Expansion Board on HolidayCoro Flex Controller (HinksPix PRO or AlphaPix Evolution) Missing or Not Present Troubleshooting

Expansion Board on HolidayCoro Flex Controller (HinksPix PRO or AlphaPix Evolution) Missing or Not Present Troubleshooting

ISSUE:  Expansion board (SPI, Long Range or AC Expansion) does not appear or is not recognized by the controller in the web interface.

SOLUTION:  Check the following for common reason for this issue:
  1. CHECK FROM THE CONTROLLER WEB INTERFACE ONLY - Always check via the web interface directly on the controller if your sequencing application indicates there is a problem or the board is "missing" as the sequencing application may not be compatible (incorrect firmware, old software, etc) or may be reading the controller interface incorrectly.  Checking the interface directly on the controller removes the software as a possible source of the issue.
    1. HinksPix PRO

    2. AlphaPix Evolution



  2. ONLY ONE RIBBON CABLE PER PORT / EXPANSION BOARD - This does not apply to factory assembled controllers but if you have built your own controller or modified a factory made controller, make sure that there is always one ribbon cable PER expansion board.  While the ribbon cable has multiple plugs, those additional plugs are only there for the purpose of different build configurations and there should always be one ribbon cable for each expansion board.
  3. ENSURE THAT ALL RIBBON CABLES ARE FULLY SEATED - Turn off the power to the controller when removing or checking ribbon cables.  Make sure that the ribbon cable connections are fully seated in the plugs on BOTH the CPU board and the expansion board.  It may require partial disassembly of the controller CPU or expansion boards to confirm with 100% accuracy that the ribbon cable is fully seated.  The silver latching hooks should be in a vertical position when the ribbon cable is fully seated.
  4. ENSURE THAT ALL EXPANSION BOARDS HAVE POWER - All expansion boards have a power indicator in the bottom right corner of the board and the LED is RED in color when powered on.  All expansion boards must be powered on to be "seen" by the controller.
  5. ENSURE THAT YOUR FIRMWARE IS CURRENT - In rare cases, a newer expansion board may not be seen by a controller CPU and the CPU requires updated firmware.  Updated firmware can be found at https://www.holidaycoro.com/firmware
  6. FACTORY RESET YOUR CPU - In rare cases, NVRAM can be corrupted by static electricity and "scramble" the settings in the controller causing odd behaviors.  Perform a factory reset to the controller using the instructions at:
    1. HinksPix PRO:  https://www.holidaycoro.com/hinkspix
    2. AlphaPix Evolution:  https://www.holidaycoro.com/alphapix
See the following video for hands on instructions: