Signal-Tech SA Flex Controller User Guide
- June 23, 2024
- Signal-Tech
Table of Contents
SA Flex Controller
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Product Information
Specifications:
-
Product Name: SA Flex (SAF)
-
Compatible Products: SAF products with specific product IDs and
configurations -
Supported Protocols: Advanced Sign Control + Bitmap Mode
(Ethernet Only) -
Communication Interfaces: Ethernet and RS-485
Product Usage Instructions:
Device Hardware and Setup:
The SA Flex Controller has two communication interfaces:
Ethernet and RS-485.
Ethernet Interface:
The embedded XPort module provides a wired Ethernet interface to
the sign controller. Configure settings via HTTP GUI or telnet
interfaces.
Critical Device Settings (TCP/IP):
- Message Payload Port: 10001
- Default Configuration: DHCP
RS-485 Interface:
The RS-485 port allows control using Legacy and Extended
7-segment commands.
Critical Device Settings (Serial):
Refer to the wiring diagram for proper setup.
7-Segment Control Mode (Ethernet or RS-485):
Set the Sign Address (SA) using the DIP switch bank for
7-segment control mode. Follow the Legacy 7-Segment Protocol for
configuration.
FAQ:
Q: What protocols are supported by the SA Flex product
line?
A: The SA Flex product line supports the Advanced Sign Control +
Bitmap Mode (Ethernet Only) protocol.
Q: How can I configure the Ethernet interface for the SA Flex
controller?
A: You can configure the Ethernet interface using the HTTP GUI
or telnet interfaces provided by the embedded XPort module.
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SA Flex (SAF) Protocol/Integration Guide (Formerly RGBF Flex)
Last updated: May 28, 2024
Contents
I. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
Compatible Products ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Supported Protocols and Features …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3
II. Device Hardware and Setup ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Lantronix/Gridconnect Enhanced XPort Ethernet Controller
……………………………………………………………………………. 4 Critical Device Settings (TCP/IP)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Serial RS-485 interface
(7-segment control mode only) …………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Critical
Device Settings (Serial) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Device Wiring (Serial) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
III. 7-Segment Control Mode (Ethernet or RS-485)
………………………………………………………………………………………6 a) “Legacy” 7-Segment Protocol
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 Example displays: Legacy
7-Segment Protocol………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 b) “Extended”
7-Segment Protocol……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Font size
flag:
IV. Advanced Sign Control + Bitmap Mode (Ethernet
Only)………………………………………………………………………….13 Protocol
Structure…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
Request……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13 Response
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13 Sign Commands
(Ethernet Only)……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 Command 0x01:
GET Sign Info ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 Command 0x02:
GET Sign Image…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15 Command 0x04:
GET Sign Brightness…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Command 0x05:
SET Sign Brightness …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Command 0x06:
GET Message Status ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16 Command 0x08:
SET Blank Message ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16 Command 0x13:
SET Bitmap Message …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16
Page | 1
I. Introduction
This document outlines the accepted protocols and communication modes for
Signal-Tech’s SA Flex (SAF) products.
Compatible Products
A compatible sign is indicated in its Product Number as “SAF”.
While there may be other compatible variants, these are the standard configurations:
Product ID
Resolution (HxW)
Size class (HxW)
Sample displays
69113
16×64 px
7″x 26″
69151
16×96 px
7″x 39″
69152
16×128 px
7″x 51″
69153
32×64 px
14″x 26″
69143
32×96 px
14″x 39″
68007
32×128 px
14″x 51″
Page | 2
Supported Protocols and Features The SA Flex product line supports two message protocols (click header to jump to section):
7-Segment Control Mode (Ethernet or RS-485) · Uses Signal-Tech’s 7-segment/LED Count Display protocol · Requires no changes to control software (if 7segment protocol is already used) · Also compatible with SA- and S-SA signs
Advanced Sign Control + Bitmap Mode (Ethernet Only)
· Uses Signal-Tech’s RGB Protocol as a container · Allows bitmap images to be
sent to the display
once per second
Additional sign commands (Jump to: “Extended” 7-Segment Protocol):
· Text/background color control · Font size control · A full symbol library
Additional sign commands (Jump to: Sign Commands (Ethernet Only)):
· Brightness control · Retrieval of hardware info: product ID, serial
number, product image, manufacture date · Retrieve current message status
(checksum)
Page | 3
II. Device Hardware and Setup
The SA Flex Controller has two communication interfaces ( and ):
For instructions on using the DIP switch bank for addressing, see 7-Segment
Control Mode (Ethernet or RS-485).
Lantronix/Gridconnect Enhanced XPort Ethernet Controller
The embedded “XPort” module provides a wired Ethernet interface to the sign
controller. All sign commands–bitmap, 7-segment, etc.–are supported via
Ethernet. The Ethernet controller has HTTP GUI (port 80) and telnet (port
9999) interfaces that can be used to configure a static IP address, a
different TCP port, and/or a device password.
Critical Device Settings (TCP/IP)
The sign will receive the message payload over TCP/IP on port 10001.
By default, the XPort is configured to use DHCP. Use a DHCP router or download
Lantronix DeviceInstaller to discover the device, then set a static IP if
desired.
Serial RS-485 interface (7-segment control mode only)
The SA Flex controller also features an RS-485 port, making it easy to replace
an older 7-segment display.
The serial interface is limited to accept “Legacy” and “Extended” 7-segment commands only.
Page | 4
Critical Device Settings (Serial)
The settings below are not configurable on the controller. The host
device/server should be configured for the following:
· Protocol: RS-485 · Baud Rate: 9600 · Data Bits: 8 · Stop Bits: 1 · Parity:
None
Device Wiring (Serial)
Wiring diagram (CAT6 shown)
Note: Other twisted-pair cable, or shielded, RS-485-specific cable should perform as well as CAT6
White/Orange B+
White/Green
A-
Solid Orange Solid Green
G (All others)
Page | 5
III. 7-Segment Control Mode (Ethernet or RS-485)
Go back to the Device Hardware and Setup section for configuration settings.
Additional hardware settings: When using 7-segment control–either over RS-485
or Ethernet–the Sign Address (SA) must be set using the controller’s DIP
switch bank (addresses 1-63):
a) “Legacy” 7-Segment Protocol
Hex 16 16 02 [SA] [CM] [CD]
X1
X2
X3
X4
[CS]
03
Def SYN SYN STX Sign Command Enable Digit 1 Digit 2 Digit 3 Digit 4 XOR
ETX
address mode
response
Checksum
Following Signal-Tech’s proprietary LED Count Display Protocol, existing systems can control SA Flex signs without modifying the host software.
The 7-Segment/LED Count Display Protocol can be found here: https://www .signal-tech.com/downloads/led-count-display-protocol.pdf
Notes for “Legacy” 7-Segment Protocol: · Font will be 15px high and be right-
justified · Leading 0s will be removed · “FULL” (
Example displays: Legacy 7-Segment Protocol
Hex sent: Packet info: Display (shown on 16×48 px sign):
16 16 02 01 01 01 30 31 32 33 01 03 Sign address = 1;
Hex sent: Packet info: Display (shown on 16×48 px sign):
16 16 02 3A 06 01 00 00 32 33 3C 03 Sign address = 58;
Page | 6
b) “Extended” 7-Segment Protocol
Hex 16 16 02 [SA] [CM] [CD]
X1
X2
…
Def SYN SYN STX Sign Command Enable Char 1 Char 2 …
address mode
response
XN [CS]
03
Char N XOR
ETX
Checksum
Within the same protocol structure, the control software can also add the
following to the character stream (X1,…XN): 1.
Notes:
· Like the “Legacy” 7-segment mode, all text will be right-justified and begin
on the top row · Refer to the original protocol document for the checksum
calculation · The examples below do not include complete data packets unless
otherwise noted · Maximum number of bytes in character stream = 255
Flags are defined on pages 8-10…
Page | 7
Font size flag:
Insert this flag to select one of three font sizes. The default value is 0x01 (“Medium” 15px).
Hex
1B
46
NN
Def
F
Font index (defined below)
Note: Only one font size is allowed per line, i.e. a [CR] (0x0A) is required before the next font is selected.
Example: Font size flag (32x64px display shown)
Font
Hex in character stream
Small (7px height)
0x1B 0x46 0x00
Medium (15px height)
(Default–no flag needed)
0x1B 0x46 0x01
Large (30px height)
0x1B 0x46 0x02
Page | 8
Text color flag:
The text color flag may be used to interrupt the current foreground color at
any time.
Hex
1B 54
[RR] [GG] [BB]
Def
(00-FF)
(00-FF)
(00-FF)
Note: The text color may be changed at any point (even within the same line).
Example: Text color flag (16x128px display shown): Complete packet shown (ads 1): 16 16 02 01 06 01 AA 20 33 20 B1 20 1B 54 FF FF FF 7C 20 1B 54 00 00 FF B3 20 39 20 AB 73 03
. AA 20 33 20
B1
20 . 7C 20 . B3
20
39
20 AB
.
.
.
.
.
.
[Sym] [Sp] “3” [Sp] [Sym] [Sp] “|” [Sp] [Sym] [Sp] “9” [Sp] [Sym]
Default size + color (no flag required)
Color Flag:
Color Flag:
1B 54 FF FF FF 1B 54 00 00 FF
Flags Def Bytes
Page | 9
Background color flag:
Insert this flag to change the background color. The default is 00-00-00 (black).
Hex
1B 42
[RR] [GG] [BB]
Def
(00-FF)
(00-FF)
(00-FF)
Note: Only one background color is allowed per line, i.e. a CR (0x0A) is required before the next background color is selected.
Example: Background color flag (32x64px display shown): Complete packet shown
(ads 1):
16 16 02 01 06 01 1B 42 FE 8C 00 1B 54 00 00 00 A7 20 31 31 32 0A 1B 42 1C 18
D0 33 35 20 A3 D5 03
Page | 10
c) “Extended” 7-Segment Protocol: Character Maps
8-px height
HEX _0 _1 _2 _3 _4 _5 _6 _7 _8 _9 _a _b _c _d _e _f
0_
1_
2_ SP !
”
$ %&’
(
)
-
- ,
.
/
3_ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 :
;
< = > ?
4_ @ A B C D E F
G H I
J
K L
MN O
5_ P Q R
S
T
U V
W X
Y
Z
[
]
^
_
6_ ` a b c
d e f
g h i
j
k l
mn o
7_ p q
r
s
t
u
v
w x
y
z
{
|
}
~
8_
9_
a_
…
f_
16-px height
HEX _0 _1 _2 _3 _4 _5 _6 _7 _8 _9 _a _b _c _d _e _f
0_
1_
2_ SP ! ”
$ %&’
(
)
-
- ,
.
/
3_ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 :
;
< = > ?
4_ @ A B C D E F
G H I
J
K L
MN O
5_ P Q R
S
T
U V
W X
Y
Z
[
]
^
_
6_ `
ab c
d e f
g h i
j
k l
mn o
7_ p q r
s
t
u
v
w x
y
z
{
|
}
~
8_
9_
a_
b … f
Page | 11
32-px height
HEX _0 _1 _2 _3 _4 _5 _6 _7 _8 _9 _a _b _c _d _e _f
0_
1_
2_ SP ! ”
$ %&’
(
)
-
- ,
.
/
3_ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 :
;
< = > ?
4_ @ A B C D E F G H I
J
K L
MN O
5_ P Q R S
T
U V WX
Y
Z
[
]
^
_
6_ `
ab c d e f
g h i
j
k l
mn o
7_ p q r
s
t
u v
w x
y
z
{
|
}
~
8_
9_
a_
b … f
End of “7-Segment Control Mode”
Page | 12
IV. Advanced Sign Control + Bitmap Mode (Ethernet Only)
Protocol Structure
Request
Length 1 byte 4 bytes 1 byte
variable
1 byte
Description Always 0x09 The count of bytes in The command byte (see Sign Commands (Ethernet Only)) The sent data related to the command, if required, may be 0 bytes long (see “Request sent ” for each command) The checksum calculated by adding the bytes in and using the 64 least significant bits Always 0x03
Response
Length 1 byte 4 bytes 1 byte
variable
1 byte
Description Always 0x10 The count of bytes in The echoed command byte The sent data related to the command, if required, may be 0 bytes long (see “Response received ” for each command) The checksum calculated by adding the bytes in and using the 64 least significant bits Always 0x03
Page | 13
Sign Commands (Ethernet Only) Important: These commands are only supported via TCP/IP (not over the serial port)
Hex Name (link to section) 0x01
Get Sign Info
0x02 Get Sign Image 0x04 Get Brightness
0x05 Set Brightness
0x06 Get Message Status 0x08 Set Blank 0x13 Set Bitmap Message
Modes Read Read Read
Set Read Set Set
Description Returns XML encoded sign information, such as product ID and serial number Returns the sign’s PNG primary image Returns the brightness level of the sign (0=auto, 1=lowest, 15=highest) Sets the brightness level of the sign (0=auto, 1=lowest, 15=highest) Returns the last message status and checksum Tells the sign to blank the display Send .bmp data to the sign (up to once per second)
Each request’s data format is explained in its own section below, along with examples of the request and response structure.
Command 0x01: GET Sign Info
Each sign controller is preprogrammed with XML configuration data that
describes the messages on the sign, as well as some global sign data. The XML
format is described in a later section of this document.
Request sent : n/a Response received :
XML Format: <?xml version=’1.0′ encoding=’UTF-8′?>
Example: Hex Sent Def Hex Received
09
00 00 00 00
01
(omit)
[ASCII XML data]00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03
Page | 14
Command 0x02: GET Sign Image
Each sign controller stores a transparent PNG image of the sign, which can be
shown in the control software.
Request sent : n/a Response received :
Example: Hex Sent Def
Hex Received
09
00 00 00 00
02
(omit)
[Binary PNG data]00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03
Command 0x04: GET Sign Brightness
Request sent : n/a Response received : 0x01-0x0F (1-15)
Note: if value is 0, auto-dimming is enabled (not currently implemented)
Example: Hex Sent Def Hex Received
09
00 00 00 00
04
(omit)
0F00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03
Command 0x05: SET Sign Brightness
Request sent : 0x01-0x0F (1-15) Response received : 0x01-0x0F
(1-15)
*Note: 0x00 will enable full brightness, as auto-dimming is not currently implemented
Example: Hex Sent Def Hex Received
09
00 00 00 01
05
0F
0F00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0F
03
Page | 15
Command 0x06: GET Message Status
This command will get the
Request sent : n/a
Response received :
Example:
Hex Sent 09
00 00 00 00
06
Def
Hex
10
00 00 00 09
06
Received
n/a
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C800 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C8 03
Command 0x08: SET Blank Message
Request sent : N/A Response received : N/A
Hex Sent Def Hex Received
09
00 00 00 00
08
n/a
n/a00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03
Command 0x13: SET Bitmap Message
The SA Flex display will accept BMP files embedded in the protocol’s
field. This may be refreshed up to once per second (1FPS).
Request sent : .bmp file, starting with header “BM” or “0x42 0x4D” (see below) Response received : Checksum of the request sent
Critical Bitmap file parameters
Make sure that the bitmap file meets the specifications below.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format
Supported file types
.bmp
Supported header types BM
Supported color depths RGB24 (8R-8G-8B) 16M colors
RGB565 (5R-6G-5B) 65K colors
RGB8 256 colors
Example: Hex Sent Def Hex Received
09
NN NN NN NN
13
42 4D … NN
NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NNNN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN 03
NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN 03
Page | 16
Questions/feedback? Send an email to [email protected] or call
814-835-3000
Page | 17