Hello,first post here but have browsed as a guest and got some good informamtion.
I must say first I am not much of a lighting guy but do some along with my sound business. I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with my controller but want to be sure I didn't overlook something.
Here's what I have: An older DMX Operator,bought used(I know it's older because looks different from new units,it's Grey)
8 PAR 56 lamps
2 4 channel dimmer packs,addressed "1" and "2"

Am I correct in assuming faders 1 through 8 should control 1 light each in sequencial order?

Here's how it works now:
FADER 1 - LAMP 1,PACK 1
FADER 2 - LAMP 2,PACK 1 AND LAMP 3,PACK 2
FADER 3 - LAMP 3,PACK 1 AND LAMP 4,PACK 2
FADER 4 - LAMP 4,PACK 1 AND LAMP 2,PACK 2
FADER 5 - LAMP 1 PACK 2
FADERS 6,7 & 8 DO NOTHING

Changing addresses at the dimmers just reverses the problem so I know it's in the board. Can this be corrected or does my board need repair?
Thanks for the help.
Scott

Well, first off, we have to establish what exactly you've got.

But, here's what I see. It sounds like you have two 4-channel dimmer packs, in 4-channel mode. This is normal. What is silly is the addressing. And what you showed me is that the addressing is definately odd.

I would have 1 dimmer pack set to 1 and the other set to 5. This is the "starting address".

That should resolve it.

Fader 1 to Pack 1, Lamp 1 makes sense.
Fadder 2 to pack 1, Lamp 2 makes sense, but Pack 2 Lamp 3 does not. The rest also sound strange untl you get to Fader 5. 6-8 sound as expected. Perhaps you just plugged some stuff i wrong.

Test your polarity switch on the DMX Operator. Re-set it to factory defaults. Chances are it's not polarity because that usually would mean DMX won't work at all. I recommend the reset to defaults just to ensure it's clean and clear.

What are the make and models of your dimmer packs?

It's not the DMX Operator. It's the dimmer packs' addressing. If they had a sticker labelling them "1" or "2" so the owner knows what is what, that's fine, but that's not the case. In this case, it's addressing of the packs. Set the one marked 2 to 5 and that should take care of it.

Welcome to the forums. Enjoy and have fun.

I'm a sound production company and I'm having to get lights to remain competitive. They can't compete with me on sound or lights anyways, but hey, I like to watch them fail.

Chris,
You nailed it!
I addressed the second pack to 5 and works fine. The manual isn't clear on this but now it makes sense.All the talk of "Scanners" and "Fixtures" confused this noob.
I was then able to program scenes and chases.
Thanks for the help.
Scott

by the way,I checked out your site and you have a sick amount of gear. rock on.

More gear is on it's way. Not much lighting gear this buy I'm afraid, but there's always later on! More wireless and wired mics and a recording system.

Digital console in 2 years!

Us sound guys gotta stick together. We're outnumbered on this site!