Original LXSeries Forum

Moved discussion of cross-posted effects question:

It sounds like the effect may have created an infinite loop. You can post the effect settings from the effect window and we can try to duplicate the condition. Or, you can e-mail the file with the effect and we can take a look.

Particularly, look to see if the override time is checked and the follow is set to zero. This may create a hang because one cue is immediately executed on top of another.

On my 2.4GHZ MacBook Pro, setting all the override time to zero cause a very quick flashing. There is some delay in running the cues so they are not truly 0 time. However, on a faster computer, it is very possible that the cues will execute so fast that essentially they never happen and the computer would appear to hang.

This type of behavior has been reported with 0 follow times on regular cues as well.

If this proves to be the case, perhaps it is necessary to enforce a minimum follow time of 0.1 second or so.

On July 22nd 2013 freadZdead wrote:

Hi there, after reading this:

It sounds like the effect may have created an infinite loop. You can post the effect settings from the effect window and we can try to duplicate the condition. Or, you can e-mail the file with the effect and we can take a look.

Particularly, look to see if the override time is checked and the follow is set to zero. This may create a hang because one cue is immediately executed on top of another.

On my 2.4GHZ MacBook Pro, setting all the override time to zero cause a very quick flashing. There is some delay in running the cues so they are not truly 0 time. However, on a faster computer, it is very possible that the cues will execute so fast that essentially they never happen and the computer would appear to hang.

This type of behavior has been reported with 0 follow times on regular cues as well.

If this proves to be the case, perhaps it is necessary to enforce a minimum follow time of 0.1 second or so.

I thought I'd share my experience with Loops as well... in a recent show, I tried to make an effect by doing this:

I made cues 901 through 907, and tried to include them in an Effect called "Flashing". The Effect would Loop (tick), Clear after stopped (tick), and Override Cue Times (tick) with Up: 1, Down: 0.8, and Follow: 1.00. Fade Effect Master In: 1, Out: 2.

I then added the "Effect Start" Action with "Flashing" selected to my Cue 6.5 (which had no other information in it - or maybe all channels to zero as a base? What would take precedence in that case, the Cue Channel Levels, or the Effect Channel Levels?), and an "Effect Stop" to the next Cue 7.

It seemed that executing the Effect from the Effect Master worked, but evoking it in a cue caused the Enttec USB DMX Pro dongle (not LXConsole) to shut down/cease working.

however, because I am calling specific cues via QLab, I was able to use a work-around for my show, that shouldn't have caused any real difference, but worked:

I put the Override values into the individual cues, and a Link into 907, referencing 901. That way, from being in Cue 6, when I wanted to start the Effect, I would simply call 901, and it would work, running through all cues up to 907, and then back to 901, until I sent the next chronological Cue 7.

However, I still wonder what happened/why it did not work.

Ideas?

The latest build 3.1.9 (6623A) resolves some multi-thread related issues including one that would cause a crash and another that shut down the output from a DMX USB Pro when an effect was started by an action attached to a cue.

Thanks, I will test that tomorrow !

3.1.9 (6627A) is a replacement for prior builds of 3.1.9 which fixes a critical error that could prevent output at random.

If you have a previous build of 3.1.9, update it immediately to3.1.9 (6627A) before using it in a critical situation.