Colors SonarPen Troubleshooting
make sure you have a good connection
- Make sure your Colors SonarPen is securely connected to the 3.5mm headphone jack
- The headphone volume of your Nintendo Switch should be set to 100%. Note that the Nintendo Switch has separate volume levels for speakers and headphones
- In your Nintendo Switch System Settings, make sure that the "Lower Maximum Headphone Volume" setting under "System" is set to "off":
what to do if your Colors SonarPen is still not detected
To function, the Colors SonarPen emulates a headset, but it won't work if the Nintendo Switch can’t detect it as one. Some systems, in particular the original Nintendo Switch there were sold in 2017-2018, can have trouble with detecting Colors SonarPen as a headset. There is a workaround to “trick” the system to detect the Colors SonarPen as a headset called the slow-plug method:
- Make sure you are on the "Colors SonarPen is not detected" screen of the SonarPen setup process, shown above.
- Slowly insert the SonarPen plug into the Nintendo Switch system's audio-jack.
- At about 80% inserted, wiggle it a bit to get the status light to go yellow or green.
- Once the status light is stable yellow or green, quickly push the plug all the way in.
- The light should now go green, and the "continue setup" button will appear.
See a video of this here:
(video can’t be viewed on the Nintendo Switch)
If the slow-plug method works, it means that your Colors SonarPen is working, but that your Nintendo Switch has trouble connecting it. Since the slow-plug method can be hard to get working and is inconvenient, we are offering to send out USB-C adapters for those affected. The USB-C adapter allows you to connect your Colors SonarPen to the USB-C connector at the bottom of your system instead of the 3.5mm audio-jack.
To apply for a USB-C adaptor, please complete this form: Colors SonarPen Issue Form
disappearing strokes
If strokes made by the Colors SonarPen disappear, or if there are parts of the screen where you can't paint, then the Palm Rejection is probably incorrectly calibrated. Press to "palm rejection setup" on the Colors SonarPen setup & calibration screen to recalibrate.
palm rejection issues
To make sure that Colors Live's palm rejection feature works properly, please check that the "Touch Screen Sensitivity" setting under "Controllers and Sensors" is set to "Standard" on your Nintendo Switch System's Settings app
broken nibs
Accidents happen, so every Colors SonarPen comes with an additional nib (make sure to check your packaging). A single nib usually last 100+ hours, but if you need to additional ones, please visit colorslive.com/sonarpen.
