Data Display Mr. Sign User manual

Display User Manual
DDJ08001001 1-Mar-04 Page 1
Mr. Sign ( Ace Hardware)
Graphics Board Display
User Manual
Title Page
2004 Data Display Ltd
No part of this document may be reproduced by any process without the prior written permission from Data Display Ltd.
The information in this document is provided for reference only. While every effort has been made to make sure it is accurate and
complete, Data Display Ltd does not accept any liability arising out of the application or use of the information or products described
herein. Moreover, Data Display Ltd reserves the right to alter specifications or procedures without notice.
This document may contain or refer to information or products protected by copyright or patents and does not convey any license under
the patent rights of Data Display Ltd nor the rights of others.
All products referred herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
Publication details:
Title: Mr. Sign Graphics Board Display User Manual
Issue: 1
Issue Date: 1-Mar-04
Part Number: DDJ08001001
P. O. Number: 4336
Produced by:
Product Support Department
Data Display Ltd
Deerpark Industrial Estate
Ennistymon, Co. Clare
Ireland

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DDJ08001001 1-Mar-04 Page 2
Table of Contents
1Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Scope.......................................................................................................................................................3
1.2 Purpose....................................................................................................................................................3
1.3 System.....................................................................................................................................................3
2Hardware............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Unpacking................................................................................................................................................4
2.2 Installation................................................................................................................................................4
2.3 Display Board Wiring...............................................................................................................................5
3Software.............................................................................................................................................6
3.1 System Requirements .............................................................................................................................6
3.2 Conventions used in this Manual.............................................................................................................6
3.3 Installation................................................................................................................................................7
3.4 Comms Selection.....................................................................................................................................8
3.5 Pin Connections for RS232 .....................................................................................................................8
4GRAFIT 1.18ß Software ©..................................................................................................................9
4.1 Getting Started.........................................................................................................................................9
4.2 Exiting from the Software.........................................................................................................................9
4.3 Accessing Help........................................................................................................................................9
4.4 Screen Layout and Symbols..................................................................................................................10
4.4.1 The Caption Bar.................................................................................................................................10
4.4.2 The Speed Bar...................................................................................................................................11
4.4.3 The Menu Bar ....................................................................................................................................11
4.4.4 The Canvas........................................................................................................................................11
4.4.5 The Status Line..................................................................................................................................11
4.5 The Menu Bar........................................................................................................................................12
5Examples..........................................................................................................................................32
5.1 How to Setup a Graphics Frame...........................................................................................................32
5.2 How to create a simple animation with effects. .....................................................................................32
5.3 Adding text to a Graphics frame............................................................................................................32
5.4 Displaying the Date, Time or Temperature............................................................................................33
5.5 Notes on importing Clipart.....................................................................................................................34
6Trouble Shooting ..............................................................................................................................35
6.1 Software.................................................................................................................................................35
6.2 Hardware ...............................................................................................................................................35
7Effects ..............................................................................................................................................36
7.1 ON/OFF Effects .....................................................................................................................................36
7.2 Character Fonts.....................................................................................................................................37
8Maintenance.....................................................................................................................................37
8.1 Maintenance Instructions.......................................................................................................................37
8.1.1 Cleaning the Display..........................................................................................................................37
8.1.2 Preventative Maintenance..................................................................................................................37
8.2 Technical Support..................................................................................................................................37
9Specifications ...................................................................................................................................38

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1 Introduction
1.1 Scope
The scope of this document covers the back to back Graphics Board Display, for the Mr Sign (Ace
Hardware) Project.
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of the document is to provide the relevant information to enable the user to operate and
maintain the Display Board correctly.
1.3 System
The Display system comprises of a back to back Graphics Display Board, RS485 Converter Box,
Sarel Box with Temperature Probe and the GRAFIT graphics software package. The Display is 24
pixels high by 64 pixels wide and uses ultra-bright red LED technology. The housing is fabricated
from aluminium extrusion and has a black powder coat finish.
The Display consists of two units, Master and Slave fitted back to back with the Power, Serial and
Data cables from the Master connected the Slave.
The Displays are controlled from a host PC using the GRAFIT graphics software. Users can create
and edit both text and graphic messages. The Display Board can show a combination of static and
scrolling messages, normal, large, and/or specialized fonts as well as various ON/OFF effects such
as Flash, Jump, Wipe Sparkle etc.
The Display has a dimming feature that allows the brightness of the LEDs to increase or decrease
depending on the ambient light.
Warning
Only trained and authorised personnel should do tests and maintenance on this Display
Board System.

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2 Hardware
2.1 Unpacking
Carefully remove the items from their package and store the packaging safely. After unpacking,
inspect the contents for any damage that may have occurred during shipment. In the event of
damage, refer to the '
Technical Support' section of this manual.
2.2 Installation
Refer to Figure 1 for wiring instructions. Mount the Board securely and connect the cables as shown
in the Figure below.
Figure 2.1 – System Configuration
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Remove contents from Crate.
2. Mount the Display securely.
3. Connect the SERIAL, TEMP, POWER cables from Serial Box to the Display.
4. Connect same color wires on POWER Terminal Blocks, i.e. Black to Black (LIVE), White to White (NEUTRAL) and
Green to Green (EARTH).
Warning: Do NOT power up the Display
Board until all cabling is connected.
Power Consumption for Display: 1000W
Graphic Board Display
Back to Back 64 x 24 Pixels
110/120V AC
POWER IN
Control PC with GRAFIT
Software
RS232 Cable
RS485 Box
Temp
Probe
RS485 Cable
Sarel Box
RS232 Serial Cable, 9-way on PC to
5 Pin Maplin on RS485 Box
RS485 Card converts the
RS232 signal to RS485

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2.3 Display Board Wiring
The Display face consists of 3 rows by 8 columns of GB8831UBR Display Boards. Each Board
consists of an 8 high x 8 wide pixel matrix of ultra-bright red LEDs with each pixel consisting of a
three LEDs. This results is an overall matrix of 24 high by 64 wide Display. The Boards are driven in
a multiplex mode with the row anodes connected to the horizontal drive and the column cathodes
connected to the vertical drive. The Boards contain the display driver circuitry, which generates the
multiplexing signals for illuminating the LEDs.
Data enters the Board from the Logic Board on a 14-way screened Horizontal ribbon cable via an
IDC socket.
The Display Boards are fixed to stand-offs attached to the Display chassis using 4 off M6 steel
screws.
Figure 2.2 – Display Board Wiring.
Pin 1 - Pink
Pin 2 - Gold
Pin 3 - White
Pin 4 - Grey
Pin 5 - Violet
Pin 6 - Blue
Pin 7 - Green
Pin 8 - Yellow
Pin 9 - Orange
Pin 10 - Red
Pin 11 - Brown
Pin 12 - Black
Ribbon Cable to
next Board
12 core cable from
Interface Board

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3 Software
The Display Boards are operated using the text and graphic based GRAFIT software package. The
user can edit general text messages, time and date messages as well as draw and create their own
single frame graphics or multi-frame sequences and animations.
This chapter contains information to enable the installation and configuration of the software.
3.1 System Requirements
It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the use of an IBM PC or compatible computer and with
the basic Microsoft Windows terminology. It is also recommended that the user is familiar with
Microsoft Paintbrush to better edit graphic frames for the display.
The minimum hardware and software requirements to run the
GRAFIT software are as follows:
Processor: Pentium 1 or higher
Memory: 16MB
Display: VGA (15 inch or larger recommended), 256 colors, 16-bit color
Software: Microsoft Windows 95or later
Disk Space: 10MB minimum free space for GRAFIT plus space for database
and event log storage. ( Bitmaps, Gifs, Tiffs, etc.)
Comms COMM Port 1, 9 Pin serial port must be available.
Other: Mouse or other pointing device. Since the Display system is
normally connected to COM1 is important to ensure that there is
no conflict with the mouse or other pointing device.
3.2 Conventions used in this Manual
Menu Commands
This manual uses a shorthand method when referring to a series of menu commands e.g. ‘Choose
the About option from the Help menu’ is shown as
Help|About .
Clicking the Mouse buttons
The term ‘Click’ denotes clicking the left mouse button.

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3.3 Installation
The GRAFIT software package is supplied on floppy disk. To install the software, do the following
steps:
1. Insert the GRAFIT Software Disk into your floppy drive.
2. Click the
Start button, then select Settings|Control Panel .
3. Double-click the
Add/Remove Programs icon and follow the instructions shown on the
screen.
4. Click on the
Next > button to begin the installation and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. When the process is complete, all files are stored in the C\GRAFIT folder unless the
destination folder has been changed.
Figure 3.2 –Installation Screen.
Add GRAFIT to the Start menu or your Desktop by creating a short-cut as described in your
Windows User Manual. The executable file to run the software package is as follows:
GRAFIT Version 1.18ß = C:\GRAFIT\GRAFIT.EXE

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3.4 Comms Selection
While the Display is primarily controlled remotely over a network using the Modem installed in the
Control Box, it may also be controlled directly from a local PC or Laptop via RS232.
To control the Display locally using a Laptop with the GRAFIT software, a 3 core, RS232 cable will
be required with a 9-way or 25-way D Type connector at one end to connect to the COM Port 1 on
the Laptop. For Pin Connections, refer to section
3.5 .
The COMMs Port configuration on the GRAFIT software will also need to be changed. To
reconfigure the COMMs port setting from Modem to RS232, do the following steps:
1. Run the GRAFIT software package.
2. Select Options|Display.
3. Click on the COMs button and click on the MODEM button.
4. Remove the phone number from the Number field in the Modem Options dialog
box.
5. Click on the OK buttons to exit.
To revert back to Modem operation, do steps 1 to 3 as above and enter the telephone number in the
Number field in the Modem Options dialog box. Click on the OK buttons to exit.
3.5 Pin Connections for RS232
When wiring the serial cable of the display to a IBM Compatible computer connect the wires to the
PC as follows:
9-way (DB9) port
25-way (DB25) port
Pin
Function
Pin
Function
2
Serial In (White)
2
Serial In
3
Serial Out (Red)
3
Serial Out
5
Ground( Black)
7
Ground

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4 GRAFIT 1.18ß Software ©
4.1 Getting Started
To start GRAFIT, select 'Start|Programs|Shortcut' to GRAFIT.EXE.
4.2 Exiting from the Software
There are three ways to exit from the software:
1. Use the normal menu command. Click on
'Frame/ Exit ' and click on the 'Yes' button of the
dialog box.
2. Click on the Close button in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and click on the
'Yes'
button of the dialog box.
3. Press the ALT and F4 keys together, and click on the
'Yes' button of the dialog box.
4.3 Accessing Help
Help is available in the GRAFIT application and may be accessed in the following ways:
•By reading the status bar at the bottom of the screen when a menu option is
highlighted.
•Select Help|Help or Help|About.
•Press F1 to view context sensitive help for the menu option selected.
•Most dialog boxes have HELP buttons.

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4.4 Screen Layout and Symbols
This section gives details of the Graphic User Interface (GUI) for the GRAFIT application. The
components of the GUI are the Caption Bar, the Speed Bar, the Menu Bar, the Canvas (the main
area of the window) and the Status Line at the bottom of the screen. When selected, many of the
main menu items open Dialog Boxes.
Note: For single color Displays, red is used as the default color.
Figure 4.1 - The Main GRAFIT User Interface.
4.4.1 The Caption Bar
The Caption Bar contains the name of the software application GRAFIT followed by the current view
title and the resolution.
Caption Bar
Speed Bar
Menu Bar
Canvas
Co-ordinates
Lines
Palette
Tools

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4.4.2 The Speed Bar
The Speed Bar consists of five buttons that are used to directly access Frame Menu options.
Clears or Blanks current frame Previous/ Next Frame
Load frame from a file on disk Play animation
Saves frame to a file on disk Stop animation
Undo latest changes to image Frame number of Animation
4.4.3 The Menu Bar
The Menu Bar is the primary means of accessing all the menu commands and should always be
kept visible. If a menu command is followed by an ellipsis (…), choosing the command opens a
dialog box. If the command is followed by an arrowhead () the command leads to another menu
selection. If the command has neither an ellipsis nor an arrowhead, then the action occurs as the
command is chosen or. For further information on the use of windows, icons, mouse and menus
refer to the Microsoft Windows User Manual.
4.4.4 The Canvas
The Map is the main central area of the ‘application’ window. Using the commands from the menus,
the user is able to create text/ graphics frames on the Canvas.
4.4.5 The Status Line
The status line appears at the bottom of the main window. It shows useful information as well as
brief explanations of menu items.

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4.5 The Menu Bar
Frame
This menu provides options for dealing with single bitmaps only. Only the working
frame is effected using options in this menu.
Clear
Blanks/clears the current frame.
Delete
This option allows you to delete any frame from the frame list/sequence provided
that there are two or more frames in the sequence.
Insert
This option is like the 'Frame/Load' except that the frame loaded is inserted into the
frame list after the current frame, provided that there is frame space left in which to
store it. This allows you to insert a frame into a sequence.
Load
Selecting 'Load' under the 'Frame' menu produces a dialog box from which the user
may select any of the file types listed. For example .bmp, .gif, .pcx, .tga or .tif.
FIELDS
File Name:
To select a file, click on a '.BMP' file listed under 'File Name' in the dialog box or type
in the name of the required '.BMP' file in the space given under 'File Name'.
List Files of Type:
Clicking on this option with the left mouse button pulls down a menu from which the
user may choose what type of files he wishes to see in the 'File Name' selection
menu.
Folders:
Option to select the subdirectories from which the user is able to view the files
contained in the subdirectory under the field 'File Name'.
Drives:
Lists local Drives where images may be stored.
BUTTONS
OK
Accept configuration as entered and load file.

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Load
continued…
BUTTONS
CANCEL
Exit dialog without loading file.
NETWORK
Lists networked Drives where images may be stored.
Save
This option 'Save' under 'Frame' provides the facility to save any changes to the
bitmap or system, e.g. pause rate, of this application as a '.BMP' file. A '.BMP' file is
a single bitmap.
Send
Send the current frame to the Display hardware as a single frame sequence.
Setup
Selecting this option provides a dialog box so that the user may select a frame type,
an effect for the current bitmap frame being worked on and a pause rate i.e. how
long the bitmap frame drawing will be left on the screen during animation.
FIELDS
Type:
Click on the arrow to show the frame type options available, Graphic frame or Text
frame. When creating or editing the animation, a sequence of Graphic or Text
frames may be inserted in the animation.
0, 0, 80, 16

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Setup
continued …
Effect:
Clicking with the left mouse button on this field pulls down a menu from which the
user can select an effect for the bitmap frame being worked on. The ON effect is
how the frame is drawn onto the Display page and the OFF effect is how the frame
is drawn off the Display page.
Pause:
As yet the pause length of time is variable and depends on the size of the Display.
To define a pause rate click the left mouse button in the space to the right of 'pause'
and type in your required value. (For the 128 x 48 Display a pause of 20 is equal to
approx 1.0 second)
BUTTONS
OK
Accept configuration as entered.
CANCEL
Exit dialog without altering bitmap effect or pause file.
Fixup Colors
This option converts images to match the palette of the Display being used. The
result will depend on how much color information is lost in the process. This option is
limited to a 4 color Display.
Exit
This option is used to exit GRAFIT and a dialog box appears to give the user the
choice to stop the exit procedure.
BUTTONS
YES NO
Exit GRAFIT. Do not exit GRAFIT.

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AAnim
This menu provides options for dealing with animations or sequences of frames. All
working frames are effected using options in this menu. An ‘Animation’ is a group of
saved frames (*.frm).
Clear
Blanks/clears the all frames.
Load
Selecting 'Load' under the 'Anim' menu opens a dialog box from which the user may
select a ''.FRM'' file only. A ''.FRM'' file is a sequence of frames.
FIELDS
File Name:
To select a file, click with the left mouse button on a '.FRM' file listed under 'File
Name' in the dialog box or type in the name of the required '.FRM' file in the space
given under 'File Name'.
List Files of Type:
Clicking on this option with the left mouse button pulls down a menu from which the
user may choose what type of files he wishes to see in the 'File Name' selection
menu.
Directories:
Under this heading is provided an option to select the subdirectories from which the
user will be able to view the files contained in the subdirectory under the field 'File
Name'.
Drives:
When clicked on with the left mouse button this field produces a pull down menu
from which the user may select their drives by clicking with the left mouse button on
the required drive.
BUTTONS
OK
Accept configuration as entered and load file.
CANCEL
Exit dialog without loading file.

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Join
This option works like load except the loaded animation/frame sequence is joined at
the current frame.
Save
This option 'Save' under 'Anim' provides the facility to save any changes to the of
sequence of bitmaps or the system e.g. pause rate, of this application as a '.FRM'
file. A '.FRM' file is a sequence of frames.
Send
Send animation sequence to attached Display hardware.
Setup
Selecting this option provides a dialog box, which enables the user to define Display
specific animation parameters.
FIELDS
Frames:
The number of pages or picture frames in the animation.
Pause:
The 'pause' allows the user to set the same delay between all frames in the
animation sequence. To define a pause click the left mouse button in the space to
the right of 'Pause' and type in your required value.
BUTTONS
OK
Accept configuration as entered.
CANCEL
Exit dialog without altering bitmap effect or pause file.
Frame -
Clicking with the left mouse button on 'Frame- ' replaces the current bitmap frame
with the previous bitmap frame for viewing. This option is also available as the fifth
button on the speed bar.

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Anim
Continued …
Frame +
Clicking with the left mouse button on 'Frame + ' replaces the current bitmap frame
with the following bitmap frame for viewing. This option is also available as the sixth
button on the speed bar.
Play
Clicking with the left mouse button on 'Play' will show each frame, of the '.FRM' file,
in sequence one after the other at a rate depending on the delay until the user
chooses to stop. This option is also available as the seventh button on the speed
bar.
Stop
Clicking with the left mouse button on 'Stop' will stop the animation. This option is
also available as the eight button on the speed bar.
Schedule
This menu provides options for dealing with schedules of animation sequences.
Load
Load a schedule setup from a .SCH file on disk into memory.
Save
Save a schedule setup to a .SCH file on disk.
Send
Send the current schedule setup to the Display.
Setup
Popup the Schedule setup dialog that provides an interface with which you can
create and edit an animation schedule.

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Schedule
Continued …
Setup
Continued …
FIELDS
Animation list:
This is a complete list of the animation sequence or .FRM files in the schedule. On
each line in the list you have the path and filename of the animation followed by four
parameters as follows:
C
= Which cycles the animation is to appear in, all cycles or every second or third
cycle or whatever.
R
= How many times will the animation be repeated in a cycle.
F
= How many frames in the animation sequence.
T
= Is the animation sequence timed or not.
To add a file to the list you right click on the position in the list where you wish to
insert or append the file and a file selection dialog will popup from which you can
search for and select the file.
BUTTONS
SETTINGS
This button pops up the Animation Settings dialog for the selected file in the list. You
select a file in the 'Animation list' by left clicking on it. This dialog allows you to set
the following parameters:
Cycle: Which cycles the animation is to appear in, all cycles or every second or
third cycle or whatever.
Repeat: How many times will the animation be repeated consecutively in a cycle.
Time: A time in standard 24hr format (e.g. 12 O' Clock midnight is '00:00').
Date: A date entered in the following format 'DD/MM'.
If a field is left blank it is ignored or considered as a "don't care" or valid always.
DESELECT
This button allows you to delete a selected file from the 'Animation list'.
SEND
This button tells the software to send the animations to the Display and close the
dialog.
OK
Accept the schedule and close the dialog.
CANCEL
Ignore any changes to the schedule and close the dial

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Options
This menu provides Display specific options.
Send
Display
This menu option is used to confirm the transmission settings. The 'Reset before
sending' and the 'Use compression' settings
must always
be checked.
This menu option opens the Display setup dialog, which is used to select what type
of Display you are connected to and the communications parameters associated
with this connection.
FIELDS
Type:
This is a drop down list of available Display types. Each Display type is listed using
its standard name, its' dimensions or a combination of the two. The dimensions are
of the form W x H x C (where W = LED columns, H = LED rows, C = colors including
LED off).
Update/Test mode:
This is a drop down list of the modes available on the chosen type of Display. The
modes available are as follows:
Normal update
Default mode whereby the Display just runs as usual.
Device test page
This mode forces the Display to show device information such as the firmware
version, communications settings, RAM free etc. This is useful if you want to check
Displays' settings without opening it up or powering it down.
Character set page
This mode tells the Display to step through its' character set/fonts page by page.
LED test page
This mode tells the Display to switch to its LED test page(s), designed to help locate
defective LEDs.
Demo page
This mode sends a demonstration sequence to the Display.

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Options|Display
Continued …
Switches: This is a list of software switch settings as follows:
Reset Display
Set update/test mode back to normal and clear down all the memory in the Display.
Some Displays will then show the time on the bottom line until the next time
information is sent to them.
LED Test
When selected, the Display runs an OFF/ON test pattern to test the LEDS.
BUTTONS
COMS
This button pops up a communications setup dialog. With this you can
setup the Displays EPROM address as well as its SYMBOL, IDENTITY or MODEM
options. Enter the phone number in the Number field with no spaces.
Display List
This dialog allows you to add extra Graphics Display Panels. When you add a Panel
then you must also choose the Options||Display|COMs button and set its' address.
To switch to/select a Panel, select the Options|Display List menu option and click on
the Panel in question.
Set Time/Date…
Set Dimmed
Time…
This menu option sends the current PC time/ date to the Display(s) at the next initial
Frame/ Anim. This is useful if wanting to schedule frames as well as displaying Time
and/or Date.
This menu option gives the user the option to set a specific time period for the
display to go to half its brightness level. When selected, a window displaying Start/
Stop for dimming to occur. It must be typed in 24 hr. format. An example is NOON
equals 12:00, where as Midnight equals 00:00. Note: To update the TIME and DIM
TIMED, a valid START and STOP time must be entered in the DIM TIME menu
option dialog box.