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Comment: Replaced section on serial cables with a link to the Shell and Debugger pages; updated to bsn.Control and bsn.Content; h1 to h2, h2 to h3, etc. for Refined.

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In addition, it is very useful to connect the player to the local network via an Ethernet cable or, if the player has the appropriate hardware, WiFi.

The following items, while not strictly required, are helpful tools.

Serial Cable

To enable serial access to the BrightSign player, a serial cable is required. Older lines of BrightSign hardware (Series 2 and older) used a DB9 connection to the player. Series 3 and later players primarily use a 3.5mm jack on the player except for the LS line which uses a USB-C connection.

Not all serial cables are the same. Even if two cables physically look similar externally, they may be wired differently and thus not compatible with our players. For this reason, we recommend that you procure serial cables per the sources provided below.

Series 3 and Later

The serial cable for all Series 3 and later players with the exception of the LS line requires the following configuration:

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The above items can be procured at the following links:

Note

It is important for Cable 2 to have the Prolific PL2303GT USB to RS232 Serial Bridge. Similar-looking cables with the same connectors but without this controller may not work as well.

LS

For the LS424 and LS423 players, you will need an additional cable, Cable 3, with the following configuration:

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Cable 3 can be procured from the BrightSign Store.

Series 2 and Earlier

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BrightSign Shell and BrightScript Debugger

Partners may also find the BrightSign Shell and BrightScript Debugger to be very useful for development purposes. The BrightSign Shell is a command-line interface (CLI) that enables interaction with the BrightSignOS (BOS), the operating system that powers all BrightSign players. The BrightScript Debugger is a CLI which enables interaction with the BrightScript Interpreter.

The BrightSign Shell page contains info about the various ways to access the Shell, specifics on the type of cable to use if you prefer a physical connection to the player, commands, troubleshooting, and more.

The BrightSign Debugger page contains info about how to enable and access the Debugger, commands, troubleshooting, and more.

Local DWS

The Diagnostic Web Server (DWS) is a powerful tool that enables inspection of various player settings and diagnostic details. Both a Local Diagnostic Web Server (LDWS, accessible over the local network via the player’s IP address) and Remote Diagnostic Web Server (RDWS, accessible via either the bsn.Control Cloud or bsn.Content Cloud at bsn.cloud) are available. General info about the DWS can be found here and more specific info about the RDWS can be found here.

Local DWS APIs also exist to enable direct access to DWS functionality.

VSCode

Visual Studio Code is a popular coding environment for BrightSign development. The BrightScript Language extension facilitates coding in BrightScript and is used by thousands of developers around the world.

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