Need some help

[spdj20]

I've been playing with the software for months now. And I still can't seem to get this setup working properly.

First off here is my setup. 4 Martin SCX500 custom fixture profile created, and 4 Optima Lighting iLED Par 64 cans also custom fixture profile created.

The main problem I'm having is that when chases alone or chases in the cue are played back, the light movement is VERY choppy. I've found out that if I remove the fades this isn't as much of an issue, though it does still happen from time to time, but I want to be able to control the speed of the chases, well at least the fade times, but so far, I can't. I use an Enttec Open DMX, so I'm wondering if that is the issue. I'm also runnin freestlyer on my mac through parallels but I'm devoting 2 GB to the Windows OS so I don't think it's that.

So I went to a show on Thursday, and after wiring up all the lights, I go to turn on Freestyler. And as soon as I tried to play anything back, the first 3 scanners were fine, but the 4th was pointed out and down and wouldn't right itself up. To make matters worse, the LED pars were completely non responsive. This made me super upset as I had spent multiple hours programming my fixtures into the library, and creating a few chases. I had to end up ditching the Pars for the night and going with the scanners running in sound active mode.

So my question...what the hell am I doing wrong? Is it the interface? Did i miss something in the pan/tilt window? Is Parallels and Windows 7 causing the problem?

Please let me know how I can fix this. Thanks

[Mavi]

If fixtures ract strange or not at all there could be an adressing problem. Are you sure you set up the DMX adresses right and had every DMX cable connected correctly?

As far I remember the Enttec Open does not have an own processor to comput the DMX output. Your Laptop has to do this which means a lot of processing. This *could* be the problem you discovered with the fades. Also you run FreeStyler in a virtual machine which also results in lots of work for your CPU.

Perhaps you have a Windows machine where you can install FreeStyler and test everything? That way you can finde out if Parallels is cousing the problems you have.

[GaryBonaducci]

If fixtures ract strange or not at all there could be an adressing problem. Are you sure you set up the DMX adresses right and had every DMX cable connected correctly?

I had the same problem at one gig. Somehow, I nudged the dipswitches on one scanner either in transport or setup and it wouldn't work. After a small panic, I fortunately figured out what happened and was able to refer to FreeStyler's setup window on how to set the dipswitch correctly.

[spdj20]

Mavi - That's something I thought about, as I also use my macbook pro on the mac side for running Serato ITCH with a VCI-300 and VFX-1. So with all that load on the CPU, does it matter if the virtual machine is getting 2GB devoted to it then, cause my mac has 8GB RAM on it. It is however a Core2Duo processor. Ideally I would like to have 2 separate laptops , one for audio and one for lighting, but I just can't swing that right now. And if this doesn't work then I'm thinking I'll have to go back to programming on my Operator.

Gary - I triple checked all the DMX addresses and dipswitches. The Martins are all digital, the pars have dipswitches. It was strange though because the problem appeared to be between the 4th scanner and the first par, if i removed the DMX cable from those, the 4th scanner then functioned fine. With it plugged in though, the 4th scanner mirror acted weird and one of the LED pars just strobed constantly. I did try swapping out the cables but that did nothing.

I'm willing to spend the extra money for the Enttec Pro, if you think it will resolve these issues.

[LJ_krede.dk]

do you use a DMX terminator in the last fixture of the DMX string? if not, try to make/buy one and plug it in to decrease Interference on the DMX string. You could also try to connect one par after the 4th Scanner.. if taht work, try with one more and so one..

Also, it could be the DMX plug on your 4th scanner or first PAR cab which short-circuttes the DMX string.

another thing which could be the problem could be powerloops, but I really don't know anything about this.

I don't think another interface would solve your problem but you could always try to borrow one and see what happens

[GaryBonaducci]

LJ_krede.dk, could it be possible this is a reversed-polarity problem with the DMX wiring? I don't know if the Martin SCX500 he is using has this issue.

[LJ_krede.dk]

hmmm,, you may have right,,, but then the first 3 martin scanner shoudlnt have worked either. I presume the Enttec open uses the "right" polarity.

I know there has been several posts where Martin fixtures caused problems on the DMX string caused of the polarity thing you mentioned. it could be an idea to check the manual for the scanner

@spdj20 try to connect the 4th scanner as the first one in the dmx string and connect another scanner after that. see if the 4th scanner (and the other one) then works. if not, it could be the polarity thing which is wrong in the 4th scanner.

[GaryBonaducci]

...The main problem I'm having is that when chases alone or chases in the cue are played back, the light movement is VERY choppy. ... I use an Enttec Open DMX ... I'm also runnin freestlyer on my mac through parallels but I'm devoting 2 GB to the Windows OS so I don't think it's that.... Is Parallels and Windows 7 causing the problem?...

Yes, running Windows on a Mac using Parallels would indeed be the likely source of your problem. The Enttec Open requires a steady stream of data to operate smoothly because it doesn't have it's own internal microcontroller like the Enttec DMX USB Pro does. Because the Windows OS is being run within the MacOS, it isn't running at 100% CPU speed because it is now just one of the MacOS's multitasked programs. Doesn't matter how much memory you have allocated to Windows -- it still is only getting a slice of CPU time, hence the choppy movements.

Getting the Enttec DMX USB Pro may solve your problems with choppy movements, but I think their is a chance that it will not. Smooth scanner movements still require FreeStyler to update the X-Y locations at a smooth, regular basis; but since the Window OS is being multitasked by the MacOS, FreeStyler/Windows may not be able to do this even with an Enttec USB Pro. If you get the USB Pro however, you can run FreeStyler on an inexpensive, entry-level laptop since the USB Pro takes a lot of the processing load off the PC's CPU. Don't quote me, but I believe people have successfully run FreeStyler on netbooks using this interface. That could be an inexpensive option for a second computer.

hmmm,, you may have right,,, but then the first 3 martin scanner shoudlnt have worked either. I presume the Enttec open uses the "right" polarity.

I know there has been several posts where Martin fixtures caused problems on the DMX string caused of the polarity thing you mentioned. it could be an idea to check the manual for the scanner

I have found the SCX500 manual here: http://www.martin.com/service/downloadf ... pdf&cat=65

On page 13, it says the fixture is wired correctly to standard DMX polarity. It isn't reversed like older Martin fixtures.

Nothing unusual with the PAR64's wiring either: http://optimalighting.com/files/PDFs/Do ... Manual.pdf

I am stumped. I still think there's something with the wiring, though I'm not sure what it could be.

[LJ_krede.dk]

I have found the SCX500 manual here: http://www.martin.com/service/downloadf ... pdf&cat=65

On page 13, it says the fixture is wired correctly to standard DMX polarity. It isn't reversed like older Martin fixtures.

Nothing unusual with the PAR64's wiring either: http://optimalighting.com/files/PDFs/Do ... Manual.pdf

then we are back to the terminator...

[spdj20]

thanks guys for all the help. Last night I hooked up all the lights again, and I found the source of the BIG problem. It turns out the other night I was rushed in setting up and reverted back to my old ways of addressing on the Operator. The Martins run on 8 channels so I addressed EVERY fixture in increments of 8, not realizing the Pars were only in increments of 5 Once i corrected that addressing on the pars, all the lights worked correctly. I felt so stupid

However, the choppy movement is still an issue. I am using a terminator on the last fixture. In terms of the order of wiring, all the Martins are wired up 1-4 and then the scanner is wired up to par 1-4.

I'd be curious in going the netbook route with the pro. If anyone has been successful with that, let me know

[GaryBonaducci]

I'd be curious in going the netbook route with the pro. If anyone has been successful with that, let me know

One of my DJ friends says he successfully uses FreeStyler on an Acer One netbook with a Velleman interface. I like the idea too because it can be made very compact, which can be important for bands, musicians, and deejays that want lighter gear.

One issue with netbooks is that they usually use the very underpowered Intel graphics chip. It's good for simply running FreeStyler, but I'll bet it struggles with EasyView 3D. This might be important to you, because EasyView allows you to program sequences without setting up your lighting gear -- Something convenient to be able to do with all those scanners.

[spdj20]

Well I decided to sell my Enttec Open and went with the Pro. BIG difference, even with running Windows on the virtual machine. The mirrors do seem to jump slightly when starting their movement, but the rest of the transitions are nice and smooth I had also read about an issue when fading LED pars, that they would flicker. Thankfully I'm not getting this happening on my setup. Thanks for that Gary, I may just go that route then. I wouldn't be too concerned about EasyView on the netbook. I probably wouldn't even do the programming on the netbook. I can do all that in my virtual machine on my mac, then transfer the chases over, and use the netbook solely for playback.

It seems though when one problem is fixed, another presents itself. With the Pro now, what's happening is that when I run a cue, I set it to loop all sequences but once the cue plays through once...while the cue window still shows it cycling through scenes, the lights stay on the last scene of the sequence and don't loop, it's like they lose communication with the software. If I stop the cue playback, and then restart it though, it will play through the sequence again, but will stop at the last scene. Any idea what's going on with this?

Also, since I have all 4 lights on a 10 foot truss, I notice that the beams tend to overlap each other when they are all pointed straight. I read about the fanning, but I'm not sure how to program that with my 4 scanners. For now I've just resorted to setting the distance for each light individually in the pan/tilt window, and then clicking the arrows to move positions (slow and very time consuming) cause if i select more than one fixture and use the ball in the pan/tilt window, the mirrors lose the "fan" position I set them in. There's gotta be an easier way to do this right?

Thanks again for all your help guys, I'm seeing the finish line with all this.

[wardomon]

You can fan the lights proportionally with the First and Last settings. Select the lights in order, right to left, set percentages + and -, select Pan Fan, click Set Fan. Check results. If it didn't work out, recenter the lights and change some settings.

Also. The square with the two blue arrows? Click it once. They should turn red. Now try moving the lights around in the grid. More better?

Loops. Check that the button in the cuelist is set to repeat (green).

[GaryBonaducci]

It seems though when one problem is fixed, another presents itself. With the Pro now, what's happening is that when I run a cue, I set it to loop all sequences but once the cue plays through once...while the cue window still shows it cycling through scenes, the lights stay on the last scene of the sequence and don't loop, it's like they lose communication with the software. If I stop the cue playback, and then restart it though, it will play through the sequence again, but will stop at the last scene. Any idea what's going on with this?

This is a new one to me....

Also, since I have all 4 lights on a 10 foot truss, I notice that the beams tend to overlap each other when they are all pointed straight. I read about the fanning, but I'm not sure how to program that with my 4 scanners. For now I've just resorted to setting the distance for each light individually in the pan/tilt window, and then clicking the arrows to move positions (slow and very time consuming) cause if i select more than one fixture and use the ball in the pan/tilt window, the mirrors lose the "fan" position I set them in. There's gotta be an easier way to do this right?

Setting scanner correction values and permanent fanning are discussed here:
http://www.freestylersupport.com/fsforu ... f=6&t=3352
and here:
http://www.freestylersupport.com/fsforu ... f=6&t=1327
I can tell you that setting a permanent fan to a row of scanners looks great!

Thanks again for all your help guys, I'm seeing the finish line with all this.

Don't forget to donate.... Also, it would be nice to me if you complete your profile, especially your location. Thank you!

[tol3sam]

hello please can someone tell me about offline mode !! thanks from sam

[Mavi]

Offline mode means, the values you program are not sended to output directly. This happens if the override button window or cue window is open. It allowes to programm new sequences during a show is running.