HOW TO: Configure SKAARHOJ Time Spin (XC8) with BluePill Inside (New models)

With M|Replay you can control the software using mouse and keyboard, but it is much more efficient to use a dedicated hardware controller. We support three controllers:

• SKAARHOJ's "Time Spin" (previously known as XC8) is the most versatile one. It has buttons to create markers, set in/out points, select the angle to be used, a jog shuttle wheel and a T-bar to control the playback speed.
• Contour Design's SHUTTLEPro has buttons to create markers, set in/out points and a jog shuttle wheel to control the playback speed.
• Elgato's Stream Deck has only buttons to create markers, or control the playback, but it is very limited for playback controls, the best usage of this is to create markers as these can be customised and the buttons labeled.

!! WARNING, check your device type

Depending on when you purchased your "Time Spin", you may have a different model, with different setup procedure:

• Purchased before September 2023, the device will not have "Blue Pill Inside", and you will have to read the article about how to setup that model. 
• Purchased after September 2023, the device will have "Blue Pill Inside", and you can keep on reading this article. (Requires M|Replay 2.2 or later)

Connecting to your "Time Spin"

To setup your "Time Spin" with Blue Pill inside (see above), you have different ways to connect to it, depending on your Network configuration.

First of course, you need to connect your device to the Network and to the Power (if you have PoE, no need to connect to power). 

With a DHCP server

• If you have a DHCP server in your Network, this is the easiest as, after powering up, you should see a IP address soon:
• 
• You can then immediately go to the "Setting up" section of this article

 

Without a DHCP Server

If you don't have a DHCP Server, then your "Time Spin" will not receive an IP address. You have different options. (The text below come from SKAARHOJ's user manual)

 

Using Wi-Fi Access Point

If the Blue Pill is not displaying an IP address, the web interface is accessible by enabling the internal Wi-Fi access point.

To enable the Wi-Fi access point, gently press and hold the config button on the side of the Blue Pill for about 3 seconds (Found next to the Ethernet jack. Use a flat screw driver, a paper clip or similar). When released, it will enable the internal Access Point and the LED will light up purple. It will show up in the Wi-Fi networks list as SKAARHOJ-XXXXXX (Blue Pill’s serial number).

The default password is: skaarhoj

The web interface is then accessed at the IP address: 192.168.4.1. After accessing the Blue Pill it is best to navigate to the System Menu/System page to set a static IP address.

Once saved, the new IP address will appear on the Blue Pill’s display, it may be necessary to reboot or power cycle the device afterwards.

Using a USB cable and SKAARHOJ Firmware Updater

If a network connection to the Blue Pill in not available, the IP address can be set using a Micro USB cable. In this case the Blue Pill will appear in the “Select Device” dropdown and the “IP Config” tab in the Firmware Updater can be used to set the IP address (same procedure from UniSketch):

In this case it was identified as “/dev/tty.usbmodem4430361” (on MacOS) and pressing IP Config will open the IP set up page:

If/When the warning below appears, press “Submit” and reboot the Blue Pill:

 

Setting up the "Time Spin"  

To setup your "Time Spin", go to your favorite web browser (Safari, Firefox, Chrome,...) and type the IP address of your device. This will bring up a prompt for username and password. The default is username: admin password: skaarhoj

Setup a Fixed IP address

If you used a DHCP server, your "Time Spin" has received an IP address that can change later on. It is recommended to set a fixed IP, so you are sure that you can always find your device. Check your IP system administrator to find a fixed IP address that you can use.

To set an IP address, go to "Settings" pane, and in the "IP configuration" section, disable the "DHCP" option and set a manual IP address and subnet.

 

Enable the "Listen on port" option

First, navigate to "Packages > hardware-manager"; and:

• Disable the "ListenOnSocket" option
• Enable the "ListenOnPort" option
• Leave all other options as it is set by default (ProtocolMode = Default, etc...)
• Click on "Save and restart"

Install the "Raw Panel Server" device

And finally, go to the "Packages" section make sure to install the "Raw Panel Server" core.

 

Setting up M|Replay

To support devices with "Blue Pill Inside", you will have to use M|Replay 2.2 or later.

Once you have setup your "Time Spin", and know its IP address, start M|Replay and indicate its IP address in "Settings > Controls":

The default port is 9923, but if you changed the port on your "Time Spin" device, make sure to change it here too.

You may have to restart M|Replay after you have changed the IP address.