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Advatek Assistant 2 Troubleshooting

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Laptop in a dark room

Introduction

Advatek Assistant 2 is the configuration and management software for PixLite Mk1 and PixLite Mk2 pixel controllers. This guide offers suggested troubleshooting approaches when an error or unexpected behavior occurs. For detailed instructions on how to use this software with PixLite controllers, see the PixLite Mk1 & Mk2 Configuration Guide.

The Controller Doesn’t Appear when I Click “Search”

There are a few possible causes for the controller not appearing when Search is clicked.

  1. The first area to check is that the controller is physically connected and powered up correctly. Check that the green power LED is solid, and the red status LED is flashing. If these LEDs are not correct, then the controller is either not powered correctly, or the application may not be running correctly. See the “Supplying Power” section and/or the “Troubleshooting” section of the controller’s user manual. The Ethernet port has two inbuilt LEDs that indicate an active link (green), and data activity (yellow). If the Ethernet connection is correct, then the green LED will be solid, and the yellow LED should at least occasionally be flashing (for example when you press “Search” in the Assistant). If this is not the case, then there may be an issue with the connection between the Ethernet port and your computer.
  2. If there are any firewalls present on your computer, then this may be preventing communication between your PixLite® and Advatek Assistant. If this is the case, the firewall simply needs to be deactivated or communication from Advatek Assistant should be allowed to pass through.
  3. Often a PixLite® will be connected to a physical Ethernet port on a computer that is also connected to Wi-Fi. Each of these network connections are called network adapters. The correct network adapter should be selected in the “Select Adapter” dropdown list to ensure that Advatek Assistant is correctly searching for devices.

Test Mode Stops when I Click “OK”

This is expected behavior of Advatek Assistant 2. When “OK” is clicked, the Assistant sends a command to the PixLite® controller to update its configuration and restart its application using the new configuration. When Test mode is active, and “OK” is clicked, the controller will restart its application, and disable Test mode, ready for live data.

If you wish to use Test mode, simply select the required test, and the controller will begin outputting the test pattern.

Warning Messages

Advatek Assistant 2 has been developed to provide all the information you need to configure your PixLite® LED controller quickly and easily. This includes a few warning messages that you might’ve seen, offering you an explanation as to why something isn’t working properly. The most common three are explained below.

Incompatible IP Settings

⚠ “The IP address settings of the device are not compatible with your PC’s IP settings. Would you like to change the IP settings on the device so you can properly communicate with it?”

The PixLite® controller and the computer must be in the same IP address range. This means that the first 3 numbers of the IP address must be the same, and the last number must be unique for each. For example, if your computer is 192.168.0.100, then your PixLite® must be 192.168.0.X, where X is anything between 2-254, but not 100.

This warning will allow you to change your PixLite’s IP address and subnet so that it is compatible with your PC. Once this has been done, you will then be able to fully access the controller’s configuration settings.

Incompatible Firmware File

⚠ “Possible incompatibility between firmware file and device has been detected. We recommend you abort the update and double check your firmware file. This can happen if you try and load the wrong generation firmware, for example MkII firmware onto a 1st generation device. If you are sure, press ignore to send the firmware file anyway.”

There are multiple generations of firmware, and your PixLite® must be loaded with the correct generation. Make sure you’ve downloaded the correct firmware, as this message indicates you may be trying to send firmware for a different generation of PixLite® controller. If you’ve made a mistake, you can always perform a recovery firmware update, as per the relevant user manual.

Newer Software Version Required

⚠ “The device requires higher version of software to be properly configured. Please check for an updated version of this application.”

While all versions of Advatek Assistant 2 are fully backwards compatible, old versions of the Assistant may not be able to communicate with newer PixLite® firmware releases. Advatek strongly recommends always using the latest firmware and software.