🔧 Troubleshooting hub
Pick what’s happening below. The checklist walks you through the same triage we do over email — usually 3–4 questions to the fix.
What's happening?
Pick the closest match — we'll walk it through.
Pick the symptom that matches your situation. Each row points to the right page or the fastest fix.
| What you are seeing | Most likely cause | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| Computer does not see the device at all | Wrong cable, wrong port, wrong browser | Device will not connect |
| LED on, but no sound when I touch | MIDI permission, wrong browser, no grounding | No sound or MIDI not detected |
| Playtron specifically — lights up but nothing happens | Grounding | Grounding — how and why |
| Random notes play with nothing touched | Calibration / electrical interference | "Spurious notes" below |
| USB port loose, device physically broken | Hardware fault | "Hardware damage" below |
| Some objects play, others do not | Conductivity | Objects you can play |
| Worked once, now broken | Firmware corruption | Firmware reset (Nuke) |
Quick checklist — works for 80% of "not working" cases
Work through these in order. They resolve most issues without needing the deeper pages.
- Use Brave or Chrome. Safari and Firefox do not support Web MIDI. This is the single most common reason a Playtronica device appears to not work.
- Plug in the device, then open the browser. The browser scans for MIDI devices on page load. If the browser is already open, the device will not be detected.
- Click Allow on the MIDI permission popup. If you clicked Block earlier, the browser remembers. See No sound.
- For Playtron, confirm grounding. Bare skin on the gold ground pin, or a ground cable to a metal radiator. Without grounding, Playtron is silent. See Grounding.
- Try a different USB cable. It must be a data cable, not a charge-only cable. Charge-only cables look identical but carry no data.
- Use a USB port directly on the computer. Not a USB hub.
If all six are confirmed and the device still does not work, go to the symptom-specific page above.
LED status guide
| LED behaviour | What it means |
|---|---|
| Solid on when plugged in | The device is powered and connected. |
| Off when plugged in | USB power issue. Try another port or cable. (Playtron does not light up on plug-in — this is normal.) |
| Flashing rapidly | The device is sending MIDI signals. This is correct. |
| All LEDs lit at once | Either calibration mode (Biotron, briefly) or a stuck state (Playtron — try a reset). |
| Solid on but no response to touch | Unplug and reconnect. If the problem continues, see the symptom rows above. |
Spurious notes — device plays without anything touching it
This happens when the device cannot find a stable reference point.
- Biotron — the device did not calibrate. Unplug, plug back in, move at least 1 metre away from the plant for 30 seconds, wait for the steady green pulse.
- Playtron — the room has strong electromagnetic interference. Move the device away from your computer, phone charger, and Wi-Fi router. Try a different room as a quick test.
- All devices — confirm grounding (Playtron) or that the plant pads are at least 2 cm apart and not touching each other (Biotron).
Hardware damage
If the device is physically damaged — USB port loose, alligator pin broken off, PCB cracked — do not try to repair it yourself. Email support@playtronica.com with the subject Defective #[order number] and a clear photo. The 1-year warranty covers manufacturing defects. See Warranty and repairs for the policy.
Specific device pages
- Playtron — common issues and fixes — grounding, pin corrosion, intermittent triggers.
- Firmware reset (Nuke) — when the device is unresponsive after a failed update.
- Device will not connect — Mac and Windows steps.
Ask the community
🤝 Other Playtronica users have probably hit this before. The Playtronica Friends Facebook group has 4,400 members and is the fastest source of creative and technical help. Search the group's history first (use the magnifying glass at the top — try
playtron mobile no sound,all leds lit,touchme biotron no sound,koala sampler midi, or whatever fits your problem). If your question is not already answered, post a new one with a[Device]prefix in the title. See the community page for what to ask there and what to email instead.
Still stuck
Email support@playtronica.com with the subject Troubleshooting #[order number]. Tell us:
- Which device.
- Your operating system.
- The browser or app you are using.
- What the LED is doing.
- A 30-second video if you can record one.
We aim for 24 hours, but a reply may take up to 3 business days.