HOW TO: Configure SKAARHOJ's "Time Spin" (XC8) WITHOUT 'Blue Pill Inside' (Legacy 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 can keep on reading this article. 
• Purchased after September 2023, the device will have "Blue Pill Inside",  and you will have to read the article about how to setup that model. 

Requirements for the setup

To setup your "Time Spin":

• First you will need to connect your "Time Spin" in USB to your Mac (you'll only have to do this once).
• Then download the firmware updater application from SKAARHOJ: https://www.skaarhoj.com/support/firmware-updater/
• Install the application and start it. 
• Make sure that you do see something like this in the "Port" popup menu:
• If the menu is empty, check your USB connection to the "Time Spin". 

If you see something like /dev/tty.usbmodem143220 in the popup menu, you are ready to set it up.

Note that:

• the USB connection is only needed for the setup part, not to control the "Time Spin" after it has been setup. Control later on is done through ethernet.
• the USB connection is mandatory for the setup part, you can not do the setup through ethernet

Setting up the "Time Spin" as a "Raw Panel" 

Note that your "Time Spin" may come already configured as a "Raw Panel", and in this case you can skip this step, you won't need an internet connection, and you just can setup the IP address if needed (see below). But if your "Time Spin" is not configured as a Raw Panel (for example it was used with another software or hardware), you will need an internet connection the first time you want to setup your "Time Spin" following these steps.

• (first follow the steps above for the App). Once the Firmware Updater app is downloaded and installed, start it and click on the "Online Configuration" button:
• This should open a web page on SKAARHOJ's website where you can make sure that it's the "Time Spin-Raw Panel" configuration that is Active, if not, click on the radio button, so it shows as Active: 
• 
• Note that the screenshots here are with the "simple" configuration. Note that there is an "Advanced" button on the page that can show you more settings. You can work with the Advanced view too, just make sure to configure the panel as a "Raw-Panel"...
• You can see that there are other network settings at the bottom, you don't need to set them up , but you can. See next step about modifying the network configuration.
• Now that you have saved that configuration, you can go back to SKAARHOK App, and click on the "Check for updates" button, and you should see that a new firmware is created (based on the settings that you have just done):
• Then you should see different phases, (updating, verifying, etc...) and when it says that the Firmware was updated, your "Time Spin" has rebooted, and you should be good to go.
• Now you can start M|Replay, create a new session and the button will light up (note that the buttons will only light up once a session is created or opened).

Modify the network configuration and devices

Now that you have made sure your panel is setup as a "Raw panel", and in order to be able to control the "Time Spin", you need to configure 2 things:

• its network configuration (the "Time Spin" own IP address and subnet)
• its "devices": the IP address of the computer where M|Replay is running and that it should control. This should be modified every time you want to use a different computer with M|Replay.

With the "Time Spin", you can either configure them with the "Online Configuration or the "Local Configuration". The local configuration is easier to deal with as it does not require an internet connection.

Online Configuration (internet connection required)

The workflow is happening at the same place as the one done for the "Raw" panel configuration.

• Start the SKAARHOJ Firmware Updater application and click on the "Online Configuration" button
• This should open a web page on SKAARHOJ's website. At the bottom of the window set the Network configuration. The first part is the IP configuration of your "Time Spin". Setup the IP address you want to assign to your "Time Spin":
• And the last part, in the "Devices" area, setup the IP address of the computer that will control the "Time Spin" (note that these IP configurations can be modified directly from SKARHOOJ's application on your Mac, you won't always need an internet connection just to change the IP address):

• Now save on the "SaveNetwork Configuration" button at the bottom of the page:

 

Local Configuration (internet connection NOT required)

• Start the SKAARHOJ Firmware Updater application and click on the "IP Config" menu at the top of the window: 

• In the window that opens, you will be able to set first the IP settings of the "Time Spin" itself. Enter an IP address that is within your IP range, or enable the DHCP setting.
• Then in the second part of the window, even more important, set the IP address of the computer that will control the "Time Spin", and make sure that the "Enabled" checkbox is indeed enabled:
• Then click on "Save Settings"

 

!! New settings for M|Replay 2.2 or later

When you start using M|replay 2.2 or later, you will have to set your XC8 in Server mode, and set its IP address in M|Replay.

Settings in Unisketch Raw Panel

To do that, go to "Device Core Options" section, and enable both the "Server Mode" and "Blue Pill Ready" options:

 

Settings in M|Replay

Then you will have to set the IP address of your "Time Spin" in M|Replay > Settings > Controller:

Cores vs Raw Panel

If you are familiar with SKAARHOJ, you may know that they are using the concept of "Cores", which are basically the ability to control other devices. SKAARHOJ's controllers can be used in many ways, and one device can sometimes control multiple pieces of equipment. All this needs to be configured. The idea that they had is that you configure your device on their website, add "Cores" (such as a Core to control an ATEM, one to control a Camera), then setup what each button will do on your SKAARHOJ's device. Then once you have configured it, you save a firmware that is then loaded on your device.

This is very nice in terms of flexibility, but at Softron we try to do things that are "plug and play". So this is why we have not implemented Cores, and have done all the work for you. ;-) Once the panel is configured as a Raw panel, we will just control it, there is nothing that you need to setup. But don't search for Softron's core then...

TROUBLESHOOTING

If after you have followed the steps above, you still can not control it, check the following:

• double-check that it is configured as a "Raw Panel"
• make sure of your network connections. Check the IP of your computer, then check what you have set in the "Unisketch Raw Panel" preference in SKAARHOJ App > IP Configuration. The 2 must match. If they match, make sure that you can "ping" the "Time Spin" from your computer, there might be a network issue. Don't forget that M|Replay connects to the "Time Spin" with Ethernet, not with USB.
• a reminder that currently the 10Gb ethernet port of the iMac Pro and Mac mini is not compatible with the "Time Spin". So you will need to us an adapter.