# Unable to change Mode on photon **URL:** \ **Category:** Troubleshooting\ **Created:** [March 29, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561 "2016-03-29T14:59:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/1 "2016-03-29T14:59:31Z")
I got my photon last week. I connected to it with the particle android app and tried to change the name of the devic (just trying out the options). Afterwards I could not claim the device any more and the photon is stuck with a permanent green led ON. I cannot switch to any other mode. I tried running the photon for more than a minute, no change. Pressing the setup button for way more than 10 seconds no change. When pressing setup, then reset while continuing to hold setup no other LED colour flashes. There is just a very faint red blinking in the lower corner of the led. Once I release the setup button the led goes straight back to solid green. I already read the post [Photon Unresponsive, Solid Green Light](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-unresponsive-solid-green-light/13369/28) but most of the users there could switch to other modes which is why I am asking this in a separate post. ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/2 "2016-03-29T15:30:35Z")
> [@Particle\_Null](#): > > When pressing setup, then reset while continuing to hold setup no other LED colour flashes. Have you kept SETUP pressed while releasing RESET? (does _reset_ in your quote refer to the _RESET_ button or performing a _reset_ (=short tap RESET)?) This is the way how it should go into Safe Mode/DFU Mode. Holding both, keeps the device in reset state, hold/release SETUP while pressing RESET does not make any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/3 "2016-03-29T15:37:27Z")
Yes I performed a reset and not just keeping the RESET button pressed. ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/4 "2016-03-29T15:44:42Z")
Could it be that your SETUP button is damaged? You could try that with a jumper wire between GND and the solder pad `26` underneath the Photon ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/particle/original/2X/a/a511132cea58a210f6e8d26676a150de14abb293.png) ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/5 "2016-03-29T15:48:42Z")
Will have to try that out tomorrow when I go to the uni. Thanks for the quick reply ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/6 "2016-03-30T08:48:32Z")
The SETUP button is working okay. Checked it with a multimeter for short. Works as it should ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 9:41am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/7 "2016-03-30T09:41:30Z")
So when you press hard on the **SETUP** button before plugging in the USB cable, does it enter safe mode (blinking magenta)? ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/8 "2016-03-30T10:17:49Z")
Sorry I am not quite sure what you mean by > [@kennethlimcp](#): > > press hard on the SETUP button before plugging in the USB cable I use the USB cable to power the device. I cannot enter any other mode. While the setup button is pressed the RGB led switches off and when I release the button it goes straight back to solid green. ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 11:28am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/9 "2016-03-30T11:28:11Z")
Did you try as i described? - make sure the Photon is not powered - press and hold on the **SETUP** button - plug in the USB cable - does the Photon blink magenta followed by yellow (do not release the SETUP button) ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/10 "2016-03-30T13:13:19Z")
Yes. I tried it. Nothing happens. As soon as I release the **SETUP** button the led goes back to blinking solid green. I dont if this additional info helps but sometimes when you release the **SETUP** button you see some other color on the LED but just for an instant. You can hardly make them out. ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/11 "2016-03-30T13:21:27Z")
Can you video the led light sequence? What happens if you hold the SETUP button continuously… Does it end up blinking blue? ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/12 "2016-03-30T13:51:35Z")
It never ends up blinking blue. Sometimes it might blink blue for a second or less and then goes back to this green state as in the beginning and end of the video. I will try to re-create the conditions under which it blinks to another color for an instant. [Here is the video.](https://vid.me/BAf6 "Here is the video") Sorry for the bad resolution UPDATE: [Here I got it to blink the other colors but only momentarily.](https://vid.me/lLUm) Tip: Dont know why but to see the video you need to refresh the web page and then the video plays fine. ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/14 "2016-03-30T16:06:26Z")
@Particle_Null, this is weird. Never encountered this before. What was the Photon doing before it entered this state? ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/15 "2016-03-30T20:50:18Z")
Well I connected it to a wifi network and did the initial setup with the particle android app. Then it was showing the name of the photon as photon-hamster and since I do not like hamsters at all I renamed it to something else. After that I could not connect to the photon with the android app anymore so I selected the unclaim device to see if I could connect to the device with the new name. Thats when I realized the photon was locked in this weird state. Any suggestions on what I should do ? Can it be repaired or do I simply return it ? ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/16 "2016-03-30T20:57:13Z")
Can you remember how you named it? Just to try if we can kill more Photons with that name (might be an “easter egg” 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/17 "2016-03-30T21:17:04Z")
Cant remember it clearly. It was photon-something. photon-cadet or photon-commando something. Like I said I was just trying things out so I gave it some silly name. Is it possible to get that information from my particle account ? ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/18 "2016-03-31T00:45:03Z")
Drop the support team a message here to see if a replacement can be done: [https://docs.particle.io/support/troubleshooting/common-issues/electron/](https://docs.particle.io/support/troubleshooting/common-issues/electron/) ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/19 "2016-03-31T10:56:06Z")
Well I bought it through a third party so I do not think filling out this form will be helpful. Should not it be possible to reprogram the device with a JTAG programmer ? ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 11:01am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/20 "2016-03-31T11:01:16Z")
It is possible if you have a JTAG programmer. Whether you bought the photon from a third party of not, you can still contact :particle: support. You can request from them the factory binary used to flash on new Photons and the instruction to do so using a JTAG programmer. ---
**Author:** ![Particle\_Null](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@Particle\_Null](https://community.particle.io/u/Particle_Null)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561/21 "2016-04-01T16:43:09Z")
Thanks I sent them an email [Next page](https://community.particle.io/t/unable-to-change-mode-on-photon/21561.md?page=2)