Think Logically - Revision history

ErnieHorning: Improved formatting, modernized terminology, expanded troubleshooting guidance for modern controllers while preserving the original logical troubleshooting methodology.

2026-07-23T21:31:48Z

Improved formatting, modernized terminology, expanded troubleshooting guidance for modern controllers while preserving the original logical troubleshooting methodology.

Admin at 14:32, 12 September 2016

2016-09-12T14:32:31Z

Admin: /* Don't Over-engineer! */

2016-09-12T14:22:46Z

Don't Over-engineer!

Admin: /* Obvious Questions to Ask */

2016-09-12T14:22:17Z

Obvious Questions to Ask

Admin: /* Obvious Questions to Ask */

2016-09-12T14:22:04Z

Obvious Questions to Ask

Admin: /* Don't Over-engineer! */

2016-09-12T14:21:36Z

Don't Over-engineer!

Admin: /* Don't Over-engineer! */

2016-09-12T14:19:19Z

Don't Over-engineer!

Admin: /* Obvious Questions to Ask */

2016-09-12T13:44:17Z

Obvious Questions to Ask

Admin: /* Obvious Questions to Ask */

2016-09-12T13:43:55Z

Obvious Questions to Ask

Admin: /* Think cause-and-effect */

2015-12-14T19:15:15Z

Think cause-and-effect

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 :"When I do ''this'', ''that'' happens" is a good start to diagnosing a problem. For example, "When I plug the controller into power, I hear a little 'pop' and the fuse blows immediately and nothing works after that." If you're like me, you'll replace the fuse and try it again, probably blowing another fuse. But trying it a third time to see if the problem goes away by itself is just dumb. So think to yourself, "What is the fuse for and what part of the circuit is it in?" Then unplug the controller from power for safety, turn it over and follow the circuit traces from the power connector to the fuse, then from the fuse to the next place, and so forth. Also follow the OTHER set of circuit traces from the other side of the power connector to the next place, to the next, and so on. What you're looking for in this example is something that's causing a short circuit, which then trips the fuse to prevent more damage. Chances are you'll find there's a wire that's come loose somewhere or you might even see a darkened/sooty area on the board where the short circuit occurred. But the concept to learn here is that electricity flows on a pathway on the circuit board. It goes from point A to point B, to point C, etc. With electricity, there is always a "source" and a "return" because without one or the other, electricity can't flow from place to place. This concept applies not only to A/C power from your wall outlet but to all the DC circuitry that's on the controller's circuit board, too. And by the way, the concept applies ANYWHERE electricity is used. So in electronics, the adage isn't "follow the money," it's "follow the electricity -- the electrical path."
-== Understand the flow of data/electricity ==
+== Follow the Signal Path ==
 :Remember the old song, "The head bone's connected to the neck bone, and the neck bone's connected to the shoulder bone, and the shoulder bone's connected to the..." etc.? With this hobby, that's a pretty good way to think of how things work when you're trying to diagnose a connectivity problem. And that's all they are, electrical connectivity problems. The data flow starts at the computer, and data is essentially a series of electrical pulses that are in a specifically organized order. So here's what happens to turn on a light:
@@ Line 26: / Line 27: @@
 :* The fuse lets the electricity flow to the light string
 :* The lights turn on
 :The point of all the above is to demonstrate that there are quite a few places along the way where things can go wrong and prevent the lights from turning on. '''When a light doesn't come on, following the electricity from one place to another as it flows through the various connection points allows you to isolate where the electricity stops flowing. When you find that place, usually by using some sort of testing tool like a meter, you know what to fix.''' Sometimes you'll find that a simple connector is the problem -- perhaps one of the wires in an RJ45 plug isn't connected to the plug's pin; other times you may find that there's a break somewhere in the wire between the two ends, or you might find that a fuse in the string's plug has blown, etc. Following the path of the electricity in a logical order is the secret to finding the problem.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:32, 12 September 2016
Line 52:		Line 52:
	*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?		*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?
	*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.		*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.
−
−	~~== Don't Over-engineer! ==~~
−	:There is a very large tendency for people in this hobby to over-think or over-engineer a project, especially when it comes to "wanting it to be perfect." People fall into this over-engineering trap during sequencing when they want a certain light to come on at exactly a certain time, not 50 milliseconds early and not 50 milliseconds late... and they spend hours on the sequence to get it "exactly" right.
−
−	:The truth of the matter is that your viewers won't notice whether it's exactly right or not -- the moments are transitory and five seconds later they won't remember that one of the lights or strings was 1/20th of a second off of perfect. Does really accurate, perfect timing in the sequence make a difference? It can. But what does ''really accurate'' or ''perfect'' mean? You have to balance these against the concept of ''good enough'' or you'll find that sequencing a song might take 10 times longer than it should.
−
−	:Likewise, whether you use a white zip tie or a black zip tie to affix a light to a prop -- it doesn't matter! At night when your show is running, the lights will be so much brighter than any background they won't even see it. Whether you use sheetrock screws or wood screws to assemble wooden displays won't matter; whether you use white PVC or gray PVC won't matter; whether you use simple box corners or mitred corners won't matter because none of that will be visible.
−
−	:Certainly, you'll take pride in your craftsmanship and such issues may matter to you, but you'll find that many times, this extra effort just takes more time, often will put you behind schedule and won't make any difference to your viewers -- the show will look the same. We're not saying you should be careless or un-safe in your construction or sequencing - NO! We are saying that you need to keep your head screwed on and be aware of the tendency to "make it perfect" or this hobby will absolutely eat-up all of your available time.
−
−	~~:Okay, you've been warned...~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 12 September 2016
Line 54:		Line 54:

	== Don't Over-engineer! ==		== Don't Over-engineer! ==
		+	:There is a very large tendency for people in this hobby to over-think or over-engineer a project, especially when it comes to "wanting it to be perfect." People fall into this over-engineering trap during sequencing when they want a certain light to come on at exactly a certain time, not 50 milliseconds early and not 50 milliseconds late... and they spend hours on the sequence to get it "exactly" right.
		+
		+	:The truth of the matter is that your viewers won't notice whether it's exactly right or not -- the moments are transitory and five seconds later they won't remember that one of the lights or strings was 1/20th of a second off of perfect. Does really accurate, perfect timing in the sequence make a difference? It can. But what does ''really accurate'' or ''perfect'' mean? You have to balance these against the concept of ''good enough'' or you'll find that sequencing a song might take 10 times longer than it should.
		+
		+	:Likewise, whether you use a white zip tie or a black zip tie to affix a light to a prop -- it doesn't matter! At night when your show is running, the lights will be so much brighter than any background they won't even see it. Whether you use sheetrock screws or wood screws to assemble wooden displays won't matter; whether you use white PVC or gray PVC won't matter; whether you use simple box corners or mitred corners won't matter because none of that will be visible.
		+
		+	:Certainly, you'll take pride in your craftsmanship and such issues may matter to you, but you'll find that many times, this extra effort just takes more time, often will put you behind schedule and won't make any difference to your viewers -- the show will look the same. We're not saying you should be careless or un-safe in your construction or sequencing - NO! We are saying that you need to keep your head screwed on and be aware of the tendency to "make it perfect" or this hobby will absolutely eat-up all of your available time.
		+
		+	:Okay, you've been warned...

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 *Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?
 *Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.
 == Don't Over-engineer! ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 12 September 2016
Line 52:		Line 52:
	*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?		*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?
	*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.		*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.
		+
		+
		+	== Don't Over-engineer! ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 12 September 2016
Line 52:		Line 52:
	*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?		*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?
	*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.		*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.
−
−	~~== [[Don't Over-engineer!]] ==~~
−
−	:There is a very large tendency for people in this hobby to over-think or over-engineer a project, especially when it comes to "wanting it to be perfect." People fall into this over-engineering trap during sequencing when they want a certain light to come on at exactly a certain time, not 50 milliseconds early and not 50 milliseconds late... and they spend hours on the sequence to get it "exactly" right.
−
−	The truth of the matter is that your viewers won't notice whether it's exactly right or not -- the moments are transitory and five seconds later they won't remember that one of the lights or strings was 1/20th of a second off of perfect. Does really accurate, perfect timing in the sequence make a difference? It can. But what does ''really accurate'' or ''perfect'' mean? You have to balance these against the concept of ''good enough'' or you'll find that sequencing a song might take 10 times longer than it should.
−
−	Likewise, whether you use a white zip tie or a black zip tie to affix a light to a prop -- it doesn't matter! At night when your show is running, the lights will be so much brighter than any background they won't even see it. Whether you use sheetrock screws or wood screws to assemble wooden displays won't matter; whether you use white PVC or gray PVC won't matter; whether you use simple box corners or mitred corners won't matter because none of that will be visible.
−
−	Certainly, you'll take pride in your craftsmanship and such issues may matter to you, but you'll find that many times, this extra effort just takes more time, often will put you behind schedule and won't make any difference to your viewers -- the show will look the same. We're not saying you should be careless or un-safe in your construction or sequencing - NO! We are saying that you need to keep your head screwed on and be aware of the tendency to "make it perfect" or this hobby will absolutely eat-up all of your available time.
−
−	~~Okay, you've been warned...~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:19, 12 September 2016
Line 54:		Line 54:

	== [[Don't Over-engineer!]] ==		== [[Don't Over-engineer!]] ==
		+
		+	:There is a very large tendency for people in this hobby to over-think or over-engineer a project, especially when it comes to "wanting it to be perfect." People fall into this over-engineering trap during sequencing when they want a certain light to come on at exactly a certain time, not 50 milliseconds early and not 50 milliseconds late... and they spend hours on the sequence to get it "exactly" right.
		+
		+	The truth of the matter is that your viewers won't notice whether it's exactly right or not -- the moments are transitory and five seconds later they won't remember that one of the lights or strings was 1/20th of a second off of perfect. Does really accurate, perfect timing in the sequence make a difference? It can. But what does ''really accurate'' or ''perfect'' mean? You have to balance these against the concept of ''good enough'' or you'll find that sequencing a song might take 10 times longer than it should.
		+
		+	Likewise, whether you use a white zip tie or a black zip tie to affix a light to a prop -- it doesn't matter! At night when your show is running, the lights will be so much brighter than any background they won't even see it. Whether you use sheetrock screws or wood screws to assemble wooden displays won't matter; whether you use white PVC or gray PVC won't matter; whether you use simple box corners or mitred corners won't matter because none of that will be visible.
		+
		+	Certainly, you'll take pride in your craftsmanship and such issues may matter to you, but you'll find that many times, this extra effort just takes more time, often will put you behind schedule and won't make any difference to your viewers -- the show will look the same. We're not saying you should be careless or un-safe in your construction or sequencing - NO! We are saying that you need to keep your head screwed on and be aware of the tendency to "make it perfect" or this hobby will absolutely eat-up all of your available time.
		+
		+	Okay, you've been warned...

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:44, 12 September 2016
Line 53:		Line 53:
	*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.		*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.

−	[[Don't ~~Overengineer~~!]]	+	== [[Don't Over-engineer!]] ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:43, 12 September 2016
Line 52:		Line 52:
	*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?		*Are there any messages on the computer screen that indicate a problem?
	*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.		*Has the computer recently been updated? If so, perhaps the update changed the way the computer works.
		+
		+	[[Don't Overengineer!]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Think cause-and-effect ==
-:"When I do ''this'', ''that'' happens" is a good start to diagnosing a problem. For example, "When I plug the controller into power, I hear a little 'pop' and the fuse blows immediately and nothing works after that." If you're like me, you'll replace the fuse and try it again, probably blowing another fuse. But trying it a third time to see if the problem goes away by itself is just dumb. So think to yourself, "What is the fuse for and what part of the circuit is it in?" Then unplug the controller from power for safety, turn it over and follow the circuit traces from the power connector to the fuse, then from the fuse to the next place, and so forth. Also follow the OTHER set of circuit traces from the other side of the power connector to the next place, to the next, and so on. What you're looking for in this example is something that's causing a short circuit, which then trips the fuse to prevent more damage. Chances are you'll find there's a wire that's come loose somewhere or you might even see a darkened/sooty area on the board where the short circuit occurred. But the concept to learn here is that electricity flows on a pathway on the circuit board. It goes from point A to point B, to point C, etc. With electricity, there is always a "source" and a "return" because without one or the other, electricity can't flow from place to place. This concept applies not only to A/C power from your wall outlet but to all the DC circuitry that's on the controller's circuit board, too. And by the way, the concept applies ANYWHERE electricity is used. So in electronics, the adage isn't "follow the money," it's "follow the electricity -- the electrical path." Remember the old song, "The foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone's connected to the leg bone, and the leg bone's connected to the knee bone, and the..."? Diagnosing an electrical problem is a lot like that.
+:"When I do ''this'', ''that'' happens" is a good start to diagnosing a problem. For example, "When I plug the controller into power, I hear a little 'pop' and the fuse blows immediately and nothing works after that." If you're like me, you'll replace the fuse and try it again, probably blowing another fuse. But trying it a third time to see if the problem goes away by itself is just dumb. So think to yourself, "What is the fuse for and what part of the circuit is it in?" Then unplug the controller from power for safety, turn it over and follow the circuit traces from the power connector to the fuse, then from the fuse to the next place, and so forth. Also follow the OTHER set of circuit traces from the other side of the power connector to the next place, to the next, and so on. What you're looking for in this example is something that's causing a short circuit, which then trips the fuse to prevent more damage. Chances are you'll find there's a wire that's come loose somewhere or you might even see a darkened/sooty area on the board where the short circuit occurred. But the concept to learn here is that electricity flows on a pathway on the circuit board. It goes from point A to point B, to point C, etc. With electricity, there is always a "source" and a "return" because without one or the other, electricity can't flow from place to place. This concept applies not only to A/C power from your wall outlet but to all the DC circuitry that's on the controller's circuit board, too. And by the way, the concept applies ANYWHERE electricity is used. So in electronics, the adage isn't "follow the money," it's "follow the electricity -- the electrical path."
 == Understand the flow of data/electricity ==