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High End Systems Lonestar troubleshooting
The High End Systems Lonestar problems live-event techs bring to Ask Roadie most (also called Lone Star). Pick your symptom, or describe your own in plain words, and get the likeliest fix first, with the manual page when there is one.
Common Lonestar errors & problems
What techs run into most, and what's usually behind it. The step-by-step fix for your exact unit is in Ask Roadie.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Electrical / power planning: how many Lonestars per circuit and what draw to expect
Likely cause: Sizing circuits off the 615W/6.2A figure (not the 290W engine rating) and respecting the power-thru limit prevents nuisance breaker trips and inrush issues when daisy-chaining.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Firmware: current version and how to update / backward-compat caveat
Likely cause: Running the current build (and a uniform version across the rig) closes known homing/position bugs; knowing the 1.4.1 one-way gate prevents a failed downgrade attempt.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Gobo will not spin — console "spins" the gobo wheel instead of rotating the gobo
Likely cause: The Lonestar separates gobo-wheel selection from gobo index/rotate; mismatched or outdated console profiles address the wrong parameter.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Head flops / tilt slams to end stop when power is disconnected while hanging
Likely cause: Parking tilt near its balance point before killing power removes the gravity moment that drives the head to the stop; it is a workflow fix, not a repair.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Pan Coarse error / pan not centered (not "fifty-fifty") after homing
Likely cause: Closing the sensor-to-magnet air gap lets the Hall sensor read true home, so pan calibrates to center instead of throwing a coarse error.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Physical specs: weight, size, IP rating, mounting for rigging/case planning
Likely cause: Accurate weight and IP rating drive truss load math, clamp selection, and keeping an IP20 fixture out of weather.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Reading errors at power-up / when a reset will not clear a fault
Likely cause: Distinguishing a self-clearing homing error from a persistent (service-required) fault saves time — and the temp/fan readouts localize thermal shutdowns vs mechanical faults.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Setup / control: addressing, DMX channel count, modes, connectors, protocols
Likely cause: Getting the mode (Standard vs Trifusion) and 48-channel footprint right on both fixture and console is the 1 cause of parameters landing on the wrong channel; RDM/terminator basics prevent data dropouts.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Tilt Coarse error / positions off after powercycle or global reset (off a few degrees up to 45 deg)
Likely cause: The fault was a firmware homing bug, not mechanical; the 1.6.6 fix plus clearing stale error history resolves it.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Zoom focus error / zoom will not travel its full range
Likely cause: A pinched harness mechanically limits the zoom carriage travel and can trip a zoom/focus position error; freeing it restores full range.
Not on the list? Describe it your way, or paste the error code off the display. Ask Roadie works the problem with you until it's fixed or you have a clear next move.
How Ask Roadie helps with the Lonestar
- 1. Pick the High End Systems Lonestar. It's already in the list.
- 2. Describe what you're seeing. In your own words, or the error code off the screen.
- 3. Get the likeliest fix first. Steps in order, the manual page when there is one, and a note when other techs have confirmed it.
- 4. Still broken? Tap 👎 and it keeps going from where you left off.