Check whether MagicQ is operating correctly by opening the Outputs Window and looking at the data in View Heads. If the intensity or other attributes are not at their correct levels then check:
If the Outputs Window shows correct values then check the Outputs are configured and enabled correctly in the View DMX I/O view of the Setup Window. If you are using an Ethernet convertor box check that it is receiving data correctly. Check:
Try putting a test pattern on the entire DMX output - in DMX I/O set the test field to Ramp. The Outputs, View Chans, View DMX shows exactly what is being output on each universe.
Is the time changing in the Status Display? If so then MagicQ is running o.k. Check
If the time is not changing then you will have to perform a hard reset on the console.
Check memory usage in Setup, View System, View Status. Try
Enter board test mode to determine the cause of the fault press CTRL + ALT + SHIFT keys to enter and exit this mode. On older MQ100 Series console press the SHIFT buttons either side of the display together.
There are quite a few different reasons for the console not to boot - it could be a problem with the system operating system software or a hardware problem.
If the console is cycling the boot sequence continually or showing "kernel panic" then this normally indicates a hardware problem. Get a qualified service technician to remove the rear panel and reseat cables and processor daughter card (transition card). On a Pro 2014 console if the console is showing "lynxfb" then get a qualified service technician to remove the rear panel and remove the graphics card from underneath the processor module.
Check out the Software Upgrade section for repair of the operating system.
When the BIOS settings are lost on the MQ80 console the internal display will not function, this can also cause MagicQ to not start correctly. An indication that this has happened would be when the console is powered on the blue soft button LEDs either side of the display illuminate, but the console display remains blank. To reset BIOS settings on the MQ80 console an external monitor and a USB keyboard connected to the lower Neutrik USB port are required.
Once connected:
Note these settings are for the MQ80 console only and should not be used on ANY other MagicQ console. A BIOS update is available to default the correct settings if BIOS setting are lost in future - contact ChamSys support to obtain this.
If the console is not correctly shutdown or for some reason MagicQ is not closed correctly (for example by using the reset button on the console), the console may boot into the GNU GRUB display pictured below. To boot MagicQ when in this state a USB keyboard is required, connect a USB keyboard to the console and select the top option MagicOS4 GNU/Linux using the cursor keys on the keyboard and press Enter to select to boot this option. The console should then boot MagicQ and start correctly. When the console has booted into the GNU GRUB display do NOT attempt to reset the console by power cycling or resetting the console as this will cause damage to the consoles Solid State Drive.
MagicQ MQ50, MQ70 and MQ250M consoles feature a Recovery Mode allowing for the operating system to be re-installed. The Recovery button is located on the rear of the consoles. Recovery should only be used if the console is powering on, but MagicQ is not starting. Note the use of Recovery mode may erase user show files during the process.
To use Recovery:
If console doesn’t boot into MagicQ after following the above these steps can be followed:
MQ40/60 series consoles feature an OS recovery mode. When powering on the console the s buttons should light in sequence and then start flashing until MagicQ has started. If MagicQ does not start this may indicate a problem with the OS.
Recovery should only be used if the console is powering on, but MagicQ is not starting.
To recover the OS on these consoles:
If the console continue to not boot after this contact ChamSys Support
If the screen is blank then this may be because of the screen saver. Try pressing SHIFT.
If the screen remains blank even after pressing buttons then try holding CTRL and pressing the X Encoder wheel soft button (Illuminated button closest to the X encoder wheel) twice. This attempts to restart the screen backlight.
The screen may have been turned off and locked by a user. Press CTRL and the second soft button down on the left (soft button B). If this does not help then press CTRL and the second soft button a second time.
If the screen still remains blank then try connecting an external monitor.
Avoid using the white reset button to shut down the console - hold down the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut down the console.
MagicQ console white screen indicates that the display has power but no data signal. This could be because the main processor has halted or because the display signal cable is broken/disconnected.
Try pressing S buttons. If the blue LED follows the S button then the main processor is running correctly - check display cable. Get a qualified service technician to open the console to verify this.
If the S buttons are not responding then it is likely there is a bad connection in the rear panel. Get a qualified service technician to remove the rear panel and reseat the power and disc cables and ensure processor daughter card (transition card) is firmly pressed onto the processor card.
Avoid using the white reset button to shut down the console - use the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut down the console.
If the screen image is distorted, has multiple lines through it or has incorrect colours then this indicates that the graphics hardware has not started correctly.
Hold the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut down the console.
If all 10 S buttons are flashing blue this indicates that the console front panel is not communicating with the console main processor.
This could be caused by a problem with the console main processor or the cable/connection between the console main processor and the console front panel. If the main processor is running and showing MagicQ on the screen then the problem is with the cable/connection.
It is possible to check whether the main processor is running:
Note that on a MQ100/200/300 the touch screen is controlled through the front panel so the touch will not work in this situation. Connect an external mouse to click items on the screen.
To shut down the console use a mouse, or if there is no output on the screen using the reset button.
As the front panel is not communicating with the main processor it will not be able to shut down using buttons on the front panel.
If none of the buttons and faders are working then check that the front panel is running ok. If there are no LEDs lit on the front panel then it is possible that the front panel is not running correctly.
On MQ500, MQ100 series console and Playback and Execute Wings there are 4 LEDs underneath the arm-rest. The red LED indicates power whilst the green LED should flash to indicate that the front panel CPU is running. The two yellow LEDS show messages from/to the front panel. One of them should turn on when you move faders, the other should flash periodically when it receives messages from the console main processor.
This is caused by using the *777 Erase all function on MagicQ console is versions prior to v1.5.9.2.
To fix:
Go to Setup, file manager and press the up dir soft button a number of times. This will then take you into the root folder (folders will appear on screen). Find the folder called home go into it Create a folder called magicq. Using the Create Dir soft button. Restart the console.
If you get a message on Mac about incorrect permissions, please try the following steps:
If you still see this error message, perform a clean install of MagicQ:
If MagicQ is failing to start on Linux, try running it from the command line (with /opt/magicq/runmagicq.sh). If errors appear similar to the following:
libGL error: MESA-LOADER: failed to open swrast (search paths /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri:\$${ORIGIN}/dri:/usr/lib/dri) libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
Then this is likely caused by your graphics drivers being built for a newer version of libc than MagicQ is distributed with. Try renaming /opt/magicq/lib/libstdc
.so.6 to libstdc.so.6~ (this may require root) and running again; this will allow MagicQ to use the system version of libstdc
.so.6. If this fails, rename the file back again and contact support.