Sunlite stops responding
Moderators: simonB, dylan, RichterMC, florent
Sunlite stops responding
I've been using sunlite for few months and everything was fine until recently something started to make problems. Everything works ok for some when i turn it on and then it stops responding on my commands after some while. It works fine when i restart the computer and start sunlite again. But restarting the computer is very unpleasant thing to do when the club is full :) I'm using sunlite 2006 with pr512,,,
Re: Sunlite stops responding
-Make sure you are running the latest version
-E-mail me your show and I will take a look and test here
-How does the software crash? Does the DMX output stop only or does the software crash aswell?
-How often does the software crash
-Would it be possible to be a little more specific as to what causes the crash, or does it seem completely random?
You shouldn't need to restart your computer, disconnecting the box, closing the software, reconnecting the box, then starting the software should work.
You should always keep a set of backup scenes inside your box and have the box powered with an external adapter, this way if you have a computer problem, all you need to do is disconnect the box and the stand-alone scenes kick in whilst you fix the issues.
-E-mail me your show and I will take a look and test here
-How does the software crash? Does the DMX output stop only or does the software crash aswell?
-How often does the software crash
-Would it be possible to be a little more specific as to what causes the crash, or does it seem completely random?
You shouldn't need to restart your computer, disconnecting the box, closing the software, reconnecting the box, then starting the software should work.
You should always keep a set of backup scenes inside your box and have the box powered with an external adapter, this way if you have a computer problem, all you need to do is disconnect the box and the stand-alone scenes kick in whilst you fix the issues.
Re: Sunlite stops responding
Yes...these events seem to be random...sometimes it doesen't happen for few days , but last saturday was worst - it happend 4-5 times in few hours...Software doesn't crash - it seems ok , but it just doesn't send commands to lighting devices...all devices stop in last position and won't move until i restart the computer...so it seems like dmx output stops...i tried to start sunlite again and to reconnect the interface , but nothing helps except restarting.... i use sunlite to control 37 moving heads, par led lights , chameleon lights and 2 strobes...it's a big, exclusive club, and those problems are really, really unpleasnt for me :)
Those "in the box" scenes seem like a really good help, but i don't understand how to do it?! How to save those scenes into the box? You mean i should disconnect it from usb and connect it to an adapter when problems occure?
Those "in the box" scenes seem like a really good help, but i don't understand how to do it?! How to save those scenes into the box? You mean i should disconnect it from usb and connect it to an adapter when problems occure?
Re: Sunlite stops responding
Sounds like a great setup. Whereabouts are you based (out of interest)?
Regarding the stand-alone. You should power your interface permenantly from an adapter so if sunlite crashes as soon as you unplug the USB, the unit switches to stand-alone mode. You can program stand alone scenes into your interface using the Easy Stand Alone software. You can import SCENE buttons into Easy Stand Alone if you wish but the internal memory is limited with the box you are using so it will only be able to store basic scenes, but it beats all the fixtures blacking out! (note that the moving heads may still reset when the unit switches to stand-alone and therefore may blackout temporarily)
Although I do advise that you set up a stand alone option, your interface should not be crashing 4 times per hour!
If the software is not crashing, it must be a problem with the box or USB hub:
-We have heard problems before with USB devices crashing. This does not just occur with our boxes but also with a variety of other USB devices including USB audio interfaces. I have had problems with this when triggering off high power devices such as smoke machines. Swapping the DMX interface USB cables has helped in addition to running the laptop in another power supply. If you are using a laptop, try unplugging the power when you trigger off your smoke machine. I know this is not ideal but it may help get to the bottom of the problem.
-Try using a desktop machine if you can get hold of one and see if this fixes the problem.
If you get the chance to try the above and still have no luck, the next step would be to contact PR lighting and see if they can replace the interface.
Regarding the stand-alone. You should power your interface permenantly from an adapter so if sunlite crashes as soon as you unplug the USB, the unit switches to stand-alone mode. You can program stand alone scenes into your interface using the Easy Stand Alone software. You can import SCENE buttons into Easy Stand Alone if you wish but the internal memory is limited with the box you are using so it will only be able to store basic scenes, but it beats all the fixtures blacking out! (note that the moving heads may still reset when the unit switches to stand-alone and therefore may blackout temporarily)
Although I do advise that you set up a stand alone option, your interface should not be crashing 4 times per hour!
If the software is not crashing, it must be a problem with the box or USB hub:
-We have heard problems before with USB devices crashing. This does not just occur with our boxes but also with a variety of other USB devices including USB audio interfaces. I have had problems with this when triggering off high power devices such as smoke machines. Swapping the DMX interface USB cables has helped in addition to running the laptop in another power supply. If you are using a laptop, try unplugging the power when you trigger off your smoke machine. I know this is not ideal but it may help get to the bottom of the problem.
-Try using a desktop machine if you can get hold of one and see if this fixes the problem.
If you get the chance to try the above and still have no luck, the next step would be to contact PR lighting and see if they can replace the interface.