HELP! BOC doesn't work!

FunPhantom · HELP! BOC doesn't work!

got my BOC and i can't get it to do anything. all it does is sit there. I am using Hitec HS-425BB servos and the enttec open dmx usb controller. I know the controller works because all my lights work. I have installed the BOC software. when i try testing the eyes and servos nothing happens. what setting is used in the software for the hitec servos? what sort of device are the BOC eyes and hitec servos for the settings in the VSA program? can anybody help? I spent alot of money on this board and I'd like to get it working. (all the cables seem to plugged in properly)

Phoenix

can you control your servos from the boc config software

FunPhantom

No what kind of setting should i use for the software? the servos are not parallax ones? also I have no set of instructions manuals or info that came with the BOC just the setup software. Can anyone send my the instructions/manual or isnt there one?

FunPhantom

no the config software doesnt seem to be doing anything

Phoenix

When using the configuration software make sure you have the terminator in the chain

Then connect to enttec and send the current settings (DONT COMMIT THEM)

Next make sure you have servo power by sliding the power slider down to 200 and then back to 0

Now test the eyes by setting the strobe to 255 and red to 255, and do some experimentation with strobe and the red, green and blue channels

Now connect a servo to port A and try moving it using the servo slider, if you want to try another channel then select the channel you want to try in the servo settings window

FunPhantom

I Tried what you said. Absolutely nothing happened. do i need to download a special driver for the board or something? I couldnt drag the slider to exactly 200 it would be at 199 or 201 does that matter? I may have committed a new setting earlier are the default settings the same as the skulltronix settings because i reset it to that. i know the dmx signal is running through the board because when i send data to the board one of my dmx lights goes crazy. I have a terminator on it. the positive power lead is the one closest to the dmx connectors correct? it really seems like my board should be doing SOMETHING.

Phoenix

very strange not even the LEDs work?

it doesn't matter what setting you have committed, by sending the settings to BoC you are synchronising the BoC to the current software settings, at the very least you should be able to get the LEDs working.

200 doesn't really matter its just something in that area

+ve is closest to DMX connectors

The DMX light going crazy is worrying, does the DMX light work OK on its own?

I wonder if you have a bad cable, you can use a meter to check that pin1 in goes to pin 1 out etc to see if any of the wires ore crossed over.

FunPhantom

I had the dmx-led floodlight in line after the BOC (to check if the signal was actually getting to the board) the light performed as it was supposed to it only "went crazY" as the program was attempting to send info to the BOC NOT while running the show. so far I am clueless as to what might be wrong with it. I DOn't have too much time to mess with it I need to geta prop finished so i will prbably just use a Parallax servo board for now but i wanted to see the cool LED eyes on the BOC in my prop, I would eventually like to get it working.

Phoenix

what channels have you got your other lights set to.... Im guessing channels 1-8?

may be best to avoid these channels when using BoC

bosch22

kennyw76

it may be fried but you may have to email jerry cause i dont think he gets on here much

looks like if you have anything on the first 25 channels it wont work

go here to see this http://skulltronix.com/boc.html
How do I use multiple BOC boards on the same DMX chain?
A: You need to set each BOC's base address far enough apart to not overlap. Example: A SkullTroniX DMX skull uses 6 16 bit servos. Therefore the servos eat up 12 DMX channels. There is one DMX channel for the power saver circuit, 4 DMX channels for the eye lights. That totals 17 DMX channels. If your first skull is at DMX base address 8 the next skull has to be at base address 25 (or higher).

bosch22

Thank you for your responce, I had the first BOC board on the DMX line that worked. OK sort of, one channel offset from what the software stated so I couldn't get the channel A to work on the BOC. I then powered everything off and replaced the first BOC board with my second one. So nothing changed or had an addition to the DMX line. I powered everything up as normal but the second board wouldn't respond. I then tried multiple combinations and still was unable to find any software channel that would operate the servos on this second board.
I then replaced the second board with the first board and everything was working as it did the first time.. channel A on the BOC was offset from the software.
The long and short of this is that I didn't have two boards on one DMX line, I was just testing the boards and the channels prior to adding all the equipment on the one line.
I find trying to troubleshoot things by testing individual items first then when everything is fully tested and running you add one piece of equipment at a time to see if everything is OK.
I hope that this weekend I will have time to study the board better, I have since bought a SCC-32 to the props that I will have closer to my main computer terminal

ironclad

It appears that I have run into the same problem! My BOC doesn't respond to any Dmx signals in either the the test using the Config program or when running VSA.
I have a terminator and can work my two color splash lights but nothing out of the BOC. Too bad because we intended on using several of these boards when we open our haunt. Has anyone solved this comm problem or do you just have to use another board and forget DMX for the skull control.