Help, written by the people who built the hardware.
Documentation, downloads, the FAQ, and a direct line for opening-night emergencies. Pick your role below to start in the right place.
What are you doing today?
Operator
You're running the show tonight. Bridge button workflow, Cuemaster basics, what to do when a node turns red.
Read the Operator Quick Reference →Installer
You're on a ladder with a Polaris node and a length of CAT-6. Mounting, cabling, network commissioning.
Read the Installation Guide →Show Designer
You're building cues in Compose. Project structure, sequence patterns, simulator workflow, deploying to Helm.
Open the Compose Designer Manual →Venue Tech
You're on call when something breaks. Diagnostic flowcharts, firmware updates, log file locations.
Read the System Reference →The full library.
Documentation is hosted at docs.northstarshowsystems.com — versioned, searchable, and downloadable as PDF for offline use. Below is the index.
Installers, firmware, updates.
| File | Version | |
|---|---|---|
Compose Show Designer Desktop installer. Includes simulator and the full template library. | 1.0.0 | |
HelmOS Update Bundle Offline updater. Copy to USB and run on the Helm host during maintenance. | 1.0.0 | |
NorthLink Firmware .ino source and .bin binary. Loads via the standard MCU flashing tooling. | 1.0.0 | |
Bridge Firmware .ino source — no external libraries required. | 1.0.0 |
Downloads are SHA-256 verified. Hashes published at docs.northstarshowsystems.com/downloads.
Common questions.
Does Northstar work without internet?
Yes — by design. TrueNorth is an air-gapped network. HelmOS does not phone home. Compose runs entirely offline. The only time you need internet is when downloading installers from this site.
Can I run my own router instead of TrueNorth?
Technically yes; we don't support it. The subnet, DHCP range, Helm static IP, and SSID are all baked into the commissioning workflow. Saving the price of one router is not worth a 2 AM call.
How do I expand a system after install?
Order more Polaris nodes à la carte. Each ships pre-flashed with NorthLink. Plug into power, it joins TrueNorth, registers with Helm, and appears in Cuemaster as 'Unassigned' — you assign it a name and zone from the dashboard.
What happens if Helm dies mid-show?
Polaris nodes keep doing whatever they were last told to do — looped video keeps looping, a held GPIO stays held. New triggers stop firing until Helm is back. HelmOS recovery from a hard power-off is 30–60 seconds.
Can I use Northstar with my existing show lighting / sound rig?
Yes, via GPIO. Polaris G drives dry contacts; most pro lighting and sound systems accept dry-contact triggers. Customers commonly tie Northstar GPIO to their lighting board's macro inputs.
Open a ticket. Or pick up the phone.
Sev-1 tickets are routed to an on-call engineer. Phone support hours match your support plan — Mission Critical customers get 24/7.