diff --git a/hardware_components/mux_2024_rev_0_0.py b/hardware_components/mux_2024_rev_0_0.py
index c0aea847109a91adfac3a808b490d8e2266f7b52..86c161bd1775c5d75a4db55727483555ece16a16 100644
--- a/hardware_components/mux_2024_rev_0_0.py
+++ b/hardware_components/mux_2024_rev_0_0.py
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ class Mux(MuxAbstract):
         if 'id' in kwargs.keys():
             MUX_CONFIG.update(HARDWARE_CONFIG['mux']['boards'][kwargs['id']])
         kwargs.update({'board_name': os.path.basename(__file__).rstrip('.py')})
-        if 'cabling' not in kwargs.keys():
-            kwargs.update({'cabling': MUX_CONFIG['default_mux_cabling']})
+        if 'cabling' not in kwargs.keys() or kwargs['cabling'] is None:
+            kwargs.update({'cabling': default_mux_cabling})
         super().__init__(**kwargs)
         self.exec_logger.debug(f'configuration: {MUX_CONFIG}')
         tca_address = kwargs.pop('tca_address', None)
diff --git a/hardware_system.py b/hardware_system.py
index 051fbf035e719c3d1ec983ecdd979428af41e6d2..f61ce1f04a45c96aa03ee007c8f298e97e9b2035 100644
--- a/hardware_system.py
+++ b/hardware_system.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ voltage_min = RX_CONFIG['voltage_min']
 default_mux_cabling = {}
 for mux in mux_boards:
     if 'default_mux_cabling' in MUX_CONFIG[mux]:
-        update_dict(default_mux_cabling, MUX_CONFIG[mux]['default_mux_cabling'])
+        update_dict(default_mux_cabling, MUX_CONFIG[mux].pop('default_mux_cabling', None))
 
 print(f'default_mux_cabling: {default_mux_cabling}')
 
@@ -287,7 +287,6 @@ class OhmPiHardware:
             elec_dict = {i: [] for i in roles}
             for i in range(len(electrodes)):
                 elec_dict[roles[i]].append(electrodes[i])
-            print(f'parties: {self.mux_barrier.parties}')
             mux_workers = []
             for _, mux in self.mux_boards.items():
                 # start a new thread to perform some work