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Electronic Theatre Controls Inc

How to test DMX on XP era ION

Issue

Sometimes your ION console is not outputting DMX. It could be multiple reasons why this is true. Patch problem, software problem, or hardware problem. XP era IONs did not have a direct menu items to test the I/O PCB and DMX function.

Explanation of Issue

The Windows XP era of ION consoles did not have a link to test the DMX ports directly in the Maintenance menu like newer consoles do. There is a test hidden on the hard drive, however. Below are the steps to access this test program.

How to get to the test software

You will need to exit to the shell first. Then press ALT+F11 to get the PROCESS EXPLORER window.

open process explorer

Next, click on FILE and then RUN... (You can also type CTRL+R)

run...

Type in DMX on the RUN dialog box as shown below.

RUN dialog box

This brings up a pop-up window with the DMX test utility. It will show you which port is being tested and what you should see on that port. It will run through the tests and then end automatically. Press any key to exit that utility.

DMX test utility

I/O PCB not found ERROR

If the I/O PCB is not found you can get the following error. Check USB communication to the I/O PCB if you receive this error.

I/O PCB error

 

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