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ROBE Tarrantula troubleshooting
The ROBE Tarrantula problems live-event techs bring to Ask Roadie most (also called Robin Tarrantula, Tarantula). 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 Tarrantula 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 →
Clean Air Filters message / Air Filters Cleaning icon
Likely cause: The fixture tracks filter service by an elapsed-time counter; clearing dust and resetting the counter restores airflow and silences the reminder.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
EEprom Error displayed
Likely cause: A defined hardware fault on the EEPROM chip; not user-serviceable, so a reset is the only field step before service.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
grandMA3 / console shows wrong colors or geometry for the Tarrantula (GDTF/profile issue)
Likely cause: Color/geometry mismatches trace to a stale or malformed fixture-type file; using the current vendor GDTF and matching modes aligns the patch to the fixture.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Head drifts / does not return to programmed pan-tilt position
Likely cause: Feedback is the closed-loop position correction; with it Off the head has no way to recover its commanded position after a disturbance.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Networking / daisy-chaining multiple fixtures over Ethernet or wireless DMX
Likely cause: Respecting the 8-fixture Ethernet pass-through limit and matching protocol prevents dropouts on long runs; CRMX is the built-in wireless path.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
No power / fixture dead
Likely cause: Isolating supply, connector seating, then the T12A fuse follows the power path; the cold-start caveat is a manufacturer safety instruction.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Pan Error 1 or Pan Error 2 after reset; yoke not in default position
Likely cause: Pan homing uses the same magnetic-index feedback scheme as tilt; loss of the index at reset points to sensor or motor drive failure.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Pan/Tilt EMS Cal. Error or Pan/Tilt EMS Error
Likely cause: EMS is the electronic motion stabilizer that steadies pan/tilt; the two messages separate a calibration state from a comms/hardware failure.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Recharge The Battery / Battery faulty. Replace it. messages; display or settings not holding
Likely cause: The touchscreen/settings are kept alive by a rechargeable backup battery; the two messages distinguish a low-but-recoverable cell from a dead one.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Rod Error displayed
Likely cause: The flower effect rod is a homed mechanism; a Rod Error is a failed home on that specific module.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Setting DMX address and picking a DMX mode
Likely cause: Channel footprint changes with the selected personality; matching console profile to fixture mode prevents parameter-offset problems.
- Step-by-step fixGet the fix →
Temper.Sensor Error displayed
Likely cause: The message is a defined comms fault between head temp sensor and CPU; a reset clears transient glitches, a persistent fault is hardware.
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 Tarrantula
- 1. Pick the ROBE Tarrantula. 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.