Do BrightSign players support serial control?

support@brightsign.biz July 11, 2023 16:55

Yes, any BrightSign player with a serial port can send and receive commands over serial using a BrightAuthor interactive playlist or custom script. You can use the BrightSign player with controllers like Amx or Crestron. You can also use serial to turn on and off displays and interact with other devices. Visit this FAQ for more details.

Older models have a DE-9 (more commonly referred to as DB-9) serial port, while newer models have a 3.5mm serial port:

DE-9: 4K1142, 4K1042, XD1132, XD1032, XD1230, HD1022, HD1020, AU320
3.5mm: XT1144, XD1034, HD1024, XT1143, XD1033, HD1023
3.5mm via USB: LS423 (via USB converter cable, available on the BrightSign store)

RS-232 Compatibility

While the DE-9 connector is fully RS-232 compatible, the the 3.5mm serial transmit pin does not comply with voltage levels for RS-232 signaling (which requires a voltage below -3V for logical 1). In practice, the serial port can interoperate successfully with the majority of RS-232 receivers, but some devices (including some projectors and Crestron equipment) require strict conformance to RS-232 levels and will not accept 0V as logical 1. In these instances, you can connect the BrightSign player to the serial device using a USB-to-serial cable.

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6 Comments

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N00776027 March 21, 2013 19:30

How does it work?

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BrightSign Support March 22, 2013 10:53

I'm including a link to a video that shows you how you can send commands to playlists created using BrightAuthor:

https://www.brightsignnetwork.com/download/Videos/Amx-Crestron-Control-1.m4v

For some advanced control options:

https://www.brightsignnetwork.com/download/Videos/ba2.2_advanced_serial-1.mp4

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video star February 22, 2017 16:31

That last sentence scares me...

"transmission may not work depending on the electrical characteristics of the device."

How do I find out if the player will control my Panasonic video projector - or fails and ruins the budget of the next project we´re installing?

And - any help on choosing the right cable would be great.

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syed July 04, 2018 10:14

if I need to use 3.5mm jack for sending RS232 command to TVs do I need to enable any settings on bright author

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Barry Sato July 27, 2018 21:46

Alex's video linked above is the best documentation I've been able to find that explains how a 3rd party device can control content for an interactive slide show application via UDP commands. Is this the best approach if the intended application only calls for showing full screen 8MP still graphics content on an XD234? If so, is there a cheat sheet that captures the applicable UDP API commands and execution caveats that would be needed to control the slideshow, or would it just be the UDP inputs we name for the various content transitions?

Bonus question: can the transitions between still graphics files be done as a fade or fade through black instead of hard cut and if so where do we define those transition styles?

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Quintus Glerum November 04, 2020 17:04

I have the XT1143. I need it to transmit serial messages from a device with a ethernet port. could i use a standard ethernet to 3.5 mm cable to make the rs232 connection?

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