Problem? We have a solution! – red and white banners above a chalk drawing: a controller with a red question mark over the word Problem, an arrow to a dancer in a frame and an arrow to a yellow light bulb over the word Solution

You have a problem, we have a solution

Hello Tron Dancers,

In this blog, we are going to describe what kind of problems can occur during the show with our controllers & LED suits, how to discover and fix them.

We are writing about all kinds of things that are possible to happen but it does not mean they will happen :). Hope this blog will help you to become a better Tron Dancer!

For creating a Tron Dance show we work with three different segments:

Possible software problems:

Your workspace is “offline”

This can happen very often because you always need to connect dancers to the controllers and turn them on in LSS software. If you are “offline” and do not know what to do, you should check if your computer is synchronized with the main controller via ethernet and if it is in electricity or if the switch on the front side of the controller is in turned on mode. If the red light on the main controller is lighting, it means that the problem is not here. We need to click on “mapping” and check if your IP address is set up correctly. Click on the “search button” and check if the LSS finds a different IP address compared to the one that is already existing. If your controller has a different one please delete it with “minus” and change the last number for the number that was searched the last. When you change the IP, close it with X, LSS will save it automatically. Now you should see “online” in your left bottom corner. The whole process is explained in this video:

Tron Dance - Connect IP adress – plays from YouTube or Vimeo once you press play

Possible hardware problems:

Please note the main controllers always have to be in electricity (turned on) and receivers connected to the batteries which are charged.

Receivers do not have/show signal

If you connect everything correctly you should see a blue light on receivers next to “WIFI strength”, if you do not see it, it means your receiver is not paired with the controller. If you want to pair the receivers with the main controller you need to hold the “pair” button for a few seconds (use something slim like a pen or screwdriver). On the receiver you should see a red light blinking, it means the receiver is searching for the signal. Repeat this on every receiver that you have, after doing this go to your main controller and just push the pair button once. It will start blinking (searching for receivers). In a few seconds, all receivers should be connected.

Tron Dance - Pair the main controller with the receiver – plays from YouTube or Vimeo once you press play

Dancers do not turn on/off when they should

Please check the number on the receiver if your dancer has the correct number (from 0-9).

Hands holding a Tron Dance suit receiver, a finger pointing at the blue numbered DMX address dial next to the Test and Pair buttons, with LED suit parts on a wooden table behind

Receivers do not show any signal

Please make sure you are not too far from the controller, you should always see the blue signal.

Tron Dance suit receiver in its pouch on the chest of a mannequin in an LED suit, its signal strength symbol glowing blue, with blue LED strips on the straps

My battery light is blinking during charging

It means you need to check/change the fuse on the battery because by accident, you connected it to the receiver upside down and now the fuse is burned.

Hands opening the fuse holder on the battery cable to show the red 10 A fuse, with LED suit parts on a wooden table behind

If this does not help there is a possibility you destroyed the battery by over-discharging and it was not charged again immediately, but after some time.

I cannot put the spiral cord into the receiver

Please check all pins if they are in a straight position, if not repair them.

Hands holding a Tron Dance suit receiver upside down to show the row of pins in the empty connector on its top edge, next to the black cable leading out of it, with LED suit parts on a wooden table behind

Possible suit problems:

Some parts of the LED suit are purple

It means some of your RGB (red, green, blue) colors are damaged. This can cause multiple types of problem:

  • Your pins in the connector are curved – straighten them and connect again.
  • Your spiral cord is broken inside – there is nothing to do except for repairing/changing the cables.
  • LED strips on the suit are broken – just change the strip.

The parts of the suits are turning on/off differently than I programmed them

Double-check how you connected your cables to the parts of the suit. Most probably, you connected some parts to different connectors. Double-check if each number on the cable agrees with the body part.

Hands holding the thin cable of one LED suit part in front of the receiver on the back plate of a Tron Dance suit, with the other suit parts laid out on a wooden table

My dancers started blinking during show/rehearsal

Please check if the battery is not very low. When the battery is too weak it can happen, just change the battery or charge it.

Hands holding a Tron Dance suit receiver, a thumb next to its battery level indicator, with LED suit parts on a wooden table behind

I hope this article helped you to find some solutions for your problems that can occur with LED suits. This all may look difficult, but it is not. It is like with driving, you will get the skill with practicing. ?

In case you need some more advice, do not hesitate to contact me HERE.