Loading Patterns

First, some terminology:

Mode – A folder on your prop’s USB drive. Only folders at the top level of the drive will be recognized, nested folders will be ignored. There is a limit of 100 bitmaps per folder.

Pattern – A bitmap file inside a folder. A pattern MUST be inside a mode to be displayed, even if it is the only pattern in that mode. In other words if you place a bitmap in the top-level of the USB drive outside of a folder, it will be ignored. Non-supported file types (.png, .jpg, .gif, etc) will also be ignored.

To load patterns or configure options you will need access to a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Use a Micro USB cable to connect the prop to your computer. Once plugged in the USB drive should appear in your computer’s file navigation window (e.g. File Explorer on Windows and Finder on Mac).

• Create a new folder at the top level of the prop’s USB drive.
• Copy some bitmap files into it.
• If you want those patterns played back in a specific order, rename the patterns with a number in front of them so they are in alphanumeric order. This same trick works for Modes as well.

Limit the number of modes for easy navigation. While there isn’t a hard limit to the number of modes you can create on the USB drive, navigation can be cumbersome with more than a dozen modes.

Keep backups of your patterns and modes! We strongly recommend keeping backups on your computer using a backup service like Dropbox or Google Drive. It would be really annoying to lose your hard work if your prop falls into a campfire or gets hit by a meteor or something. Backing up can be as easy as making a folder on your computer and storing all your modes and patterns in there before loading them onto Designer’s USB drive.