Jester Zero 88 Help

[tiffayo123]

Hi im after some help, any help is much appreciated, So hear goes we have a jester zero 88 running v3.1 ,we also have a chilli pro dimmer pack to go with it, not sure on virsion on the dimmer pack, we run 24 lights (mainly spots) in our local community centre hall, our main problem is that when the console is not plugged into the wall dmx port the lights start going wild at like stupid times like 3-4 am we go up to work and the lights are flashing-chasing-going wild, we had someone look at the dimmer pack and they said its the dimmer pack but we are trying to get a second a opinion on that because it does what its suposed to do (sometimes)we dont think they know what they was doing, as far as i can tell theres nothing in the memories or submasters, because we hire the lights poeple use it and they mess about with it, we think they have reset the desk and muddled about with it, how would i be able to sort the desk out (im new to it so ive not a clue to be honest), thanks in advance Chris (tiffa)

[tiffayo123]

these are the pic ive got so far

[tiffayo123]

[Davidmk]

I expect someone from zero88 will be along in the morning with better advice but, in the meantime, can I pick up on a couple of things that I'm pretty sure they will ask about.

49 minutes ago, tiffayo123 said:

when the console is not plugged into the wall dmx port

If the desk isn't  connected to the packs then it cannot be responsible for things that start after it is disconnected.  Worse case scenario here is that the dimmer packs 'remember' the last state before the disconnection.  Not sure if your packs do this, Z88 person will, no doubt, confirm.

50 minutes ago, tiffayo123 said:

the lights start going wild at like stupid times like 3-4 am

Do you leave your dimmer packs on 24/7? This isn't a good idea in any case, they are using current even when they are at zero% on the desk an there's generally current going through anything attached to them. If nothing else this is bad for the electricity bill. If they are off they can't go silly at 3am either.

Lastly, it's a long shot,  but mention roughly where you are. There's a chance there's an experienced forum member in your vicinity who would be willing to take a look at your set up. I'm Milton Keynes based myself if you are somewhere near me.

[tiffayo123]

Hi thanks for your reply yeah we are trying to get someone to look at the dimmer pack they been on all the time for about 10+ years ,the desk it's self messed up couple of years ago and we sent it off to a company they fixed it and then about a year ago the lights started to go mad and not really looked into it till now but when it messed up the lights wouldn't respond they would come on full then couldn't get them to dim just been doing are heads in oh we are bingley westyorkshire thanks again for responding means a lot 😀 

[Davidmk]

Well, sadly you are a bit far for me to give physical help. Maybe someone else will notice your plight.

You really have to find the switches or circuit breakers that will switch your dimmers off.

3 hours ago, tiffayo123 said:

the lights wouldn't respond they would come on full then couldn't get them to dim

That is pretty weird behaviour but that is with the desk connected, I'm still wondering about the weird behaviour when it is not connected though.

Anyway, in a few hours you should get a response from someone with more knowledge.

[iank99]

Morning @tiffayo123

@Davidmk is correct - it's unusual that your dimmers are powered on 24/7 - it's not good for the leccy bill or the dimmers themselves. It's possible that one of three things has happened

• Unless the front of the Chllli dimmers is physically locked (or they're locked in a cupboard) - little fingers might have been poking at buttons
• Because the units are on 24/7 - they've had a mains spike which has corrupted the internal patch tables - cycling power might solve this
• Because the units have been on 24/7 - the processor might have components failed - the most common failure is a dead unit though not channels flicking randomly with no desk connected.

Don't rely on Keith @KWR88 responding here - he doesn't check very often - it's best to ring Zero88 and talk to him in person, he will also be able to recommend someone local to you to have a look (it might be a dealer or a customer he deals with).

I can't stress that you should do this quickly - I found out from Keith the other day that Chilli's are now discontinued which means some spares for them will become rare simply because parts of the unit weren't built by Zero themselves but by external companies. If you get them looked at now then there's a good chance they will last another 10 years or more.

If you can get someone to look at the unit & diagnose a fault (and they can't repair the unit) then I can help with the repair - I'm Zero authorised and the processor board is eminently easily removed and sent via a carrier. I'm in Coventry so not local enough to offer to come have a look sadly but I'll help as much as I can once you get the issue diagnosed.

[Edward Z88]

14 hours ago, tiffayo123 said:

our main problem is that when the console is not plugged into the wall dmx port the lights start going wild at like stupid times

Out of interest, do you have any "ChilliNet" button panels around your venue that are used to recall scenes on the dimmer when the Jester's disconnected?

[KWR88]

Think David and Ian have pretty much covered most things.

Please feel free to give me a call or email me direct to take it further. Details in my sign off.

[tiffayo123]

Brilliant thankyou there's no chillinet panels at all but will give Keith a call soon as I get chance thanks again for your help much appreciated 👍