It could be a bad transiever/adress chip inside the laser. I had a scanner that would lose its adress intermittantly after a month of useage and I sent it in. Also, DO NOT USE MIC CABLE. some fixtures do not like mic cables. I use 20 Ga standed twisted pair cable with shield and made up my own custom cables. I only connect the shield on one end (from the DMX out side) to isolate from ground loops. As for using adapters, I recommend desoldering the standard 5 pin XLR cable connector on the adapter and make a cable long enough to the first fixture that is in your 3 pin dmx chain. And make sure it is twisted pair cable. I would try the laser out on a different controller to isolate the problem. Most music stores that rent out P.A. gear could help you out.