Device or output not showing up

Patched a fixture, but no light comes on — or the node’s own lights never flicker at all? This isn’t a step-by-step tutorial; it’s a checklist, ordered from the most common cause to the least common one. Jump straight to whichever item matches what you’re seeing.

Check here first: the Output status panel

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   Look at the Output status column on the home screen: each protocol you use (Art-Net, USB DMX, sACN) shows its own status dot and label.

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A green dot and “Connected” means that output is up on Relackout’s side — if your fixture still doesn’t react, the problem is further down this list, not here (practice mode also leaves outputs showing “Connected”; see item 5). An amber or grey dot means that protocol isn’t reaching anything yet; the checklist below tells you why.

The checklist: most likely cause first

1 · Is the output switched off?

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   Click Settings; look at the DMX Outputs section.

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Art-Net and sACN each have their own on/off switch, independent of each other. An off switch sits to the left and is grey; an on switch sits to the right and is blue. Turning one on doesn’t turn the other on with it. A switched-off sACN shows Not connected in Settings (and “Off” on the home screen) — the switch is what tells you whether it’s on. USB DMX has no switch: it starts on its own once a compatible interface is found (see item 6).

2 · Is the wrong universe selected?

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   In the Art-Net card, look at the Broadcast universes row: only U1 is checked here.

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Only a checked universe is actually sent over Art-Net. If your fixture is patched into Universe 2 but only U1 is checked here, nothing reaches it — the fix is to check U2 too. sACN and USB DMX each keep their own, separate universe assignment; checking one doesn’t check the others. DMX output: Art-Net, sACN and USB-DMX walks through every output setting on this screen; which universe a fixture is patched into is covered in Patching and the address map.

3 · Does the patch address match the device?

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   In Settings, open Patch & address map; click a filled map cell (1).

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The start address you set on the device’s own menu must be exactly the address you patched it to — not one off in either direction. The Patch details box shows the Address range for any patch you click. Patching and the address map covers picking and reading addresses in full.

4 · Does the fixture mode match?

A fixture model with more than one mode shows a Mode field in the patch form. The mode you pick there decides the channel count and order Relackout uses — if it doesn’t match the mode set on the device’s own menu, every control on that fixture shifts to the wrong channel. Patching and the address map shows this field and how to read it.

5 · Is practice mode on?

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   On the home screen, look for the guided setup’s practice banner just under the title bar.

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If you ever ran the guided setup’s “practice without hardware” path, Practice mode — physical outputs are disabled stays visible on every screen until you leave it on purpose — and while it’s up, nothing is sent to real fixtures, even if every setting above looks right. Click Switch to hardware in the banner and confirm to turn physical output back on. Confirming can immediately send current live values and active Scenes to connected fixtures, so make sure your rig is safe first.

6 · Is USB-DMX connected, is the driver installed?

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   In Settings, look at the USB DMX card in DMX Outputs.

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Relackout’s USB-DMX output supports the ENTTEC Open DMX USB interface. If no compatible device is plugged in — or its driver isn’t installed — the card shows Not connected, and any universe you already assigned to a port shows the same badge next to it. Plug the interface in, then click Retry. Setting up the Relackout USB-DMX interface covers the cable, the driver and first connection in full.

7 · Is the network or a firewall blocking it?

Art-Net runs over UDP port 6454. If another application on the same computer — another lighting console, a visualizer, a monitoring tool — is already using that port, Relackout can’t start Art-Net and marks the connector as faulty with the message "Art-Net could not start. Port 6454 is already being used by another application. Art-Net has been marked as faulty.". Close the other application, or change which one owns the port, then reopen Settings. Connection settings covers the network interface and IP address Relackout broadcasts on. If Art-Net is reaching the network but lighting still lags or drops out over Wi-Fi, that’s a separate issue: see Fixing lag on Wi-Fi.

8 · Is Master down, is Blackout engaged?

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   On the home screen, click LIVE CONTROL. If you’re on another screen, click Back until you’re home first.

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Every value Relackout sends is scaled by the MASTER fader — if it’s down, your Scenes and cues look correct everywhere except the fixture itself. Blackout overrides everything to zero regardless of Master; if it’s engaged, release it and try again.

Still not working?

If you’ve worked through the whole list and still see nothing: DMX output: Art-Net, sACN and USB-DMX walks through every output setting end to end; Patching and the address map covers address and mode in depth; Setting up the Relackout USB-DMX interface and Connection settings cover the hardware and network side; and if lighting responds but stutters or lags over a wireless network, see Fixing lag on Wi-Fi.