Base & Pen Configuration
Both the base and pen have some configuration options.
You will need to install Material Companion.
To read and modify the base or pen configurations, you need to place a base or pen on the dock. The base has to be in the charging slot with 3 pins.
You cannot read or configure a base if the pen is connected to the dock, or vise versa!
Configuration Options
Firmware
This field is read-only and displays the current firmware version of the base or pen.
Id
The id of the base or pen. This can be modified, which is mostly useful if you have multiple bases or pens that happen to have the same id. The id is used to link tokens to a specific base, besides that it does not matter if multiple bases or pens share the same id.
Touch Sensitivity (Base Only)
The sensitivity of the touch sensors on the side of the base.
If set too low, a touch might be difficult to detect (needing to press hard) or might be completely undetectable.
If set too high, noise might trigger a false touch. This can be from, for example, electrical noise from the display or a hand that moved too close to the base.
Timeout (Pen Only)
When a pen is activated by pressing one of its buttons, it will stay active until all buttons are released and some extra time. The timeout option gives the lenght of this extra time.
For example, if the timeout is set to 10 seconds, then the pen will stay active for 10 seconds after all butttons have been released.
Reading the Current Configuration
- Open Material Companion and navigate to the 'Base' or 'Pen' sub-tab in the 'Material Plane' tab.
- At the top, select the correct 'Dock USB Port'. The dock should show up as 'COM## (Dock)'. If it doesn't show up, try refreshing the USB ports or try finding the correct USB port.
- Press the 'Read' button. After a few seconds the configuration fields should be filled.
Writing a New Configuration
- Read the current configuration
- Make any adjustments to the configuration
- Press the 'Write' button, a popup should show giving the progress.
Resetting to the Default Configuration
- Read the current configuration
- Press the 'Reset' button, a popup should show giving the progress.
Finding the Correct USB Port
For updates over USB, you will need to find the correct USB port over which the update can take place.
Some devices, such as the production sensor and dock may show up as named devices in Material Companion or the Arduino IDE, but other will not. To figure out the correct port, you can try one of these methods:
Using Material Companion
- Open Material Companion and navigate to either the 'Sensor', 'Base' or 'Pen' sub-tab in the 'Material Plane' tab
- Make sure the device is disconnected, then press the 'refresh' button next to 'Sensor/Dock USB Port'
- Take note of which ports are currently selectable
- Connect the device, wait a few seconds, and press the 'refresh' button again
- A new port should show up, this is the port you're looking for
Using the Arduino IDE
- Open the Arduino IDE
- Make sure the device is disconnected, navigate to 'Tools' and take note of which ports are available under 'Port: xxx'
- Connect the device, wait a few seconds, and navigate to 'Tools' again (this won't work if you stay in the 'Tools' menu while connecting the device)
- A new port should show up, this is the port you're looking for
Using Device Manager (Windows)
- Open the start menu and search for 'Device Manager'
- Make sure the device is disconnected, navigate to 'Ports (COM & LPT)' and take note of which COM ports are available
- Connect the device, wait a few seconds, and Device Manager should update and show a new COM port, this is the port you're looking for