Runco RS232 User manual

020-1050-00A 16 April 2010 1
The ascii protocol for RS232 in the Runco WindowWallTM lets you use English words with a mini-
mum of mysterious code.
You should already know how to operate the Runco WindowWall with the
remote control and how to read the menus. See the Runco WindowWall
Installation Guide for more information.
What’s in this document:
Connecting RS232 Communication .....................................................2
Using the Operation Commands Table...............................................8
Using Key Commands.............................................................................12
Examples of Operation Commands................................................... 15
Operation Commands for Runco WindowWall .............................19
Troubleshooting Serial Connections................................................. 51
Index ............................................................................................................. 57
RS232 Control for Runco WindowWall

Connecting RS232 Communication
2 RS232Control
Connecting RS232 Communication
RS232 control is not necessary for operation, but is a convenient way to control tiles
from a computer at a distance. If your installation will not use RS232 control, skip this
section.
Everything you can do with the remote, you can do with RS232 commands. Plus, you
can send inquiries to the tiles and find out the current settings and values.
RS232 connections are made with cables like Ethernet straight-through cables. This is
the common type of LAN connection cable sometimes called a Cat 5 cable.
Note: It is important that the RJ-45 cable has “straight through” connections. To see if your
cable is correct, hold the two connectors side by side with the ends pointing in the same
direction. Look at the sides of the connectors that do not have the locking tab. If the colors of
the wires inside the connectors are the same left to right for both connectors, this is the
correct cable. If the colors are mirror reflections of each other, it is the wrong type.
You need an adapter to go from the computer’s 9-pin serial output connector to an
RJ-45 connector. Adapters of this type are readily available at computer and
electronic supply stores. The adapter is not pre-wired. You will make three
connections inside the adapter, as described below.
You will only need one adapter; all the rest of the connections will be RJ-45 to RJ-45
using the RS485 In and Out connectors. RS485 is used after the first tile because the
signal it carries is more reliable and less disturbed by electrical interference.
54321
6789
18
Wiring the adapter
To go from 9-pin D-sub serial connector on
the back of the computer to an RJ45
connector, use a standard RJ45-to-9-pin
adapter. Wire it internally as shown. The
wiring shown for this adapter is correct for
straight-through cables. Straight-through
cables are wired 1-to-1, 2-to-2, etc.
RJ45 9-pin
Yellow wire 6 3
Black wire 3 2
Green wire 5 5
RJ45 looking into
the socket

Connecting RS232 Communication
RS232Control 3
Connecting RS232 Cables
1Connect the 9-pin adapter to the serial output connector of the controlling
computer. (This computer does not have to be the same one as the computer
used as a picture source.) The serial output is sometimes called the Comm Port,
and sometimes there is more than one.
Note: Some computers have an RS485 output. You can connect this directly into the nearest
tile’s RS485 In connector.
2Connect this first tile’s RS485 Out connector to the next tile’s RS485 In connector.
For more information about configuring RS232 communications, see the
WindowWall Installation Manual.
Connect this to Quad Input Manager Module A only -
make sure you don’t connect to other Quad Input
Manager Modules

How to Form Commands
4 RS232Control
How to Form Commands
Basic Rules
• RS232 commands consist of a string of ascii characters.
• All numeric values are decimal; you do not need to use hex or binary digits in the
commands.
• Spaces or tabs may be used in the commands to separate the parts and make
them easier for humans to read. This “white space” is ignored by the command
reader in the Runco WindowWall.
• You cannot use commas, slashes, or other punctuation as separators. Periods
have a special purpose in commands.
• Commands are not case sensitive, so you can use upper and lower case letters as
you wish, EXCEPT the first two letters of every command must be both upper or
both lower case. After that, it doesn’t matter.
• When a command requires a response, wait for the response before sending
another command to another tile.
• All commands must end with a carriage return character, shown as [CR] in the rest
of this document. Depending on your serial communications program,
commands may automatically be ended with a [CR]. If you are uncertain whether
your application automatically does this, send a test command such as ky 00
menu without a [CR]. If the menu displays on screen, you will not need to insert a
[CR]. If nothing happens, you will need to add a [CR] at the end of each
command.
Types of Commands
Key Commands
Key commands simulate pressing a key on the remote control. This is not very useful
unless you can see the screen, because you won’t know where the selector is in the
menu.
Operation Commands
Tip: Operation commands are more flexible and easier to use than Key commands
Operation commands tell the tile exactly what to do.
• Set green in the white color balance to 27
• Save the current settings into memory slot 23
• Recall memory slot 7
Operation commands can ask questions and get answers, such as:
• What is the state of the backlights? (on, off, failed, etc.)
• Which connector is used if memory slot 3 is recalled?

How to Form Commands
RS232Control 5
String Commands
String commands send strings of characters to the tile.
String commands can also retrieve information from the tile. For instance,
ST A1 BUILD.DATE? [CR]
returns the build date of the firmware:
ST A1 BUILD.DATE= "JUN 15 2009 08:48:24"
Addresses in Commands
All commands must be addressed. Each tile has a two-character ID that is unique to
it. The first character is A-P and the second character is 1-4. The first character is
called the Group ID, and the second one is the Unit ID. The Group ID is the Quad
Input Manager Module address and the Unit ID is the processor on that module.
• Commands can be addressed to individual tiles: A1, B2, C3, D4. When this form
of address is used, the tile will respond to the host computer.
Note: Whenever a command is sent to an individual ID, wait for the response before
sending a second command.
• Commands can be addressed to all tiles: **
• Commands can be addressed to a group of tiles: *4 (all tiles with 4 as the Unit ID),
A* (all tiles with A as the Group ID).
Command Structure
All commands start with two letters:
OP or op for operations commands (but not Op or oP)
KY or ky for key commands (but not Ky or kY)
ST or st for string commands (but not St or sT)
The next two characters are the address.
The next section of the command is the operation, the remote key, or the string, the
main part of the command telling the tile what to do.
A few commands have a ‘target.’ For example, to adjust white balance, you must state
which color to change: red, green, blue, or all. Or to determine whether a memory
slot is empty, you must target the memory slot number. The target is always in
(parentheses).

How to Form Commands
6 RS232Control
The next character is the command function symbol. There are five function symbols:
• Some commands are Execute only, such as resetting the lamp hours.
• Others are Set and Get only, such as setting the pattern or asking what the
pattern is.
• Some are Get only, such as getting the horizontal frequency of the source.
• And some are Set, Get, Increment, Decrement, such as color balance.
• The last part of the command, for Set commands only, is the value. The value
may be a number or one or two words.
Function Symbol Action on the tile
Set = Makes the tile take that value
Get ? Asks what the value is
Increment + Adds 1 to the current value
Decrement – Subtracts 1 from the current value
Execute [none] Performs an action, such as a reset
Sample Operation Commands
Command Example1
1The command line must always end with a carriage return character, noted in the exam-
ples above as [CR]. The Runco WindowWall will not act on the command unless the last
character is a carriage return character (ascii hex value: 0D).
Explanation
op A3 auto.position.disable = DISABLED [CR] Disable the auto position
feature in tile A3
op G4 auto.position.disable ? [CR] Is the auto position feature
enabled or disabled in tile G4?
op A* brightness + [CR] Increment the brightness in all
tiles with Group ID A
op ** window.reset.size [CR] Makes all the Zoom and
Viewport settings return to the
default values.
op A1 center.point (red) ? [CR] What is the value for the red
pixel at the center (sampling)
point in tile A1?

How to Form Commands
RS232Control 7
Sample Key Commands
Command
Example Explanation1
1As you can see from Sample Key Commands sequence, if you are not
looking at the screen, you won’t know what you just did. You don’t know
where the cursor was at the start.
ky A1 menu [CR] Press the MENU button on the remote for the entire
wall
ky A1 down [CR] Press the down arrow on the remote for the entire
wall
ky A1 enter [CR] Press the ENTER button on the remote for the
entire wall
Sample String Commands
Command
Example Explanation
st A1 revision ?[CR] What is the revision level of tile A1?

Using the Operation Commands Table
8 RS232Control
Using the Operation Commands Table
The Operation Commands table starts on page 19.
Operations and Operation Numbers
The commands are listed in alphabetical order by Operation. In a command, you may
use either the ascii text of the operation or its Operation Number. For instance, to
get the tile power, all these commands are equivalent:
op A3 display.power ? [CR]
opA3display.power? [CR]
op A3 1094 ? [CR]
opA31094? [CR]
OP A3 dIsplAy.Power ? [CR]
Target
If the Target column has anything in it, the command must use one (and only one) of
the targets, and it must be in parentheses. Use either the ascii text or the Target
Number. These are equivalent commands:
opa2 center.point (red) ? [CR]
opa21110(0)? [CR]

Using the Operation Commands Table
RS232Control 9
Command Types Allowed
Use only the types listed in the first column.
Note: Any word or character or phrase that appears between [square brackets] is for
information or clarification only. It is not sent to the tile or received from it.
Symbol Meaning Example Result
= Set tells the tile to
take the value
that follows
op A* white.balance (all) = 100
[CR]
All tiles with a Group ID
of A (and Unit ID of
anything) will set their
white balance levels for
red, green and blue to
their maximum of 100
? Get asks for the
value
op A1 contrast ? [CR] Tells tile A1to send the
value of contrast to the
host computer. Note
that the tile will only
respond if it is addressed
individually.
+ Increment increments the
value
op ** gray.balance(red) + [CR] Makes all the tiles
increase their Gray
Balance value by one.
Note that any tile whose
value is already at the
top (in this case 15) will
not increase it.
– Decrement decrements the
value
op ** white.balance(green) – [CR] Makes all the tiles
decrease their White
Balance value by one.
Any tile that had a white
balance of 1 before the
decrement will not
change.
[none] Execute means the
command is
executed. No
character
follows the
command (or
the Target, if it
has one)
op ** slot.save (0) – [CR] Saves slot 1 to memory.

Using the Operation Commands Table
10 RS232Control
Values
The Value may be sent as text or as a value number.
Text values can be sent in upper or lower case or with mixed case. They are listed in
UPPER CASE in the table to make it easier to see the difference between the value
and any [explanation].
[varies] means the range of acceptable values and replies varies with the type of
source.
Reading the Response
Two commands establish the features of the replies. (Remember the tiles only reply
when individually addressed.)
ascii.eol determines the End Of Line character the tile will send at the end of
every command.
ascii.response determines how you want the replies to look when they come
back to you.
•Symbolic means the replies will come back as ascii characters, if the value
column allows them.
•Numeric means that the Value Number will come back
•Data means that only the value is returned, not the preceding information
The following table shows examples of each setting for ascii.response and
three possible responses:
Command Sent Response Explanation
op A1 ascii.response = symbolic [CR] OPA1ASCII.RESPONSE=SYMBOLIC The tile received the
command and has set the
response type to symbolic
and replies will be ascii
characters
op A1 pattern ? [CR] OPA1PATTERN=BLACK The current test pattern is
black.

Using the Operation Commands Table
RS232Control 11
Note: Replies are always in ALL CAPS, regardless of how the query was sent.
op A1 ascii.response = numeric [CR] OPA11137=1 The tile received the
command and has set the
response type to numeric
and will reply with the
value number
op A1 pattern ? [CR] OPA11036=6 The current test pattern is
black.
op A1 ascii.response = data [CR] ACK The tile received the
command and has set the
response type to data and
will reply with only a
number
op A1 pattern ? [CR] 6 The current test pattern is
black.
Command Sent Response Explanation

Using Key Commands
12 RS232Control
Using Key Commands
Key commands always start with ky or KY. There are two kinds of key commands,
command word and numeric equivalent commands.
Command Word Key Commands
Command word key commands simulates pressing a button on the remote. For
example, the command:
ky A1 menu [CR]
simulates pressing the menu button. All the other named buttons on the remote
control can be “pressed” in this manner by using the name on the remote. This
picture shows the command for each named key:
Note: Keep in mind that you need to point the remote towards where the IR sensor is
mounted.
1
2
4
3
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Using Key Commands
RS232Control 13
Remote Control Buttons
Number Definition
1TurnthetileON/OFF.
2 Move the target left or right.
3 Set the target to all at once.
4 With each press, go to Picture, Input Levels, Aspect
Ratio, Picture Position, Zoom Top & Left, Zoom
Bottom and Right.
5 Press once for Miscellaneous Options, twice for
Backlight Settings, three times for Serial Port
Settings.
6 Press once for Recall, twice for Save.
7 Takes you to the next Quick Configure setting (Big
Picture, A1, A2, etc.)
8 Press once for the Color Balance menu.
9 With each press, go to Unit Status, Serial Port Status,
Setup Summary and Test Patterns.
10 Open the Wall Configuration menu.
11 Bring up the on-screen menus.
12 Return to the previous menu.
13 Press to select a menu option.
14 Move highlight to the top line of the menu.
15 Arrow keys move the highlight around on the menu
to select the option you want.

Using Key Commands
14 RS232Control
Numeric Equivalent Commands
Numeric equivalent commands also simulate pressing a remote button. For example,
the command:
ky A1 r43 [CR]
simulates pressing the MENU key on the remote. All the keys have “R” numbers
associated with them, even keys that don’t exist on the real remote.
In the illustration below, the white buttons don’t exist on the remote, and the shaded
buttons contain the command key equivalent:
Note: Although they don’t exist on the remote, there are two more key commands that can
be used: target.up and target.down.
RØØ
on
RØ1
target.left
RØ2
target.right
R1Ø R11
**
R12
picture
R20
off
R21
save
R22
misc
R3Ø R31 R32
source
R40
monitor
R41
wall
R42
balance
R50
menu
R51
prev
R52
enter
R6Ø R61
up
R62
R70
left
R71
top
R72
right
R8Ø R81
down
R82

Examples of Operation Commands
RS232Control 15
Examples of Operation Commands
Recalling Memories
Remember: The slot target number used in the command is one less than the memory
slot number as seen in the menus. For example, to recall memory slot #40, in
commands you’d specify slot.target = 39. Likewise, to recall the first slot,
you’d specify slot.target = 0.
Recalling Memories Directly
Use slot.recall ( ). Put the memory number (minus 1) in the parentheses.
What is the difference between slot.recall.target and slot.target?
Assume that memory slots #1, #2, and #6 are used (full). Memory slots #3, #4, and #5
all the others are empty, as shown in the illustration below:
The following series of example commands show the difference between
slot.target and slot.recall.target and which memory slot the
command is pointing to.
▲
▲
▲
12345678
op A1 slot.target = 3 [CR] This sets the memory slot to #4 in tile A1. Any further
commands that need a memory slot will use this one
until it is changed.
12345678
op A1 slot.action (save) [CR] This saves all the current settings into memory
slot #4 with the default memory name.
12345678
op A1 slot.target = 4 [CR] This sets the memory slot to #5, which is empty.
12345678

Examples of Operation Commands
16 RS232Control
▲
▲
▲
▲
op A1 slot.action (recall) [CR] This action fails, because there is nothing in
slot #5. Nothing happens to the picture on
the screen; it does not change.
12345678
op A1 slot.recall.target = 5 [CR] Sets the memory slot to #6.
12345678
op A1 slot.action (recall) [CR] This recalls slot #6 because the target was
set to #6 in the previous command.
12345678
op A1 slot.action (recall) [CR] Recalls settings from memory slot #1.
12345678

Examples of Operation Commands
RS232Control 17
Asking (Get) and Telling (Set)
To ask about a value or condition, use a question mark [ ? ]. No character should
follow the question mark. To set a value or condition, use an equal sign [ = ]. A value
must follow the equal sign.
Get and Set Commands Compared
Command Example1
1The command line must always end with a carriage return character, noted in the exam-
ples above as [CR]. The Runco WindowWall will not act on the command unless the last
character is a carriage return character (ascii hex value: 0D).
Explanation
op A1 contrast ? [CR] Asks what the contrast is set to on tile A1.
op A* contrast = 128 [CR] Sets the contrast on all tiles connected to Quad Input
Manager Module A to 128.
op A* contrast ? [CR] Won’t work. All queries [ ? ] must be addressed to
individual tiles only; no asterisks [ * ] in the
command line.

Examples of Operation Commands
18 RS232Control
Types of Responses
Response from the tile can be Symbolic (mostly text), Numeric (mostly numbers), or
Data.Whenever a command is sent to an individual ID, wait for the response before
sending a second command.
Note: Remember: tiles only respond when they are individually addressed. If you want to
know a status or a value in six different tiles, you must ask the question six times, and you
must wait for the response from each tile before sending the question to the next one.
Symbolic Response Examples
Command and Response
Examples Explanation
opA1 auto.lamp ? [CR] Would get the Symbolic response
OPA1AUTO.LAMP=DISABLE Text in responses are all caps, regardless of what you sent.
Numeric Response Examples
Command and Response
Examples Explanation
op A1 auto.lamp ? [CR] Would get the Numeric response
OPA11037=0 Notice that you can send commands as text and get the
response as numeric. 1037 is the Operation Number for
auto.lamp, and 0 means Disabled. It works the other way,
too. Ask the question with all numbers and get a text
response, if ascii.response is set to Symbolic.
Data Response Examples
Command and Respond
Examples Explanation
op A1 auto.lamp ? [CR] Would get the Data response
0You get only the answer and only in numeric form. This is
used mainly when a sequence of commands is sent and
the data is acted upon by the program. For instance, the
program might query each tile as to its lamp state, on or
off, then send a Lamp On command to just those tiles that
are off.

19
An index follows the table that lists all the entries, plus other names for the entries. For instance, “memory” in the index will
lead to “slot,” which is the name used in the commands to refer to memory numbers. All commands are Operation commands
which should start with “op”, except those marked with [ST] which are String commands.
For String commands, use the form “ST -- build.date ?” without the quotes, and substitute the unit ID for the -- . There is
no target for string commands.
Operation Commands for Runco WindowWall
Row
Operation
or
String [ST ]
Operation or String number
(Target)
Target or Target number
must be in parentheses.
(Target number)
Command
types allowed
(Use only
one symbol)
Value
If numbers listed first, use
numbers only. Data in
[square brackets] is for
information only.
Value number
Notes
1ascii.eol 1138 =? CR
CRLF
LF
LFCR
0
1
2
3
Determines the End Of Line
character used in replies.
2ascii.response 1137 = ? SYMBOLIC
NUMERIC
DATA [only]
0
1
2
Determines the style of the reply:
SYMBOLIC replies with the
Value [except for what is in
square brackets]
NUMERIC replies with the Oper-
ation number and Value number
DATA replies with the Value num-
ber only
3aspect 1054 =? FILL
CROP
LETTERBOX
16X9
ONE.TO.ONE
4X3
0
1
2
3
4
5
4aspect.status 1092 ?EQUAL
TA L L E R
WIDER
0
1
2
TALLER and WIDER refer to the
source picture being taller than
or wider than the aspect ratio of
the screen or wall.
5auto.frequency.disable 17421 = ? NOT.DISABLED
DISABLED
TOGGLE
0
1
2
6auto.lamp 1037 = ? DISABLE
ENABLE
0
1
set
get
inc
dec

20
7auto.phase.disable 17420 = ? NOT.DISABLED
DISABLED
TOGGLE
0
1
2
8auto.position.disable 17422 = ? NOT.DISABLED
DISABLED
TOGGLE
0
1
2
9auto.resync.disable 17438 = ? NOT.DISABLED
DISABLED
TOGGLE
0
1
2
10 backlight.intensity 1085 =?+– 1-10 10 is maximum intensity.
11 baud 1143 ? 2400
4800
9600
19200
Baud rate
12 bl.offset 1367 = ? + – 78-128 Individual offset for the backlight
of the connected LCD. This is a
signed byte with allowable val-
ues from -50 to 0. (The byte is
converted to an unsigned word
resulting in the values 78-128.)
This value is stored on the LCD
interface board and a copy is
kept in the LCD. If no tile is
attached, the copy is used.
13 bl.status 1287 ?ERROR
FAILED
NORMAL
UNKNOWN
0
1
2
3
Status of the backlight for the
connected LCD. If the LCD is
turned off, the status is
unknown. If the LCD reports a
good status while it is turned off,
there must be a sensor failure
and the status is error. If no tile
is connected result is
UNKNOWN.
Operation Commands for Runco WindowWall
Row
Operation
or
String [ST ]
Operation or String number
(Target)
Target or Target number
must be in parentheses.
(Target number)
Command
types allowed
(Use only
one symbol)
Value
If numbers listed first, use
numbers only. Data in
[square brackets] is for
information only.
Value number
Notes
set
get
inc
dec