Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DSS200 - CP650 connectivity issues

This is topic DSS200 - CP650 connectivity issues in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 09-14-2019, 11:31 AM:

Out of the blue it seems, a CP650 connected to a DSS200 (4.9.x) will not execute volume cues - but will switch sources (e.g. NS to digital). On the DSS200 screen, where you could adjust volume remotely in theory, it says 'disconnected'.
Changing volume manually on the CP650 does work. Restarting both devices did not solve the issue. Any ideas? How is it possible that source switching works, but not volume?

- Carsten

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-14-2019, 01:52 PM:

My guess would be a networking issue of some sort. The CP650's Ethernet connectivity is very primitive: only one device can have an active connection to it at a time, and any hint of an IP address conflict totally freezes up any sort of control over Ethernet.

I once had a similar problem, with the variation being that commands and cues worked at some times, but not others. If I pressed the volume up and down buttons on the Show Manager transport screen, sometimes the fader changed, and sometimes it didn't.

In the end, I put a crossover cable from the DSS200's theatre network NIC (which was previously unused in that installation - a single screen venue) to the CP650, such that the DSS200 and the CP650 had a subnet to themselves. Communication between the DSS200 and the CP650 was totally reliable thereafter.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 09-14-2019, 02:38 PM:

I told them to unplug and replug all ethernet cables, and also powercycle the switch. Let's see...

- Carsten

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-15-2019, 01:23 AM:

I have seen such oddities but a proper power cycle always restored the communication.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 09-15-2019, 06:50 PM:

Strange, but looks as if a new cable solved it.

- Carsten

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-15-2019, 09:20 PM:

That doesn't surprise me, especially if the bad cable didn't have a strain relief grommet molded onto the back of the RJ45 plugs, and/or the weight of other cables was on top of it, straining the plug in the jack.

I've had other, similar problems, including a DSS200 that would intermittently and randomly lose communication with its cat862. Replacing the 1ft link data jumper cable fixed it. The bad one was not being strained by anything, and there was no externally visible sign of anything wrong, either, and all eight conductors checked out OK on a (admittedly, cheap Chinese garbage) network cable tester. But, not being able to find any other cause (hard rebooting the server, pinging the cat862 from a laptop connected directly to its data link input, checking the seating of the connections on the breakout panel on the back of the chassis, etc. etc.), I replaced this cable, not knowing what else to try (apart from blowing out both the jacks with a Datavac, which I did). The problem went away, and never came back.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 09-15-2019, 10:19 PM:

Steve was probably the first one to find this and try this fix. You bypass one connector entirely on the 200. It might be the bend radiuses were too tight and the nylon ties were pinching the cable too tight. Who knows but it seems to work.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-16-2019, 07:04 AM:

Yes, I don't mess around with the "link cable" If I remove it for any reason, I run a cable from the CAT862, through a slot (remove one of the blanks) and into the link port. You turn two cables into 1 and eliminate two RJ45s. You also get rid of the nasty bend radius where they strain relief the cable on the CAT862. Some strain relief if you crush the cable and have it bend so tight.

I've never had a problem with the "Can't Connect to CAT862/Mediablock" issue after that.