Overall, it doesn't seem to work

[cruizer]

Here's my setup:

a DB9 straight through cord is running from the DB9 female from back of the computer to the Ren-T DB9 Male.
I don't know how to figure out what port that is, so it may be part of my problem. But it's the only DB9 plug on my computer.

The Ren-T was built as Option 3. When powered up, the green light is on.
Cat5 cable comming off of JR1 to RS in on Ren-C. "From 595 Out" is hooked up to "Out" on the Grinch, and "To 595 In" is hooked up to "In" on the Grinch. Power is supplied to the Grinch via PC power supply. The green light is lit on the Grinch. When the SSR's are plugged into the Grinch, the Red light on them is on.

When everything is powered up, the Ren-C has a steady burning light on power, and a blinking light on heartbeat.

Program: Vixen v2.0.4.1

Problem, well that's all it does, just seems to power up.
In Vixen I use the "Renard Dimmer" plug-in. This is the closest thing I to use I believe. I read somewhere in another thread here to use the "Renard" plug-in, but all I can find is the Renard Dimmer.

I set it up using Com Port 1, set the baud rates on both Vixen and the PC to 57600, run it and nothing. The Rx on the Ren-C doesn't even blink. Change it to Com Port 2, still nothing.

I have tried an array of different Coms and plug-ins, but nothing seems to happen.

Am I missing something? Or is something not hooked up right?

[P. Short]

That is the correct plugin, there is only the one.

It's hard to say what the problem is. One thing to do is to make sure that the cable from your PC to the Ren-T has pins 3 and 5 connected straight through (one or two people have had problems with using UPS serial cables, which sometimes don't connect the pin 3's).

--

Phil

[cruizer]

Just checked them with the Ohm meter, they are all straight through.

[cruizer]

how can i tell if i am getting a signal out of the port on the PC?

[holtm]

Put your meter on the lines I think you might see some negative to positive voltage swings from the computer. If you see nothing it doesn't mean nothing is happening (just might not be able to see it) , but if you see something it means something is coming out.

[cruizer]

I've tested it, and i get power activity on pins 2,3, and 8.

When I am not using vixen and that port in vixen, the power stays at a steady rate. While Vixen is on and using that port, the power is jumpy (increases and decreases) as it's expected to be.

Now I have traced the power from the PC through the cord to the Ren-T. then through P1 to U1. And that's where it stops, at U1. I cannot trace any power activity through the other side of the U1 chip.

So to be sure I have the Ren-T done right, I am using Case 3. I have checked and double checked my connections and parts, making shure I put on the right ones in the right spot. I do not use any jumpers on JR1 and JR2. I used the Radio Shack transformer. there were two wires on one side and three on the other. Placing the transformer directly on top of the board, aligning the two black wires on the one side of the transformer to X2 and X1, and the Yellow, Black, Yellow on the opposite side to X3, X4, and X5. The right black wire on top went to X1, the left to X2, the left yellow wire on bottom to X3, the center black wire to X4, and the right bottom yellow to X5.

Thoughts, Questions, Comments?

[cruizer]

UPDATE:
Well I had made two Grinch Boards, and two Ren-C's because I wanted a total of 128 channels. This whole time I only was playing with one set. So I decided to hook up the other Ren-C and the other Grinch. It just happened to turn out that those two work! So i tried mixing and matching and it would seen that neither the Grinh nor the Ren-C I had hooked up work at all. I don't know why. But i have 64 channels at the moment.

[Wayne J]

So to be sure I have the Ren-T done right, I am using Case 3. I have checked and double checked my connections and parts, making shure I put on the right ones in the right spot. I do not use any jumpers on JR1 and JR2. I used the Radio Shack transformer. there were two wires on one side and three on the other. Placing the transformer directly on top of the board, aligning the two black wires on the one side of the transformer to X2 and X1, and the Yellow, Black, Yellow on the opposite side to X3, X4, and X5. The right black wire on top went to X1, the left to X2, the left yellow wire on bottom to X3, the center black wire to X4, and the right bottom yellow to X5.

Thoughts, Questions, Comments?

Ren_T is correct. :wink:

[BillAd]

Cruizer,

That's good news. Now you can start taking voltage readings between the good and the bad and swapping chips to see where the fault lies. Good luck!

Bill