DSan PerfectCue: no slide advance, duplicate commands and PowerPoint backup

Identify the receiver and remote first

PerfectCue is a DSan product family. Record the receiver model, remote model and available buttons: not every remote has Blank. Include the computer, operating system, PowerPoint or other application version and connected port. A photo of the labels helps select the correct manual.

The official DSan index separates the programmer for PerfectCue, PC-Mini and PC-Micro V1.0 from the dedicated PC-Micro 2.0 application. Choose by model; a filename containing PerfectCue is insufficient.

The table distinguishes models with different controls and programming applications. Check receiver and remote labels before applying instructions; record checks using the event’s computers and applications.

The receiver detects the cue, but PowerPoint does not advance

PerfectCue normally acts as a USB keyboard without a special driver. PerfectCue Remote, PDF p.1 explains that PowerPoint stops receiving these keystrokes when another application takes focus. Reception at the receiver does not prove PowerPoint receives the command.

On PC-344BP-SYS, PDF p.1, AUTO enables or disables USB control of one or both computers. Check this state when the receiver detects a cue but one computer does not respond.

During rehearsal, open a copy of the file, bring the presentation to the foreground and advance with that computer’s keyboard. Then compare one remote-button press. Record the failing stage: receiver reception, USB detection or application response.

If the system does not detect the receiver, compare a known working data cable and a direct connection, changing one variable at a time. If it detects the receiver but does not advance, note the configured command and focused window. Do not record an RF failure when the receiver indicates reception.

DSan also documents a PerfectCue Remote add-in for PowerPoint control through a KES-485-PC special cable or IP-2000X-PC Network Extender. This is a separate path from the usual USB connection. Verify compatibility with Office, the operating system and installed accessories before adding it.

Main and backup computers: one command does not guarantee the same slide

The PC-344BP-SYS manual, PDF pp.1–2 documents two computers connected to USB outputs labeled A and B. These are receiver-output names, not USB connector types.

Start both presentations at the same point and check forward, back and animations. Receiving the same key does not verify matching slides or animation steps. Do not assume the main computer’s keyboard is automatically linked to the backup.

For two PC-Mini receivers linked by cable, the manual, PDF p.3 specifies Remote Control ON on the receiver nearest the remote and OFF on the other. This switch controls RF reception.

The DSan Remote Control On/Off FAQ warns that receiving both RF and a cue from another receiver can produce unwanted results. Draw the actual path before attributing duplicate advances to the file.

On PC-344BP-SYS, the manual calls this reception selection between cable-linked receivers Master/Slave (PDF p.2). Do not confuse it with AUTO, which controls USB output to the computers.

The RJ45 and XLR link connectors carry serial data and 12 V power between cue lights. They are not Ethernet ports or audio inputs. Use documented connections; do not connect them to a network switch, PoE or an audio console.

Before the event, test switching to backup and returning with the conference continuity guide. The recovery section below separates presentation state from enabled USB control.

PowerPoint turns black: check the command before blaming the remote

The PC-344BP-SYS manual, PDF p.1 assigns right arrow, left arrow and b to forward, reverse and Blank by default. Check the actual assignments on each output: the button may have been reprogrammed.

For desktop PowerPoint on Windows and macOS, Microsoft’s presentation keyboard shortcuts distinguish B or period to display black and return from black, and Esc to end the slide show. Check the system and keyboard layout; the table uses a US keyboard. Do not use Esc as a substitute for Blank when the slide show must remain running.

In a copy of the file, identify the slide and animation step. With Slide Show in the foreground, press B on the keyboard and check black; press B again and observe the return. Then compare the remote’s Blank button if its assignment sends b. If the keyboard restores the picture but the remote does not, check the saved key, app focus and USB output before changing video settings.

Also compare the computer’s slide-show output with the confidence monitor or final receiver. Presenter View can show notes and a preview different from the slide-show output. If the application output has a picture but a downstream destination remains black, trace source, input, layer and output with the no-picture video troubleshooting guide. Do not reprogram Blank to fix that path.

If main and backup have different Blank states, keep the valid output on program and recover each computer separately. Another shared command can swap their black/visible states. Then compare slide, animation and video before restoring shared advance control.

Programming: Micro 2.0 and the legacy programmer use different procedures

The instructions dated 7.1.2025, PDF p.1 specify USB labeled A, waiting for Device Ready, reading with Load from PerfectCue and writing with Save to PerfectCue. Check the A and B fields. To remove a key, use the context menu; Backspace is recorded as another keystroke.

For PC-Micro v2.0 on Windows, PDF p.1, DSan specifies a data cable to the right-side USB port, opening its app and pressing Settings if requested. A PERFECTCUE drive appears; its letter may vary. Edit the command, confirm and use SAVE ALL SETTINGS.

In the Windows PC-Micro 2.0 application, the yellow LED flashes while Settings exposes memory as a PERFECTCUE drive. This configuration state does not prove a USB fault. Preserve the assignments before editing and check saved commands after SAVE ALL SETTINGS. If normal control does not resume, confirm the exit procedure for that revision before using it at the event. The unplug/replug instruction on page 2 belongs to a firmware update; do not treat it as a Settings-exit procedure.

That document disables a button with a null value. It also allows up to one second of keystroke delay; record this setting when comparing response times.

By contrast, the legacy programmer document (PDF p.2) specifies two CapsLock keystrokes to disable Blank. This differs from leaving a field empty.

The general FAQ refers to a null value and checking both A and B outputs. Because the instructions differ, confirm the procedure for the actual model and installed programmer with DSan before applying it.

Save the initial settings and record each change. Then check forward, back and the modified button on the actual computers and applications. Programming remains subject to that test; do not change commands during the presentation.

For Mac, use the dedicated PC-Micro reference: its document allows either C port, uses SAVE in the dialog followed by SAVE ALL SETTINGS, and requires ejecting the drive if prompted. Do not apply the Windows port restriction to Mac.

Test record: reception, key and result for each destination

Download the blank PerfectCue test record. Record observations, proposed checks and results separately. A received light cue, an emitted keystroke and an advanced slide are separate checks.

Relate the test to presentations for panoramic LED (Spanish) and event video and screens (Spanish). To review event preparation, include the model and control path with video operation and processing.

To separate RF reception from USB control on PC-344BP-SYS, use the PerfectCue equipment reference (Spanish).

PC-Micro: Back enables subtitles and Forward does not advance; compare USB outputs

An unexpected function when pressing Back can come from the stored command or the application receiving it. Compare outputs before ruling out USB B.

The legacy DSan PC-Micro guide, PDF p.1, Introduction explains that keystrokes are stored in the receiver. Its diagram identifies A for configuration. The general instructions dated 7.1.2025, PDF p.1 show separate Forward, Reverse and Blank fields for outputs A/B. Per-output programming lets you investigate a different response without declaring remote reception faulty. The document requires a different programmer for Micro purchased after December 2024; verify the actual generation first.

Before testing, photograph the model, port labels and initial connection. Record operating system, application and file. In a copy of the presentation, check forward and back with the computer keyboard. Then test each remote button with the presentation in focus. Record receiver indication and application response separately.

To compare outputs off program, connect the same computer and data cable to A and record Forward and Back. Repeat on B, changing only the port. In a text editor with a written line, arrow movement can be observed at the cursor; that observation does not identify every possible key combination. Also compare the presentation response.

If the difference follows the port, read its assignments with the applicable programmer. The cited instructions use Load from PerfectCue. Record initial settings before writing and check both outputs. If assignments differ, compare those keys with the presentation’s requirements before saving a change. Do not change DIP settings to fix an unexpected key when the receiver already indicates reception.

Label port, cable and destination together with the verified assignments. If the response changes, restore the initial connection and values before changing another variable. Record each combination in the ports and remotes worksheet, with reception and focus checks and GLMedia video operation.

Two remotes and two computers: USB outputs and independent destinations

Two USB outputs can send commands to two computers; they do not distinguish two remotes by identity. First decide whether the destinations should follow together or respond independently.

The DSan PerfectCue PC-344BP-SYS manual, PDF pp.1–2, Introduction, AUTO and RF Channel documents one paired RF channel, two USB outputs and AUTO to enable one or both computers. For nearby independent systems, it describes remote/receiver pairs on separate channels. It does not document assigning a particular remote to each output of one receiver. Apply this description only to a PC-344BP-SYS receiver.

The general programmer instructions 7.1.2025, PDF p.1 separate keys by button and output, not remote identity. Assigning Forward to one destination and Blank to another changes those button functions; two remotes paired with one receiver still share those assignments. Check every button at both destinations before using that configuration.

For independent destinations, draw one path per remote: receiver, channel, output, computer and file. For PC-344BP-SYS pairs, record different channels between systems and a matching channel within each remote/receiver pair. Preserve the initial configuration and add a link between receivers only when shared commands are required.

Off program, with both destinations visible, press forward and back on remote 1 and record receiver indications and computer changes. Repeat with remote 2. Independent control requires only the assigned destination to respond. If another changes, check channel, links and assignments before continuing. For main/backup using common commands, also compare animation step and video state.

Label remote, receiver and computer with the same destination. If results do not match the planned path, restore saved settings and repeat a single route. Complete the ports and remotes worksheet and relate the path to conference continuity and GLMedia video operation.

Linked PC-Mini receivers: isolate the cause of duplicate advances

For two cable-linked PC-Mini receivers, the manual, PDF p.3, Remote Control Switch specifies ON nearest the remote and OFF on the other receiver. Remote Control enables RF reception; AUTO - USB Switch enables USB connections. They are different controls.

Record both switch positions, button assignments and link path. Preserve the planned power supply and test connections. Do not remove a link cable to isolate data without first checking how each receiver is powered.

If both linked receivers have RF enabled, set Remote Control OFF only on the receiver that should receive over cable, following the manual’s layout. In a copy of the presentation off program, press forward once and record reception and the number of changes at each destination. Repeat with back. Do not simultaneously change the file, RF channels or USB assignments.

If duplicate advances disappear, the comparison points toward the reception paths that changed; it does not identify a faulty component. If they persist, read the button’s keystroke sequence with the applicable programmer and compare an equivalent keyboard press. A single command can execute several keys or an animation step.

In the legacy programmer, p.1, each button accepts up to ten keystrokes. Read with Load from PerfectCue first and preserve both output sequences before editing a field. Do not apply this limit to PC-Micro 2.0, which uses a different programmer. Repeat with the intended topology. Keep the correction only if it matches the expected path; if another fault appears, restore assignments and recorded switch positions, then review the last change.

PC-Micro 2.0: check Keystroke Delay before repeating a command

PC-Micro v2.0 configuration, PDF p.1 allows keystroke output to be delayed by up to one second after a wireless command is received. The setting is Keystroke Delay; it is not a measurement of total system latency.

Read and record the value with the PC-Micro 2.0 application. Off program, use a copy of the presentation at an identifiable point, press once and observe reception followed by application response. Wait for the configured delay before deciding a command is missing; immediately repeating it prevents distinguishing a delayed response from two commands.

To compare another value, save the original assignments and delay, change only Keystroke Delay, use SAVE ALL SETTINGS and repeat the same path. If response time changes, record that relationship. If response remains absent, continue with focus, assignments and USB detection. Restore the previous value when finished, or keep the new one only after checking it on each computer.

The same document states that Sound Cue and Light Cue Animation are unavailable in that PC-Micro version. Fields in a shared interface do not prove the unit supports them. Do not load sounds or update firmware to check keystroke delay.

Recover an out-of-step backup without changing the main computer

On PC-344BP-SYS, AUTO enables or disables USB for each computer; for PC-Mini, the manual, p.3 identifies AUTO - USB Switch. Use that control only after verifying model and output. Remote Control OFF cuts RF and can affect the entire path; it is not a substitute for isolating one computer.

Rehearse recovery off program: preserve the main computer’s valid output and record file, slide, animation step, Blank state and video on both computers. Disable USB control only for the computer being corrected, using the documented selector. Check that a remote command still reaches the intended destination and does not change the isolated computer.

Use the main computer’s current state after that check as the reference. On the isolated computer, use its keyboard to recover that slide and the required animation steps. Also compare picture and video position: matching a slide number does not match playback already in progress. If its state cannot be recovered, keep that computer out of switching until a verifiable presentation point.

Re-enable its USB and rehearse shared forward and back commands from the same point. Check both outputs and the return to the intended point. If they diverge again, isolate that computer again and check assignments, focus and file steps before restoring it as backup. For PC-Micro or another variant without a confirmed equivalent selector, limit this procedure until its manual is available.