Replacing fried NI-3100
dbwells
Posts: 1
Hi, longtime programmer, but new to AMX.
I am trying to help a local theater group whose setup was hit by lightning. One part not working is an NI 3100 from circa 2010.
I opened the unit and the main board is scorched in one spot, not much hope for it. I noticed it had compact flash inside, so we bought a second used unit hoping to swap the card and retain the programming.
This seems to have sorta worked, but not quite. For example, it seems the IP address of the old unit was not retained. Does that seem accurate? I see how to set that, but I am not sure what else is or isn’t working yet, as I am not 100% sure how it acted before the storm.
For these units, are some parts of the programming stored on the CF, and other parts somewhere else? Is it sensible to try to transplant in this way? What other changes do I need to make or watch out for?
Any tips would be appreciated. I don’t mind a little work if this can be successful, but if the plan is unworkable, that would be nice to know as well.
Thanks in advance!
I am trying to help a local theater group whose setup was hit by lightning. One part not working is an NI 3100 from circa 2010.
I opened the unit and the main board is scorched in one spot, not much hope for it. I noticed it had compact flash inside, so we bought a second used unit hoping to swap the card and retain the programming.
This seems to have sorta worked, but not quite. For example, it seems the IP address of the old unit was not retained. Does that seem accurate? I see how to set that, but I am not sure what else is or isn’t working yet, as I am not 100% sure how it acted before the storm.
For these units, are some parts of the programming stored on the CF, and other parts somewhere else? Is it sensible to try to transplant in this way? What other changes do I need to make or watch out for?
Any tips would be appreciated. I don’t mind a little work if this can be successful, but if the plan is unworkable, that would be nice to know as well.
Thanks in advance!
0
Comments
In general, I would expect the core program to live on the SD card. Some persistent variables may have been stored in nonvolatile ram, but there should be a mechanism for setting these again if needed. An example would be a preferred turn-on volume for a display. I have written these in the past to allow the user to press-and-hold the volume level if they want to store it as the default turn-on volume.
If I were to walk onsite into this situation, I think these are the steps I would perform.
1) Identify the new IP of the replacement unit.
2) If the old IP was known, change to the replacement controller to match the original
3) If there is a touchpanel in the project, I would check to ensure it is connecting to the new controller. If the old IP were set, this connectivity should be restored. If a new IP was used,you may need to point the panel to the new controller IP. There is an AUTO setting for the panel connection and it may have already found the new IP.
4) The Ni-3100 will have two different firmwares to check - I would ensure they are at the latest.
https://trade.amx.com/legacy/products/NI-3100.asp -- may require a login to download. We can send to you if needed.
5) I would finally step through the touch panel buttons to see what is and is not working. Considering the power event, was there a catastrophic failure that made its way through the controller to connected devices and damaged those end points as well.
No login required for these downloads:
https://www.amx.com/en-US/softwares/ni-series-x100-device-firmware-v1-30-8
https://www.amx.com/en-US/softwares/ni-series-x100-duet-v-4-master-firmware-v4-1-419
Also note if the system is using IR for any control, those codes are not always stored in the program. If they were individually loaded into the IR banks, they will not be present in the new unit. Retrieving them from a dead NI isn't going to be possible...