Have a Dragon 4 receiver and a HolidayCoro controller? Let us check the exact combination before you connect it. Matching RJ45 sockets are not enough. The controller, expansion output, receiver revision, operating mode, and pinout all need to agree.
Do not use a generic “swap the green and blue wires” instruction as your wiring plan. Wire colors alone do not identify numbered pins, pair polarity, connector orientation, or how a particular board is wired. We want the supported connection for the equipment you actually have.
Understand the job of the receiver
A compatible main controller sends differential pixel data to a receiver near the props. The receiver turns that into local pixel outputs. The CAT5-style cable is being used for that specific system; it does not turn the receiver into an Ethernet device.
Keep a differential receiver input away from routers, Ethernet switches, and PoE injectors. Use only the transmitter and cable arrangement documented for that receiver. Also verify its power arrangement. Do not assume the data cable supplies power.
Check which Dragon 4 package you own
The Dragon 4 Brainless Receiver Lite has board-only, with-power-supply, and without-power-supply choices, with M-Connect and X-Connect variants. Read your order's exact selection and compare it with the parts in front of you.
This is a normal or “brainless” receiver. It does not include a local test mode or a smart-receiver daisy-chain function. Your main controller provides the appropriate test. If a guide tells you to press the Dragon receiver's test button, you are reading the wrong procedure for this unit.
HolidayCoro compatibility needs more than a brand name
HolidayCoro makes multiple controller and receiver families. Its Flex regular-receiver documentation and Flex smart-receiver documentation specify expansion-board requirements and restrictions. Do not transfer a wiring assumption from one family to another.
Our Dragon listing describes adaptation for some HolidayCoro applications. Before making that adaptation, ask us for the supported method for your exact controller, expansion board, and receiver revision. If the combination is unsupported, use a receiver documented for that controller.
Send us these details first
- Main controller model, board revision, and firmware.
- Expansion-board model and a photo of the output label.
- Dragon receiver version, selected package, and a clear photo of its input.
- Pixel model and voltage, plus the receiver's power-supply information.
- Whether the output is configured for a normal or smart receiver.
- The proposed cable or adapter and any documented numbered pinout.
For example: “HolidayCoro controller, Dragon receiver, and a CAT5 lead” still leaves too many possibilities. Photos of both board labels and the actual sockets let us check the intended path. Keep the connector orientation visible so pin numbering is unambiguous.
Once the connection is confirmed, test one output at a time
- Disconnect power before assembling or changing the low-voltage connections.
- Follow the approved connection method. Check the enclosure seals, cable entries, and strain relief.
- Use one short, known-good strand with the correct voltage, connector, and pinout.
- Set the main controller's receiver mode, output assignment, and pixel count.
- Run the main controller's documented test, checking each of the four receiver outputs separately.
- Then test from xLights or your chosen sequencer, and label any special adapter at both ends.
Missing, swapped, or erratic outputs are a reason to stop and compare the documented port mapping. Keep power off while changing connections. Random wire swaps make it harder to isolate the fault and can put the wrong signal or voltage on a pin.
Make the support video show the whole path
Start at the controller output, follow the cable to the receiver, and show the strand while a simple pattern runs. Add close-ups of the connector and wire jacket. Tell us which output works, which does not, and whether a known-good strand changes the result.
Send the information to Mattos support or email Support@MattosDesigns.com. Those details help us separate a settings issue from a cable, power, receiver, or pixel problem without having you replace parts blindly.
Keep learning
- Pixel Power Planning: Voltage Drop, Injection and Brightness
- xConnect vs M-Connect: Match Pixel Cables and Adapters
- Light Show Preflight Checklist: Test, Label and Back Up
Browse all Mattos education and support guides.
Reviewed October 29, 2026. Use the instructions for your exact hardware and installed software version.
