# Controller assignment

Once you have set up the lasers within Liberation, you can then assign each one to a laser controller in the real world. (See [compatible-lasers-and-controllers-dacs](https://docs.liberationlaser.com/hardware/compatible-lasers-and-controllers-dacs "mention") to check what hardware you can use). The controllers will either be connected via USB or over the network.

* Open the *Controller Assignment* panel via the *View -> Controller Assignment* menu option. (Or alternatively you can use the *ASSIGN LASER CONTROLLERS* button in the *Laser Overview* panel.)

<figure><img src="https://1813304336-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FMdbbIbIwHdJwkEREnJyv%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c4e5f979df0312eed16ddfe303dbc85ed6258ff3%2FScreenshot%202024-12-31%20at%2014.30.18.png?alt=media" alt="Controller Assignment panel"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* The panel is split in two, with a list of lasers on the left, and the list of available controllers on the right. If you do not see your laser controller in the list, press the *REFRESH* button. If you continue to have trouble see [troubleshooting](https://docs.liberationlaser.com/troubleshooting "mention").
* To assign a controller to a laser, click and drag from the right on to an open laser slot on the left. This tells Liberation which controller it should use for which laser. (If you change your mind you can freely drag the controllers up and down from one laser to another.)

<figure><img src="https://1813304336-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FMdbbIbIwHdJwkEREnJyv%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a6bb2c95b45e4b78efa1ea024c3873c7e1db7d02%2FScreenshot%202024-12-31%20at%2014.33.23.png?alt=media" alt="List of controllers" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* If you see a green square next to the controller, it means that Liberation has successfully connected to it.

<figure><img src="https://1813304336-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FMdbbIbIwHdJwkEREnJyv%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-6821f3fac35ece61ee870aa5674bd0a97e40a1b7%2Fcontroller-assignment-laser-list?alt=media" alt="" width="338"><figcaption><p>An Ether Dream and a Helios DAC assigned to lasers 2 and 3 respectively</p></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
Note that whenever you connect to a controller, the laser will be automatically disarmed.
{% endhint %}

* An orange square 🟧 means that the controller is having intermittent connection issues. It's usually caused by a network issue, see [troubleshooting](https://docs.liberationlaser.com/troubleshooting "mention").
* A red square 🟥 means that the controller cannot be reached, see [troubleshooting](https://docs.liberationlaser.com/troubleshooting "mention").
* The *disconnect button* (X) disconnects the controller but doesn't clear it from the laser assignment. You can then use the *reconnect button* (refresh arrow icon) to reconnect it or instead click the *disconnect button* again to clear the assignment.
* *Advanced feature :* Open the controller analytics panel by clicking the button that looks like a chart. This is an advanced feature that gives you detailed information about the data stream and can help to troubleshoot problems. (This option may not available for some controller types.)
* You can use the *rename button* (pencil) to rename this controller to whatever you want. It makes sense to name it in a way that makes it easy to associate it with particular hardware. If it's built in to a laser you may want to name it accordingly, ie *LaserCube Ultra #1* or *Triton T5 #3.* These names will be saved with your Liberation installation and will appear from now on; it can be really helpful for you to quickly identify your lasers.

{% hint style="info" %}
Pro tip - **double click** on a controller on the right to automatically assign it to the next available laser on the left. This can be a real time saver if you have lots of lasers to assign!
{% endhint %}

You can use the *DISCONNECT ALL* and *RECONNECT ALL* buttons to quickly reset all the connections. This is useful if you are having network issues.