Sequences Played From SD Card on HinksPix PRO Controller Have Shuddering or Other Issues

Sequences Played From SD Card on HinksPix PRO Controller Have Shuddering or Other Issues

ISSUE:  When a sequence created in xLights is exported / saved to SD card and played on a HinksPix PRO Controller, the sequence does not play as expected.  If your issue involved playback over ethernet (network) from an FPP, xSchedule or other application, see this article instead:  https://support.holidaycoro.com/portal/en/kb/articles/troubleshooting-lagging-stuttering-or-buffering-on-holidaycoro-controllers

BACKGROUND:  Sequences played on the HinksPix PRO must meet specific requirements to ensure that they play as expected.  For instructions on how to properly create an export, see:  https://www.holidaycoro.com/kb_results.asp?ID=182#hp-standalone-xl

SOLUTION: The following are requirements that must be met to ensure compatibility when playing sequences on the HinkspPix PRO:
  1. The SD card must be compatible with the HinksPix PRO, see this article on compatible SD cards:  https://support.holidaycoro.com/portal/en/kb/articles/sd-card-not-reading-or-working-with-hinkspix-pro-cpu
    1. Make sure your SD card does not have read errors (see the debug tab in the HinksPix PRO web interface)
  2. The audio file must meet the following requirements:
    1. WAV or MP3 format
      1. If MP3 - Must be constant (CBR) and not variable bit rate (VBR)
    2. Stereo (not mono)
    3. Must have a sample rate of exactly 44100
    4. You can upload your audio file to https://www.metadata2go.com/view-metadata to determine the above
      1. sample_rate must equal 44100
      2. channel_mode must equal Joint Stereo
      3. lame_method must equal CBR
    5. If your audio file is not in this format, convert it to WAV file format using Audacity:  https://github.com/audacity/audacity/releases/download/Audacity-3.7.7/audacity-win-3.7.7-64bit.exe (note that you do not need to install MUST Hub)
  3. Your firmware must be current, see https://support.holidaycoro.com/portal/en/kb/articles/updating-firmware-on-holidaycoro-hinkspix-pro-controllers-using-an-sd-card
  4. Your xLights version must be 2025.13 or higher, see https://xlights.org/releases/
  5. We recommend 50ms timing for your sequence, while lower timing maybe possible this will depend on the number of pixels controlled by the HinksPix and the model of your HinksPix.  
    1. To determine what your timing is, open the sequence in xLights
    2. Go to FILE | Sequence Settings
    3. Look for 50 ms under the Info / Media tab
If your sequence meets all of the above requirements, perform the following steps to troubleshoot:
  1. Test only one sequence
  2. Play the sequence directly from the xLights Sequencer or xSchedule application to confirm that the root cause is not the base sequence
  3. Create a new sequence without music (Animation format instead of Musical Sequence) and another sequence with music
    1. Put only a basic effect on the props, do not import any sequence data
    2. Export to SD card and test
    3. If the non-audio sequence works correctly but the audio sequence does not work, this indicates there is an issue with the audio file (see compatibility requirements above)
      1. If both sequences (audio and non-audio) work correctly, the issue is with the original sequence as the test sequence works correctly
Information required for submission of a troubleshooting ticket:
  1. Copy of your test sequence
  2. Copy of your audio file for the test sequence
  3. Screenshot of the Debug tab in the web interface of the HinksPix PRO
  4. DO NOT send videos or photos of the problem occuring