ISSUE — Flair Bridge + Bolt (EtherCAT) Requires Two Flair Starts to Connect¶
Summary¶
When using the Flair Bridge device with a Bolt (Staubli EtherCAT), EtherCAT communication fails to initialise on the first Flair launch — a known bug as of April 2026 under MRMC investigation. The workaround is to close Flair immediately after the failed connection attempt, then reopen it; EtherCAT should initialise correctly on the second start.
Symptoms¶
- After powering up Bolt and Flair PC with Flair Bridge installed, EtherCAT comms do not initialise on the first Flair launch
- Flair opens but cannot connect to the robot
- Closing Flair and restarting it immediately resolves the issue
- This is specific to Bolt / Staubli EtherCAT systems using Flair Bridge, not a general Bridge setup issue
Systems Affected¶
- Bolt (Staubli EtherCAT) with Flair Bridge device
Software Environment¶
Possible Causes¶
- Known bug in the Flair Bridge + EtherCAT initialisation sequence as of April 2026
- Under investigation by MRMC
- EtherCAT support on Bridge was still described as needing more testing in March 2026
Solutions¶
Solution A — Start Flair twice (workaround)¶
Contributor(s): MRMC Support — 2026-04-30
Steps¶
- Power up the Bolt, then power up the PC (wait for CS8 to show
A). - Start Flair — it will not connect (EtherCAT won't initialise).
- Close Flair completely.
- Start Flair again — EtherCAT should now initialise and connect.
- If it still fails, do not keep hotbooting blindly; check Bridge network isolation, Ethernet cabling, and whether the Bridge has been connected to an internet/studio LAN.
Notes¶
"Power up Bolt, power up PC etc, Start Flair (won't connect), close Flair, start Flair again — then it should connect." — MRMC Support
This is a known issue as of April 2026 and is being investigated. Check for a Flair or Flair Bridge firmware update that may have resolved it.
Solution B — Keep Flair Bridge isolated from internet / studio LAN¶
Contributor(s): MRMC Support — 2026-02-25
Steps¶
- Connect the Flair Bridge only to the robot/Flair control network unless MRMC specifically requires otherwise.
- Do not connect the Bridge to the studio LAN or internet for convenience.
- If it was connected to an internet-enabled LAN and then became unresponsive, treat it as a possible Bridge update/security-patch issue and contact MRMC.
Notes¶
"If the Flair Bridge is connected to the internet, for example by connecting it to your studio's LAN, it's very likely that security patches and updates will be applied to it automatically. This will cause the Flair Bridge to become unresponsive and stop working with Flair and your robot." — MRMC Support (2026-02-25)
Background — Flair Bridge¶
The Flair Bridge is a new MRMC hardware device that replaces the need for InTime and the cifX PCIe EtherCAT card on the Flair PC. It runs the Flair Root network internally and connects to the PC via standard ethernet, allowing Flair to run on any computer — including MacOS — without InTime or a dedicated PCIe slot.
As of April 2026:
- Flair Bridge ships with the Nano
- Shipping with other robots (Bolt, Bolt X, etc.) is being phased in
- EtherCAT support (for Staubli Bolt) is in development/testing
- Non-EtherCAT rigs (Jr+, Cinebot Mini, Bolt X) are fully supported
- macOS connection failures were separately linked to IPv6 preference; Flair 7.7.14 Beta was described as containing an IPv4 communication fix for Bridge on macOS
"Flair Classic is now supported (ethercat needs more testing)" — MRMC Support, 2026-03-17
"Flair v7.7.14 Beta contains a fix specific to macOS networking to force IPv4 communication to the Flair Bridge." — MRMC Support, 2026-04-02
Timeline¶
| Event | Date | Contributor |
|---|---|---|
| Issue acknowledged; workaround documented | 2026-04-30 | MRMC Support |
Official Documentation¶
| Document | Section | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MRMC Talk forum | Flair Bridge device thread | Forum thread |
WhatsApp Excerpts¶
[30/4/2026, 1:30:24 am] ~ MRMC Support: 🚨 Flair Bridge with Bolt (Ethercat) We're currently seeing an issue where ethercat comms will not initialise properly the first time starting Flair. Only when you restart Flair (just restart the program) will it then connect. We are investigating, but just wanted to let anyone know using the Flair Bridge with Bolt that this is a known issue at the moment.
So the workaround is: power up Bolt, power up PC etc, Start Flair (won't connect), close Flair, start Flair again - then it should connect. 😎
[17/3/2026, 4:47:11 am] ~ MRMC Support: Flair Classic is now supported (ethercat needs more testing)
[25/2/2026, 1:11:40 am] ~ MRMC Support: If the Flair Bridge is connected to the internet, for example by connecting it to your studio's LAN, it's very likely that security patches and updates will be applied to it automatically. This will cause the Flair Bridge to become unresponsive and stop working with Flair and your robot.
[2/4/2026, 9:34:57 pm] ~ MRMC Support: Flair v7.7.14 Beta contains a fix specific to macOS networking to force IPv4 communication to the Flair Bridge.
Related Issues¶
- See also: EtherCAT "Network Communications Not Running" — Systematic Troubleshooting
- See also: EtherCAT Error / CS8 Shows 'E' — Flair Started Before CS8 Finished Booting
- See also: Flair Bridge On Mac - Wi-Fi / Routing Node Dropouts
- See also: EtherCAT chapter
Revision History¶
| Date | Change | Editor |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-24 | Initial extraction | Tom D / Claude Code |