myDMX VS Elation Design Spot 300e

Typical stuff:

First, make sure you are using only DMX cabling.

COnnect the cabling to your MyDMX hardware.

PLug the hardware into the USB port. Wait for tones.

Run MyDMX.

How long is your run? Did you check the settings on your fixtures? Using a DMX Terminator?

Sounds like a case of too many fixtures, too long a run and the weak signal coming out of the MyDMX hardware, coupled with XLR cabling.

Lastly though, does this change when MyDMX is running?

Hello Chris!

Everything have been checked. I am not a professional, i use my heads only in my house and i am taking care of them, as if i had a Ferrari. All the cables are brand new and for DMX cables i use only those that are supported with the moving heads. I use a terminator also as i have wrote on my first post. The DMX line isn't longer than 30 feet.

Unfortunately the real problem is hardware. I thought that it was something more simple but i was wrong. I have my DS300e at the distributor's service already, waiting for repair. As i have been informed until now, they will change the boards of the base.

Thank you for your answer Chris

Have a nice day!

It sounds like you did everything right. Too bad it turned out to be a bad moving head fixture in this case. At least it's off being repaired.

I would be normally in agreement with you. I try to throroughly troubleshoot all aspects until I can narrow it down to just one thing and then resolve that issue.

One thing to double check, however your experience may vary. DMX-512 cabling looks and is wired the same as XLR cable. The only way to know for sure is to read the jacket if it reveals information. Mainy retail stores and even many online dealers do not know the difference and will go ahead and sell you cable in whatever length you want/need to get the job done. Just because it can and is working doesn't mean you should be using it. It is for this reason that I stick with Accucable, mainly because should all else fail, I still have a jacket I can read and know for sure it's a data-grade cable and not a microphone cable. Just to be safe, I also label my cable ends for my lighting cables to help speed things up and make life a bit easier. DMX-512 cabling should be 110-120 ohms, which is a standard for data cables.

Let us know when you get the fixture back and your new results.

Of course i will inform you, when i will know the excact reason of this problem. I'm curious too, even if i don't have the knowledge about electronics.

I know this fact about DMX cables. I think that i will buy also accu cables from my distributor and change them all. If you trust them, i will take them also. I want everythink to be perfect about my lights. Other think that i want to change, is to put in seperate ways the power cables from the dmx signal cables.

While waiting of my DS300e, i am working myDMX with my other 3 moving heads ( i am thinking about to connect my 6 scanners also, the only thing that delays me is that i will increase the lines length... i have to put new cables also) and i am so excited about what can i do with this software... smooth movements, dimming in and out, exciting strobe effects from the one head to another... is AWESOME! I feel like i have differend lights, than those i had when i control them by the console. Congratulations to all of you for your work about this software.

I will write again, when i have news.

Thank you!
Have a nice day,
Elias

I have had good luck with AccuCable and am using it for all my DMX-512 cabling needs. Any DMX-512 cable should work fine though. You can order bulk cable and make your own or buy pre-made cables. The choice is yours regardless of what brand you choose to go with.

Since you're adding lots of fixtures, I would recommend that you add an Elation OptoBranch/4 type device. The MyDMX dongle signal strength isn't the strongest, and the Elation hardware will boost it in addition to provided optically isolated splits to fully protect you and your MyDMX hardware from any weird stuff that happens at the lighting side of things.

I've found my investments have definately paid off in performance and reliability. The money has been well worth it.

Also, you can make your own DMX terminators to save money and time. It's not difficult. I'd make a few extras since they tend to get lost easily. I store some of mine in the unused ports on my Elation OptoBranch/4

I like your suggestions! I think that i will purcase also the Elation Optobranch/4, it will be very useful in my case. I was thinking about the strenght of dmx signal from mydmx. I have connected to my laptop, that's why i thought at the beggining that there was the problem about 300e failure. I have already make my own terminator. Maybe when i buy the optobranch i will seperate some fixtures... generaly, optobranch this gives me solutions in various things! (cable passing ways for example).

Thanx for the tip! I will ask my distributor for details! I hope also that my DS300e will be ready until Friday...

The OptoBranch/4 has definately helped me out a lot, not just from the signal strength perspective.

Using this unit, I sent a run to my follow spots in the back, a run to a nearby lighting tree, another run to a set of lights and then further out to another tree, and another run to the stage. Of course, I need more terminators, but I think I have 6 currently in inventory.

I had a light failure at my previous big event, and wouldn't you know it, it was one of my non-ADJ lights. I was able to use the pass-thru loop to do some testing, but that light was definately not going to function for the event.

Another thing is that if you plug your DMX runs into the OptoBranch/4, you can safely plug and unplug lights as you need to. If you do that with fixtures hanging right off the MyDMX hardware, I've quite often experienced problems with MyDMX responding.

For the money and what it does for you, something like this is definately something nearly every person doing lighting should own at least one of. You're definately going to enjoy it.

Good evening to all Light Gurus, hope you are well!

Well, I have back my DS300e, with the boards of the base changed, but guess what: the problem still remains. After the visit in my home of my seller, who is also friend of mine for many years, we saw that with his laptop, everything was working properly. (He checked also the head, with his laptop after the boards had been changed). The only think that she didn't (the head), was to smile at me. I tried my sister's laptop (which the OS is windows xp, because mine both laptop and desktop have windows 7 and we thought that the problem where in the operating system)but the problem appeared again! We almost lost our minds... So what was the difference between my friend's laptop and mine? My friend's laptop was working ONLY with it's battery. I use my laptop only for playing music and for myDMX so, I had putted out the battery and I have always it's power supply plugged in. That's why also in the distributor, sometimes the head appeared the problem, also in front of me and with different myDMX device. I am still so confused. The voltage output in the myDMX, doesn't change at all either with the battery or the power supply of my laptop. So we are talking about parasites, electric noise or other kind of stuff?

I want to ask you, if the Elation OptoBranch has also correction filters in the output, so the signal goes clear to the fixtures. If you have to suggest another product that will do the job, please inform me.

I am so desperate and I need to find a solution about this crazy "problem" that appeared, is so strange. If anyone had similar problems, please inform me. I will inform tomorrow also my distributor, because as I understand, the boards never had a problem.

Well, first off, what laptop specs/brand/make/model is yours, as oppposed to your friends?

If I understand it correctly, the OptoBranch/4(which I own and use one), optically isolates each branch/split from not only each other, but as well as from the input, so I don't think there is a direct electrical connection. Any bad stuff that goes on down any one branch will be unable to affect anything happening on the other branches. Likewise, anything bad happening on any branches is unable to come back down the line and take out your DMX interface(console, MyDMX, Compu, whatever). It also strengthens weak signals from something like MyDMX, and provides proper singal strength to the branches.

I'm not sure if filtering is the right term, but there is definately some sort of isolation going on.

OK, back to your problem:
Check your cable.

Why are you playing music on the same machine at the same time?

Since you're on Windows 7, do you know if you're 32- or 64-bit? If so, have you installed myDMX properly? 64-bit requires a bit more effort.
Try a certified USB 2.0 cable. I bought some for $2 recently. Passed up on some decent HDMI cable deals. Oh well.
Try another USB port.
AVOID USB hubs.

Maybe consider downgrading your OS. My main computer is Win7 64-bit mainly since I have a quad-core processor with 8-gigs of RAM, and I needed the OS to take advantage of the RAM and processor, which is why I migrated from XP Pro there. My laptop, which is a 17" MacBook Pro, runs Bootcampe and I am using XP Home with Service Pack 3. I'd ideally prefer to run this with XP Pro.

Also, forgive me for not going back into the thread, but are you using DMX cabling only? Are you using a terminator?(I think you've answered these questions already, but I am sick and in no mood to hunt for answers). How far out, in cable feet, is this new fixture?

The battery issue is moot, or at least should be.

Hello Chris!

You can't imagine how many hours I have dedicated, since I bought my 300e and myDMX, trying to solve this. You can't imagine how many combinations of cables, USB ports, install/uninstall of myDMX software (i am using 32bit Win7), changing the order of my heads... Yes, I have a terminator, yes I have DMX cables in my less than 30 feet line (but not accu cables, that I am planning to purchase when I have the Optobranch). I changed also the USB cable that supported with the myDMX. But why the other 3 moving heads, working perfectly? Why all my four moving heads now working perfectly but only when the laptop is operating only by it's battery? I don't think that this is gonna do with the OS. Besides the problem appeared also in a pc running winxp os. I use an Acer lapotp with Win7 2 Gb of ram with 1.7Ghz Intel processor, my friend uses an LG mini laptop 11", with WinXP. So when I took him the head, he connected it with his mini laptop but while it was on charge, that's why we saw the problem together. Since yesterday, I am programming and working with all my moving heads, without any problem, but with my laptop with it's battery. If I dare to plug in the p/s for charging, everything fails. I have to tell you, as I noticed in my first post, that in my desktop pc, the problem exists.

I am sure that the problem has to do with signal disorders so I am happy that you said that the optobrunch separates each output and isolates them, I suppose (and I pray to gods) that this will work for me. I have already said to my distributor to order one piece for me. When I get it, I am planning to separate the heads on 2 - 2, the MSPs 250 in one branch and the evo250 (same with Elation DS250pro) with Elation DS300e. I want to forget if there is an issue about 'incompatibilities' between my heads.I said also to my friend to test an Design Beam 300 that he have in the company as demo, with his laptop while it is in charge, to see if any similar symptoms appeared. I am so sick and tired about this, I don't make any sense... it can't be possible to change the boards with the processor and putting a new and this problem continues ... I hope finally that Optobrunch will give the solution to my problem permanently.

Thank you Chris for responding to my thread, I appreciate your help.

I would try a ground lift on the laptop. It might be dirty power. The splitter will make this go away, but a ground lift might also solve the problem.

When you are using the fixture and the laptop, are they on the same outlet or different outlets? If different, you might try the same to see if this also corrects the problem. If it does, power is the problem.

Hlias what voltage do you have coming out of your electrical outlets over there? 230v? 240v? Possibly it could be related but it is just a theory of mine.
Sincerely,

Hello Chris, SerraAva and James!

At last, we found that the problem is from bad grounding of the fixture. The board that has the conection plugs for DMX, probably has a "leak" and the dmx signal passes through the case and through the ground wire of the electrical installation and creates this "loop", i don't know if i use the corret word. I experimented yesterday a lot with the suggestions from my friend that works in the AmericanDJ distributor and finally we found where is the fault. That's why they're worked perfect, while i connected them with my DMX consloles because the transformer is not grounded. So, at last, the Optobrunch will give me this awaited solution.

Thanks for your help!

Have a nice day all of you!