Quick Start Guide

NORTHSTARSHOW SYSTEMS

Quick Start Guide

Get a Northstar show running in 30 minutes

Overview

This guide walks a new operator from a brand-new install to a working show in roughly thirty minutes. It assumes a single Polaris GPIO node, one Bridge operator panel, and an Intel NUC running HelmOS on a venue Wi-Fi network.

What You Need

• An Intel NUC (or equivalent x64 PC) running Windows 10 or 11
• One Wi-Fi access point on a dedicated network (default SSID: TRUENORTH)
• At least one Arduino UNO R4 WiFi for the Polaris node
• A USB-C cable for the first firmware flash
• The COMPOSE_INSTALLER.exe and INSTALL_HELM_OS.exe distribution files
• Your Northstar license key (or fingerprint to request one)

Step 1 — Install HelmOS on the Helm NUC

• Copy INSTALL_HELM_OS.exe to the NUC.
• Right-click and choose Run as administrator.
• Approve the SmartScreen prompt and the UAC prompt.
• Wait for the installer to print Install complete (~60 seconds).
• Open a browser to http://localhost:3000/. The Cuemaster activation overlay appears.

Step 2 — Activate the License

• Note the device fingerprint shown in the overlay (16 hex chars).
• Request a license token bound to that fingerprint from your Northstar contact.
• Paste the token into the activation field and click Activate.
• The overlay clears. Cuemaster shows "Show Active" with a green indicator.

Step 3 — Install Compose on the Design Machine

• Double-click COMPOSE_INSTALLER.exe on your design laptop.
• Accept defaults and let it install to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\compose.
• Launch Compose. The activation screen appears — paste your license token.

Step 4 — Build a Trivial Show

• File → New Project. Set venue name and Helm IP (default 10.0.0.1).
• Add a Zone called "Foyer".
• Inside the zone, add a Polaris GPIO Node. Assign pin D2 as an output labelled "Lamp".
• Add a manual-GO cue called "Flash Lamp". In the Block Editor, drag in an Action: Pulse block targeting Lamp with 200 ms duration.
• File → Build Firmware (Ctrl+Shift+B). Compose compiles the firmware.
• File → Save. The project writes to a .nsss.compose file.

Step 5 — Flash the Polaris Node

• File → Export NorthLink firmware. Pick a folder.
• Plug the UNO R4 into the design machine via USB-C.
• Open Arduino IDE → File → Open → the exported .ino.
• Tools → Board → Arduino UNO R4 WiFi. Tools → Port → the assigned COM port.
• Sketch → Upload. The board boots into Polaris firmware, joins TrueNorth Wi-Fi, and registers with HelmOS.

Step 6 — Deploy and Test

• In Compose, File → Deploy to Helm (Ctrl+Shift+D). The project uploads to HelmOS.
• Open Cuemaster. The "Foyer" zone and your node appear in the Nodes tab.
• Cues tab → click GO next to "Flash Lamp". The output pulses.

Where Next

• See NSSS-DOC-0020 Compose User Guide for a complete tour of the design environment
• See NSSS-DOC-0040 Polaris Node Family Overview for hardware specifications
• See NSSS-DOC-0060 Show Operator Quick Reference for daily operation

Related Documents

• NSSS-DOC-0002Platform Overview
• NSSS-DOC-0011Compose Installation
• NSSS-DOC-0021HelmOS Installation
• NSSS-DOC-0045Polaris Firmware Bootstrap

Revision History