Author Topic: First Build a success!  (Read 2086 times)

Offline drlucas

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First Build a success!
« on: May 13, 2013, »
Just another thank you to everyone here for giving me the confidence and information for building my LE. I started with a buy-n-sell approach with a USB dongle and a 4th gen LE, however after Kurt ran the coop, I just had to give it a go on my own. Well, I'm glad to say that this evening I finished my first LE build. I was pretty stoked when I did the test power on and had two LEDs lit. Then after dropping the rest of the chips, I was able to past a self test with flying colors. Tomorrow I'll build kit #2 of 2 and then do some real testing with the dongle. Looking forward to getting the DCS/SSC/Active hubs to build up too! I'm definitely going to need an etherdongle so hopefully that coop gets launched soon too, but I have LOTS of work to do on learning how to sequence the lights.

Anyways, thanks again to all for the help along the way...and extra thanks to Kurt for the really easy to sort out parts. every bag so perfectly labelled.
Cheers!
Ryan
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -

Offline Rainlover

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2013, »
Ryan,
You should be proud.

John
Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!

Offline urthegman

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2013, »
The sense of accomplishment is awesome, isn't it???

Offline arw01

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2013, »
You sound like you are in exactly the same spot as me, but one build ahead of me.  I'm learning all this stuff too at exactly the same time.  I have some DSCs coming, some SSc coming, an Aeon clock to build and two LE's.

Then the ether-dongle when they do the coop for those, maybe a zeus when those go.  What's left, maybe some light cannons and servos?

Offline t.jo13

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2013, »
Wait till you start lighting stuff up  >.d9 good job

Offline RJ

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2013, »
AWESOME!

Always good to hear another success story. You look back now and wonder why you worried so much about build it yourself.

RJ
Innovation beats imitation - and it's more satisfying

sjb

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2013, »
Great job. The first is always the best. But you will have the same excitement with every other build passing the first test.

Steve (from Edmonton)

Offline towtruck

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2013, »
Grats mate!

Offline rdebolt

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2013, »
Way to go Ryan! Now the fun starts!!!  ;)

Offline kgustafson

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2013, »
Congrats on the successful build.  It is such a great feeling! 

Kurt
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Offline dcwehw99

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2013, »
Congratulations!

Denny

Offline drlucas

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2013, »
Thanks again for the words...second build done in 4hrs flat.  i have one LED that is flickering a bit on me when i run a test. I'm going to confirm all the solder points are clean. I tried to swap the ICs around and the problem didn't follow it, so not a chip issue. will report back if I find the culprit.

Tomorrow I'll also be connecting up the three LEs together and make sure I start getting a handle on how the channels all line up. Now the fun really does begin!
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -

Offline drlucas

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2013, »
Now we are talking!!  Not sure what did the trick, but LED 3 is working. Being the WORST at one change at a time, I did the following... swapped the RS485 chips, reseated the PIC chip, and touched up about 50 or so solder points on the bottom of the board (remember this was my first board and I was a bit shy/new to soldering). Anyways, LED is now on.

I've also connected my USB dongle to the wireless transmitter, to the v4 LE...from there connected the ethernet cable from dmx out 2 (dmx out wouldn't work - don't know why) then to DMX in on the new v5 LE and then from there was able to go DMX out to DMX in on the third and final (for now)  LE. I set the channel numbers and made sure my termination was set properly across the three LEs and fired up a very basic test sequence.

The results are contained in a quick 30 second video. Now I have my first BLINKY!

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-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -

Offline rm357

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First Build a success!
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2013, »
Using the ex/RX disables DMX out 1 on an LE.
Robert
Warner Robins, Georgia, USA

Offline drlucas

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Re: First Build a success!
« Reply #14 on: May 15, 2013, »
ah ha! thank you that explains it. Everything is working then as expected. WOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
-Ryan Lucas-
- Pickering, Ontario, Canada, Eh?! -