Console wheel not working

[Chris Mower]

I wanted to add a fixture to the list so I used the Fixture Editor to create the file ( See attached LIXDA1.ift ). It is for a simple LED PAR by LIXDA and consisted of just the RGBW and the brightness channels, although it is somewhat unusual in that the channels of interest start at CH4 and skip the first 3. I imported the file into the desk which did not give an error then I added the fixture and went to test the functionality and found that the dimmer control, along with the Blue and Green channels would respond to the control wheel but the Red and White channels remained on 0. In case I had made the file incorrectly I re-made and re-imported after resetting the desk and clearing all, but this had the same result.

It was then that I noticed that the center wheel was not now working on any of the fixtures even after the desk was reset and cleared when a known and previously good fixture was imported. I went into the Event Monitor which showed that wheel 0 and wheel 2 were showing events but wheel 1 showed nothing when moved.

Is there a possibility of an .ift file causing a program glitch such that the wheel event would fail? It seems odd that a system that had never shown any sign of failure should fail at the exact same time as a file was imported. If so can this be fixed by re-installing the operating system, and if not how difficult would it be to fix the hardware?

Thanks,

Chris

LIXDA1.ift

[Edward Z88]

Hi Chris,

9 minutes ago, Chris Mower said:

Is there a possibility of an .ift file causing a program glitch such that the wheel event would fail?

Importing a .ift file would not cause this issue. It sounds like it just happens to be a coincidence.

10 minutes ago, Chris Mower said:

If so can this be fixed by re-installing the operating system

From the description it sounds as if it is a hardware fault with that wheel, and therefore a software update won't solve this. Event monitor will show you the signals the console is receiving from the various controls.

11 minutes ago, Chris Mower said:

how difficult would it be to fix the hardware?

The difficulty of the repair depends on the exact cause of the issue. If you are happy opening the console, it would be worth checking the wheel assembly is seated correctly. Usual caveats apply with regards to opening consoles up - don't do this if you are not confident.

Happy to continue discussing this over email, please drop us an email to support@zero88.com.

If you have any questions let us know.

Edward

[Chris Mower]

Edward

Just sent you an email.

Thanks,

Chris

[iank99]

If the encoder assembly is the same as on the other Frogs - what can happen sometimes is the small PCB with the sensor "pops" out of it's clips so it doesn't "see" the wheel moving. It just needs pushing back home on to the clips...

If you're happy to open the desk and look at the wheels - it will be obvious (and only needs to be adrift by a few millimetres to not read the wheel).

[Edward Z88]

46 minutes ago, iank99 said:

If the encoder assembly is the same as on the other Frogs - what can happen sometimes is the small PCB with the sensor "pops" out of it's clips so it doesn't "see" the wheel moving. It just needs pushing back home on to the clips...

If you're happy to open the desk and look at the wheels - it will be obvious (and only needs to be adrift by a few millimetres to not read the wheel).

Hi Ian, yep, this is exactly what it sounds like. FROG2 consoles use the same encoder assembly. 

Edward

[Chris Mower]

That sounds promising. Can you give me instructions on the correct procedure for opening the Frog 2 please?

Chris

[Edward Z88]

Hi Chris,

10 minutes ago, Chris Mower said:

That sounds promising. Can you give me instructions on the correct procedure for opening the Frog 2 please?

Chris

Have just replied to your email.

Edward

[Chris Mower]

Yes, that was the problem. Working 100% again thanks guys. 
I must say that Zero 88 support is outstanding, especially for equipment that is way way out of production. 
Regards

Chris

[Edward Z88]

Hi Chris,

36 minutes ago, Chris Mower said:

Yes, that was the problem. Working 100% again thanks guys. 
I must say that Zero 88 support is outstanding, especially for equipment that is way way out of production. 
Regards

Chris

No problem, really glad to hear this solved the problem.

Any questions just let us know.

Edward

[iank99]

8 hours ago, Chris Mower said:

Yes, that was the problem. Working 100% again thanks guys. 
I must say that Zero 88 support is outstanding, especially for equipment that is way way out of production. 
Regards

Chris

Glad you got it working! Most Zero kit just needs an educated "poke" rather than a soldering iron or major surgery when it goes wrong - one of the main reasons I always enjoyed selling the kit

[Chris Mower]

I’m amazed at the quality of the Frog 2 desk Ian. The one I purchased on eBay looks almost unused with, apart from one tiny scratch, no signs of wear. I bought it as a cheap way to get up to speed with the Zero 88 desk having been using Strand mostly but more recently having to work with a Frog desk. It was odd at first but I have really got to like the desk and Zeros. In fact the more I use it the more impressed I am with the usability.