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LED Display Controller · WF1 Manual
Your WF1 comes pre-programmed and ready to wear. This page walks you through connecting the LEDArt app, switching faces, uploading custom art, building no-app USB face programs, and fixing the most common issues.
This is the offline copy included with your USB program download — the latest version always lives at protofrenz.com/pages/wf1-controller-manual.
The WF1 is a third-party controller made by Huidu Technology and resold by ProtoFrenz. We're happy to help with setup and common issues, but we're unable to offer custom firmware, hardware modifications, or deep technical support beyond what's covered on this page. For advanced questions, Huidu's documentation and support channels are the best resource.
Plug a 5V MicroUSB power bank into the MicroUSB port on the controller. 5V, 2.4A or higher is recommended — lower current supplies can cause flickering or unstable behaviour.
The WiFi network name (e.g. WF1_e869086a488) is printed on a
label on the back of the controller. Wait a few seconds for the network to
appear after power-on.
Go to your phone's WiFi settings and connect to the
WF1_xxxxxxxxx network shown on the controller label.
The default password is 88888888 (eight 8s).
When your phone asks "Stay connected to this network without internet?", choose Yes / Keep. Turn off Bluetooth and mobile data if the app has trouble finding the device. The WF1 network is closed — internet won't be available while you're connected to it.
Open LEDArt and tap the Device tab at the bottom. You should see your controller listed with status Normal play. If nothing appears, check that you're still connected to the WF1 network — phones often switch back to your home WiFi automatically.
From the Device tab, tap your controller to open its detail page, then tap Remote. This gives you live control over what's on the panels right now.
Use the ↑ / ↓ arrow buttons to cycle through the pre-loaded programs. Each program is a face or animation. Tap Looping ON/OFF to lock in a single face so it doesn't rotate automatically.
The brightness slider on the Remote screen dims or boosts the panels. Indoors, 30–50% is usually comfortable; brightly lit venues or outdoor spaces often need 80–100%. For long wear sessions, 60–70% is a good balance between visibility and heat.
Image size
128 px wide × 32 px tall total. Design a 64×32 mirrored face — left half shown on one panel, right half on the other.
File format
PNG for static faces. GIF for animated faces — the WF1 supports GIF animation natively. Animation speed can be adjusted with the Speed setting in the program editor.
Scan setting in LEDArt
Hardware Settings → scan mode C5, color Full Color, gray level 8. This is the correct setting for ProtoFrenz P3 panels.
Face designer
Use the LED Display Face Maker at protofrenz.com — built specifically for the WF1's 64×32 panel layout. It can also package your faces as a complete ready-to-load USB program — see Build USB programs.
128×32 px layout — actual pixel ratio
dashed line = panel split · each half mirrors to one panel
In LEDArt, go to the Program tab and tap New Program. The app creates a blank program and drops you into the editor with a default text area.
Tap the ✕ next to the "Text" element at the bottom of the editor. You want a clean canvas before adding your image.
Tap the + button and choose Image from the menu, then Local image to pick your PNG or GIF from your phone's photo library or Files app.
Tap Send in the top-right corner. The image transmits over WiFi and appears on the panels within a few seconds. Only this one program is sent — your other existing programs are unaffected.
Build each face as its own program in the Program list. When you're ready to load them all, check the box next to each program and tap Send from the main Program screen. All selected programs upload in a single batch. Use the Remote screen to switch between them on the fly.
The Face Maker includes a USB Program Builder that creates a complete, ready-to-load face program in your browser — no LEDArt, no HD2020, no WiFi juggling, and no risk of touching hardware settings. Everything happens on a USB thumb drive, and your whole face set loads in one go.
The USB drive that came with your head carries an offline copy of the whole tool — open ProtoFrenz Face Maker.html on the drive and it works with no internet and nothing to install. Handy at conventions. The steps below are identical either way.
On the Face Maker page, draw your own art, pick from the ProtoFrenz face library (still faces and animations), or upload your own PNG/GIF. When a face is ready, tap ➕ Add to USB program to drop it into the Program Builder below the drawing tool.
Each face in the builder becomes one program on the WF1 — you can load up to 16 per USB drive and cycle through them with the Remote arrows, just like app-loaded programs. Give each face one or more frames, set hold times, and adjust animation speed with the fast/slow slider. Press Play to preview the whole set on the timeline exactly as it will play on the head.
Tap ⬇ Download USB Files. You'll get a ZIP containing five program files, a README, and an offline copy of this manual. You can also Save your project file to keep editing it later, or Import USB files to re-open any program ZIP — including ones made earlier.
Unzip and copy all five program files to the root directory of a FAT32-formatted USB drive (not inside a folder). Insert the drive while the controller is powered on and wait about 30 seconds — the program loads automatically. Remove the drive, and switch faces with the Remote screen or the controller button as usual.
88888888. In LEDArt: Device → Password
Settings. Write it down — recovery requires a button hold on the Reset
button (see Troubleshooting below).
The most common cause is the phone silently switching away from the WF1 hotspot to a network with internet.
WF1_xxxxxxxxx network (not your home network).This happens when the controller and display panels lose sync — usually after a corrupted program send.
Fix: download the ProtoFrenz default program zip, unzip it onto a FAT32 USB drive (files go in the root directory, not a folder), insert it while the controller is powered on, and wait 30 seconds.
Alternatively, open LEDArt and send any valid program from the app — this will also re-sync the panels.
Tip from a customer: if the USB recovery drive isn't working, try unplugging the display panels from the controller first, inserting the USB drive and waiting for it to load (30 s), then replugging the panels.
The scan mode may be set incorrectly for your panel type. In LEDArt:
888).Also verify the 16-pin HUB75 ribbon cables are seated fully, with the tab/notch on the connector aligned to the slot. Data flows controller → first panel → second panel — arrows on the panel PCBs show the direction.
Check that the controller is powered on — the network only broadcasts when the unit is running. The network name is on the label on the back of the controller.
If the unit appears on but the network is still missing, insert a hex key
or thin tool into the Reset hole on the controller case and
press and hold the button inside for 10 seconds while powered on. On firmware
V4.24 and above this resets the WiFi password to 88888888 without
erasing your program.
The reset method depends on your controller's firmware version:
Firmware V4.24 or later (most units): while the controller
is powered on, insert a hex key into the Reset hole and hold
the button for 10 seconds. The WiFi password resets to 88888888
without erasing your program.
Older firmware: power off the controller, press and hold
the Reset button, then power it back on while still holding. Release after
10 seconds. The password resets to 88888888, but screen
parameters may also be reset — re-run Hardware Settings (scan mode C5,
Full Color, Gray Level 8) and re-upload your program afterward.
Almost always a power supply issue. The WF1 and two P3 panels draw meaningful current — especially at high brightness.
Mac: the Face Maker works in Safari. To format a stick, open Disk Utility, select the drive itself (not the volume under it), click Erase, and choose MS-DOS (FAT) with scheme Master Boot Record. Don't pick ExFAT — the WF1 can't read it. The hidden files macOS adds to drives (.DS_Store and friends) are harmless.
iPhone / iPad: the Face Maker runs in Safari and your ZIP lands in the Files app — long-press it and choose Uncompress. Plug a USB stick in with a USB-C (or Lightning) adapter and copy all five files to the top level of the drive in Files. iPhones can't format drives, so use one that's already FAT32 — the drive that came with your head is perfect, as is any small (32 GB or less) stick, or format one on a computer first.
This is also the best route when an iPhone won't stay connected to the WF1's WiFi — the USB drive skips the app and WiFi entirely.
Via USB drive
Download the default program zip, unzip it, and copy the files to the root directory of a FAT32-formatted USB drive (not inside a folder). Insert the drive while the controller is powered on. Wait 30 seconds — done.
Via LEDArt app
Connect to the WF1 network, open LEDArt, and send any program from your phone. Any valid program send will also re-sync the display if it was showing white/magenta stripes.