Utilizing the Test Card

The test card projected by Lightform devices always displays the status of your Lightform device. When troubleshooting your device’s connectivity or network status it can be helpful to manually turn on the test card. New to the test card is enhanced visual information about device states via a color-coded system.

About the Test Card

After initially updating your Lightform device's firmware, a test card displays a grid-like pattern to help you focus your projector and provides vital information about your Lightform device. You can turn on the test card whenever you want to get information about your Lightform device's status. This is particularly useful when trying to connect to a known network or pairing the device to a new network. The color of the border corresponds to the connection status of your Lightform device:

1. Purple - in Pairing Mode
2. Yellow - Connecting
3. Green - Connected
4. Gray - Offline

In the center of the test card, you will see the name of your Lightform device, its connection status, the name of the network it's connected to (if it's connected to one), the camera status, projector resolution, as well as your device's firmware version.

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What to do if you do not see a Test Card after initially updating your device's firmware

Once you've set up your device and updated the firmware, you should see a test card displayed from your projector like the following: 

If you are not seeing a test card, please confirm that your device is set up correctly by checking your device's setup checklist below: 

• • • LFC
      1. Your projector is on and in focus
      2. There are no cables connected directly to your computer/laptop (i.e. HDMI)
      3. The USB-C cable is connecting your camera to the LFC
      4. The HDMI cable is connecting your LFC to your projector
      5. There is nothing else connected directly to the LFC (unless you have paired it using a ethernet connection)
      6. There are no other cables connecting your device directly to your computer/laptop (i.e. HDMI)
    • LF2 
      1. The LF2 is plugged in and turned on
      2. There is nothing connected directly to the LF2 (i.e. HDMI)
      3. There is nothing else connected directly to the LF2 (unless you have paired it using a direct ethernet connection)
      4. There are no other cables connecting your device directly to your computer/laptop (i.e. HDMI)
    • LF1 
      1. The LF1 plugged in and turned on
      2. The HDMI cable is connecting your LF1 to your projector
      3. Your projector is on and in focus 
      4. There is nothing else connected directly to the LF1 (unless you have paired it using a direct ethernet connection)
      5. There are no other cables connecting the device directly to your computer/laptop (i.e. HDMI)

Some Pro Tips for Utilizing the Test Card

1. Use the test card to confirm your device's connectivity status. The test card will always tell you the status of your device regardless of what Lightform Creator shows. For instance, if your test card shows a green border and that it is connected to your local wi-fi network, but in Lightform Creator your device is showing as offline, it's likely that there is a firewall blocking the connection or that your computer is on a different network. We recommend turning on your test card prior to opening Lightform Creator to see which network it is or isn't already connected to, so you can make sure to be on that same network on your computer when opening Lightform Creator. 
2. Use the test card to confirm the area that will be scanned. When you are preparing to scan, make sure that the camera stream of your scene in the scan dialog shows the entire test card and that the entire area you want to scan is within the bounds of the test card. This is especially important when using an LFC with a projector that is outside of our supported throw ratios. i.e. with a longer throw projector, you may need to use a longer USB-C cable to move your camera closer than your projector to get the majority of the projection within the area of the test card before scanning, a short throw projector may benefit from the camera being farther away for the projector.  If you are seeing a small test card with a lot of space around it, you'll likely get a poor scan result. Moving the camera closer can help with this. 
3. Use the test card to optimize the lighting in the scene. If you're having trouble seeing parts of the test card due to a particular portion of the scene being too bright, it's likely that the camera will also have a hard time scanning that area. Reducing the ambient light in the scene can help with this.  Likewise, if the test card looks dull or dark, you'd benefit from increasing the light in the scene or moving your projector closer to improve your scan results.
4. Use the test card to avoid capturing unwanted reflections or distortion. During a scan, the camera will look for every pixel of light that you could see covered by your test card. For instance, if you are scanning a table, and your test card doesn't show light hitting underneath the table, that area won't be seen in your scan. Using this logic, you can also tell if reflections are being captured outside of the test card area. If when looking at your test card, you can see parts of the test card reflected outside of it's bounds, but within the camera's field of view bounds, then the scan algorithm will think it should capture content in the space that the test card's light is reflecting onto and your scan will come back messy. 
5. Using the test card information when reaching out to support. When troubleshooting networking issues with your device, the support team will often ask to see what is displayed on your test card so including a photo of it in your bug reports or support requests can only ever help :) 
6. Connecting to your device via static IP. Another tip when troubleshooting networking issues is utilizing your device's IP address to connect via Static IP.  Your device's IP address appears on the test card. If you are having trouble connecting to the device,  you may benefit from enabling labs and entering your device’s IP into the Static IP field.
7. Annoyed that the test card is coming up in-between publishing projects or between slides? Turn it off on the control page it will no longer pop up. Keep in mind, that you'll need to toggle it back on from the control page if you do want to see it come up again in the future.