Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Just got a cyber comander and a csr+ to control a single alien bee B1600 but as soon as the light is powered on it begins flashing and does not stop? Any idea what im doing wrong? If more info is needed please ask. Thanks for your help.

It sounds like a grounding issue. What do you have your light plugged into (wall, surge protector)? Is this circuit shared with any other device like a refridgerator or air conditioner? Does the problem persist on another circuit? Make sure the power slider is on full and all model lamps buttons are pushed in. How old is the Electrical system you are using? Also try a different frequency and see if the problem persists.

TS

i had the same issue in a shore town here in jersey. it was an issue with the send and receiving lines to the house. salt from the ocean froze over them. it caused a nearby housefire. on top of that construction was going on a block away using electricity. all in all it sucked. if you're using an extension cord, try not using it. that caused the issue to stop for the most part.

Thank you for your help. It does seem like it is being caused by my wiring. I was able to resolve the issue.

If possible, could you elaborate on exactly what the problem was? This way we can add it to our arsenal of trouble shooting.

Thanks
TS

Every now and then, I experience the same drill. When I set up a flash unit, it becomes a high powered strobe. Not often enough to get a handle on the exact sequence of events leading up to it to date, but there have never been any clues that point to the power source as the problem either. It has happened with my setup plugged up to several different mains outlets, and all were clean, unloaded circuits when the light show began.

In each case, a quick blast of profanity, re-seating the RJ-11 connector at the flash unit, and maybe powering the unit off and on again cured the problem, and it has never happened twice in one day with a particular setup. It's not a big issue, and when it does pop up, it only takes a couple of seconds to sort out, but others have had the same issue, and I am hoping that culprit is nailed down.

As I mentioned, it had not happened often enough to go hunting for an answer in the past, but I only recall it happening when both the CC and RJ-11 cords are in play. Is it possible that if the handshake sequence the CC goes through to establish initial communication with the CSR(B)+ units is interrupted, or simply fails at a critical point, the CSR(B)+ units might direct the attached flash unit to fire in a mindless strobe loop condition?

I know I'm grasping for straws here, but it is all software driven instruction coding at that level, and I do not recall ever having a CC controlled flash unit go into a rapid strobe loop at any time other than when I'm setting up my initial lighting configuration for the day. If it doesn't happen then, it doesn't happen at all. Besides, a two bit bug in a line of code is capable of causing far more angst than a bad wall outlet.

Just a thought....

Voyager

My fix was to change out my CSR+ with a CSRB+. The wiring in my home where I am just testing is very old and has no ground. When only the strobe is connectged it works fine. When I connect the CSRB+ I have no issues. As soon as I try to use the CSR+ the strobe goes crazy and will not stop firing.

I am starting to have doughs, Do you this this will happen at different venues? One of the reason I am buying the enstein hoping that I will not have this problem.... weddings

Don't think you have to worry. The Einstein uses an entirely digital interface.
The problem w/ the older RJ11 phone plug interface in the AB/WL was that it was done using analog opamps so if the voltage was too low, the circuit would effectively "crash" (lockup)...

Thanks for the info, I got the CC and learn how to use it before the lights comes in( enstein ) but I am impress with CC. I ran 2 separate lines 220 to 100 in each side, I plan to run 6 to 8 lights at half power, hope that should to the trick..