Setup and Edit OK, but No fixture Response [fixed]

[kirit1]

I have V6.29 SW running on HP Pavilion dv5000 / Win XP. Setup has only 1 Fixture (Am DJ ProPanel) in 3-ch (RGB) Mode, with DMx Addr 4-6. On the HW fixture, I setup DMx Addr 2004 (200X implying 3-ch DMX mode). Xpress512 is powered by the laptop(Blue indicator on), and PC link flickering. In Editor, I select this (only) fixture, and set up a sce whereby R,G,B, are programmed to be on for 5 Sec each, one at a time. With DMx radio button Green, I "Play", and see the sliders smoothly go up and down for Ch.4-6, but no light output by the fixture. On the Control board, the DMX levels are seen 1-12 all ON (bright bars), rest (13-511) dim. Don't understand why first 12 bars are bright in this screen.

I have experimented with following configurations for the last two days, with no luck:

1. Change DMx channel addr at different start values. Sliders follow and work a OK in the Editor screen, but no fixture output.
2. Replace AM DJ ProPanel with different fixtures (one at a time): Chauvet Colorstrip, Chauvet Batten
3. Swapped Xpress 512 Controller with Xpress512-Plus. Both are brand new units. No luck.
4. Swapped DMX cables (two different suppliers, 5 Ft each; no terminator on DMx Output Conn). No luck.
5. Installed SW on a DeskTop and re-ran several experiements. No luck.
6. No DMX patching of any kind in the DMX-MIDI screen.
7. All Fixtures were tested and verified to be working a OK in Non-DMX (manual) modes.

Very frustrating....H..E..L..P!

Thank You.

[support]

You can send us your lightshow ; we will check it.

[kirit1]

OK, here is the attach. It is for Am DJ profilePanel RGB at DMx addr. 4.

I also have two chauvet colorstrips. If you can make a test scene for these two (cycling R,G,B for 5 sec each in a continuous loop), it will be a good reference. i have also purchased 6 Chauvet Colorado Batten 72s from BHE (Blue Haze Entertainment in Huntington Beach, Ca.), but am far from setting them up!

are there any training classes offered for the software.\?

[deleted]

[support]

For an unknown reason, the fixtures setting file was corrupted.
We re-did it with program "Setup".
Please try the attached lightshow.

[kirit1]

First, Thank You for finding the issue and sending a new show. Before I could get to it, however, ............

1. I connected my laptop,Xpress512 controller, and the AMDJProfilePanel and applied power. Even before I could launch ShowXpress 6.29 software, the (old) show loaded from yesterday started to run by itself! Apparently, my old show from yesterday was getting loaded a OK, but, for some obscure reason, Xpress512 was not able to send the commands to the fixture.

2. Next, I launched the ShowXpress 6.29 software. and a message showed up for a few seconds and disappeared:
"There is one incompatible interface..please remove it". And the AMDJProfilePanel stopped working.
I exited(closed) the 6.29 software, and the show started to run by itself (from the Xpress512 controller), with the fixture changing the colors as expected.

3. I relaunched the 6.29 software, and again, the same brief message ("..incompatible interface.."), and the Show stopped running.

4. Exit the ShowXpress 6.29 software, and the show starts running!

QUESTIONS:

1. What/where is this "..incompatible interface.." and how do i remove it?

2. Do I completely uninstall ShowXpress 6.29 Software and re-download from your website, and re-install?

3. Why are the first 12 DMX bars bright and the remaining 500 dim? I am using only channels 4,5, and 6, and there is no DMx/MIDI patching?

4. Is there anyone in Southern California who can answer some basic questions about the software?

I am under time pressure, so, again, please H..E..L..P!

Thank You.

Kirit Patel
(949) 472-4530

[support]

1. What/where is this "..incompatible interface.." and how do i remove it?
2. Do I completely uninstall ShowXpress 6.29 Software and re-download from your website, and re-install?

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=691

3. Why are the first 12 DMX bars bright and the remaining 500 dim? I am using only channels 4,5, and 6, and there is no DMx/MIDI patching?

We did not see this problem with your lightshow.
In order to know if problem is exclusively with your computer, please try with another computer.

4. Is there anyone in Southern California who can answer some basic questions about the software?

We suggest you to watch these videos: viewforum.php?f=32

[kirit1]

Thank you for the suggestions. I reinstalled 6.29 and now "..one incompatible interface.." msg at POR is gone. I do have, however, another problem now: After creating the profile in SETUP, I go to EDITOR, create a scene, save it, and run it. The sliders go thru the motions as expected, but no output at the fixture.

Next, I download the scene into Xpress512 and run it without the laptop and the fixture outputs colors as expected!

1. Should not the fixture be outputting light when in editor mode? Am I doing something wrong?

2. When I "select" DMX levels from the control board, the first 12 levels are seen highlighted; the rest 500 dim. when I "open" DMX levels window, all are seen dim.
I am willing to try another computer, but, prior to that, if you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Again, Thank you for the help. The video on YouTube you recommended to watch was excellent.

Kirit Patel

[support]

The abnormal "bright dmx bars" might cause this problem with Editor.

[kirit1]

I installed ShowXpress on two other computers, and also looked at V6.26. They all have the first 12 bars highlighted when mouse cursor is placed on DMxLevels ICON on the control board, and all levels go dim when that window is actually opened. As such, it probably is a false alarm.

Please confirm if the fixture light colors should actually follow the RGB sliders in the Editor (when, of course, the profile is correct, DMx addrss in HW is set correct, the dmx mode is selected in the editor mode, etc., etc)? I know it was so in my old laptop (with V6.26) on a previous project; however, with V6.29, the colors change only after I download the show in Xpress512 AND the Control Panel is exited.

I ran the show Kadence Test1(Fixed), which you had sent the other day, and it does basically the same thing as my original: The setup looks a OK; the Editor looks a PK, the sliders go up and down, etc, but no fixture output in the Editor. When I upload your show, it does so fine, and starts running. A message "standalone" shows on the laptop screen, and the show continues to run unless I close a window which has "Universe1........Universe5", with Universe1 highlighted.



Thank You!

Kirit Patel
949-472-4530

[kirit1]

Well, I had to install ShowXpress 6.29 on yet another computer (Windows 7 OS). This time, with no changes to my test prog, the Editor functions were getting executed properly, and the fixture(s) would show the colors as expected in the Editor! It means the OS was, somehow, not letting the DMx commands go through the Editor properly.When the Application was loaded, however, the download to the Xpress512 was taking place properly, and this explains why the show would run a OK in the standalone mode, but not when executed from the Editor.

Is there a software tool which can help confirm if the very low level(hardware level) commands are, indeed, getting executed vs. the commands getting rejected due to software protection? Any feed back will be appreciated, otherwise consider this problem resolved.

Thank You.


Kirit Patel
(949) 472-4530