Accessories FAQ

Owned by BrightSign TechDocs
Last updated: Dec 06, 2024
6 min read

 

What inputs are supported in BA:connected and BrightAuthor? (IR, Serial, etc..)

BrightAuthor:connected and BrightAuthor accept input from any of these devices:

  • Touchscreens equipped with a supported touch controller. See this FAQ for a list of supported touch controllers. (XC2055, XC4055, XT1145, XT1144, XT1143, 4K1042, 4K1142, XD1035, XD235, XD1034, XD1033, XD1032, XD1132, XD1030, XD1230, HD1025, HD1023, HD1022, HD1020, LS425, LS445, LS423, LS422)

  • BrightSign’s BP200 and BP900 USB button panels (XC2055, XC4055, XT1145, XT1144, XT1143, 4K1042, 4K1142, XD1035, XD235, XD1034, XD1033, XD1032, XD1132, XD1030, XD1230, HD1025, HD1023, HD1022, HD1020, LS425, LS445, LS423, LS422)

  • Many brands of USB Keyboards (XC2055, XC4055, XT1145, XT1144, XT1143, 4K1042, 4K1142, XD1035, XD235, XD1034, XD1033, XD1032, XD1132, XD1030, XD1230, HD1025, HD1023, HD1022, HD1020, LS423, LS422)

  • Many brands of USB Mouse or Trackball (XC2055, XC4055, XT1145, XT1144, XT1143, 4K1042, 4K1142, XD1035, XD235, XD1034, XD1033, XD1032, XD1132, XD1030, XD1230, HD1025, HD1023, HD1022, HD1020, LS425, LS445, LS423, LS422)

  • Many brands of USB Bar Code Scanners (XC2055, XC4055, XT1145, XT1144, XT1143, 4K1042, 4K1142, XD1035, XD235, XD1034, XD1033, XD1032, XD1132, XD1030, XD1230, HD1025, HD1023, HD1022, HD1020, LS425, LS445, LS423, LS422)

  • Quadravox Serial Button Board

  • MX, Crestron, and similar control devices

  • Any GPIO (open/close contact switch) button, signal, or LED (your custom board or LED display). For example, you can attach a motion sensor to your player using the GPIO port. When the motion sensor is triggered, the player receives it as a button press (GPIO Event). 

  • PC (via UDP or serial)

  • IR input/output devices using the NEC or Pronto Hex remote control protocols (all XT, 4K, and XD models, as well as the HD1023, LS423, HD1022, HD1020, HD810, HD1010, HD1010w).  To accept IR input, you must use a 3.5mm IR transceiver or a USB IR transceiver from Igunaworks.

How can I control playback from an external system (what is the control protocol)?

There is no control protocol for BrightSign players. The active presentation determines the triggers to which the player will listen and respond.

The “How to use Interactive Button Panels” video at the bottom of this page shows the basics of adding interactivity (in this case, triggering actions via GPIO buttons).  The same concept applies to UDP messages (UDP Input), RS-232/TTL input (Serial Input), and other interactive events.

Why isn’t my USB touchscreen working properly?

BrightSign players currently support touch screens via the USB port only. First, check the Supported Touchscreens page to see if there are any known compatibility issues with your touchscreen model. 

HID Drivers

If you are not sure whether your touchscreen model is supported, check if it supports standard HID drivers: This means that the touchscreen will work with any device that has HID drivers installed, no matter the operating system of the device (Linux, Windows, OSX, etc.). HID drivers do not require any drivers from the manufacturer. Some manufacturers claim to support HID, but still use custom drivers that are not compatible with BrightSign players.

Calibration

If the touchscreen is not responding, or if the coordinates don't align properly with the contact screen area, you may need to run the calibration script attached below. The Calibration .zip file contains a Readme file describing how to use the calibration script.

Further Steps

If you are still having problems after calibrating the player, try these solutions:

  1. Test your touch project using a USB mouse, which uses the same coordinate system as touchscreens. If the project doesn't work with a mouse, there is a problem with the playlist or script you're using to accept touch input.

  2. If your project works properly with a mouse, we recommend using the Touch Capture script, which is included with the Calibration .zip file. Instructions for using the Touch Capture script are included in the Readme file. Once you have retrieved the logs generated by both the Calibration and Touch Capture scripts, contact support@brightsign.biz and attach the logs to your support ticket.

Why isn’t my USB keyboard/mouse responding?

BrightSign players work with many USB keyboard brands. If yours is not responding, test it by creating an interactive project that accepts keyboard input, then:

  • Disconnect the keyboard/mouse from the player and reconnect it.

  • Connect your keyboard/mouse to the player using a USB hub.

  • Try a different USB keyboard/mouse.

  • If you’re using a wireless mouse, reconnect the wireless transmitter and replace the batteries in the mouse.

Can I use a keyboard or mouse with BrightSign players?

Yes. You can connect a USB keyboard or mouse to any BrightSign player that has a USB port and use a mouse (or touchscreen) and keyboard to generate interactive events. In a BrightAuthor:connected interactive presentation, you can add a USB event for mouse input or a Keyboard event for keyboard input.

To implement a virtual keyboard, see these GitHub instructions and add the keyboard.zip and virtualKeyboard.brs to your presentation as shown below. After you publish, the keyboard will automatically pop up when you select a text input field.

Screenshot 2024-05-13 at 1.17.50 PM.png

Mice can be used with interactive playlists and HTML presentations in BrightAuthor. To use a mouse with an interactive playlist, use an interactive touch and then add a mouse/touch icon for the mouse input or a keyboard icon for keyboard input.

To show the cursor in a BrightAuthor presentation, go to File > Presentation Properties > Interactive and select Always display cursor (with the Auto display cursor option, the cursor will only appear if there's more than one region in an Interactive Touch event).

To use a mouse with a BrightAuthor HTML presentation, open the HTML5 state and check the Enable Mouse and Touch Events box. You may also want to select Display Cursor. 

Can I use a Barcode scanner or RFID receiver with a BrightSign player?

Yes. BrightSign players will work with barcode scanners or RFID receivers that use USB. These HID devices use a method similar to a keyboard to send information. The USB Event in BrightAuthor:connected can be used for barcode scans. 

Can I output serial from my player using a USB-to-Serial adapter?

Yes, BrightSign players support serial output over USB using an adapter. You can even output multiple serial signals using both the USB port and the 3.5mm/DB9 serial port on the player (for more information, see the “Do BrightSign players support serial control?” FAQ).

USB adapters with Prolific and FTDI chipsets have been tested and proven to work with BrightSign players.

Can I modify the power level of the Bluetooth module transmitter?

The power level of the Bluetooth module transmitter cannot be reduced via software. However it can be reduced by adding an SMA attenuator to the antenna or by removing the antenna altogether. The following are approximate power levels with these different methods:

  • Standard antenna: -50dBm

  • Standard antenna w/ -20dB attenuator inline: -70dBm

  • No antenna: -95dBm

Follow these steps to attach an SMA attenuator to the standard module antenna:

  1. Attach a reverse-SMA-to-SMA adapter to the antenna connector.

  2. Attach the SMA attenuator(s) to the reverse-SMA-to-SMA adapter.

  3. Attach an SMA antenna to the SMA attenuator, or attach the standard antenna to the SMA attenuator using a reverse-SMA adapter.

How do I disable external storage interfaces?

To disable external storage for an XCx55, XTx45/XTx44/XTx43, XDx35/XDx34/XDx33, or 4Kx42 player, write the "internal_only" value to the registry using BrightScript. This page has instructions for disabling and re-enabling external storage.

Why are exFAT and NTFS the only format options for my SDXC card?

Some SDXC cards are formatted using exFAT, while other SDXC cards may be formatted as NTFS, which has limited support. If Windows does not give you the option to format as FAT32, you can download the GUIformat utility to reformat your card as FAT32: https://www.brightsignnetwork.com/download/Tools/guiformat.zip

Rename the guiformat.axe file to guiformat.exe after unzipping the file.