# Lee Colortran ENR 96 rack issue



## scotteckers (Aug 3, 2014)

Hello lighting world,

Is anyone very familiar with the ENR series?

I went in the help a local school with their lighting and found a completely unresponsive rack. None of the dimmers respond to DMX, but the green "signal" light goes on when I connect a DMX console.

The only way to get lights to turn on (at full, of course) is to put in non-dim bypass modules and turn the breakers on. No matter what the rack is set to, the lights go on when these modules are inserted. They have been using these six working circuits like this for years! I tested the circuitry extensive and there is definitely power to the entire distribution when the non-dim modules go in...

The three phase LEDs are not on. The "power" red and yellow heat sensor LEDs are on. I tried putting the circuits in PANIC mode but that didn't work any differently. I tried turning the dip switches on and off for the low-voltage signal input on each card. I attempted to use architectural controls. Nothing worked except for ONE SPLIT SECOND when I addressed the rack to "0". The console worked for literally one second and then everything went back to the way it was.

How can power get to lights when the phase LEDs are out? Has anyone seen this before? Is it broken cards?

Help! I really know what I'm doing and I'm stuck!

Thanks,
Scott


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## scotteckers (Aug 3, 2014)

scotteckers said:


> Hello lighting world,
> 
> Is anyone very familiar with the ENR series?
> 
> ...


Epiphany... perhaps it is CMX...?


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## Scenemaster60 (Aug 3, 2014)

Exactly. As far as I know the ENR was never designed to accept a DMX signal. These used the proprietary CMX192 addressing. Get thee to a converter!

http://www.dfd.com/221e.html


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## derekleffew (Aug 3, 2014)

From http://litetrol.com/colortranENR.htm :

> ENR was a rack, which was “self-syncing”. That is, it recognized the 3 major dimmer signal types (AMX-192, DMX-512, Colortran multiplex), and “sync-ed” automatically to that particular signal. Pretty handy where a road show might come in with their own console, and like to “speak” to your dimmers!



Click the link, then give Steve a call.


Scenemaster60 said:


> ... These used the proprietary CMX192 addressing.


Let's avoid using CMX192 as a synonym for Colortran MultipleX, CMX, or D192, for assorted reasons.


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## Scenemaster60 (Aug 3, 2014)

Fair enough. My high school got one of the the very EARLY ENR systems in July of 1989. We had nothing but trouble with them, including a small fire. I assumed that these were CMX only. My bad. Carry on.

Incidentally, these were known as the "smiling" dimmers. Can anyone guess why?

Derek, your curmudgeonry never fails to amuse me! CMX it is. How many channels could CMX address???


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## BillESC (Aug 3, 2014)

We're running 192 channels of ENR dimming via DMX.

Worked on it today.


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## John Palmer (Aug 4, 2014)

Hi Scott,
I am looking through some old Colortran documentation that I have here.
I haven't found a trouble shooting section yet. Here is what I have learned.
Both control modules in the rack need to be set to the same number. Zero on the thumb wheel is the position for Rack [HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG]. Thumbwheel 1=Rack 2.
If the power light on the module is blinking there is a problem with the input power to the rack. If it is solid, it does not sense a problem.
If you put the control modules in "Test", the whole rack should power up. If it isn't, which seems to be what you are saying with the "panic" test, then the control modules are not outputting control to the dimmer modules.

When you change the rack address and it powers up, do the fans start? Are the fans running at all?
Here is what I think.
The airflow indicator being lit, means that the rack fans are not running, and therefore the control module will not turn on the dimmers so that they won't overheat and catch fire. Remember the ENRs had a problem with catching fire when they were introduced.

I will see if I can find a trouble shooting guide in my documentation.
I do have parts diagrams, so if you need new fans I should be able to get your specs.

Good luck,
John Palmer


scotteckers said:


> Hello lighting world,
> 
> Is anyone very familiar with the ENR series?
> 
> ...


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## John Palmer (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes, the airflow sensor is causing the rack to shut down.
So, either the airflow sensor is bad, or the fans are bad.
There also looks to be a 2A/250V slo-blo fuse in the shroud assembly.
From the cut sheet, "The rack shall contain one continuous duty low-noise fan with a maximum NC rating of 43..."
Unfortunately, the only other info on the fan is the Colortran part # 29645-01
Hope this helps,
John


John Palmer said:


> Hi Scott,
> I am looking through some old Colortran documentation that I have here.
> I haven't found a trouble shooting section yet. Here is what I have learned.
> Both control modules in the rack need to be set to the same number. Zero on the thumb wheel is the position for Rack [HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG]. Thumbwheel 1=Rack 2.
> ...


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## derekleffew (Aug 4, 2014)

Scenemaster60 said:


> ... How many channels could CMX address???


512. The only difference between "CMX" and DMX512 are some timing changes instituted in 1986 by USITT so that Colortran wouldn't have an "unfair" advantage. 
The 192 in D192 (aka CMX) refers to the maximum number of dimmers in a rack, unlike AMX192 where it is maximum number of dimmers in the line.


BillESC said:


> We're running 192 channels of ENR dimming via DMX.
> Worked on it today.


Huh. (Other than the plastic frames and aluminum contacts) looks an awful lot like a Sensor rack, dudn't it? I wonder why that is?


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## SteveB (Aug 4, 2014)

derekleffew said:


> 512. The only difference between "CMX" and DMX512 are some timing changes instituted in 1986 by USITT so that Colortran wouldn't have an "unfair" advantage.
> The 192 in D192 (aka CMX) refers to the maximum number of dimmers in a rack, unlike AMX192 where it is maximum number of dimmers in the line.
> 
> Huh. (Other than the plastic frames and aluminum contacts) looks an awful lot like a Sensor rack, dudn't it? I wonder why that is?



I thought that CMX only sent data for 192 dimmers. The 512 dimmer capability came with DMX ?. Memory is getting fuzzy though.

EDIT:, Never mind, just read 512.

As to the similarity between ENR and Sensor, I recall a lawsuit that ETC won and Colortran lost. David Cunningham involved ?. A Google says the suit was about Colortrans i series dimmers, yet I recall something about DC designed ENR then turned around and sold the design to ETC, which became Sensor, Colortran sued and lost, then the ENR's starting melting and Colortran went bankrupt fixing the problems as well as settling the lawsuit. 

This was all 20 years ago.


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## microstar (Aug 4, 2014)

As John Palmer says, your problem is probably airflow related since the airfow indicator is on. The airlfow sensor will shut down all of the dimmer modules until it believes proper airlfow has been restored. I once had an older install where all of the dimmers would randomly shut down for varying periods of time, then come back on. I asked the staff to run back to the dimmer room and see if the airflow light was on whenever it would happen. They reported that was exactly what was happening. Vacuuming the rack cured the problem.
So vacuum all the dimmer and control module ventilation openings. You may have dust buildup blocking the airflow sensor in the bottom left of the rack behind the left control module I think. 

The best way is to power down the rack THEN remove the left control module and carefully inspect and clean the area around the sensor. Sometimes if the control module is seated slightly askew, it will cause an airflow error. Removing and replacing it can fix the problem. CAUTION: If you have a Viewpoint control module, DO NOT power down the rack or remove it unless you are absolutely certain you have a backup memory card or the Viewpoint configuration is backed up on a PC with serial port. All of your houselight stations may suddenly become useless! 
If cleaning does not cure the problem, turn OFF ALL dimmer breakers and push in the test switch. The fan should start running. If it doesn't, either the fan is bad or the fan fuse is blown.


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## microstar (Aug 4, 2014)

SteveB said:


> I thought that CMX only sent data for 192 dimmers. The 512 dimmer capability came with DMX ?. Memory is getting fuzzy though.
> 
> EDIT:, Never mind, just read 512.
> 
> ...



In the book Let There Be Light, in an interview with Robert Bell, DC specifically states that the ENR's melting problem did NOT cause the Colortran bankruptcy (page 97). Interestingly, he paid for half of the dimmer rack buss bar retrofits that fixed the problem. However, it did cause ill-will between DC and Colortran. DC and ETC won a big patent and royalty lawsuit against Colortran which basically bankrupted the company. Very interesting book.


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## SteveB (Aug 4, 2014)

microstar said:


> In the book Let There Be Light, in an interview with Robert Bell, DC specifically states that the ENR's melting problem did NOT cause the Colortran bankruptcy (page 97). Interestingly, he paid for half of the dimmer rack buss bar retrofits that fixed the problem. However, it did cause ill-will between DC and Colortran. DC and ETC won a big patent and royalty lawsuit against Colortran which basically bankrupted the company. Very interesting book.



Thanks for the info.

I always lamented the demise of the independent Colortran. They made (and still make) a number of decent products - 1kw 6" fresnels that Altman would have done well to copy, the 15-30 1kw zoom that had the best lamp alignment system of any ellipsoidal ever produced, D192 dimmers that 25 years later are still bombproof, even the much maligned Prestige consoles, that were (IMO) the easiest and most operator friendly desks I've ever used.

Sad to see them not remain a major player in the business.


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## FMEng (Aug 5, 2014)

Fans are a high failure item in any electronic equipment. At least they are generally standard sizes and voltages so that finding a replacement to fit should not require parts from the manufacturer. CFM ratings will be in the ballpark if the physical size is the same. If you have a choice, choose ball bearings over sleeve bearings. Newark Electronics is where I do most of my fan buying.


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## Mark A Knight (May 31, 2016)

scotteckers said:


> Hello lighting world,
> 
> Is anyone very familiar with the ENR series?
> 
> ...



For anyone out there that needs support on the Colortran ENR, NSI Topaz, and/or Leviton Topaz Dimming and Control Lines, we are able to help! I am sorry that I was not on Control Booth in 2014 when the help was really needed, but I can answer any and all questions regarding these products. In addition, you can order replacement parts at www.goknight.com for these systems. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you. Mark Knight


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## JimP0771 (May 27, 2017)

I know this response is very late. But it does seem to me that you need to clean the rack and check the air flow modules on the control mods. It to me feels like the rack is doing that to keep from over loading. The ENR Rack I have came from my High School. We would have the same problem where the rack would shut down because of dust. For matter of fact back in 2004 we were in the middle of a performance of the musical Grease and the lighting board operator was not able to get any response from the system. We luckily still in intermission when this happened and were able to shut down the system and vacuum it out and it started working again with no problems the rest of the performances or weekend of performances.


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## EdSavoie (Sep 7, 2018)

Seeing as this thread has been left alone awhile, I figured I may as well post my recent ENR Woes.

A friend in my College program has invited me to come help him setup lighting for a community production of les miserables, he told me he's been unable to get the new console to talk to the dimmer.

The old console, an ETC Express 24/48, has no issues communicating with the dimmer at full speed, but refuses to work when the signal is first passed through an elation 4 way opto. Everything after on the DMX chain still works.

The new console, so help me god, is a Leprecon XC-350.
I've also attempted to use a uDMX USB adaptor, which worked with everything except this dimmer, despite being a rather slow 30Hz output.

It's a pair of 24 channel ENR units, with control modules 2102.

I've learned two things while trying to fix this:
1) The XC-350 is an atrocious console. It consistently decides to lag behind any live inputs, and has no configuration options to speak of.

2) ENRs are finicky things, aren't they...

My best guess is that these "Universal" ENR controllers aren't happy with the DMX Timings on the newer devices.


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## Amiers (Sep 7, 2018)

EdSavoie said:


> Seeing as this thread has been left alone awhile, I figured I may as well post my recent ENR Woes.
> 
> A friend in my College program has invited me to come help him setup lighting for a community production of les miserables, he told me he's been unable to get the new console to talk to the dimmer.
> 
> ...



Are you doubling down on the dimmer line with other things. 

Did you try to run console straight to the dimmers?


If you want to spend money you could try one of these. 
http://response-box.com/gear/decabox-midi-to-dmx-bridge/

Run dmx out of the xc350 into box and out midi to expression. Then control the dimmers that way. Super sketchy left wing but could work.


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## EdSavoie (Sep 9, 2018)

We've tried driving the dimmer directly from the console and dongle, as well as in a chain.

Now by the time I buy a midi-DMX box, i may as well get a DMX-CMX translator.


I happen to heave heard back from Leprecon support.

Their suggestion to get it working is to overload the console with outputs (they said two full universes) in order to slow the whole system down enough that the timings sync up with the ENR.

Does that strike anyone else as slightly insane?


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## Amiers (Sep 9, 2018)

I mean in theory it should work. But it’s just that a theory. As I doubt they hooked up a XC350 to a ENR rack and overloaded they console to slow it down. 

The problem is do you have enough fixtures or devices to overload it that you can run constantly in order to you or dimmers syncing. 

The more I thought about this today I would say maybe roll in a portable if you have to hookups and swing the circuits over if possible. 

If not then I think a DMX CMX might be your best bet. The dmx midi box is super left field from the hip.


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## Geoffrey L Bryan (Sep 9, 2018)

We have a Colortran ENR 96 dimmer rack at my church in the Los Angeles area (came from an attraction at Universal Studios) and we are having this problem: The control cards keep thinking there is no air flow, even though the fan is running just fine at full tilt and there is obvious air intake through the vent ports on the dimmer modules. The symptom is that periodically the lights will all flicker down to zero, then a few seconds later flicker back up to full brightness. The airflow lights on the control cards light up when this happens. There is no obstruction of the cabinet and the ambient temperature is not excessive where the cabinet is installed.

I am assuming there is some kind of vane or sensor inside the cabinet that measures air flow, and that it has dust buildup or something. Or maybe it is failing and needs replacement. Where would I look for that sensor? I am hoping not to have to pull all the dimmer and filler modules out to go hunting for this. 

There doesn't seem to be any mechanism on the control cards themselves for measuring air flow, which is why I'm assuming there is something elsewhere in the cabinet.

All help gratefully accepted.

Geoff Bryan


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## BillConnerFASTC (Sep 9, 2018)

You have it exactly correct - vane in airstream and dust/dirt collects on it and it sags. Needs to be pushed up by airflow. I think near top of rack but not sure.


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## Mac Hosehead (Sep 9, 2018)

I am not aware of a vane in an ENR rack. There is an air-flow sensor in the control modules directly behind some small grill openings to allow for air to pass. The sensor is round and similar to what is used in a ETC Sensor Classic processor. The sensors can collect dust and not read the temperature correctly but can also be defective and need to be replaced.

In addition to the air-flow sensors, there is another sensing mechanism that can cause the symptoms that have been observed. There is a speed sensor in the main fan at the top. If the speed of the fan drops below a certain point then it will cause an air-flow situation that will shut down the rack or make lights flicker. If this fan ever needs to be replaced then it will need to be one that has this sensor built-in.


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## Geoffrey L Bryan (Sep 9, 2018)

Mac Hosehead said:


> There is an air-flow sensor in the control modules directly behind some small grill openings to allow for air to pass. The sensor is round and similar to what is used in a ETC Sensor Classic processor. The sensors can collect dust and not read the temperature correctly but can also be defective and need to be replaced.


I saw small grill openings on the left side of the two controller cards, but at first glance wasn't sure there was any kind of sensor in there. Obviously I'll have to take another look!

I'm hoping we don't have to replace the fan up top because that looks like a pricey item.

Thanks to both you and @BillConnerFASTC for your responses. I'm more of an audio guy so the lighting controls are somewhat foreign territory for me. 

GLB


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## BillConnerFASTC (Sep 9, 2018)

I may be thinking D192, not ENR. Sorry.


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## RonHebbard (Sep 9, 2018)

Geoffrey L Bryan said:


> I saw small grill openings on the left side of the two controller cards, but at first glance wasn't sure there was any kind of sensor in there. Obviously I'll have to take another look!
> 
> I'm hoping we don't have to replace the fan up top because that looks like a pricey item.
> 
> ...


 *@Geoffrey L Bryan @BillConnerFASTC @Mac Hosehead* All of my time maintaining ENR's was with an adjoining bussed pair of 12 module / 24 dimmer racks installed in a newly constructed producing theatre for house and work lights in 1990.
I'll speak to three points.
*1;* The racks were initially installed with aluminum main busses which were upgraded to copper by Colortran within the system's first year of operation.
*2;* I too have never seen a vane style airflow sensor in an ENR rack.
*3;* The sensors I became familiar with were located behind two or three small ventilation slots in the front lower left corner of each rack. I always found the way the sensors worked _interesting_ in that they employed a small heating coil to raise the temperature of an electronic sensor above a trip point and depended upon air-flow through the two or three small vents to keep the temperature sensor from reaching its trip point. Part of the theory was if you left any dimmers or blank modules out of the rack, air would enter via the larger opening and less air would flow past the sensor thus it would know if you tried to run the rack with any modules not fully inserted.
*BOTTOM LINE:* (On this point) Keep the two or three small ventilation slots in the lower left front corners of the racks open and free of dust. If the air-flow is tripping, stand a large fan directly in front of the two or three small ventilation slots and your system will likely work fine for days on end. [Ours did.]
When Colortran paid for a team of electrical contractors to tour North America replacing aluminum main busses with copper, in our case they also added the oft' mentioned Hall Effect sensors to the four fans, in the tops of our bussed twin racks.
From memory, Colortran footed the invoices for 17 service calls to our racks by their Eastern Canada servicing and commissioning contractor plus an overnight visit by a fellow from California who finally got to the root of our installation's main problem but that's a whole other matter involving the two control trays leaving the factory with different generations of software loaded on their two PROM's, E-PROM's or whatever their correct acronym is.
Once the magical Hall Effect sensors had been added, and we were still having over-temperature problems, I asked a visiting service tech' how long it took for the Hall Effect sensors to activate. The short answer was he didn't honestly know and had been told a variety of answers ranging from near instantaneously to minutes. I found Chris Mentis' test interesting, honest and informative. Chris stopped the fans, inserted a nutdriver or screwdriver into each of the four fans then we re-powered the racks and enjoyed a refreshing can of juice while we watched and waited for the Hall Effect sensors to complain about the four stalled fans. So far as either of us could tell, the Hall Effect sensors neither noticed nor minded that the fans were stalled. So long as we kept air flowing past the sensors in the front lower left corners the racks kept on working.
The team of crack specialists that Colortran sent across North America replacing aluminum busses with copper and adding Hall Effect sensors pinched a small gauge (approximately #22 copper) conductor behind one of the newly installed copper main busses resulting in the insulation melting off the light gauge wire and a small, smelly, fire which apparently burnt itself out with little damage other than a few scorch marks. At least the fans stopped when the wire fused thus I guess this was _"feature"_.
I could go on and ON and *ON* about my love and lack of for Colortran's ENR racks. *E*lectronic *N*oise *R*eduction. 
No! Don't do it! * Please* don't wind me up, it's not good for my blood pressure. 
*EDIT:* Inserted an inadvertently omitted word. 
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## John Palmer (Sep 9, 2018)

Hi Geoff,
The sensor in the control module is a "SAF1005 100fpm".
It is soldered to the underside of the PCB in three spots with a resistor connected to one.
I HIGHLY recommend powering down dimmer racks before doing any service.
You could try using a vacuum to clean out any dust and dirt. If you remove the module after powering the rack down, you could try canned air as well. You DO NOT want to blow air into a powered dimmer rack.
If you want to get your rack serviced, I would recommend a call to Kinetic Lighting in Glendale.
If you need documentation, I have a wealth of information on the ENRs. You are welcome to come visit me in Cerritos and copy any of it that you might find useful.
Take care,
John


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## Geoffrey L Bryan (Sep 11, 2018)

Just wanted to post an update on this issue. 

Mark Knight (who invited inquiries about Colortran issues in an earlier post above) spent a fair amount of time with me on the phone to discuss what we were experiencing. He agreed that it was probably the SAF1005 air flow sensors as noted above by @John Palmer and @RonHebbard. He proposed a simple test: Block the ventilation grill on the front left of each control module, and see how long it takes for the yellow "air flow" warning light to come on. He stated that on a properly functioning unit, it should take 6 or 7 seconds. If it's more like 1 or 2 seconds, the sensor is failing.

Well, I tried the test last night and I could not even get to "one thousand and one" counting the time period. The yellow light would come on almost immediately on each control card. In fact, I would say that both cards were hovering on the edge of air flow shutdown -- the slightest interruption would trigger them.

So, we have ordered replacement sensors and hope to have the system working normally again soon.

Thanks again to everyone who responded.

Geoff


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## Geoffrey L Bryan (Sep 13, 2018)

We ordered the new SAF1005 sensors on Tuesday from Knight Sound & Lighting, and they arrived today (Thursday). I installed them in the control cards, and the airflow shutdown issue is now completely a non-issue. Whereas before the system would shut down almost immediatly with any blockage of the control card vent grille, now is takes about 10 seconds for the airflow shutdown to occur.

Regrettably, a new issue has surfaced: The "Rack No." thumbwheel on one of the units is showing its age, and it has to be carefully positioned to avoid light flickering from bad switch contact continuity. Sheesh. I don't know whether it's worth replacing the thumbwheels, or whether it would be feasible to simply hardwire jumper wires to permanently select "0" (zero) since we will never need the capability to change this setting. Anyone ever deal with this issue?

GLB


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## FMEng (Sep 13, 2018)

The switch might be resurrected by flooding it with DeoxIT D5 and exercising it. Follow the cleaning with DeoxIT G5 protectant. 

Jumpering the appropriate contacts on the solder pads should work fine, too. You'd have to ohm out the switch while its working, or look up the specs if it marked well enough to identify it. My guess is that zero closes four contacts to the common, assuming it's a 0-9 selector.


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