So I deduce the ENTTEC is not able to receive the DMX from the artnet device. I tried other ports, and I turned ports into inputs for test purposes. no change.

 

If I use the ENTTEC usb to transmit data to the fixtures from Magic Q, this works fine.

It only appears to be the input of DMX that causes overflow.

 

So I tested the ENTTEC with its test program and I can see the input DMX flashing and flickering. I have tried every setting Packet output . MAB. and break time. no effect.

 

It looks like a form of static on the ENTTEC. or the ARTnet6UN. But if the output of the 6UN was faulty the movers would not work for sure.

 

Can the Pangolin software understand Artnet/sACN, or do you have to use DMX to control it? If you can use a network protocol surely you can do away with all of the DMX/Artnet hardware, and have both your lighting and laser software use IP address 127.0.0.1 to talk to each other.

 

 

I am using Quickshow as I have the FB3 interface only, this does not allow for Artnet control. That would require Beyond 3.0 which costs 700 euros.

And my lasers only have ILDA not ethernet ports.

[timsabre]

So I tested the ENTTEC with its test program and I can see the input DMX flashing and flickering. I have tried every setting Packet output . MAB. and break time. no effect.

 

It looks like a form of static on the ENTTEC. or the ARTnet6UN. But if the output of the 6UN was faulty the movers would not work for sure.

Silly question but have you tested the cable you are connecting with?It could be there's some sort of wiring/driver chip problem and the extra earth connecion of the USB on the Enttec is causing it to not work, where the movers will accept it.

What happens if you put some movers in between the artnet box and the enttec input?

 

[niclights]

This all sounds like a conflict to me. Particularly the slowing down keyboard/mouse and flickering. Do you have another machine you could put FB3 on so that it is on a physically separate device to MagicQ? This would almost certainly then confirm if the problem is local or in the signal path.

[timsabre]

Nic has a good point, I didn't spot that everything was on the same laptop.