Problems using 4.12.0 with DMX USB (both windows pc and raspi)

Frank · Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:10 pm

The problems of the version 4.12.0 with a DMX USB (FT232R chip) on my Raspi I already described (see: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12851).

Now I have also installed on a Windows laptop version 4.12.0, there I use the same DMX interface (DMX USB), but the "old" chaser and functions are no longer running ... Oh man.

Since there was always talk of setting the "output frequency" lower of that interface, I have now also tested on the Windows laptop. And...

If you reduce the frequency to less than 20 Hz (ie 19 Hz or less) then it works (reasonably). But, 19 Hz is the "absolute limit"!

20 Hz, or 21 Hz, ... 30 Hz, ... 44 Hz, or, or, or, any value causes everything to flicker, the moving heads are spinning wild, chaos ...

Such behavior definitely did not exist until version 4.11.2. What happened...?

Thank you for any hints!
Frank

mcallegari · Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:05 pm

4.11.2 was set to 30Hz on open DMX devices.
If it was working before, it has to work on 4.12.0 with the same value.

Frank · Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:29 pm

Hello Massimo,

thank you for giving us feedback so fast ...

I am using a laptop with two partitions. Each partition is running Windows 10 Pro. On the first partition I installed QLC+_4.11.2, on the second QLC+_4.12.0.

This ensures that the same hardware is always used, including the USB DMX interface ...

In the attached picture 4.11.2.jpg you can see the parameters used in version 4.11.2 (especially the fixed output frequency of 30 Hz).
In picture 4.12.0.jpg you can follow the parameters used in version 4.12.0 (here the output frequency of 20 Hz set by me).

While version 4.11.2 works great, version 4.12.0 does not work at all (flickering of all lamps and wild movement of the moving heads)!

First I have to reduce the output frequency to 19 Hz, so that this version (4.12.0) is stable too. So there must be another (important) difference ...!

Regards
Frank

mcallegari · Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:05 pm

Frank can you please try the attached plugin ?
Just replace the same file in the QLC+ Plugins folder.

Frank · Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:23 pm

Hello Massimo,

thank you again for your feedback!

Too bad, 100% the same behavior!
19 Hz -> 20 Hz is the transition that changes everything ...

Regards
Frank

mcallegari · Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:34 pm

What happens if you take the dmxusb.dll file from 4.11.2 and use it in 4.12.0 ? All good ?
You might need to clean the QLC+ entries in the Windows registry before doing this.

Frank · Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:54 pm

Hello Massimo,

... I changed it and it works.

I have not changed anything in the registry yet. Too many entries that I could not interpret.

Frank

Frank · Mon Dec 10, 2018 4:04 pm

Hello Massimo,

should one see the replacement of that DLL as a solution, or was that "just a test" so you can find out the cause?

Regards
Frank

mcallegari · Mon Dec 10, 2018 4:14 pm

It's clearly not a solution.
Problem is that I don't have your same adapter and the ones I have can run at 40 Hz.
Do you have other adapters to test ? To understand if this issue is related only to specific devices or generic.

P.S. Are you 100% sure you correctly tested the plugin DLL I shared before ? Deleted the previous DLL and added the one in the ZIP file ?

Frank · Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:02 pm

Hello Massimo,

first I had renamed the 4.12 DLL to *.dll-OLD and then copied your new DLL to the directory (see attachment).

Then I did the tests...

Because it did not work again, I renamed your new DLL afterwards in *.dll-NEW.

And then I copied the 4.11.2 DLL into the same directory, but - as already described - without any changes in the registry.

This combination worked immediately, but without setting the output frequency ...

Regards
Frank

Frank · Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:16 pm

Hello Massimo,

your other question regarding the hardware:

I have been using these "simple" FTDI USB adapters very successfully for many years (see also the following link and the attached image):

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1818&start=40#p37910

No, unfortunately I have no other hardware available, sorry ...

This interface works very reliably with a wireless DMX board, so I do not use wires at all.

Regards
Frank

mcallegari · Thu Dec 20, 2018 7:49 pm

[thread moved to input/output manager]

Frank, can you please try the attached DLL file ?

Frank · Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:48 pm

Hello Massimo,

so sorry. No, the new delivered DLL doesn't work. Sorry.

I'm using the 4.11.2 DLL together with software 4.12 (on Windows 10 laptop), and this works fine.

On Raspi only the 4.11.2 image is running stable, as I described before...

Regards
Frank

mcallegari · Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:22 am

What "doesn't work" means exactly ?
Again the 19Hz issue ?

For this issue I bought an oscilloscope and analyzed what comes out of my enttec open clone, and I swear I improved it. Are you 100% sure you're testing the right plugin ?

Frank · Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:07 pm

Hello Massimo,

I'm so sorry!

I just downloaded and copied the new DDL last night.
Afterwards I restarted the laptop and QLC+ and checked if the feature "Output frequency" is available again. Since it was present, I tested only with the default "30 Hz".
But, as if trying to report, I just had this flickering of all the lights and wild driving around of the moving heads.

I did not test further at which frequency it works ...
I'll catch up with that soon!

Regards
Frank

Frank · Fri Dec 21, 2018 2:23 pm

Hello Massimo,

so here are the detailed tests, as an overview (... the date means the delivery of the respective DLL):

18-11-10:
runs up to 19 Hz, beyond flickering, etc., etc.

18-12-03:
runs up to 19 Hz, beyond flickering, etc., etc.

18-12-20:
does not work at all! Even at 5 Hz everything flickers. *)
Even if I only select a "static function", all lamps are e.g. blue, it does not work!

Note:
I have always restarted the laptop after replacing the DLL.
In addition, I've selected (on the tab "inputs / outputs") the DMX-USB device and pressed the button "update" ...
(... this is important so that the newly copied DLL is actually activated correctly.)

Another remark:
If QLC+ 4.12 is used on another (very) small Windows 10 laptop (ASUS Transformer Book T100TA) then the output frequency had to be reduced to below 15 Hz (using the DLL "18-11-10" or "18-12-03"), so that nothing flickers!
DLL "18-12-20" also does not work at all.
However, if the DLL (from package QLC+ 4.11.2) is used (together with QLC+ 4.12), everything runs smoothly on this little "book" again!

Regards
Frank

*)
Below 5 Hz the DMX-USB interface does not send anything anymore! I do not know what exactly that is ...

bluescreen25 · Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:46 am

In German Facebook Group same problems with udmx and usb2dmx interfaces.
The copy of the dll files out of 4.11.1 solves flickering in 4.12.0

With my Enttec Pro no problems in both versions. Runs at 44Hz.

Massimo, please try other interfaces to test (Enttec seems to work)

Regards Ralf

bluescreen25 · Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:47 am

Push .

Yesterday tested on Enttec Open DMX . Same problem. Plugin dll files out of 4.11.1 solved it. The problem is also in newest test version. Please have a look on it. (Windows)

Regards Ralf

mcallegari · Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:12 pm

Please test the attached DLL and report how it goes. Thanks

bluescreen25 · Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:56 am

mcallegari wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:12 pm Please test the attached DLL and report how it goes. Thanks

With .94 and this dll and Enttec Pro it works without flicker, but if I open config of plugin as workspace runs, QLC hangs until I close it.

With dll from .94 on Enttec Pro it works best. There also the option to setup hz.

But general the problems of dll are at open dmx. So we wait on response of users using this type of interface. I told in German Facebook Group and will be back soon...

Regards