Pyroterra Lighttoys FT User manual

Pyroterra Lighttoys
presents
FT USER GUIDE
v1.2
(ENG)

Introduction
Welcome to the world of FT products from Pyroterra Lighttoys! This guide will
explain the basic operation as well as advanced and unique features, so you can
utilize your Lighttoys props to their full potential!
The concept of FT
The Future Chip Technology (FT) is a term used to describe all Lighttoys products
with any FT chip inside. FT chip is utilizing a smart 2.4GHz wireless protocol, which
enables using many Lighttoys props easily and reliably together.
Difference between FT, FT2 (& Visual) props
Two variations of the FT chip exist, depending on their technical capabilities:
•FT chip – designed to control analog RGB LEDs, can control two
independent A/B segments separately.
Example : Zebra Poi FT
•FT2 chip – designed to control digital pixel LEDs, can display graphic
patterns. When an FT2 product is also capable to display logos and pictures
with high fidelity, we use the designation: Visual.
Example : Visual Hoop
You can use Lighttoys FT props in 2 different ways:
Predefined patterns
This is the simplest way how to enjoy your Lighttoys FT props. You can play with
various predefined colors & patterns; the FT products will react accordingly as you
press the buttons on the paired FT remote:

Programmed mode
You can prepare 4 unique programmed light sequences (shows) and upload
them into the memory of your FT products for later synchronized start.
These uploaded shows can be started either manually from the FT device itself,
remotely using the FT remote or by sending a command from your computer:
Powering ON / OFF
In order to use your new FT products, you need to power on both the FT remote
and the Lighttoys FT device.
To turn on your FT device, locate its
power button. Press and hold it for
1 second, until the LEDs blink twice
with a fade-in effect.
To turn off, press and hold the power
button for 1 second, until the LEDs
blink twice with a fade-out effect.
To turn on the FT remote, press and
hold the red button for 1 second, until
the blue LED indicator on the remote
starts shining.
To turn off, press and hold the red
button again until the blue LED
indicator stops shining.
Zebra Poi FT
hold for
1 second
hold for
1 second

Auto power OFF function
Both the FT remote and the FT devices feature an auto power off functionality to
save battery life. This functionality is reset by the following activities:
•any button press
•ongoing programmed show 1-4
•received USB command
•answer from a paired FT unit (for FT remote)
FT remote
FT remote will turn off after 30 minutes of no activity.
FT device
FT device will enter a so called “silent mode” after 30 minutes of no activity. In
silent mode the LEDs are turned off, but the FT device is ready to react to radio
signals and user input normally.
FT device will turn off completely after 4 hours of inactivity spent in silent mode:
silent mode
power off
30 min 4 h

Pairing procedure
A pairing procedure synchronizes your FT remote with the FT devices of your
choice. Whenever you want to control a different combination of FT devices, you
will need to perform a new pairing procedure.
Prepare all devices you want to pair
and make sure they are all turned off.
For each FT device, press and hold its
power button for 3 seconds to enter
the pairing mode. The LEDs will blink
twice in white color once successfully
paired to the FT remote.
First, press and hold the PAIR button
for 1 second. The blue LED indicator
will start blinking. This indicates the
remote has entered a pairing mode.
After all FT devices are paired, press
and hold the PAIR button for 1 second.
The indicator LED will stop blinking.
Congratulations, the pairing
procedure is now completed!
After a successful pairing, you have created a so-called “paired group” – a group
of FT devices that react in unison to the commands from the FT remote:
hold for
1 second
paired group
Zebra Poi FT
hold for
1 second
hold for
3 second

You can pair up to 32 different FT devices to a single FT remote.
Add to group
If you want to add extra FT devices to an already existing paired group, you do not
need to perform a new pairing procedure again from scratch. Use “add to group”
instead:
The FT remote will then enter “add to group” pairing mode (indicated by an
intermittent pulsing of the blue LED indicator), continue with the pairing of extra FT
devices in similar fashion as described before.
After all extra FT devices are paired, finish the procedure again by holding the PAIR
button on the FT remote.
Useful tip
During the pairing process, the 2.4GHz radio spectrum is scanned and best
channel is selected (with least interference). When performing with
Lighttoys FT props in a new venue, it is recommended to perform a new pairing
procedure close to the actual gig where performance is about to happen.
1. hold PAIR
2. hold UP
for 0.5 sec

Standby mode
After a successful pairing, all of your FT devices will enter a so-called “standby
mode”. In standby mode, LEDs will shine either in blue color, indicating strong
signal and trouble-free response; or in pink color, indicating a weak signal or no
response at all:
You can also access the standby mode by pressing the PAIR button on your FT
remote. This is useful when you have many paired FT products and want to check
their status.
Power management
Battery indication
All Lighttoys FT devices come equipped with a battery status indicator, giving you
a rough idea, how much power is still left for your performance.
The battery level indication is displayed every time you turn your FT device on or
off. The LEDs will double blink with a fade effect in a color progressing from green
to red as the charge level drops:
FT remote is
responding, signal
quality is good.
Paired FT remote is
turned off, or signal
quality is weak.
Fully
charged
Low battery
charge when possible
Empty
charge immediately

Auto-reduction of brightness
All Lighttoys FT devices offers a handy functionality – when the battery is
approaching a nearly empty level, the brightness output is automatically lowered
(by about 40%).
This extends battery life and can prevent adverse situations, like the device turning
off during a running show.
Over discharge protection
When the battery capacity reaches a critically low level, the device
starts blinking in red color for 10 seconds, then turns off completely
to protect the battery from deep discharge.
Overheat protection
When the temperature of the FT chip reaches a critically high level,
the FT device starts blinking in yellow color for 10 seconds, then
turns off completely to protect its circuits against damage from
heat.

FT remote overview
Indicator LED
The blue LED indicator located at the top of the FT remote indicates the different
conditions of the remote:
Playback speed
The speed of the preloaded dynamic effects and
images can be changed by clicking the UP / DOWN
button repeatedly.
Speed / Brightness
click to change speed
hold to change brightness
10 color buttons
click to change the color
of an image or effect
pairing mode
running show
low battery
off (charging)
add to group
Indicator LED
see below
turned on
click
5 effect buttons
click once to select an
effect (FT), click
repeatedly to cycle
through 8 different
image patterns (FT2)
Show buttons 1 - 4
press to start your show
sequence
A/B button
selects the light segment to
be controlled
ON/OFF button
turns off the running show
or FT remote

There are 8 speeds to choose from. When you reach the slowest speed, clicking
the DOWN button once more will reverse the playback direction of the effect,
indicated by a momentary dimming of the LEDs.
Brightness level
The brightness level of all images and
programmed shows can be changed in steps by
holding the UP / DOWN button for 0.5 seconds.
There are up to 6 levels to choose from. The selected brightness level is shared
between the default effects / images and programmed shows.
Color buttons
There are 10 color buttons on the FT remote, which when pressed change the color
of a dynamic effect or preloaded image in unique ways. An example follows for
the FT2 device - STROBE picture #5 and red, yellow, green and white color button
pressed on the FT remote:
It is also possible to display a pure static color across all LEDs, without any
dynamic effect. To do so, first activate the Standby mode (press the PAIR button)
then click the desired color button.
Effect buttons
There are 5 effect buttons available on the FT remote, which work slightly different
depending on the type of FT device currently under control:
hold for
0.5 sec