Support Forum

First of all: I am not quite sure if this is the right category for my problem, feel free to move the topic. Also I like to mention that I've used Freestyler for over a year now - I am not a beginner.

Hello everybody

Setup
I run one of the newest version of Freestyler on Windows 8.1. For this show I only use LED pars and a dimmer: 4x Stairville LED PAR 56, 8x Stairville LED Flood Panel, 2x Stairville LED Par56 10mm and a Stairville DDS-405 DMX dimmer. I am not using a DMX end terminator. Everything is connected to the computer by a Velleman VM116 Interface(Which I have used a lot in the past). There is also a midi launchpad(Akai apc mini) connected to my computer which I use for controlling the overrides, submasters and cues.

Problem
I've connected all the LED Pars, created the needed chases and so on. Everything worked fine. Then I connected the brand new dimmer and it didn't do anything. Maybe the dimmer is broken, I thougt, disconnected it and used it in auto mode. It worked. So I switched it back to DMX mode, checked the adress it didnt do anything! A small light on the dimmer indicates that it has no dmx signal.

Here comes the strange/interesting part: I closed freestyer, took a break and came back 2 hours later. I started freestyler and instantly noticed the light on the dimmer which indicates that it has a connection. Finally it worked - not for long. After running for about 30 seconds* the dimmer switches the outputs off and the light indicates that it has no dmx connection. Sometimes I can just wait for a couple seconds and then try it again but most the time I have to restart Freestyler.

* There is another strange thing I should mention about the 30 seconds. If I only set a value for each channel of the dimmer and then just let everything stay the same(do not change any other fixture etc.) Then the dimmer seems to last a lot longer(about 5 minutes) before it shuts it's outputs off. But when I am E.G. starting cues for the PAR lights then the dimmer only runs for about 10 seconds before it shuts off. 30 seconds is only the estimatet average.
Seems like the time before the dimmer shuts it's outputs off is definded by the traffic on the DMX bus.

Troubleshooting
During my whole testing I was always monitoring my DMX outputs whith the built in "show output" tool.
I also connected the dimmer direct to the interface, at the end and at the beginning of the dmx chain. The position of the dimmer didn't make a difference.

Any idea what could be the problem? Could it be that the dimmer needs a constant signal and Freestyler doesnt send a signal again when it is the same as already sent?

Thank you very much for your help!

So, by plugging interface directly you have pretty much ruled out your actual fixtures and cables.

Do you have a friend or colleague who could lend you a test USB interface (not the velleman)?

https://wiki.openlighting.org/index.php ... 62_Upgrade

This may not be the answer you were hoping for but that interface (the vm116 is the 'pre-built' version of this) is widely spread but known to be slow and buggy. This guy made a fantastic attempt at updating it, but I think realistically you would get the best results from something like this http://dmxking.com/usbdmx/ultradmxmicro
It has a proper timing chip onboard instead of relying on computer (I have been using that exact one trouble free for a long time now), it's not really that expensive, and you will likely get much better support from the manufacturer - including utilities to tweak the timings for compatibility, test output, etc.

The other fixtures you have do they also have a led showing DMX signal and if so do they show that the is a DMX signal when the Dimmer shows no signal.

In other word does all the other fixtures works when the dimmer shows no signal.

If so then it is most likely timing between the VM116 and the dimmer which makes problems as spud1511 says.

Have you tried to adjust the Refresh rate. It is in the interface setup menu under advance (I think)

/Jan