I got no error messages when I updated the firmware in my v32 controller. But now I'm having trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi, or the screens are not working correctly on my smartphone. What could be the cause?
Answer: For connection problems, perform a factory reset as described in the User Manual and try connecting with the default Wi-Fi password.
If the screens are behaving oddly (odd appearance and/or on-screen buttons not working correctly) your browser may be using an old copy of some of the files used to support the web pages. Close the browser, clear its cache and retry.
My phone or PC is very slow to connect to the home page on a Ref Lights Wi-Fi controller (or doesn't connect at all). How can I speed it up?
Answer: in place of the domain name, try using the IP address. For Wi-Fi controller versions lower than 32.1.0, use 192.168.1.1 instead of reflights.nz. For version 32.1.0 and above use 192.168.4.1 in place of reflights.local.
For a Ref Lights Wi-Fi controller, when I change the Wi-Fi and/or Admin credentials it shows a message saying they've been changed, but when I next power up the controller, they go back to the default settings. How can I fix this?
Answer: Most likely your controller has a plastic cap clipped on the top of the factory reset button in the controller, that's being pressed down by the top of the enclosure; or perhaps the LED lead is trapped there. The solution is to give the button more clearance by pulling the cap off and throwing it away!
During a competition, why does my screen turn off, or the PC/Laptop became unresponsive?
Answer: When running Ref Lights it's recommended that you set both the time before the screen turns off and time before the device goes to sleep to 'Never'. These settings can generally be found in the computer's power settings.
When I tried to save a favourite configuration it didn't show me where the file would be saved. Now I don't know where it is, or even whether it was saved!
Answer: Your browser settings don't have the option: "Ask where to save each file before downloading" (or similar wording) selected. If this is not selected, the browser saves files in the Downloads location (which is also specified in the browser settings). These options can be found by opening "Settings" in your browser, and looking under the heading "Downloads" (or similar).
Once you've found the ref-lights.config file in this location, double-check that the datetime stamp is consistent with when you saved it and then move it to the location where the ref-lights.html file is saved. If a config file was already present when you saved the new one, the new one will have a number in its name to distinguish it from earlier versions. Once moved to the correct location, the file must be given the name ref-lights.config
Pressing the Esc key doesn't exit full-screen mode. How do I get out of it?
Answer: You may have entered full-screen mode via the F11 key rather than the on-screen button on the Ref Lights configuration page. Press F11 to exit full-screen.
The number keys don't work for setting the lift clock.
Answer: If you're using the numeric keypad, press the NumLock key. Numerical keys can only be used on the keypad if the NumLock is toggled on.
The centre light and green spot are off to the left (or right) of centre-screen. How do I centre these? When I click the 'Full-screen mode' button on the Ref Lights configuration page, the text stays on the screen.
Answer: Make sure your browser's zoom setting is on 100%. In Chrome you can find this on the browser menu by clicking the three vertical dots at the top right of the screen.
When I try to cast the lights to a TV from the Chrome menu, the timer shows but not the green spots or lights.
Answer: Update your ref-lights.html file if it's earlier than version 4.3.4 (1 July 2023). On the Cast menu, choose 'Cast tab' as the source. Make sure your browser's zoom setting is on 100% (see previous question). The computer running Ref Lights won't show full-screen mode, but it will display correctly on the computer/monitor to which it's being cast.
Speaking of casting ... what happened to 'Cast' on the settings dropdown on recent versions of Chrome?
Answer: Just to keep you on your toes, Google have now put it under the heading 'Save, and share' or 'Cast, save, and share'.
Why does a thin vertical line appear beside characters or images when in full-screen mode?
Answer: This is the text cursor which is a feature of the browser. It may become visible, for example, if the mouse is clicked while in full-screen mode. Pressing the TAB key will temporarily remove it from the screen, but it will reappear whenever the mouse is clicked in full-screen mode. In Chrome browsers you can prevent this from happening by toggling it off under Accessibility in Settings, or by pressing the F7 shortcut key.
I live stream our competitions on the internet. How do I include Ref Lights as one of the sources in my stream?
Answer: The easiest way is probably to use an HDMI-to-USB video capture adaptor to connect the HDMI video output on the computer where Ref Lights is running to a USB port (USB 2.0 or better) on the computer that's running the streaming software. In the popular OBS-Studio streaming app, for example, you would then add a 'Video Capture Device' source to your scene, choosing 'USB Video' as the device type.
Note that if your Ref Lights computer only has one HDMI video output and you need to drive one or more external HDMI monitors for the lights, you'll also need an HDMI splitter to provide the additional video outputs.
Don't confuse the capture adaptor with the more commonly found USB-to-HDMI adaptor! A suitable adaptor, which also provides an HDMI loop-back output for your on-platform monitor, is available from Jaycar Electronics (Australia/New Zealand) catalogue number XC4680.
Are any light shapes available other than square or circular?
Answer: You can customise the outline shape of the lights based on a png image file that must be saved in the same location as the Ref Lights HTML file. Details of how to do this are at: https://weighttraining.nz/ref-lights/custom-lights.pdf
Can I change the font/colours/positions/wording on the countdown timers on my screen?
Answer: Because the screen presentation is driven by the JavaScript code in the ref-lights.html file, it's possible to make simple changes such as to the colour scheme. If you don't feel confident to make the changes yourself, a friend familiar with JavaScript should be able to help you. Obviously, I can't take responsibility for changes made and any script changes you make will have to be re-applied whenever you upgrade to a newer version of the html file.
Why are you no longer making the cabled and wireless versions?
Answer: They were becoming too expensive for me to make and offer at a reasonable price: Increases in the cost of suitable multicore cable in the case of the cable version, and the per-unit costs of customised front panels for the wireless version have become disproportionate when ordered in the small volumes I was dealing with.
That said, I realise some people may prefer to 'roll their own'. Send me an email request if you want a parts list and schematics for building your own cabled system.
Are plans available for people to build their own wireless or Wi-Fi versions?
Answer: Not at this stage.