Error notifications

[alg]

Hi

I am running an FLX S48 with 5 packs of Beta Pack 3 giving 30 dimmer channels. In the last couple of days whilst plotting a new show the desk has started flashing up an error notification warning on the the touch screen and external monitor on power up. See the attched photos. There are 7 error message entries all with an identical timestamp and identifying 7 unpatched RDM devices that are not responding. It is not clear what these 7 devices refers to. The 5 Betapacks are working just fine and responding to the desk. Whilst you can delete these messages and the desk/dimmers continue to work the same message will appear next time the system is powered up. The Betapacks are run with RDM disabled and have simply been connected by creating 30 channels worth of Dimmer fixtures on the desk. There is no evidence of any other fixtures on the desk. It doens't make any difference which order the desk and racks are powered up.

What is causing this and how do we get rid of these error messages? I cant find anything in the manual to offer advice on this issue.

 

[kgallen]

In Setup you can disable RDM on the DMX port you’re using if you don’t want to or need to use RDM.

[Edward Z88]

Hi @alg

These error messages suggest that at some stage RigSync has been enabled on the console. The console has then seen your Betapacks, and stored information about them to the show file.

The error messages all have the same code, which ends with ":0" through to ":6". This suggests that the console cannot see one of the Betapacks (error ending ":0"), and cannot see any of its channels (":1" thru ":6").

Please check whether RDM has been enabled on your console, from Setup -> Universes -> Remote Device Management. If you do not wish to use RigSync, ensure it is disabled.

[alg]

So when I switched off RigSync this solved the problem and got us through the first show with a new desk. In the long term it makes sense to run with RigSync on so that as we are able to buy new LED equipment to replace our vintage tungsten lanterns the set up will be handled by the desk. After the show I have cleared the show file and removed our 30 channels worth of BetaPack 3 dimming channels from the fixture list, swiched on RDM on the racks but left them with the channel allocations previously entered on the racks. The racks are physically mounted and arranged in logical channel number arrangement for ease of patching.

In switching on RigSync and selecting Discover all fixtures the Betapacks were discoverd and the 30 channels allocated, the problem is that the desk has reallocated the DMX channel numbers so that rack 1 (previously channels 1-6) has now become 25-30, all the other racks have similarly been shuffled arround. To preserve a logical rack layout for ease of patching would now involve demounting and moving the racks around. I cleared the settings and started again but switched the racks on one at a time in sequence in the hope that RigSync would allocate the channels correctly, the same thing happens!

Is there not a way with RigSync that the previously physically allocated DMX channels can be preserved? There was no conflict with DMX channel numbers as I completly removed all previous Fixtures from ther desk set up so no DMX channels were allocated. I am puzzled.

[kgallen]

No you shouldn't need to start physically moving dimmers around, that would of course be madness!

Can you access the dimmers? You should be able to set the address on them and then RigSync should keep that. Also you should be able to set the address manually on the desk and then RigSync honour that too. After that you should be able to do "Lock Rig" - then I assume that new fixtures added would still be patched at free addresses.

I'm blagging this all though, because I don't have any fixtures that support RDM... (well maybe 2...)

Some might say "why do you care about the addresses that RigSync allocates" - but I'm with you, I would want some order in the addressing against physical locations of static items like dimmers, because such order helps when plugging up and diagnosing issues.

So don't take "No" for an answer 😉

This any use?

 

[kgallen]

The bottom of this manual page says you can manually update the address of a fixture that was originally patched by RigSync.

https://www.zero88.com/manuals/zeros/patching/fixture-schedule/edit-dmx-address

[Edward Z88]

Hi @alg

Can you confirm your FLX S48 is running up to date software?

If there are no address conflicts, RigSync should leave start addresses as they are. 

As @kgallen mentions, you can remotely readdress your dimmer channels from the console using the Fixture Schedule, in exactly the same way you would readdress a “normal” fixture. Once you have addressed them how you need, the patch information will be stored in the show file on the FLX S, meaning that FLX S will remember “the address of channel 5 of dimmer 2 is x” for example.