The Nanlite Forza 60B was already one of our most popular fixtures due to its ultracompact size and weight, its bi-color flexibility, the power and accuracy of its output, and the wide range of modifiers and projectors you can use with it. We're excited to announce that you can now wirelessly control the Forza 60B with the free NANLINK mobile app! You just need to update the firmware, which we explain how to do in this post.

How to update the firmware of the Nanlite Forza 60B

The first thing you need to do is download the latest firmware for the 60B. It can be found at this link:

http://en.nanlite.com/services/firmware?pid=180

Next you need to get your hands on a USB 2.0 drive. Thumb drives, jump drives, or flash drives work well for this. The part that can be a little tricky is that it needs be USB 2.0. When I updated the firmware on my 60B, I first tried it on a flash drive and it didn't work. I grabbed another one I had laying around and that one succeeded. These drives often aren't labeled USB 2.0 or USB 3.0, so you may need to try more than one.

When you have a flash drive to use, remove all of the files that are stored on it and reformat the drive to either FAT or FAT32. We explain how to format drives like this in our post about updating the firmware of the PavoTube II X.

At this point you're ready to start the process:  

1. Connect your drive to a computer.
2. You need to load the ".upd" file that you downloaded onto your drive.
3. Eject the drive from the computer.
4. Make sure your Forza 60B is turned off.
5. Plug your drive into the USB-A port on your Forza 60B, which is located on the bottom under a rubber gasket.
6. With the drive still plugged in, turn on the Forza 60B.
7. The screen on your Forza 60B will display "Found firmware V1.00.17"
8. Turn the right knob to highlight the word “Update” and press the button in to select it.
9. The screen on your Forza 60B will show “Updating," then it will turn back to its normal operating screen.
10. You are finished!

With this firmware update installed, you can now control your Forza 60B wirelessly with the NANLINK mobile app!

How to control the Nanlite Forza 60B with the NANLINK mobile app

1. You need to get the NANLINK mobile app. You can download the version for Apple iOS (iPhone, etc.) here. You can download the version for Android here.
2. Launch the app on your mobile device. If it's your first time using the NANLINK app, you will need to create an account.
3. Turn on your Forza 60B.
4. Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner of the app (the icon with 3 short horizontal lines).
5. In the menu that appears select "+ New Scene."
6. Give your new scene a name and tap Create.
7. Tap the card that was created for your new scene, then tap the + button to add a fixture.
8. On the next screen tap "Via Bluetooth."
9. The app will then scan for available Bluetooth lights to connect to. You should see your Forza 60B appear on the screen. Tap it to connect, then tap Done. If it does not appear on the app's screen, try resetting the Bluetooth on your Forza 60B. This is done by pressing the right knob until you get to BT:RESET, then pressing the knob again.

With these steps completed you should now be able to control your Forza 60B with the NANLINK app. With a couple of taps you can change the mode of the light from CCT to Effects mode. You have deep control over dimming, color temperature and every parameter of the fixture. If you find a combination of settings that you like, you can easily save it as a recallable preset.

You can control your Forza 60B with the NANLINK app while also controlling other lights like the new PavoTube II X-Series or the small but mighty PavoTube II 6C. If you want to control the Forza 60B with the NANLINK app with other lights that don't have built-in Bluetooth, such as the PavoTube 30C or Forza 500, you will also need the NANLINK WS-TB-1 Transmitter Box.

Like we said in the beginning, the Forza 60B was already great to begin with, but now it's like a whole new tool. Feel free to mount it up high on a boom stand and quickly dial in any setting changes that you may need. Updates like this are coming to every Nanlite fixture that has built-in Bluetooth, such as the FS Series, the Forza 300B and more.

We hope this information has been helpful! If you have any questions, please contact us and we will respond as quickly as we can. Taking care of our customers is our top priority.