Desk slowing down (again)

[Lxsparks]

Hi,

 

This week I have had the desk during two different shows become slow and sluggish to respond on the monitor - Fader controls were unaffected. The first time it happened was just before a show so I was able to power down and reboot the desk and all was fine, the second night it slowed down ten minutes into a dance show and I couldn't do anything about it. It also tried to do an auto save and failed, I can't remember the exact error but I am sure it was to do with a 'bad fixture file....'? It kept failing to save until I found the right key to cancel out of it.

 

I experienced sluggish desk behaviour before Christmas when the desk spectacular failed and worried it is heading for another crash during a show sometime soon.

 

I have also been having these problems which might be down to operator error or something else:-

 

For three days consecutively one channel fader stopped responding and it could only be controlled via the command line. Then on the fourth day (desk hasn't moved, nothing changed) it works again. I did first think it's a hardware issue - dirty track, loose wire maybe, but not to respond at all and then to work again is odd.

 

When programming fixtures I keep getting odd dimmer channels becoming 'attached' to the intensity control wheel - even though I haven't used them recently so they shouldn't have been manually tagged and they are difficult to un-attach (normally it's a reboot to sort them out).

 

I have two Mac 600s and this week the desk keeps insisting that the Colour Wheel 1 on both is on a certain value other then the default home setting. Everything on the desk is down except GM - Home fixtures (ok) - press clear and the colour changes every time. The output screen doesn't indicate the value is sourced from a Palette or anywhere else. I am sure this is something I have done but cannot work how to fix it.

 

 

Today I switched on the desk and although all the faders were down apart from the GM & Preset A - I had one Submaster on at full (house-lights)which consists of around 40 fixtures. I didn't see this as the house-lights were already up (from their main controller) and I was using the Submasters page on the screen. It wasn't until I happened to look at the Output window and saw all of them were on and they were being controlled by a Sub that had not been on today.

 

The desk was a joy to use up until last summer and since then every show seems to throw up issues, although this is when we went from using 40 channels to the full 96 and from DMX output to Artnet (all four universes) so there is lot more to control now!

 

Matthew

[chw]

I had a similar experience with a LeapFrog48.

If I have show files loaded with lots of fixtures (>100) AND the output window is opened the desk is very slow.

A typical patch for this case: 48 generics, around 25 moving lights (~15 channels each), color changers, strobes and really a lot of 3 channel led stuff with RGB + virtual intensity.

At all between 600-1024 DMX channels are used, outputted over the two dmx out RS485 ports and ArtNet.

To have access to some intensity channels and to extend the submasters I connected an additional 12/2 desk via dmx-in, those submasters are set not to be released. Of course the beamshape, position, color and programmer window are opened as well.

 

After closing the output window everything is back to normal.

[Jon Hole]

Hi Both,

 

What software version of ZerOS are you running?

 

Do you have any USB devices plugged in?

 

For faders that don't appear to be working, go to SETUP > DESK SETUP > Event Monitor.

 

In this screen you can move the faders / press buttons and see if the desk is receiving the physical input. If no data is displayed in this window as you move a fader, you know you have a hardware problem.

 

Cheers

[Lxsparks]

Hi Jon,

 

I am running version:- 6.1

 

Yes - I always have a USB keyboard and mouse attached.

 

Noted (Events Monitor) - if it happens again I will check with that.

 

Matthew

[Jon Hole]

Do you know the make and model of the USB devices?

 

Thanks Matthew,

[Lxsparks]

Hi Jon,

 

Both keyboard and mouse are non-branded items bought from CPC.

 

Keyboard: Standard Keyboard, Model: KB-1807

 

Mouse: 3D Ball Mouse, Model: UM-1018

 

Not very helpful I'm afraid.

 

Matthew

[Lxsparks]

Hi Jon,

 

Any ideas on what is causing the desk to slow down/freeze? I have a large event comming up very soon where we want to run all the lighting live and I can't risk the desk misbehaving during it.

 

Matthew

[Lxsparks]

I had a similar experience with a LeapFrog48.

If I have show files loaded with lots of fixtures (>100) AND the output window is opened the desk is very slow.

A typical patch for this case: 48 generics, around 25 moving lights (~15 channels each), color changers, strobes and really a lot of 3 channel led stuff with RGB + virtual intensity.

At all between 600-1024 DMX channels are used, outputted over the two dmx out RS485 ports and ArtNet.

To have access to some intensity channels and to extend the submasters I connected an additional 12/2 desk via dmx-in, those submasters are set not to be released. Of course the beamshape, position, color and programmer window are opened as well.

 

After closing the output window everything is back to normal.

 

It seems most of my problems have started since last Summer when I upgraded our lighting system and art-net'd practically everying so I am now controlling:

 

U1> 96 dimmers

U2> Theatre's intelligent fixtures (2 x Mac 500s, 2 x Mac 600s, 12 x Scrollers, 4 x Ultrascans, 4 x Relays, 1 x Hazer)

U3> Hired in equipment (anything from nothing(!) to 18 additional moving/effect fixtures)

U4> House lighting (50 flourscent fixtures using the Dali protocol interfaced using Artistic Licence's DMX - Dali interface)

 

So it is getting pretty busy on the amount of data it is now controlling from what I used to have running on it.

 

I was toying with the idea of getting one of the Enttec playback wings to give me additional Submasters..although I do have a Frog desk in a studio facility I could nab from time to time... But then I start looking at the Orb desks and get very misty eyed..

 

As for screens freezing up - I haven't spotted a specific one which causes the desk to slow down to treacle like response it can happen at any time, once last Christmas the desk had been pefectly fine from the time of switching it, checking lamps etc; show opens and then the desk practically stops - each 'Go' seemed to take an age to happen and I couldn't reset the desk as that would have trigged 50 houselights to come on and that's not something you can hide from the audience (or the Director!) very easily. Eventully waited for a long enough break in the cues to be able to go into setup and remove the houselights (which by this time had decided they were programmed into every cue at 5% and so they had to go) and then come the interval switched it off and back on again.

 

To this day I still haven't worked out what the duck was going on but I think it was the most stomach churning two hours lighting a show I have ever done!

[Jon Hole]

Hi Matthew,

 

Could you email me a show file please so we can try and recreate your problem, look at processor loads etc.

 

Many Thanks,