Troubleshooting Crestron in Los Angeles for over 10 years
Need Help With Crestron? INC Tech’s Crestron certified programmers excel at troubleshooting Crestron in Los Angeles and can help with existing Crestron System bugs.
As we build our “future-proof” homes, offices and classrooms of tomorrow, a few mysteries remain, which is where troubleshooting Crestron in Los Angeles comes into play. Somehow, the amount of equipment utilized has shrunk, but yet, we are capable of doing more than ever before with just one Crestron system panel.
Home and Conference Room Automation technology is focused on streamlining system connections and processing into single boxes which do multitasking functions. Our automation partner, Crestron’s DMPS series, offers a variety of multimedia controllers. At INC Technologies, we are very familiar with building these multimedia systems, even as Crestron’s line of equipment grows. However, sometimes laymen struggle with controlling or trouble-shooting Crestron systems. With more functionality of the equipment and higher system expectations from customers the control panels for the systems have become complex. At INC Technologies with follow some basic troubleshooting and commissioning AV control systems that may be helpful for troubleshooting Crestron setup if you are trying to do it yourself.
- To aid in future troubleshooting any AV system, we always believe in the importance of accurate documentation. A detailed set of drawings including audio, video control, power, rack elevations, conduit runs if applicable, as well as any pertinent notes pertaining to the system should be created before/during/after installation. The note field should contain things like IP and Mac addresses, 232 pinouts for specific equipment, wire colors and pinouts for any custom cables made. Don’t be sloppy – labelling should be clear and legible. We know that others may use these documents to troubleshoot Crestron systems later.
- We highly recommend testing all cables before the problem assumed to be equipment failure. A Cat5 tester, audio and video signal generator and a multi meter are a A/V system’s go to tools. We also always recommend carrying a couple of “good” Cat5 cables & Db9 serial cables to swap out for the ones in the system.
- One of our time savers is called a Patch Bay. A patch bay enables you to change the signal flow among the devices in your studio without having to crawl behind all your gear and unplug/replug your cables. In addition to eliminating that hassle, patch bays save wear and tear on the jacks of your equipment. Audio patch bays are switchboards for rerouting audio signals; there are also MIDI patch bays for—you guessed it—rerouting MIDI signals. Having these connections at the front of the rack saves having to get behind it to reroute or bypass pieces of equipment for troubleshooting.
- Color-coded jacks and wire, as well as labeling, will also reduce confusion and help keep signal use and types straight.
- Do not change more than one variable at a time. If you change more than one, you don’t know which change modified the behavior (for good, or bad)
At INC Technologies, when we are helping someone with their originally installed system, we have a system for troubleshooting Crestron. We don’t immediately assume that the Crestron touch panel is the root cause of the issue (Crestron is one of the best in the business and their equipment is meant to last). We always employ methodical troubleshooting to determine if the touch panel itself is causing the issue, or if it is simply displaying a failure symptom of the device it is connected to. For example, if you can’t switch media sources on a display, is it the touch screen or the switcher?
Finally, after driving across Los Angeles to help, we never assume a problem is fixed without vigorously exercising the system after corrective action has been taken. You may have only reduced the occurrence of an issue, or perhaps have inadvertently introduced another issue elsewhere. If you don’t have the time or the experience to walk through these steps, we are an authorized Crestron repair service provider for all of Los Angeles, and we would be happy to help.
