# Fail-safe mode has kicked in **URL:** \ **Category:** Troubleshooting\ **Created:** [December 23, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853 "2021-12-23T00:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/1 "2021-12-23T00:42:31Z")
Here is the error message I just saw after loading the Sequencer page. Please know that I’ve had trouble with this board before but assumed it to be an internet bug. “The controller has restarted from repeated errors and has loaded fail-safe settings. Proceed with caution - using this interface may persist fail-safe settings.” Does this mean I might brick my PixelBlaze by using the Sequencer page? FredEBear ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/2 "2021-12-23T01:31:11Z")
It means it’s crashing, could be power related. Power it off for a while, then back on to restore settings. Try it with lower brightness setting, see if that helps! ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/3 "2021-12-23T01:33:28Z")
Thanks for responding. It’s been disconnected for over 3 weeks now as I’ve been using a different PB with no issues. I will disconnect then try again tomorrow and report my findings. As far as power goes, I’m running “Quiet Blinkfade” so power draw is limited. ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/4 "2022-07-07T18:58:46Z")
Hello, Pixelblaze\_68968D (one of four purchased boards) blinks 3 times as in SetUp mode, then runs the established patterns. I CANNOT access this board any longer as the “Spinning Cube” (when I’ve selected from my drop down Internet providers list) does just that. Spins. Yes, I have removed the PB from its encloser and directly connected via USB to my PC (iMac) with NO LED load and it still just spins the cube. Unable to access the board. This is where I’m at still after all these months. My recent board Pixelblaze\_1CE14A has shown the exact same symptoms and the above board since yesterday. These boards act like once I get some patterns loaded, if I wish to add to or subtract from or modify (via sliders), then too bad. It locks me out and I can no longer access these boards. Unable to access from PC or iPhone. This is where I’m at today July 7, 2022 ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/5 "2022-07-08T20:21:33Z")
Try these steps on your Pixelblaze\_68968D and Pixelblaze\_1CE14A controllers. 1. Power it on without any LEDs and using USB. 2. Switch to it’s WiFi network. A window may pop up with Pixelblaze’s wifi settings. 3. Make note if the window does not appear, or it has a spinning cube forever. In any event open a browser to this URL, while still connected to the Pixelblaze network (Pixelblaze\_68968D or Pixelblaze\_1CE14A): [http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html](http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html) 4. Please take a screenshot of that page (or whatever the browser is showing) and post that afterward. 5. If the recovery page loaded, try using the WiFi tab to manually configure it using your home network and passphrase. 6. If you get this far, try switching your computer back to your home WiFi, reload the discovery page, and see if it shows up. Please let us know if it shows up, and if so, what the IP address is. 7. Try clicking on it. Hopefully it loads! 8. If you get this far, Power your pixelblaze off, and back on. Keep an eye on the LED. Does it flash 3 times? If so, the settings didn’t stick. If you get stuck along the way, please make note of which step you are stuck on, with as much detail as possible. ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/6 "2022-07-08T20:42:47Z")
1. Power it on without any LEDs and using USB. Answer - roger that 2. Switch to it’s WiFi network. A window may pop up with Pixelblaze’s wifi settings. Answer - roger that 3. - Make note if the window does not appear, or it has a spinning cube forever. In any event open a browser to this URL, while still connected to the Pixelblaze network (Pixelblaze\_68968D or Pixelblaze\_1CE14A): [http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html](http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html) Answer - roger that Picture ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 1.36.25 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6c35ff09c63c90eb7b2fa4f156552dfb4211e61f.jpeg) 4. Please take a screenshot of that page (or whatever the browser is showing) and post that afterward. Answer - roger that 5. If the recovery page loaded, try using the WiFi tab to manually configure it using your home network and passphrase. Answer - roger that, yes listed on Discovery Page but when selected, see photo above 6. 1. & 8. Not applicable yet. ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/7 "2022-07-08T20:48:47Z")
Hi @FredEBear , There’s an error dialog from your operating system saying that it can’t join (AKA connect) to the Pixelblaze\_68968D network. This needs to be resolved to continue past step #2. ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/8 "2022-07-08T20:52:07Z")
- Make note if the window does not appear, or it has a spinning cube forever. In any event open a browser to this URL, while still connected to the Pixelblaze network (Pixelblaze\_68968D or Pixelblaze\_1CE14A): [http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html](http://192.168.4.1/recovery.html) Update 1:50pm Friday Pixelblaze\_1CE14A actually loaded!! For the first time in days. Don’t know how long this miracle will last and I’m hesitant about shutting down my PC because if I do all might be lost again. Pixelblaze\_68968D still fails to latch on. ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/9 "2022-07-08T20:54:30Z")
There’s an error dialog from your operating system saying that it can’t join (AKA connect) to the Pixelblaze\_68968D network. This needs to be resolved to continue past step #2. I select via drop down internet selection tab and get spinning cube. That’s it. This page pops up when I switched back to Discovery mode. Otherwise I could wait forever and the cube never stops spinning. ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/10 "2022-07-08T20:55:45Z")
[quote=“FredEBear, post:9, topic:1853”] I select via drop down internet selection tab and get spinning cube. That’s it. This page pops up when I switched back to Discovery mode. [/quote] There’s no spinning cube in the screenshot, what spinning cube are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/11 "2022-07-08T20:57:47Z")
> [@FredEBear](#): > > This page pops up when I switched back to Discovery mode I don’t understand this. What do you mean “switch back to Discovery mode?” ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/12 "2022-07-08T21:17:18Z")
Got this page… But when logging into my WiFi network Pixelblaze\_68968D fails to load hence the previous screen shot. I’ve tried twice to upload the Pixelblaze Recovery Tool screenshot but my PC tells me that it can’t ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 1.59.51 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/9/958266c98ffc2d351a3ce7a01bdf29be0f996fbd.jpeg) ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 2.07.57 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/2/288a1ff32072f5e5328510fafb8c24da61b6120d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/13 "2022-07-08T22:51:08Z")
What do you mean “switch back to Discovery mode?” This looks like you got past the issue where your computer couldn’t connect to the Pixelblaze\_68968D network. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to load the recovery page, which has 68968D in the name. ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 3.48.45 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c2799ea674aebbd140e56302daf60b2cb2ee58e8.png) What did you change there so that you could connect to the Pixelblaze\_68968D wifi network? With the recovery page loaded, and still connected to the Pixelblaze\_68968D network, you can proceed with step #5, using the WiFi tab to manually configure it using your home network and passphrase. Type in your home network name and passphrase, and click “Save WiFi Settings.” ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 3.49.54 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/187a419507c5620c8a4a157aa9b93fa9b38dde21.png) ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/14 "2022-07-08T23:16:19Z")
Yes I know and understand your concise directions however, the Recovery page with the WiFi tab button only presents me with the spinning cube. ![Screen Shot 2022-07-08 at 4.14.21 PM](https://forum.electromage.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6b9863223cbaa29e3da73f9a5293b52f578ad06a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/wizard/32/4_2.png) [@wizard](https://forum.electromage.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/15 "2022-07-08T23:54:27Z")
I don’t think it’s possible to get what you show in your last screenshot from the recovery page’s wifi settings tab without skipping ahead a few steps. Perhaps that is an old browser tab? Or did you proceed to step 6 and 7? ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/16 "2022-07-09T00:18:09Z")
I don’t think it’s possible to get what you show in your last screenshot… Right. Well I don’t know what to tell you. This is where I get to as I cannot get to step 6. Would you believe that after the past several hours the cube is still spinning. Pixelblaze\_68968D is NO longer listed under my WiFi drop down tab. ---
**Author:** ![jeff](https://forum.electromage.com/user_avatar/forum.electromage.com/jeff/32/3473_2.png) [@jeff](https://forum.electromage.com/u/jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/17 "2022-07-09T15:24:13Z")
Hey @FredEBear - From following along, I see how frustrating this is. As someone who wants to try to help, I’m frustrated too because I want to figure out what’s going on but frequently can’t understand which steps were followed, and which worked vs where things took a turn. I think we’re missing a foundation of common understanding about certain network concepts. I have a suggestion though. If you could become really efficient at recording and uploading screencasts (complete videos of you performing the steps) I think that could help everyone. I use the built-in Quicktime Screen recorder on Mac and upload in “unlisted” mode to YouTube (both are free). In unlisted mode, the videos are only visible wherever you share the link (it doesn’t publish them to a public page associated with you). If you search you’ll find tutorials on how to record a screen capture video with Quicktime. It might save everyone a lot of confusion and get you to a resolution faster. ---
**Author:** ![FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@FredEBear](https://forum.electromage.com/u/FredEBear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://forum.electromage.com/t/fail-safe-mode-has-kicked-in/1853/18 "2022-07-12T02:32:00Z")
Yeah I’ve given up and have resigned my inability to understand this marvelous little board. I will let my displays stay “stuck” as I am no longer able to modify Pixelblaze. But, I have a new one that I will work with until it stops and i just hope I can finish uploading pleasing programs.