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Author Topic: TA-10 Automation: Phantom Cue Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2003 01:35 PM                     It also makes troubleshooting a whole lot more problematic. With individual controllers per dimmer, if there is a problem you just pull the dimmer module and swap them out. Though we have 192 circuits/dimmers its a rare event when we don't have at least 2 or 3 modules not in use. The main power comes into the building through the distro panel and out to the individual places. The lights go through their own transformer and out through a 600 amp distro. The projector's power goes through its own isolated 75 KVA transformer into a distro panel and up into the booth. Usually, the projector is turned off at the local breaker panel. It's hard to imagine that a strike would have affected both the lights and projector but not touched the light console (Strand 520i) or the sound board (Mackie 32 X 8) or the sound equipment in the booth. (Peavy Media Matrix) On the other hand I think we just have some really "dirty" power lines here. I have spoken to people in the maintenance department and elsewhere that have told me this. When we have sound companies come in for a show, they can't run their snake down the Stage Left side of the auditorium because they will pick up butt-loads of 60 cycle hum and interference. (We have to have them snake it under the seats unless they have a well-shielded snake.) We have always had a hell of a time with mic lines picking up 60 cycle. Don't even get me started on wireless! We've had the crappiest luck with wireless mics in this building! Sometimes, I just think we have an electromgnetic spectre loose in our building!  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-27-2003 04:42 PM                        I've had strikes before where a lot of equipment has been damaged and a Mackie board survived, so who knows. As for your wireless mics, have you tried placing the receivers on the stage and turning the squelch down as low as possible?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2003 05:00 PM                     The receivers are usually kept just offstage. Usually Stg. Right. With a 45 foot proscenium, it's unusual that a transmitter would be more than 50 feet from the receiver. We've had a lot better luck with 800 MHz mics than we have had with other ones. (VHF?). One show we had a continuous "Thump!... Thump!" sound in the mic that I couldn't get rid of. Even changing the batteries didn't cure it. Had to go on backup wired mic. The next morning when I came to work I got the mic out, turned it on and left it on stage all day. Not a peep came out of it that shouldn't have. I left it there until the battery ran dead. People were screaming at ME for not fixing the problem but what could I do? Go to backup mic, right? That's what I did! As far as I'm concerned, the best kind of wireless mic is the kind you PLUG IN! What I really want to do is get a WinRadio or something like that and set it to sweep the hall for a long time, like 24 hours, and see what's going on in the radio spectrum. I'm willing to bet that I'd find some really strange things.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-27-2003 07:36 PM                     Randy, not at all! Also, Gordon might be on target, too. I would still believe that some electronic device has established communication with your dimmer. That has been known to happen. Triacs like to talk to each other, especially if they are on the same phase of power, and if they are to close to each other in physical distance. The CPU of the automation might "beat" with the Triac, and a BFO might be triggering something else. I have seen it happen - not frequently, but I have seen it happen. Troubles like that can drive you stark-raving-sterile-assed NUTS while troubleshooting!  |  IP: Logged Rick Long Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 759 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-28-2003 01:06 AM                     Look, this thing worked before right, (for some time I assume)? Something screwed up. Take it one step at a time and logically track it down, via; verify - Verify that the problem still exists. It doesnt matter what you saw (or think you saw) before, verify that the problem STILL exists. Define - Under what set of conditions does this problem occur? (For example in your case, if you were to temporarily switch the up/down dimmer wires going into the automaiton, and maybe run a print through (with no one in the auditorium), and see if your lights now came up during a show, this would be a clue that the automation's program running (or not) had nothing to do with the situation. Isolate - Keep up the above step until you can come down to a CERTAIN set of conditions under which this problem will happen. Cure - Find the most likely culprits and, either by substitution, repair, or replacement, solve the problem. But hell man, I don't have to tell you this, you're a technician! Fun ain't it?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-28-2003 12:51 PM                     Most of my problems with tracking down the problem are because I am no longer just a projectionist/technician. I have three auditoriums to run... lights... sound... staging. Plus I have to take care of the movies and do other bullshit tasks. I feel pretty certain that it's the automation acting up on its own. As soon as I can get up there again I think I'll do the old switcheroo on the wires and see if that does make the lights go up instead of down. (Good idea, actually!) Most weeks, I only have Tuesdays and Wednesdays to work on the films. If they come in earlier, I can work on them as soon as Monday. Still, on occasion, I have had only Wednesdays to work. This week, the first half of my print showed up. Fed-Ex LOST the other half! I spend the morning on the phone with them screaming and yelling at them to find my damn film. Truth: Running movies is sort of a respite from the rest of my responsibilities here! Just being able to go up to the booth and work on a movie all by myself and not be bothered is one of the (few) simple pleasures of life. Okay, I like workig on the light system too. Programming the board for a show is fun but there are other people who can do that too. I have a Work Study student who is capable of running shows and breaking down films but he's not experienced enough to take over completely. Being the only one who REALLY knows how to do a job gives you a certain "Don't fuck with me when I'm working" status sometimes. I just wish I could do it more, sometimes.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 03-09-2003 07:21 AM                     Sounds like "Overtime," Randy.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-12-2003 10:35 PM                     Problem solved! Thanks to Larry @ Comp. Eng.! The other day, just before our big show (Sing Along Sound of Music) I happened to be standing right there when the thing started acting up in a big way. It WAS the cue detector and it pretty much went "kaput" all at once. Up till this point it was just an intermittent problem. Only happened once in a while. Recently it was happening once or twice per day. Up to this point I was unable to tell for sure because I was not right there to see it happen. Just the other day, I was sitting in the booth building a print and the thing just started acting up like crazy. There was no way we would be able to run a show like that. I just removed the cue detector all together and operated the projector manually, without cues. (Still activated the automation's START button so we had the film detector/failsafe working.) Larry at Component Engineering was good enough to send us a module just this past Friday, last thing before closing. We got the package today. (UPS lost it for a day!) It took, literally, one minute to install and test. Once it was in we were as good as new! Thank you all for your advice! Thank you Larry, for your quick action and great service! You guys kick ass and take names!  |  IP: Logged

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