patching and DMX problems

[torch1972]

I have just had the worst Press night for a long time!!!

 

I Have a Jester 24/48 which deicided to change the soft patch on channels 25 to 48. Not every channel changed but enough to cause problems. So any help would be great. I had multiple dimmer on one channel even when I went in to superuser and only one dimmer was assigned to that channel. Single dimmers moving around eg dimmer 43 was assigned to channel 43 but came up on channel 25. Or a channel would not fade any light even there was a light soft patched to that channel. No 2 different channels bring up the same dimmer.

 

So i checked our dimmers which are betapacks annd act 6s, all with the right DMX address

 

checked the soft patch and it was correct.

 

I cleared the patch then programmed the soft patch again.

 

I reloaded the show from USB stick.

 

but i still can not get the dimmers to work on the channel assigned in the soft patch.

 

HELP!!

[torch1972]

Okay this is weird so I came in today and problem has corrected itself! This could be very worring!!!

[KWR88]

I think the issue with this may be to do with the switch settings on the back of he preset PCB not being in the correct position.

Please e-mail on the address below to talk about this further.

[Bob D - GracePoint Church]

Another Soft Patch Problem ----

Our Jester 24/48 was installed a few weeks ago (Jester 48 v3.3)and I just set up the soft patch. First entries went fine, then I decided to make another change. I can make the changes, but the operation stays the same. I go back to Super User and the changes are listed, but the board runs with the patch setup I made the first time. Tonight I tried to move another channel. Now it doesn't work anywhere on the board, even though it shows the new location. What am I doing wrong?

[Paul]

Please can you attach a copy of your showfile and let us know which channels / DMX addresses aren't behaving as you expect so that we can look into this?

[Bob D - GracePoint Church]

I have attached the show file.

The first time I did the DMX patch, everything was fine. Then I decided to swap DMX Ch 8 and Ch 9 on the desk channels 2 and 3. They would change on the monitor display, but would not actually be chanaged. Next I wanted to move DMX Ch 43 from desk position 43 to desk postion 18. The change showed on the monitor display, but desk channel 18 would not control it. When I tried desk channel 43 (the original patch) it would not control DMX 43 either. So I can not control DMX 43 from the Jester now.

See if you can find the problem. Thanks.

GracePoint1.JSF

[Paul]

On the Jester, the DMX addresses are shown on the left, and the desk channel numbers are shown on the right. Looking at your showfile, I think this is where the confusion may be.

 

 

Select the DMX address first using the cursors. Then press the flash button for the desk channel that you want to control that DMX address.

[Bob D - GracePoint Church]

I had my terminology mixed up, but the problem is still the same.

 

DMX001 which corresponds to Fader #1 on the Jester runs Output Channel #7 on the ILumen SC-UN Universal Source Controller. DMX002 which correspondes to Fader #2 on the Jester runs Channel #8 on the ILumen Controller (But notice the Showfile - I have it mapped to Channel #9!) DMX003 runs Channel #9 on the ILumen Controller (but I have it mapped to Channel #8.) DMX004-016 operate the respective channels on the ILumen as mapped. But DMX018 does not run the correct channel on the ILumen. It doesn't seem to operate anything on the ILumen.

 

All the Soft Patch Channels I mapped the first time I set up the Jester operated correctly. But any changes I have tried to make since, do not change the channel being controlled in the ILumen. They remain as I originaly set them, even though the Jester Monitor (and the Show File) says they are changed.

 

I tried it again today with no success.

 

One other thing, when I am in the <DMX Patch> and step through the DMX channels the light in the corresponding Channel Flash button will be lit correctly, as I have programmed the patch. But when I go back to Preset Mode, the channels I mentioned in the earlier post are incorrect.

[Paul]

The description you give does not match the DMX patch in the showfile, which is:

 

DMX:<001> Ch07

DMX:<002> Ch09

DMX:<003> Ch08

DMX:<004> Ch10

DMX:<005> Ch13

DMX:<006> Ch14

DMX:<007> Ch01

DMX:<008> Ch02

DMX:<009> Ch03

DMX:<010> Ch04

DMX:<011> Ch05

DMX:<012> Ch06

DMX:<013> Ch11

DMX:<014> Ch12

DMX:<015> Ch15

DMX:<016> Ch16

DMX:<017> Ch--

DMX:<018> Ch43

DMX:<019> Ch44

DMX:<020> Ch19

DMX:<021> Ch21

DMX:<022> Ch22

DMX:<023> Ch23

DMX:<024> Ch24

DMX:<025> Ch25

DMX:<026> Ch26

DMX:<027> Ch27

DMX:<028> Ch28

DMX:<029> Ch29

DMX:<030> Ch30

DMX:<031> Ch31

DMX:<032> Ch32

DMX:<033> Ch33

DMX:<034> Ch34

DMX:<035> Ch35

DMX:<036> Ch36

DMX:<037> Ch37

DMX:<038> Ch38

DMX:<039> Ch39

DMX:<040> Ch40

DMX:<041> Ch41

DMX:<042> Ch42

DMX:<043> Ch43

DMX:<044> Ch44

DMX:<045> Ch45

DMX:<046> Ch46

DMX:<047> Ch47

DMX:<048> Ch48

 

The channel levels shown on the monitor are just that, channels, they do not show the patched DMX output, so changing the DMX patch will not in any way affect the channel levels shown on the monitor displays.

 

Do you also have a DMX patch set on the dimmer which is confusing things?

[Bob D - GracePoint Church]

I don't understand when you say, "The channel levels shown on the monitor are just that, channels, they do not show the patched DMX output, so changing the DMX patch will not in any way affect the channel levels shown on the monitor displays."

 

When the system was first installed a few weeks ago, the Jester was connected via DMX to the two ILumen SC-UN Universal Source Controllers, 24 outputs each. Initially, each fader on the Jester corresponded to the Output Number in the ILumen Controller. So Jester Fader #1 ran Output Channel #1 on the ILumen; Fader #2 ran Output Channel #2, etc.

 

So then I followed the Jester Manual on "Patching Desk Channels" to change which Jester Fader ran the Source Controller Output Channels to get a more logical grouping of control on the Jester. I interpret the Channel Number shown after the DMX Channel as the Output Channel in the ILumen. The Jester patch changed exactly as I expected for the first 24 DMX Channels:

DMX:<001> Ch07

DMX:<002> Ch08 (Note this one)

DMX:<003> Ch09 (Note this one)

DMX:<004> Ch10

DMX:<005> Ch13

DMX:<006> Ch14

DMX:<007> Ch01

DMX:<008> Ch02

DMX:<009> Ch03

DMX:<010> Ch04

DMX:<011> Ch05

DMX:<012> Ch06

DMX:<013> Ch11

DMX:<014> Ch12

DMX:<015> Ch15

DMX:<016> Ch16

DMX:<017> Ch43

DMX:<018> Ch17

DMX:<019> Ch44

DMX:<020> Ch19

DMX:<021> Ch21

DMX:<022> Ch22

DMX:<023> Ch23

DMX:<024> Ch24

 

Then I decided to change DMX 002 and 003 to this:

DMX:<002> Ch09

DMX:<003> Ch08

The Jester did not change, but continues to control Ch08 on the ILumen from Fader #2 and Ch09 on the ILumen from Fader #3. The Showfile I sent you is listed as changed, but the Jester doesn't operate that way. Also DMX:<018> will not control Ch17 on the ILumen. Nothing happens when I run Fader 18, nor can I find a Jester fader that will control Ch17 on the ILumen. What am I missing?

[Paul]

The Jester did not change, but continues to control Ch08 on the ILumen from Fader #2 and Ch09 on the ILumen from Fader #3.

 

because:

 

DMX:<008> Ch02

DMX:<009> Ch03

 

You are confusing DMX addresses with desk channels.

 

Where you see DMX:<008>, that's the channel on the dimmer.

Where you see Ch02, that's the fader on the Jester.

[Bob D - GracePoint Church]

OK, I understand. I'll take another try to get it right. Thanks for your patience in my lack of understanding.