Smart Mac pan feedback error

[bwaarp]

I have a few smartmacs that are all displaying pan feedback errors, the manual says POSs a faulty sensor but I can’t seem to locate the sensor, anyone got any ideas where it is? Also could it be the micro switch at the end of the pan run that’s causing it? This is driving me nuts

[gyro_gearloose]

Do they move smoothly? A feed back error could be caused by dying motor driver circuits (a common Martin problem), which can cause loss of torque, which in turn causes the lamp not to move as much as it should do(if at all). This will cause feedback errors.

 

It could also be the optical sensors on the feedback wheel. The feedback system consists of a toothed wheel and a pair of optical sensors for both pan and tilt. If a sensor is broken, or covered in dust, then it will not detect the light pulses as the motor turns. This will also cause feedback errors.

 

Its unlikely to be the end-stop micro switch. You can easily tell if it is that as the fixture will run itself up against the pan or tilt end-stop, and will then try and keep moving resulting a lot of noise and juddering.

 

Hope this helps

[bwaarp]

Do they move smoothly? A feed back error could be caused by dying motor driver circuits (a common Martin problem), which can cause loss of torque, which in turn causes the lamp not to move as much as it should do(if at all). This will cause feedback errors.

 

It could also be the optical sensors on the feedback wheel. The feedback system consists of a toothed wheel and a pair of optical sensors for both pan and tilt. If a sensor is broken, or covered in dust, then it will not detect the light pulses as the motor turns. This will also cause feedback errors.

 

Its unlikely to be the end-stop micro switch. You can easily tell if it is that as the fixture will run itself up against the pan or tilt end-stop, and will then try and keep moving resulting a lot of noise and juddering.

 

Hope this helps

 

The fault is exactly as you described at the end. The fixture gets to the end of its pan and then tries to continue with lots of juddering. Do it sounds like it’s the micro switch

 

Even so I’d still like to know where the pan sensor is located in case that needs a clean

[gyro_gearloose]

It definitely sounds like the end-stop switch is the cause of the fault. It might be that the switch itself or its wiring loom is broken, which you can test with a multimeter, or it might be a motherboard/CPU fault which means the fixtures brain doesn't receive any signal from the switch.

 

Thinking about it, your fixture might not have the optical feedback system like other movers do. I've got a Mac Maestro in my shed and it only has end-stop micro switches on pan and tilt.