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Abstract VR8R Microcontroller Needed

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maboytim View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 April 2016 at 4:07am
I am repairing an Abstract VR8R light.  It was a real basket case but I have it all working but in the process of repairing I blew one port on the micro (8 outputs which control two steppers).  Other than for these two motors (shutter (opens/closes to pass/block light) and the gobo select) the micro seems to work okay.
 
Lektrix can provide a replacement micro but for more than I am willing to spend.  Instead I am planning to drive those two motors with a small micro of my own which I have working, I am just waiting to receive my small PCB so that I can mount it inside the light on the controller board and call it done.  My micro will just select a random gobo at random intervals, and close the shutter while the gobo is changing.
 
However, I would prefer to just replace the micro so I'm wondering if anyone has a micro they would sell from a non-working light.  I suspect this is a long shot but I saw some other posts about VR8 repair so I figured I would ask.  Mine is the VR8R (rotating gobo model).
 
Thanks,
 
Matt
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mk2_ginger_biscuit69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 April 2016 at 11:59am
keep an eye on ebay, these come up very frequently due to their love of breaking! Lovely lights when they work i used to own a few [always one or two on the bench!]
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maboytim View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maboytim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 April 2016 at 12:26pm
Ebay in the US or ebay in the UK?  They seem to be pretty common in the UK but I don't see many in the US.  I have seen some on craigslist - in fact, there is a guy with several working and two non-working that I have contacted but after working on this one I would rather repair his two if I get them rather than robbing the micro from one.
 
This light had obviously many many hours on it.  Seems like the fan must have quit and it overheated which caused the steppers to fail (seems like the stator plastic got melty enough for the strong magnets to suck them into the rotor).  The bulb and igniter were also bad.
 
The micro wasn't initially bad but I'm not familiar with steppers and the ones I bought initially were very low resistance - they were marked 5V which concerned me so I measured the resistance which was low corresponding to 5V but the seller said they would work up to 24V (the VR8 is about 18V).  I figured they would probably 'work' but get hot fast and the driver IC was probably current limited anyway - but I was wrong, the driver IC blew immediately taking out the 8 micro lines with it, but luckily not the whole micro.
 
We have never seen this light work.  It was at a roller skating rink when new owners took it over, and they asked if I could fix it.  I never skated there before the new owners took over because we had a rink here in town, but it closed so I started going to this other rink (about 30 miles away) and got to know the owners and have been helping out fixing video games and a few lights - whatever I can to help keep this one open.
 
What sorts of problems are common then?  Given that it seemed to have so many hours on it (based on amount of dust and fading/brittling of the internal plastic parts) I figured once I got it going it would be pretty reliable.  My biggest concern is the fan quitting causing another meltdown.
 
Thanks,
 
Matt
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote James Tengo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 April 2016 at 1:18pm
Give these guys a shout, I believe they had a hand in designing the units and are pretty friendly chaps http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk/about.htm They might not be a source for chips but could help with more info
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maboytim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 April 2016 at 2:01pm
Thanks James.  I think though that Lektrix was spun out of Abstract and/or Sabre and on Sabre's website under Tech Support they direct you to Lektrix for Abstract parts and service.  But I will contact them anyway.  I had seen the Sabre marking on the PCB.
 
Lektrix can provide the micro, it's just more than we are willing to spend - I can get a whole non-working light (hopefully with a good micro) for less than the cost of the replacement micro, if I am patient enough to wait for one.  I understand repair parts come at a premium but the light working after I install the new micro is worth less than the cost of the micro to get it working.
 
Stephen at Lektrix has been super friendly and helpful and I would like to by the micro from them but it's just not rational.  The light was a basket case to start with, it may fail again in two weeks.
 
I'm sure there are a lot of dead lights out there with good donor micros, but they're not easy to find.
 
Matt
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kedwardsleisure Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2016 at 9:30pm
Tim at Sabre may send you the micro code if you ask him nicely, the VR8 were AFAIK an entirely Sabre design. You'd just need some way of burning the code into a new micro. Worth a try?
Kevin

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maboytim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2016 at 1:50am
Yeah the PCB says Sabre and maybe the sticker on the micro before I ruined the sticker trying to remove it.
 
The relationship between Sabre, Abstract, and Lektrix is unclear - Lektrix might be some ex Abstract and/or Sabre folks.  I would think it's a pretty small tight knit group.
 
I haven't tried to contact Sabre but I guess it's worth a shot.  Programming the micro's not a problem - I could even arrange for Tim to remote to my PC to program it remotely himself.
 
Only one port of the micro is bad which runs two of the motors.  My solution so far is to drive that port instead with an MSP430 which is programmed just to do some random stuff.  There is a company OSH Park that charges $5 per square inch for 3 PCB's so I made a small PCB (less than one square inch) for the micro and associated components.  While I was waiting on the PCB I dead-bugged the micro in and the light has been in service for two to three weeks so far  I've since received the PCB and need to pull the light to remove the dead-bug and install the PCB.  I'll see if I can upload a picture of the PCB.
 
My preference though is still to replace the actual micro - I give Tim a shot.
 
Thanks,
 
Matt
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dmx256 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 November 2016 at 7:48am
Have you sorted this yet mate? I may have a complete pcb spare
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maboytim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 November 2016 at 3:44pm
Hi,
 
Thanks for the reply.  I haven't yet found a replacement for the microcontroller.  Only one port on the microcontroller is blown which controls two of the motors so I made a small PCB with a small microcontroller running code to step these two motors.  The motors control the gobo selection and the shutter - my micro steps clockwise through all the gobos then counterclockwise and then repeats.  When stepping clockwise the shutter is open except when changing gobos and when stepping counterclockwise it swings the shutter back and forth making a strobe-like effect.  The light is used in a roller skating rink and they have just the one so it's not like they're trying to sync up multiple lights, so they're plenty satisfied with what I did.  I had been watching ebay and craigslist but once I put the light into service I stopped looking.
 
I'd still be interested in getting a replacement micro at a reasonable price, but I probably wouldn't swap it until I would have to take the light down again for some other reason.  So let me know.
 
Thanks again,
 
Matt
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kedwardsleisure Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 November 2016 at 10:35pm
AFAIK the relationship is that Lektrix took on the spares stock and repairs when Abstract gave up making disco lights. They're both in the same part of the country. (Leicestershire, East Midlands). Sabre designed alot of the boards for abstract's disco stuff and did the entire VR8 under contract. They are in Hull, in the north east of the country.

this is Tim Mitchell's email address, I think he wrote the firmware for the VR8

tim@sabretechnology.co.uk

Kevin

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maboytim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 November 2016 at 4:01am
Thanks for the information but I think I chased that lead as far as I could.  They can provide a micro but at a cost more than the light is worth.  My only realistic option is to find a used micro.
 
Matt
 
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