Siebert SX502 Series User manual

Series SX502
Alphanumeric large size displays
with serial interface
Operating instructions

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 2/43
1 Contact
www.siebert-group.com
GERMANY
Siebert Industrieelektronik GmbH
Siebertstrasse, D-66571 Eppelborn
P.O. Box 11 30, D-66565 Eppelborn
Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
email: [e-mail]
AUSTRIA
Siebert Österreich GmbH
Mooslackengasse 17, A-1190 Wien
Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
email: [e-mail]
FRANCE
Siebert France Sarl
4 rue de l’Abbé Louis Verdet, F-57200 Sarreguemines
P.O. Box 90 334, F-57203 Sarreguemines Cédex
Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
email: [e-mail]
ITALY
Siebert Italia Srl
Via Galileo Galilei 2A, I-39100 Bolzano (BZ)
Phone [phone] Fax [phone]
email [e-mail]
THE NETHERLANDS
Siebert Nederland B.V.
Jadedreef 26, NL-7828 BH Emmen
Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
email: [e-mail]
SWITZERALND
Siebert AG
Bützbergstrasse 2, CH-4912 Aarwangen
Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
email: [e-mail]

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 3/43
2 Legal note
© Siebert Industrieelektronik GmbH
This operation manual has been prepared with the utmost care. However, we do not accept any
liability for possible errors. We always appreciate your suggestions for improvement, corrections,
comments and proposals. Please contact us: [e-mail]
Siebert®, LRD®and XC-Board®are registered trademarks of Siebert Industrieelektronik GmbH. All
other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
We reserve the right to make alterations to the technical data and delivery options without notice. - All
rights reserved, including the rights of translation. No part of this document may in any form or by any
means (print, photocopy, microfilm or any other process) be reproduced or by using electronic
systems be processed, copied or distributed without our written permission

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 4/43
Table of contents
1Contact 2
2Legal note 3
3Safety precautions 7
Important information .........................................................................................................................................7
Safety .................................................................................................................................................................7
Intended use.......................................................................................................................................................7
Mounting and installation....................................................................................................................................7
Grounding...........................................................................................................................................................7
EMC measures...................................................................................................................................................8
Disposal..............................................................................................................................................................8
4Unit description 9
Model designation ..............................................................................................................................................9
Unit construction.................................................................................................................................................9
Principle circuit diagram ...................................................................................................................................10
Central Processing Unit....................................................................................................................................11
Serial Interface .................................................................................................................................................11
Function inputs.................................................................................................................................................12
Menu display ....................................................................................................................................................12
Menu buttons....................................................................................................................................................12
Status indicators...............................................................................................................................................12
Battery..............................................................................................................................................................12
Power supply....................................................................................................................................................12
5Character display 13
LED matrix........................................................................................................................................................13
Character display..............................................................................................................................................13
Character sets..................................................................................................................................................13
Multi-line units...................................................................................................................................................14
Character height...............................................................................................................................................15
Proportional lettering ........................................................................................................................................15
LED color..........................................................................................................................................................15
Character table.................................................................................................................................................16
6Interface 17
Control..............................................................................................................................................................17
Menu settings RS485.......................................................................................................................................17
Application example A......................................................................................................................................17
Application example B......................................................................................................................................18
Application example C......................................................................................................................................18

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 5/43
Application example D......................................................................................................................................18
Data lines RS485 .............................................................................................................................................18
7Control 20
Text types.........................................................................................................................................................20
Commands.......................................................................................................................................................20
Display dynamic text ........................................................................................................................................21
Static texts........................................................................................................................................................21
Deleting text......................................................................................................................................................22
Inserting variables ............................................................................................................................................22
Deleting text......................................................................................................................................................22
Forced line break..............................................................................................................................................22
Flashing............................................................................................................................................................22
Marquee text.....................................................................................................................................................23
Character set....................................................................................................................................................23
LED color..........................................................................................................................................................23
Inserting time/date............................................................................................................................................23
Bar graph..........................................................................................................................................................23
Character $.......................................................................................................................................................23
Brightness.........................................................................................................................................................24
Reset................................................................................................................................................................24
Setting time/date...............................................................................................................................................24
Reading out time/date ......................................................................................................................................24
Paging ..............................................................................................................................................................24
Initial text ..........................................................................................................................................................24
8Individual line selection 25
Application........................................................................................................................................................25
Commands.......................................................................................................................................................25
Display dynamic text......................................................................................................................................26
Display static text..............................................................................................................................................26
Insert variables.................................................................................................................................................26
Deleting text......................................................................................................................................................26
Flashing............................................................................................................................................................26
Line numbers....................................................................................................................................................26
9Parameterization 28
Menu.................................................................................................................................................................28
Menu operation.................................................................................................................................................28
Menu table........................................................................................................................................................28
Serial Interface .................................................................................................................................................31
Programming operation....................................................................................................................................31

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 6/43
Handshake .......................................................................................................................................................31
Addressing........................................................................................................................................................31
Time-out ...........................................................................................................................................................31
Initial text ..........................................................................................................................................................31
Paging ..............................................................................................................................................................31
Character set....................................................................................................................................................32
Language..........................................................................................................................................................32
Display test.......................................................................................................................................................32
Set time/date ....................................................................................................................................................32
10 Status messages 33
Fault messages................................................................................................................................................33
11 Technical data 34
Unit properties..................................................................................................................................................34
Housing colors..................................................................................................................................................35
Front frame.......................................................................................................................................................35
Ambient conditions...........................................................................................................................................35
Max. power consumption .................................................................................................................................35
Screw-type terminals........................................................................................................................................36
Fixed text memory............................................................................................................................................36
Marquee ...........................................................................................................................................................36
Real-time clock.................................................................................................................................................36
Dimensions and weights ..................................................................................................................................37

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 7/43
3 Safety precautions
Important information
Read these operating instructions before starting the unit. They provide you with important information
on the use, safety and maintenance of the units. This helps you to protect yourself and prevent
damage to the unit.
Information intended to help you to avoid death, bodily harm or considerable damage to
property is highlighted by the warning triangle shown here; it is imperative that this
information be properly heeded.
The operating instructions are intended for trained professional electricians familiar with the safety
standards of electrical technology and industrial electronics.
Store these operating instructions in an appropriate place.
The manufacturer is not liable if the information in these operating instructions is not complied with.
Safety
Components inside the units are energized with electricity during operation. For this reason,
mounting and maintenance work may only be performed by professionally-trained personnel
while observing the corresponding safety regulations.
The repair and replacement of components and modules may only be carried out by the manufacturer
for safety reasons and due to the required compliance with the documented unit properties.
The units do not have a power switch. They are operative as soon as the operating voltage is applied.
Intended use
The units are intended for use in industrial environments. They may only be operated within the limit
values stipulated by the technical data.
When configuring, installing, maintaining and testing the units, the safety and accident-prevention
regulations relevant to use in each individual case must be complied with.
Trouble-free, safe operation of the units requires proper transport, storage, installation, mounting and
careful operation and maintenance of the units.
Mounting and installation
The attachment options for the units were conceived in such a way as to ensure safe, reliable
mounting.
The user must ensure that the attachment hardware, the unit carrier and the anchoring at the
unit carrier are sufficient to securely support the unit under the given surrounding conditions.
The units are to be mounted in such a way that they can be opened up while mounted. Sufficient
space for the cables must be available in the unit near the cable entries.
Sufficient space is to be kept clear around the units to ensure air circulation and to prevent the build-
up of heat resulting from use. The relevant information must be heeded in the case of units ventilated
by other means.
When the housing fasteners are opened, the front frame of the housing hinges out upward or
downward (depending on the unit version) automatically.
Grounding
All devices are equipped with a metal housing. They comply with safety class I and require a
protective earth connection. The connecting cable for the operating voltage must contain a protective
earth wire of a sufficient cross section (DIN VDE 0106 part 1, DIN VDE 0411 part 1).

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 8/43
EMC measures
The devices comply with the current EU Directive (EMC Directive) and provide the required
interference immunity. Observe the following when connecting the operating voltage and data cables:
Use shielded data cables.
The data and operating voltage cables must be laid separately. They may not be laid together with
heavy-current cables or other interference-producing cables.
The cable thickness must be properly assessed (DIN VDE 0100 Part 540).
The cable lengths inside the units are to be kept as short as possible to prevent interference. This
applies especially to unshielded operating voltage cables. Shielded cables are also to be kept short
due to any interference which might be emitted by the shielding.
Neither excessively long cables nor cable loops may be placed inside the units.
The connection of the cable shielding to the functional ground (PE) must be as short and low-
impedance as possible. It should be made directly to the mounting plate over a large area with a
conductive clip:
①mounting plate
②conductive clamp
③data lines
④cable shielding
The cable shielding is to be connected at both cable ends. If equipotential bonding currents are
expected due to the cable arrangement, electrical isolation is to be performed on one side. In this
case, capacitive connection (approx. 0.1μF/600 V AC) of the shielding on the isolated side must occur.
Disposal
Units or unit parts which are no longer needed are to be disposed of in accordance with the
regulations in effect in your country.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 9/43
4 Unit description
Model designation
This manual applies to units with the following model designation (x = the 'x's in the model designation
indicate the size and design of the units:
SX502-xxx/xx/xx-xxx/xx-S0
Unit construction
The following figure shows model type SX502-220/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx as example for the other model
types. The front frame of the housing is locked with quick-action releases. When opening the unit the
front frame hinges downward (exceptions to this are SX502-640/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx and SX502-
840/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx: which open upward supported by gas-pressure springs).
The following figure shows the unit when open.
Central Processing Unit
Power supply unit
Connector plug for power supply
Matrix modules
Lower housing section
Housing front frame
Units with double-sided display show the same information on the front and on the rear side.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 10/43
Principle circuit diagram
①Central Processing Unit
②Power supply unit
③Power supply
④Display
ⒷBattery
ⒹSub D connector –serial interface
ⒻFunction input

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 11/43
Central Processing Unit
The following figure shows the Central Processing Unit, located in the lower part of the housing.
ⒷBattery
ⒹSub D connector - serial interface
ⓁStatus indicator
ⓂMenu display
ⓈSwitchable bus termination
ⓉMenu buttons
ⓋPower supply
ⓍScrew-type terminal switch
Serial Interface
The serial interface is located on the screw-type terminal strip of the control computer. It has the
formats RS485 and RS232. The interface format is set in menu item 01.
The switches S1 and S2 serve for locking the data lines of the RS485.
Preferably, the interface RS485 is to be used for activation. It is galvanically isolated from all other
electric circuits and provides the best preconditions for a reliable and safe operation of the devices
due to its physical characteristics.
The interface RS232 is determined for programming the device using a PC, for example for loading
static texts in the text memory and for installing character sets by means of the PC tools 'Text
Manager' and 'DisplayManager' provided on data carrier.
The interface RS232 is located, apart from the screw-type terminal strip, also on a nine-pin sub D
connector of the control computer with the following assignment:
Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Signal
–
RxD
TxD
–
COM
–
RTS
CTS
–
The PC connection is established using a standard null-modem cable.
The programming operation for programming the devices is selected in the menu item 01. Then, the
parameters of the interface are set firmly as follows: 9600 bauds, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit,
RTS/CTS handshake, CR/LF protocol, no addressing.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 12/43
Function inputs
The function inputs are located on the screw-type terminal strip of the control computer. They allow
reduction in brightness and flashing of the display, independently of commands via the serial interface
(see Chapter xxx).
The function inputs are designed for the following signal voltages:
Signal voltage: L = -3.5...+5 V (open input = L)
H = +18...30 V (active H), M = reference potential
Menu display
The parameterization of the units is carried out in a menu of the menu display.
In normal operation, the following status messages can appear in the menu display:
 Data are received at the interface
Device detects a telegram ending
 Device is ready and waiting for data
In programming mode, the following status messages can appear in the menu display:
The device is in programming operation
 Static texts are loaded in the text memory
 Static texts are read from the text memory
Menu buttons
The menu buttons are used to control the menu.
Status indicators
The status indicators (LEDs) of the control computer have the following meaning:
DATA Data reception
ERR Communication error
PWR Ready indication
Battery
The lithium battery (type CR2032) provides a power reserve for the real-time clock. It is located in a
battery holder and should be replaced after three years.
Power supply
The screw-type terminals for the power supply are located on the power supply unit in the bottom
section of the housing. They have the following designations:
Devices for a power supply 115 V AC or 230 V AC L, N and PE
Devices for a power supply 24 V DC +, –and PE

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 13/43
5 Character display
LED matrix
The characters are displayed on an LED matrix. A matrix module is 16 LED dots (pixels) high and,
depending on the unit version, the following number of pixels wide:
Unit versions SX502-x20/xx/xx-xxx/xx-xx: 120 pixels
Unit versions SX502-x40/xx/xx-xxx/xx-xx: 240 pixels
Character display
The units feature several different character sets, which will be elaborated on later. The following
explanation is based on the Acala 7 character set.
With this character set, the character width is five pixels and the space between characters is one
pixel. Units with a 120 pixel-wide matrix can therefore display 20 characters on a line and units with a
240 pixel-wide matrix can display 40 characters on a line.
The character height is seven pixels. Thus two lines of seven pixel-high characters with a space
between lines of two pixels can be displayed on a 16 pixel-high matrix module.
This means that two lines of 20 characters each can be displayed on a 120 x 16 pixel matrix and two
lines of 40 characters each can be displayed on a 240 x 16 pixel matrix.
If the entire height of the matrix is used, characters with twice the character height, i.e. 14 pixels, can
be displayed. The Acala 14 condensed character set, for example, is available for this. It uses a height
of 14 pixels out of the 16 pixels available in the matrix.
With this character set, the character width is eight pixels and the space between characters is two
pixels. Ten pixels are thus required for the width of each character. According to this, units with a 120
pixel-wide matrix can therefore display one line with 12 characters and units with a 240 pixel-wide
matrix can display one line with 24 characters.
Character sets
The following pictured character sets are available. They differ in character height (seven, 14 or 16
pixels) and in character width (normal, extended or condensed).
The number of characters (number of lines x number of characters per line) which can be displayed on
a 120 x 16 and 240 x 16 pixel matrix for each character set is noted in the table.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 14/43
Character set
Character display
120 x 16 pixels
240 x 16 pixels
Acala 7*
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJj
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJj
2 x 20
2 x 40
Acala 7 extended*
AaBbCcDdEe
AaBbCcDdEe
2 x 10
2 x 20
Acala 14 condensed*
AaBbCdDdEeFf
1 x 12
1 x 24
Acala 14
AaBbCcDdEe
1 x 10
1 x 20
Acala 14 extended*
AaBcDd
1 x 6
1 x 12
Acala 16 condensed
AaBbCcDdEeFf
1 x 12
1 x 24
Acala 16
AaBbCcDdEe
1 x 10
1 x 20
Acala 16 extended
AaBbCc
1 x 6
1 x 12
The character sets marked with * in the table are permanently installed in the units. The remaining
character sets are included on a data carrier.
The PC tool 'DisplayManager' that can also be found on the included data carrier is used for installing
character sets, for creating user-defined character sets, for saving character sets on data carriers and
for restoring the installed character sets.
Multi-line units
To display texts containing more characters than can be displayed with a 120 x 16 or 240 x 16 pixel
matrix we offer unit versions with a suitable number of matrix modules arranged vertically.
The following figure shows unit version SX502-420/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx with two vertically arranged 120 x
16 pixel matrix modules as an example. Character set Acala 7 allows 4 x 20 characters to be
displayed, and 2 x 12 characters can be displayed with the character set Acala 14 condensed.
The physical distance between the matrix modules corresponds to a height of two pixels. Thus the
distance between the first and second lines is the same as between the second and third lines.
The SX502 series also includes units with three or four vertically arranged matrix modules. They can
display six or eight lines with the Acala 7 character set and three or four lines with the Acala 14
condensed character set.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 15/43
Character height
The actual character height depends on the height of a character in pixels and the size of the pixel
diameter and spacing.
The SX502-xxx/03/xx-xxx/xx-xx unit versions have a pixel diameter of approx. 3 mm and a pixel
spacing of approx. 4.7 mm.
The SX502-xxx/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx unit versions have a pixel diameter of approx. 5 mm and a pixel
spacing of approx. 7.6 mm.
This results in the following actual character heights for the character sets, depending on the unit
version:
Character set
SX502-xxx/03/xx-xxx/xx-xx
SX502-xxx/05/xx-xxx/xx-xx
Acala 7
approx. 33 mm
approx. 50 mm
Acala 7 extended
approx. 33 mm
approx. 50 mm
Acala 14 condensed
approx. 66 mm
approx. 100 mm
Acala 14
approx. 66 mm
approx. 100 mm
Acala 14 extended
approx. 66 mm
approx. 100 mm
Acala 16 condensed
approx. 75 mm
approx. 120 mm
Acala 16
approx. 75 mm
approx. 120 mm
Acala 16 extended
approx. 75 mm
approx. 120 mm
Proportional lettering
The previously described character sets display the characters in non-proportional lettering
(monospace font). The same number of pixels is available for the width of each character.
Character sets Acala 7 P and Acala 14 P, which display the characters in proportional lettering, are
included on data carrier. Each character uses the width it requires visually.
LED color
The unit versions SX502-xxx/xx/xR-xxx/xx-xx have a display with red LED color. The LED color cannot
be changed (monochrome display).
The unit versions SX502-xxx/xx/xM-xxx/xx-xx have a display whose LED color can be switched
between red, green and orange.

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 16/43
Character table
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
0A
0B
0C
0D
0E
0F
20
















30
















40
















50
















60
















70
















80
















90
















A0
















B0
















C0
















D0
















E0
















F0

















BAL SX502 SER 5.01 17/43
6 Interface
Control
The units are controlled via the serial interface. It has the formats RS485 and RS232. The interface
format is set in menu item 01.
Preferably, the interface RS485 is to be used for activation. It is galvanically isolated from all other
electric circuits and provides the best preconditions for a reliable and safe operation of the devices
due to its physical characteristics.
The interface RS232 is determined for programming the device using a PC, for example for loading
static texts in the text memory and for installing character sets by means of the PC tools
'DisplayManager' included on data carrier.
Menu settings RS485
The interface format RS485 allows the settings ,  and  in the menu item 1. The
selected setting depends on whether the protocol reply is to be sent by the display:
If the display should not send a protocol reply (normal case), application example A applies for
activating one or more displays.
If a protocol reply is expected, a differentiation has to be made whether one single unit or more units
are to be activated. If one single unit is activated, application example B is valid.
If several units are to be activated, a bus wiring is necessary. You have to differentiate, if a 4-wire bus
(full-duplex) or a 2-wire bus (half-duplex) is used. Application example C applies for 4-wire bus and
application example D applies for 2-wire bus.
Application example A
Setting in menu item 01: RS485
Setting in menu item 06: No protocol reply

BAL SX502 SER 5.01 18/43
Application example B
Setting in menu item 01: RS485
Setting in menu item 06: ACK/NAK (recommended)
Application example C
Setting in menu item 01: RS485.4
Setting in menu item 06: ACK/NAK (recommended)
Application example D
Setting in menu item 01: RS485.2
Setting in menu item 06: ACK/NAK (recommended)
Data lines RS485
To achieve the highest possible interference immunity, the data lines of the RS485 have to be
terminated on both ends. The required resistors are provided in the control computer and can be
connected on the screw terminal strip with the switches S1 (Rx) and S2 (Tx). See chapter Principle
Circuit Diagram.
The polarization of the data lines must be ensured by means of the master.
For the data lines, you always have to ensure that:
Shielded twisted-pair cables of sufficiently large cross-section are used

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The shielding is connected on both line ends
For the signal ground (GND) use a wire pair short-circuited on both ends in the data cable. The
shielding may not be used as the signal ground.
A twisted pair of conductors is used each for Tx+ and Tx- and for Rx+ and Rx-. Non-observance of this
instruction causes the protective function of the twisted-pair cable to be lost.
Improperly terminated data lines cause faults during data transfer.

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7 Control
Text types
The devices can display dynamic and static texts.
Dynamic texts can be changed while the unit is running. They are generated from within the process
and sent to the display as data telegram.
Static texts cannot be changed while the unit is running. They are compiled using the PC tool 'Text
Manager' included on data carrier and loaded in the text memory via the serial interface. They can
then be called up via their text number.
Commands
The control of the devices is done using commands according to the following command table. In the
description, the numbers in [ ] refer to the corresponding lines in the command table.
Commands with require a telegram ending. This depends on the protocol set in menu item 05.
The telegram ending of the CR/LF protocol is marked by the characters CR (0Dh), LF (0Ah) or CR/LF.
The telegram ending of the protocol is marked by the characters ETX
In lines [1] and [3] cc... stands for a character chain of any desired content.
Commands for text manupulations
Display dynamic text
cc...
Send any desired characters
[1]
Display static text
$Tn
Calling up fixed text (n = text number, one to four digits)
[2]
Insert variables
$VEcc...
Entering variables from the current insertion position
[3]
$VPn
Selecting insertion position of variables (n = wildcard number for the
variable, 0...255)
[4]
Delete text
$E
Delete text in the display
[5]
Commands for text formatting
Line break
$C
Forced line break
[6]
Flashing
$F1
Flashing of following characters on
[7]
$F0
Flashing of following characters off
[8]
Marquee text
$Y
Marquee text from current position until end of text or $C
[9]
Character set
$M1
Acala 7
[10]
$M2
Acala 7 extended
[11]
$M3
Acala 14 condensed
[12]
$M4
Acala 14 extended
[13]
$M5
Acala 7 P / user-defined character set 7 pixel
[14]
$M6
Acala 14 / user-defined character set 14/16 pixel
[15]
$M7
Acala 16 condensed
[15a]
$M8
Acala 16
[15b]
$M9
Acala 16 extended
[15c]
LED color
$A0
Red
[16]
$A1
Green
[17]