Old LED message sign's

[tomofthefuture]

Hi I really need help on this one!!

I have recently got my hands on a very old LED message sign. The LEDs are red and they all work well, it is encased in a strong steel housing with a thick plastic cover protecting the LEDs.

 

My problem is that its that old it doesn't have DMX or Remote input!

Instead it had a 15 pin ribbon input and before you ask it has no product make or model on it. It just says made in UK

 

I have called my sources and one says it needs a special 15 pin ribbon keyboard

Dose anyone have one or knows somewhere I could get one?

 

Thx guys

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

Could I make one??

[Wol]

Welcome to the BR.

 

Just to let you know, this is a forum for entertainment lighting, not just anything with LEDs in!

 

If its just a very old LED message sign, I doubt that it would have a DMX input. Someone I know managed to get a similar thing to what youve described from ebay a while back which had some form of proprietary remote input control for it.

 

You might need to find out a bit more about the device to find out what the control input is from your sources / where you got it from. Would have thought that if you got it from someone, they'd have had the controller for it too! Or at least any more info on it than what you've currently got.

 

Any pictures of the control interface at all?

 

You might be able to make one - but you'd need to know the protocol.

[tomofthefuture]

I do know how to use blue rooms I only asked this question as I have no other sources to turn to.

Better me asking about an LED sign than saying I hired some pro lighting how do I use it (picture of acme I-move)

 

I was photographing an old building demolition and as the builders were clearing the building I spotted it out of the corner of my eye as it was put into a skip. The builder sed I could have it and he had removed it from in a cubbard but when I asked he sed that was the only thing in there as it was.

 

I have compleatly stripped the thing bare and still nothing to say where or when it was made.

[David Lee]

Probably won't help, but IIRC these things attached to the serial port of a computer and would have some propriety software (usually command line).

 

NB I'm guessing it is the old ones which would just display text?

 

edit to add link - These things?

[tomofthefuture]

Probably won't help, but IIRC these things attached to the serial port of a computer and would have some propriety software (usually command line).

 

NB I'm guessing it is the old ones which would just display text?

 

edit to add link - These things?

 

Well when powered it displays the temp

then loads of numbers, letters and symbols.

then beeps angrily at me!

[KevinE]

I've repaired this sort of thing for the NHS who use them in their waiting rooms. They can either be programmed (as yours sounds) with fixed, cycling messages, or they can be live-updated via (for example) a pc or network hub to give rolling information, calling people into the doctor etc.

 

They are almost always serial, but some are RS232 and some are RS485. Either way they will need a proper cable, possibly a dongle (if its RS485) and the proper software for the PC. Many also have an IR receiver behind the perspex for use with a large battery operated remote control.

 

You really do need to find out the manufacturer, try taking it apart and seeing if there's anything on the boards.

 

The only pro ones I can thing of at the mo are Computronics and Textlite, there will be many others!!

[Snout]

I've repaired this sort of thing for the NHS who use them in their waiting rooms. They can either be programmed (as yours sounds) with fixed, cycling messages, or they can be live-updated via (for example) a pc or network hub to give rolling information, calling people into the doctor etc.

 

They are almost always serial, but some are RS232 and some are RS485. Either way they will need a proper cable, possibly a dongle (if its RS485) and the proper software for the PC. Many also have an IR receiver behind the perspex for use with a large battery operated remote control.

 

You really do need to find out the manufacturer, try taking it apart and seeing if there's anything on the boards.

 

The only pro ones I can thing of at the mo are Computronics and Textlite, there will be many others!!

 

If you have any Textlite information, that'd be wonderful. I just came across a M-500 display with controller board, but no documentation whatsoever, including how to connect the serial jack and program it over the wire. I don't suppose you have that kind of old information lying around under some cobwebs?

 

Tried emailing Text-Lite, but there was no reply. Not too surprising, I guess, since the board is.. well, 'vintage' is a complimentary term for what era it comes from. ;)

 

Regards,

Henrik