System Requirements

NORTHSTARSHOW SYSTEMS

System Requirements

Hardware and software requirements for every Northstar component

Document Number	Revision	Date	Platform Version
NSSS-DOC-0004	A	2026-05-20	1.0

Compose (Show Designer)

Specification	Value
Operating System	Windows 10 build 19044+, Windows 11, or macOS 13+
CPU	x64 with SSE4.2, 2 cores minimum (4+ recommended for firmware compile)
RAM	8 GB minimum
Disk	4 GB free for installer + bundled arduino-cli toolchain
Display	1280×800 minimum, 1920×1080 recommended
Network	Wired or Wi-Fi access to the TrueNorth network for deploying shows
Internet	Not required after installation

HelmOS (Venue Runtime)

Specification	Value
Operating System	Windows 10 build 19044+ or Windows 11 (Pro/Enterprise recommended)
CPU	Intel x64, 2 cores, 2.0 GHz or higher
RAM	4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended
Disk	2 GB free for installation, additional space for show files + media
Network	Wired Ethernet preferred. Wi-Fi acceptable on the TrueNorth SSID.
USB Port	One available for the Polaris Bridge connection
Display	Not required (headless operation supported)

Cuemaster (Operator Dashboard)

Specification	Value
Browser	Chrome 120+, Firefox 121+, Edge 120+, Safari 17+
Touchscreen	Recommended for venue operator stations
Screen Size	10 inches minimum
Network	Connected to the TrueNorth SSID with line-of-sight to HelmOS

Polaris Field Nodes

Specification	Value
Hardware	Arduino UNO R4 WiFi
Microcontroller	Renesas RA4M1 (Arm Cortex-M4) + ESP32-S3 Wi-Fi co-processor
Flash	256 KB (dual-bank for safe OTA)
RAM	32 KB
Power	5 V via USB-C, 500 mA typical
Operating Temperature	0 to 50 °C (consult Arduino datasheet for extended ranges)
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n on 2.4 GHz (the embedded ESP32-S3 has 5 GHz capability but is configured for 2.4 GHz in the Polaris firmware — TrueNorth runs 5 GHz only, this is on the roadmap for revision B firmware)

TrueNorth Wi-Fi Network

Specification	Value
Recommended APs	Ubiquiti UniFi U6-Pro / U7-Pro, Ruckus R650, Aruba 500-series
Concurrent stations	100+ per radio for venues with 100+ nodes
Frequency	5 GHz (preferred), 2.4 GHz fallback
Channel width	80 MHz on a clean DFS channel
Security	WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode
Subnet	10.0.0.0/24 default; 10.0.0.0/23 above 200 nodes

NSSS-DOC-0001Quick Start Guide
NSSS-DOC-0006TrueNorth Network Design

Revision History

Revision	Date	Description
A	2026-05-20	Initial publication