Members Jason K Posted June 2, 2015 Members Share Posted June 2, 2015 I am losing my mind. I've had 4 Chauvet 4 Bars for 4 years or so. Started out running with the supplied foot controller, but quickly graduated to a DMX controller (Obey 40). Have had sporadic luck with it. Sometimes it works, then decides not to. I took it into a local shop at one point for repair & there WAS something wrong with it, but it got fixed & I was good to go. When it does work, it goes for 5-6 shows then all DMX hell breaks loose & the lights go bananas. I take the whole rig home to troubleshoot & it decides to work. I have taken in BACK to the shop & they can't pinpoint what to fix, because it works. After one of these DMX freakouts, I decided to go with true DMX cables and a terminator & was once again good to go. Pleased that I had found the "solution." Of course, 5-6 shows later, the lights freak out again. I bring the 4Bar foot pedal to use in case of these scenarios, and that works as advertised, but I was fed up. The LED on the terminator says that the DMX signal is good (amber), but the controller won't do anything to affect the lights & the 4 bars just do their own thing. I decided to use the money I would've put towards diagnostics and repair toward a new controller.So I purchased the new ADJ Operator 384...twice the scenes of the old controller. So relieved to have the "fix" that I also snag 2 4Play CL's to jazz up the show (with all of the added scenes, you know). Commandeered the spare bedroom to set up the entire stage rig...and....nothing. Isolate each fixture with the new controller...and...nada. Cables aren't that old & I have tried several. Even went out to get a multimeter & continuity checks out. But new lights, new controller and still nothing? So I decide to plug the terminator directly into the ADJ operator and it reads green (which, according to the builder of the piece, that Data + (pin 3) is stuck low. Not that I know what that means or how to remedy that, but it's NOT amber. Amber=good.)) Should I send the Operator back for replacement & pray the new one works? Anything else I can test, try or give a Fonzie punch to? I am disappointed and exhausted as we have a show in two weeks & I still have hella-programming to do. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundlight Posted June 2, 2015 Members Share Posted June 2, 2015 Check the polarity switch on the back of the controller. If it's in the wrong position, you'll get nothing. That would also make Pin 3 be stuck low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jason K Posted June 2, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 2, 2015 Good idea soundlight, but while the old controller had one, this new unit does not feature a polarity switch. Open to any other suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted June 6, 2015 Members Share Posted June 6, 2015 The earlier version of that "diagnostic terminator" is known to fail (I had one fail on me). Get a regular one without the LED just to see if that's the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jason K Posted June 11, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 11, 2015 Good to know. It might strike me as failing if the board/lights actually worked Anyway, the constant seemed to be the board. I sent it back & the new one arrives tomorrow. Fingers crossed. If it doesn't work, I'm going to try and rig up a phase reversed cable & see if that works. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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