Colorblast 12 freezing on expert durring rapid bumps

[Dustin Snyder]

Hey there,

I had a guest LD in last night with some colorblast 12s. I patched them in and created a few pallets to conrol them, including one for all out. Then I recorded the these colors to playbacks in mode 2. Raising the fader brought the color up and lowering it brought it out. Bumps also worked. All was well. Then as we began to bump them rapidly they would stay on. Anything relatively fast would make it stick, requiring an additional out playback and leading to our general annoyance. Is this a known problem or an error in my programming?

Thanks,
Dustin

[niclights]

While there is a known slowdown problem related to playback flash button, I think you would have thought the console had completely frozen in such a case.

Here I believe it is an unfortunate glitch sometimes seen with mode2. It is known that some or all fixtures can occasionally ignore a mode2 command (just by fader) and similarly that the value could stick. Rapid flash button use on such memories is bound to increase the chance of this happening.

While it is a bug, the use of mode2 like this is quite unusual and clearly a compromise on the typical LED without dimmer issue. I recommend you patch these fixtures as HTP instead to avoid this.

[Dustin Snyder]

thanks,

So when I patched them I saw what looked like two identical personalities for the CK colorblast. Which one is HTP?

[niclights]

You can always check on the Fixture Personality Library:

Code: Select all

ColorBlast 12
   

Pearl/Azure/Sapphire
   
(filename)
CKCB12H.R20
   
(name on desk)
CKColBlst12

3 x HTP channels

Admittedly the name on desk is very poor. LTP version is different in only losing the 't' (CKColBls12). Not exactly an intuitive bit of naming!

[iadwm]

Here I believe it is an unfortunate glitch sometimes seen with mode2. It is known that some or all fixtures can occasionally ignore a mode2 command (just by fader) and similarly that the value could stick.

Is this also the reason for Martin Atomics 'sticking', which has been discussed on a number of occasions?

(and Wizards)

Regards,

Andy

[niclights]

No, at least not 'sticking on'. While an LTP memory in mode 2 might occasionally not trigger, or not release, the strobe would have a separate intensity on HTP. This will therefore not be affected by any mode2 glitch. Indeed such a situation will be unique to LED fixtures like this that rely solely on the LTP colour channels to provide intensity.

The only mode2 problem you could associate with an Atomic would be a rate, duration or effect holding at the value defined in the playback and not releasing to the originating value.

If an Atomic (or any other 'normal' fixture with HTP intensity) continues outputting to stage when it should not then I suspect the flash button slowdown issue. If the problem you refer to is the same one then it only came up once as I remember and the OP had specifically been using Add to operate the Atomic playbacks, which is why I concluded that as the likely fault.

[Dan]

Hm, is this not the same issue that i've been having in this thread?

If so, i've contacted Nick at avo support about it, who has asked me to get some more information for him. Unfortunately, when this problem occurs is slightly random so i've not actually managed to get it to crash again yet. (It seems that it'll go weeks of being absolutely fine, followed by a week or so where it does it every night..)

If this is something you can reproduce, it may be worth me putting the same questions to you that Nick wanted me to answer.

[niclights]

As I have already said, no, this is definitely not the same problem IMO.

Here we have a long standing issue of mode2 LTP information sometimes not recalling or not releasing.

The 'crash' issue is not a crash but a slowdown and it will result in the HTP intensity information seeming like it is stuck on after pressing a flash.

(&, relating to the problem, Nick should speak to Olie for more info if he's interested)