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Troubleshooting

Start with the symptom closest to yours. For software problems (playlists, schedules, sequences), FPP's troubleshooting guide goes further.

Nothing happens at power-up

Check Why
Is the logic power terminal powered? Only one terminal runs the controller: V1 on K16/K32, the right-hand terminal on K8. The other boards have one terminal. See Power.
Is the blue LED beside that terminal lit? If not, there's no voltage at the terminal. Check the supply, the wiring and the polarity.
Is the polarity right? Reversed power is blocked, not damaging, but the board stays off. Swap the wires.
Is the second blue LED (5 V) lit? If the terminal LED is on but this one is off, contact support.
PocketScroller (v3 or -16): is the supply 5 V? A higher voltage trips its input fuse. Disconnect it, wait a minute, and reconnect with 5 V.

Power LEDs on, but the OLED stays blank

  • Give it two minutes. The first boot of a new SD card takes longer.
  • Re-seat the SD card, and try another card or a freshly written image. A worn-out SD card is the most common cause.
  • Check the PocketBeagle 2 is seated fully and the right way round (PocketBeagle 2), or that the BeagleBone is fully on its headers (BeagleBone Black).
  • BeagleBone Black boards: an older BeagleBone (before about 2019) boots its own eMMC instead of the SD card. Hold its Boot button while you power up; see Booting from the SD card.
  • Raspberry Pi boards: check the hat is on all 40 header pins, not shifted by a row or column (Raspberry Pi).
  • BeagleBone Black boards: if FPP was shut down, the BeagleBone stays off until you press the cape's Power button or switch the supply off and on.
  • If FPP is reachable on the network but the OLED is dark, check Settings → System → Status Display.

Can't find the controller on the network

  • Read the IP address from the OLED status page. Make sure your computer is on the same network.
  • Check the Ethernet jack's LEDs. No link light means a cable or switch problem.
  • Make sure the cable is in the Ethernet jack (the one with LEDs), not a differential or DMX port.
  • No Ethernet? Plug in a USB Wi-Fi adapter and use the hotspot.
  • FPP's network troubleshooting covers subnets, static IPs and multiple interfaces.

FPP doesn't recognise the board

If Pixel Strings shows no board, or Cape Info is empty:

  • Update FPP to the latest release. Older FPP versions don't know the newest boards.
  • Re-seat the PocketBeagle 2 or BeagleBone. The board ID is read over the header pins.
  • Make sure the PocketBeagle 2 boards have a PocketBeagle 2, not a PocketBeagle 1, and the BeagleBone boards a compatible BeagleBone.

No pixels light

Work from the controller outwards:

  1. Port LED. Is the green LED next to the port lit?
    • Off, and the rest of the bank too: the bank has no power, or is switched off (Pro/Max) because nothing is playing. Run a test (step 2) and check again.
    • Off, just this port: blown fuse, or tripped/disabled eFuse (Max). See Port Status.
  2. Test pattern. Press Test on the controller. If the string lights, the hardware is fine and the problem is in the configuration: pixel count, start channel, or the sequence.
  3. Wiring. Check G D V order against the pigtail, and that the data wire goes to the string's input end (look for the arrows on the pixels).
  4. Voltage. Is the bank voltage right for the pixels? 12 V pixels on a 5 V bank stay dark or flicker.
  5. Protocol and count. In Pixel Strings, check the protocol (WS2811 for most pixels) and that the pixel count is more than 0.

Only part of a string lights, or colours are wrong

  • Colours wrong: set the correct colour order (RGB, GRB, …) for that port.
  • Stops partway: usually a failed pixel. The first dark pixel, or the last working one before it, is usually the bad one. On Max boards, Count Pixels on Port Status helps find it.
  • Ends dim or turn orange/pink: voltage drop. Inject power at the far end, from the same supply (see the power injection warning).

Flicker or random colours

  • Check that all supplies share a common ground with the controller.
  • Make sure only one source is sending data. Turn off any E1.31/DDP output in xLights while FPP is playing.
  • Long first run of bare data wire: add a null pixel, or move the string to a differential receiver.
  • Turn the brightness down to check whether it's a power problem.

A fuse keeps blowing / an eFuse keeps tripping

There is a real fault on that port. Unplug the string and see whether the port stays up. Then check the pigtail, the connectors and the string for shorts or water. On Max boards, look at the current on Port Status just before the trip. A string drawing close to 6 A on its own is simply too long for one port: split it or inject power.

A differential receiver is dark

  • Is the receiver powered? The RJ45 carries no power.
  • Press the receiver's test button. If it lights, the problem is the cable or the configuration.
  • Swap to a known-good Cat5e/Cat6 cable. A bad crimp on one pair kills one string.
  • In Pixel Strings, check the pixel counts for that port's four strings, and the receiver chain settings for smart receivers.

Getting help

If you're stuck, email support@kulplights.com with:

  • the board model and revision (printed on the board)
  • the FPP version (Help → About)
  • a description of the problem and what you've already tried
  • photos of the wiring, if it's a wiring question
  • an FPP diagnostic report: Help → Troubleshooting, or press F8 in the FPP web UI (how)

The FPP forums and Facebook groups are also a good place to ask about software.