CAST Blacktrax

Beacon 2.0

CAST Group faced a complex engineering challenge: design the next generation of BlackTrax Beacon with expanded hardware capabilities, multi-jurisdictional regulatory certification, and production-ready manufacturing, all while avoiding the coordination overhead and quality risk that comes with fragmenting such a complex product across multiple specialized vendors.

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The Product

What do Taylor Swift’s the Eras tour, Disney on Ice, and BTS’ performance at the 2024 NBA All-Star Games have in common?

They all featured real time tracking by the CAST Blacktrax Beacon 2.0. BlackTrax is the industry-leading real-time tracking platform that enables lighting rigs, video projections, and special effects to dynamically follow performers as they move, and the Beacon is the hardware that makes it all possible. Worn by performers as a compact belt pack, it transmits precise 3D position data to the venue’s sensor network dozens of times per second, giving production teams the data they need to deliver flawless, synchronized spectacles that audiences remember for a lifetime.

With a spatial range of 1200 square meters and support for up to 85 belt packs operating simultaneously, the Beacon 2.0 is built for the biggest stages in the world. Those specs translate directly to creative freedom: larger casts, larger venues, and more complex choreography, all tracked reliably night after night without the production team breaking a sweat.

‟We couldn't be happier with the outstanding service and high-quality products provided by PDE. We've been working with PDE for over 10 years and their team has demonstrated excellent professionalism, responsiveness, and attention to detail since the beginning. The level of care and expertise they bring to every interaction has made a real difference in our product development and our operations. It's clear that PDE values their clients and takes pride in delivering not just products, but solutions specific to meet our needs. We highly recommend PDE to anyone seeking a trusted partner for quality, reliability, and outstanding service!”
— Aaron Densham, Director of Operations, CAST Group of Companies Inc.

The Challenge

A Design That Touches on Everything

CAST is an established player in the life performance tracking industry. Before the Beacon 2.0 they already had several successful products under their belt including the Blacktrax Mini Beacon and Classic Beacon both of which PDE helped them execute. But as is the nature of showbiz, their next piece had to be even more of a spectacle:

Onboard OLED display letting both performers and techs know the status of their Beacon
Sleek, modern, but discreet design that looks great but doesn’t steal the show from the performers.
Live reprogramming right from the dock via USB-C, because even when there are problems the show must go on.

CAST already had an industrial design in mind for this one, but counted on PDE to provide the rest including:

Electronics Design
Mechanical Design
Firmware and Software Design
UI/UX Design
Radio Certification

The solution

The One Stop Shop

We’d say that it was lucky for CAST that PDE has experience in all those disciplines, but luck has nothing to do with it; PDE is integrated by and for design. We were able to help CAST realize their vision from the ground up:

Designing and prototyping the electronics
Working from two fronts: laying out the PCB and designing the enclosure so the two fit together seamlessly cutting down on the costly revisions that are common if you’ve got two disconnected contractors working on your project.
Bringing those electronics to life with reliable firmware designs.
Designing a beautiful, compact, UI that compliments the industrial design and gives the performers and their techs the information they need for the performance to succeed.

The Technologies That Went into This Product

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