Old Chauvet COLORstrips with EMTTEC Open DMX USB problems

[l8gravely]

Guys,
I've bought an EMTTEC Open DMX USB to hopefully use QLC+ on Linux Mint to run a set of four Chauvet COLORstrip LED strip. Trying to replace a Chauvet Obey10 controller board, but it's not looking likely.

Basically, the system isn't stable. I can sometimes control all four strips (daisy chained together via 3pin cables, which then runs 100+ feet to the back of the hall. The Obey is rock solid, though annoying to use since I have to make sure I set chanel 1 to a value of 215 so that channels 2-4 are the RGB DMX mode channels. God I wish I could just make them do DMX control no matter what. No need for any other control.

Anyway, back to my problem. When running on the EMTTEC Open DMX USB box, the LED strips just start flaking out. They will reset, change channels, act wierd... I have to keep pulling out the ladder to go up and re-program the DMX address. So far I haven't had this same problem with the Obey10 controller.... but I'm not holding my breath. Does anyone know is the COLORstrips tend to get really flaky with age?

What's the best way to check my DMX cables to confirm they're setup correctly? Any recommendations?

Can I tweak the OpenUSB to run at a different speed maybe? Is the controller not running fast enough? Or running too fast for these strips?

As you can tell, I'm new to DMX land and looking for some suggestions.

Thanks!
John

[sbenejam]

Can you post more details of your setup?. A sample work space could help. Do you use the correct fixture definition for your fixtures?.

[l8gravely]

It's a pretty simple setup, but I'm not actually at the stage right now, so this is from memory.

For my setup I ended up using the COLORStrip Mini definition, because that was the closest I could find. The units are setup with addresses of 1,17,33,49, but only channels 1-4 are used. Channel 1 is set to 215 level so that channels 2-4 are RGB DMX levels.

I'm suspecting cabling issues, so I've just built myself a little DMX tester which I will plug into the cables and see how they look at each step of the way. I suspect there's some old sound cable in the path somewhere. But who knows?

I'm also a total newbie to this software, so when you ask for a sample workspace, how do I attach it to share? Here's my workspace...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE Workspace>
<Workspace xmlns="http://www.qlcplus.org/Workspace" CurrentWindow="FixtureManager">
<Creator>
<Name>Q Light Controller Plus</Name>
<Version>4.12.4</Version>
<Author>John Stoffel</Author>
</Creator>
<Engine>
<InputOutputMap>
<Universe Name="Universe 1" ID="0"/>
<Universe Name="Universe 2" ID="1"/>
<Universe Name="Universe 3" ID="2"/>
<Universe Name="Universe 4" ID="3"/>
</InputOutputMap>
<Fixture>
<Manufacturer>Chauvet</Manufacturer>
<Model>ColorStrip Mini</Model>
<Mode>Default</Mode>
<ID>0</ID>
<Name>ColorStrip Mini #1</Name>
<Universe>0</Universe>
<Address>0</Address>
<Channels>4</Channels>
<Modifier Channel="0" Name="Always 215"/>
</Fixture>
<Fixture>
<Manufacturer>Chauvet</Manufacturer>
<Model>ColorStrip Mini</Model>
<Mode>Default</Mode>
<ID>1</ID>
<Name>ColorStrip Mini #2</Name>
<Universe>0</Universe>
<Address>16</Address>
<Channels>4</Channels>
</Fixture>
<Fixture>
<Manufacturer>Chauvet</Manufacturer>
<Model>ColorStrip Mini</Model>
<Mode>Default</Mode>
<ID>2</ID>
<Name>ColorStrip Mini #3</Name>
<Universe>0</Universe>
<Address>32</Address>
<Channels>4</Channels>
</Fixture>
<Fixture>
<Manufacturer>Chauvet</Manufacturer>
<Model>ColorStrip Mini</Model>
<Mode>Default</Mode>
<ID>3</ID>
<Name>ColorStrip Mini #4</Name>
<Universe>0</Universe>
<Address>48</Address>
<Channels>4</Channels>
</Fixture>
</Engine>
<VirtualConsole>
<Frame Caption="">
<Appearance>
<FrameStyle>None</FrameStyle>
<ForegroundColor>Default</ForegroundColor>
<BackgroundColor>Default</BackgroundColor>
<BackgroundImage>None</BackgroundImage>
<Font>Default</Font>
</Appearance>
</Frame>
<Properties>
<Size Width="1920" Height="1080"/>
<GrandMaster ChannelMode="Intensity" ValueMode="Reduce" SliderMode="Normal"/>
</Properties>
</VirtualConsole>
<SimpleDesk>
<Engine/>
</SimpleDesk>
</Workspace>

[sbenejam]

Can you post your saved qxw file?. If your fixtures works with a DMX control surface maybe something is wrong in your workspace project. I'll test a project with ColorStrip Mini fixtures later.

[sbenejam]

Can you post the exact Color Strip you have or a manual of your fixtures. Maybe something is wrong in the fixture definition.

[l8gravely]

So we're using Chauvet COLORStrip from 2012, so they're pretty old. But they do work, just not reliably with my setup. I'll do more testing today to see what I can find.

The only version of the manual I can find is Rev 6, and I'm using the Rev 4 manual as a printout. And looking at the manuals, the Rev 4 is definitely a different beast, with different button layouts, different power input/output for daisy chaining, and different placement of the DMX IN/OUT ports. But from looking at the definition, it's really pretty similar compared with the COLORStrip Mini definition I'm using. More details when I get to the stage and can really fill in the details.

Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it.

[l8gravely]

So I ran some tests, using a totally seperate DMX link (5 pin, runs from a SmartFade to a pair of SmartPack Dimmers) and them using a different 5 pin to 3 pin DMX converter. Still no luck running the COLORStrips.

I'm using qlc+ 4.12.4 on Linux Mint 21 laptop. I also tried tweaking the DMX Frame Frequency from 30Hz up and down a few Hz, but that didn't do anything. I've configured the default Mode to be "Open TX" and trying other modes didn't make a difference.

When I use the (ENTTEC Open DMX USB I don't seem to have any problems talking to the SmartPack dimmers over 5 pin cable either. I was able to setup a small show and run some lights just fine.

So all I can think is that the Chauvet Obey10 controller does some slightly wonky DMX protocol in either voltage or timings. Very frustrating. I've tried to attach my .qxw file I'm using. Maybe there's something obvious that I'm misisng here.

[sbenejam]

Some things to consider. Chauvet Obey 10 has a DMX polarity switch, maybe you have some DMX cables with wrong polarity and the polarity switch makes that your fixtures work ok with the Obey 10. The fixture definition seems to be good. Check your cables and fixtures one by one to detect the wrong cables or fixtures.

[GGGss]

Obey 10 has a DMX polarity switch,

Really? That is very bad. Cables should be tested before setup at least after their make time. The last resort if in trouble is looking for bad cables. I never would have guessed that there is a possibility of a polartiy switch. Who does come up with this silly idea?
Or are those that old, they come with the 1980'ies DMX standard?

[sbenejam]

Obey 10 has a DMX polarity switch,

Really? That is very bad. Cables should be tested before setup at least after their make time. The last resort if in trouble is looking for bad cables. I never would have guessed that there is a possibility of a polartiy switch. Who does come up with this silly idea?
Or are those that old, they come with the 1980'ies DMX standard?

At an association where I collaborate we have a Stairville DMX-Master MKII and mounts a switch to invert the DMX polarity. It seems that there are ancient DMX lights DMX that have the polarity inverted. It's clear that they have some cables that have inverted the polarity. With the Obey 10 the lights are working.

[l8gravely]

So sorry for not replying sooner guys, but I've been deep in work/life/rehearsals. So for now I've given up on trying to make these Chauvet lights work (they're 10 years old at least) and just concentrating on running the show. Once I'm done, I'll be spending more time checking cables in depth and trying to make it work better. For all I know I've got random non-DMX cables somewhere in the mix that need to be changed out. Or that the ENTTEC Open DMX I'm using just doesn't have the power to push enough of a clean signal to the COLORStrips. It's hard to know, and since we're entering tech week, I don't have time to play with this.

I am looking forward to learning this software in more detail, because I really do think it will help me do a better show down the line, I just need to spend the time to learn it better and get comfortable building queues that I can then run by hand (hitting the virtual next button) to make things go well.

I really appreciate all the help and suggestions people have given me here. Lots to think about.

Are there better USB to Linux devices to use? Should I get one of the better ENTTECs with multiple universes? It's tempted to be able to run all our lights on one device.

[kenact]

Just a thought, since you suspect a cable problem. Are you sure the cables you're using are DMX cables and not Microphone cables. Another thought, many newer devices have a built in terminator, but some older devices don't. Terminators are cheap and easy to find. It's worth a try.

[l8gravely]

I did make my own terminator and added it to the end of the chain of 4 COLORStrips, but it didn't seem to make a difference. The Chauvet Obey 10 works just fine with the devices. I'll have more time to play in the coming months once the show is done.

I'm also thinking I really want an opto-isolated USB->DMX controller at some point, if only to be more tolerant of voltage spikes on the lines.

As for the cables, they *should* be all DMX compatible, but Im still new to the space and I'm not totally sure.

One thing I did do was use the 5 pin main board control line to the back stage dimmers and tried using that from the ENTTEC Open DMX (wthi a 3pin to 5pin converter cable on each end, since the Chavet is only three pin. Didn't make a difference in my testing. But I know I need to go back to basics and check everything properly. Luckily I have an oscilloscope to look at signals in more detail. Yet another tool to learn better. LOL!

[GGGss]

If you are struggling with a) bad behaving fixtures, b) suspected bad wiring and c) a lack of confidence in what you are doing, I'd strongly suggest you to minimize the path of errors.
The open Enttec only is as good as your processor can cope with the DMX timing it can provide. So you are not sure about what is sent (electrically).
You are running wires everywhere, without being sure these are on par. Again not sure what end up coming through the cables electrically.
Next your fixtures, they don't behave, because of what? Bad signalling or bad firmware or ???

Before investing in things giving you even more unknown results, I'd strongly suggest you invest in a DMX tester. Your investment in this tool is for life.
DMX cat is the cheapest IMHO and fulfils your basic needs.

[l8gravely]

I agree, I need to get a good DMX tester at some point to make my life simpler. What do people recommend? I don't really want to spend a ton of money, but something that gives useful output (like reversed polarity, etc) would be nice.

[GGGss]

DMX cat is the cheapest IMHO and fulfils your basic needs.

https://www.citytheatrical.com/products ... -test-tool