why do switch buttons flash?

I've installed a couple of new Saturn switches and a din rail relay on an existing C-bus installation, and programmed the switch buttons to operate the various relay channels. However, whilst the buttons do appear to be operating the channels to which they are associated, some of the buttons flash orange and blue for a couple of minutes when they are pressed. Normally I would set the buttons up so they displayed a different colour to show if they are active or not, but even if I configure the buttons to be one colour only, they still insist on flashing orange and blue for a short time. This flashing problem only occurs on a couple of the buttons on each of the new switches. I wouldn't have thought it was a faulty switch if both of the new switches are having the same flashing problem on a couple of their buttons. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what may be causing this?

 

The alternating colour flashing on the button LEDs means that there are communication problems on your network. Although it may work it will definitely be less than reliable. It's time to go through the usual checks of network voltage, only 1 burden connected, enough power supplies, cabling problems, etc.

 

The two new 6 button Saturn switches are connected to the C-bus network via a short length of CAT5 to a 2 button Saturn switch. This switch is only a couple of inches away, and appears to be working correctly. When I look at the voltage on the new switches via the C-bus toolkit software, is shows 30.2 volts, which I assume is OK. I don't really know what to look at next. I also can't understand why one button, which is driving a channel on the new relay, should work ok without flashing, whilst another button on the same switch which operates another channel on the new relay, should flash as it is doing. Does anybody have any ideas?

 

I'd suspect that your network burden settings are incorrect. You should have 1 network burden enabled on your network, not more, not less.

Older Saturn units with 1.5.00 firmware don't flash their indicators when there are communication errors, so it's quite possible that communication problems have been there all along and it's just been hidden from you.

Software-selectable burdens exist in any output unit (dimmers/relays) or systems units (PC Interfaces, Network Bridges, etc). Check the Status tab in Toolkit to confirm that only 1 unit is acting as the network burden.

A hardware plug-in burden can also be used. If this is being used then all software burdens should be turned off.

 

I thought that the c-bus system selected just one software network burden, in the same way that it selects a single network clock, if multiple clocks are enabled. Is that not the case?

I've done some more testing on the flashing switch issue, and have found that the flashing is associated with a particular channel on the relay. For instance, if I configure button 4 to operate this particular channel, rather than button 3, then the flashing button problem moves over to button 4.

This I find somewhat strange, as the relay is connected to the c-bus network via a single CAT5 segment. All relay channels are therefore using the same cable to communicate with the rest of the network. Does anybody have any idea why a particular channel may cause the flashing problem?

 

addressing error

Seems to be address mismatch.Try creating a new project and reprogram the relays and saturn. That might solve the issue.

 

That is true of the network clock, and it is true of dimmer/relay units but there are some exceptions. Things like PCI's and Network Bridges can act as a network burden at any unit address provided that their clock is enabled (regardless if it is active or not). Have you checked the burden status on the status tabs in Toolkit like I suggested?

If your other Saturn switches are using firmware 1.5.00 then they won't show you that there is a communication error.

The communication error flash is not specific to channel, it is related to communication between the microprocessors. The only thing I would add is that it's possible to get inconsistent results when the system is right on the threshold of communication, so it's still likely that your network communication is marginal.

Have you tried connecting your new switch to a completely different location on your network?

I suggest that if you don't get anywhere soon then call Tech Support as they have a bunch of steps to work through to help isolate the cause of any problem. The C-Bus Training Courses are also an excellent start in the right direction.

 

I have only just realised that there is a network bridge on the system. Also, since the switch was fitted, as well as controlling the local relays which it is supposed to do, I have been informed that certain lights are coming on when the buttons are pressed in the building next door. I'm now wondering if the C-bus control communications are being passed across the two networks, and also wondering if the flashing buttons are caused by some error, possibly due to group number duplication, across the two networks. Does anybody have and any ideas on this?

 

If the networks in the two buildings are joined by a Network Bridge then you've probably got the "Send to Adjacent Network" option turned on in the Network bridge. This will send any local network messages over to the other network. This can easily be turned off if it's not required.

The flashing LEDs only applies to communications within a single network and is not actually influenced by what group addresses actually are used. It looks at the low level communication reliability only.