Solved: Freestyler + Martin Mac250 Grief

[bumclouds]

Hey guys,

Our club has 3 x Martin Mac250's we just got back from repair.

I tried hooking them up to Freestyler DMX using the fixture profile 'Mac250' as well as 'Mac250-m2' to absolutely no avail. No response of any kind from the light.

Double checked that the DMX Address was correct, and tried using DMX Modes 1, 2, 3 & 4; still to no avail.

I got our old Windows 98 Light Jockey v1 computer and hooked that up to the Mac250's and voila! It works just right. So I'm thinking something isn't right with the Freestyler fixture profile or the settings I've got set on the Mac isn't right for the Freestyler fixture profile.


Any ideas would be great.
Andrew

[remco_k]

Did you configure FreeStyler for the DMX interface you are using?
Default its set on "Virtual interface"

Some old mac's require the DMX signal to be inversed. (e.g. pin 2 and 3 of the XLR swapped).

When you try to control the 250's, try to control them with the sliders on the right in the screen. Try each one of them. (all to 0, all to max).
If the fixture doesn't respond at all on any slider, then I'd say you've got the DMX addressing wrong, or your DMX interface is just not working. Find a way to check both. Look up the DMX adressing in your good old Win98 LJ setup.
And find another DMX controlled fixture where you can test your FreeStyler setup with.

I don't know the 250's, but some fixtures are set with dip switches. Setting switch 1 on and the rest off, means DMX channel 1.
BUT to make it more complex, for some fixtures this is "value+1", so meaning DMX channel 2 when switch 1 on and the rest off.
But since you have tested all the sliders, the fixture should have responded somehow.

[bumclouds]

Thanks for the advice.

Our interface is working and we have about 12 other fixtures off the interface which are working (Trackspots and Shivas).

When I try any of the sliders on the right hand side of the screen absolutely none of them produce any response whatsoever (no movement, no light, nothing). Its like talking to a dead person.

I can literally unplug the Freestyler computer, and plug in the LJ computer and start talking to the 250 immediately with no alterations.

Hmm.... I'm thinking it has to be a fixture profile thing with LJ...

AJ

[LJ_krede.dk]

go to edit--> show output, and try to change the slider for the mac's. now you can see if freestyler is sending the dmx values on the right channels. it works fine here for the 'mac250' and 'mac250-m2'

even if the fixture file is wrong (which i dont think) the mac250's should act when you are draging the sliders. the fixture file's only purpose is to make the freestyler interface easier to use. you can easily take another fixture file, let's say a dimmer with 11 channels and give it same address as the mac250, and control the mac.

[bumclouds]

^ Hey man,

I tried doing exactly what you said.

The "show output" window shows the DMX values changing on all 11 channels correctly, just as they should. I've also checked that the DMX addressing on the MAC250 matches the one in Freestyler.

Once again, if I connect Light Jockey up to the Mac250, with all settings on the Mac250 left exactly as is, the light responds. If i swap the LJ computer for Freestyler, no response. And I know that my DMX interface works because all other lighting fixtures we have (about 30) are all talking to Freestyler with no problems!!

I also tried plugging a DMX terminator straight into the output of the MAC250. That didn't bring me any joy either >_<.


I wonder what it is!

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Andrew

[bumclouds]

Okay I have solved the problem.

The Mac250's needed a phase inverter.

Strangely LightJockey could talk to the light without a phase inverter, and that's what threw me off.


Andrew