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on the lighting look recorded in that scene. When the user arrives at another station, slider 1 might
be in the lowest position. If the user wishes to vary the level of the scene at this new station, he must
raise the number 1 slider to full (matching its current level on the first station). Once the slider level
matches that of the first station, the new s
tation’s number 1 slider can be used to change the level of
the slider 1 scene. This action can be repeated at any station at any time. Each slider is separately
“grabbed” thus allowing different sliders on different stations to be in control at the same time.
Troubleshooting
Problem description:
Flashing, flickering, lack of control
Solution 1:
Verify that the DMX cabling has been terminated properly. Often, the data plus and data minus wires
are swapped. Reverse the data plus and data minus wires and/or verify them at each station. Nearly
every trouble call we receive is due to installation wiring errors. Please check before calling.
Solution 2:
A DMX compliance problem on the part of the DMX receiving devices often leads to these symptoms.
The Preset 8 uses short manufacturer-specific command packets to communicate between Main and
Remote stations. Devices claiming DMX512 compliance should ignore these packets. However,
some fixtures do not properly ignore the manufacturer-specific packets resulting in flashing or
flickering.
In such situations, the manufacturer of the non-compliant should address the problem. If they are
unable or unwilling to do so, Doug Fleenor Design offers the DMX DECELERATOR. This device can
be connected in the DMX line just before the non-compliant devices. It will remove the manufacturer-
specific packets and only pass generic DMX data packets.
Solution 3:
Lack of proper end-of-line termination. DMX cabling must be terminated at the end of the run with a
120 ohm terminating resistor between the data plus and data minus signal.
Problem description:
Main station operates, but Remote stations will not work
Solution 1:
The Main station and/or the Remote station are connected to the output of a splitter or other DMX
processing device. Preset 8 stations must only be connected to the input of a splitter or other DMX
processing device. Main and Remote stations must also be directly connected to one another with no
active devices between them. Insure that the Main station and any Remote stations are wired to the
input of a splitter.
Solution 2:
Remote station has been wired using the three pin terminal block (TB2). All wiring on Remote
stations must be made on the five pin terminal block ONLY. See the section on Remote station
wiring.
Problem description:
Setting levels on Remote stations causes the lights to jump rather than doing
a match-and-grab as described in the manual.
Solution:
This indicates that there are two or more Remote stations set to the same ID. Each Remote station
must have a unique ID. Read the section on configuring remote stations.
