Make:

<a href="http://pinouts.ru/SerialPorts/rs232d_pinout.shtml">RS232D</a> uses a modular jack... maybe that's it. I don't know what a standard BT phone plug looks like, however, so I don't know what it could be for.

i've just pulled it apart more, bad news, its got a z80 processor in it and some kind of embedded firmware. Looks like this will be pretty hard to interface :(

on the other hand, theres a shed load of voltage regulators, darlington arrays and 8x5 led arrays.
Methinks some desoldering is in order :p

now if only my damned arduino would turn up!!

If you have an RS232 interface, I have written a script you can use which supports BetaBrite and ProLite protocol -- maybe yours uses the same protocol as well?

might do, so far i've found pretty much no information on it.
The main problem i have is the rs242 connection is through an rj11 socket and i dont have a pinout for it :(

i've started following the traces on the led boards, its scanning the rows using some big-ass transistory things and the columns are controlled by a set of 9 darlington array thingies. I'm fairly certain I could hack an arduino to control these.

Its got two boards with 2x9 led blocks on, 1 of these is my hacking board and the other is going to become tetris :D

The link in my post is to the pin-out. Although, if it's an RJ-11 and not an RJ-45, the pinout may not apply. It looks like the middle 4 pins are the important ones, though, so maybe your socket is a compatible variant.

<a href="http://www.meadow.net/pinouts.html#critical">Here</a> is another page that talks about serial via RJ11 (4 and 6 pin) and RJ45 connectors.

why don't you contact them :)
http://www.ferrograph.com/

I'm sure its a legacy product, and I think they made it at one point, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if they have a manual for it.

thanks for that stokes, I'll check it out later!

Frodus, I've mailed their info address and had nothing back from them, so I'm counting that as a dead end for now

I'm thinking it'll be more fun to hack an arduino onto one of the boards anyway, ideally I want direct pixel control rather than ascii character rendering (which is what I'm guessning the firmware does at the moment)

Hi all!

Fridgehead -> Did you get your wallboard working? I have received a Ferrograph Wallboard (very similar to your, but slightly another model) and do not get this thing working.

The wiring is as follows (should be fine):
Wallboard -> RS485 -> RS485/RS232 Adapter -> Com Port

No problem with connecting the wallboard to the PC, but i did not succed to display anything. The Tool i got only works together with a CallCenter Software that is no longer available. The Tool cannot even be installed without the missing Software.

Question: Does anyone have an idea what kind of software i could use to get this thing working? I have some small knowledge in programming so any hints on software / tools that could be adapted to work with this ferrograph wallboard would be appreciated.

In advance, thanks for any Help or Hints
Best regards
Trust

absolutely nothing so far, I've been stuck with other projects and this has got relegated to the bottom of the pile :(
I'm probably going to give up and drive it with an Arduino in the end. Its begging to be turned into tetris :D

Hello trustno1, we have hacked the wallboard aurora 64+62. i can send you the initalition and text mode string or a visual basic program if you wont .
regards olbi

Hi olbi

I would like to receive your information on the aurora 64+62 protocols. Please contact me on info(at)oschti(dot)ch

Many thanks in advance
regards Trust

I'm currently experimenting with an Aurora 62 and am at a state where I might say "I got it working". At least in text mode.
I wrote some code that reads in a text file and displays the content on the wallboard like in differing colors, blinking, scrolling etc.
Still, I would love to use the board pixel driven as well. Also, in a testing phase today I encountered several control characters I had not met before and I bet there is still a lot to find out.

I just called Ferrograph for a manual and they said they'd send one by e-mail. I'm hoping it's not only that 10-pages-how-to-install manual I already got -it isn't helpful for disassembling the board at all. So I'll tell you when (and if) I got one.

If there's anyone out there with further information (technical or on interface implementation) about that board -or any other board from that series- please -PLEASE- let me know :)

Of course, anyone interested in the information I got so far is welcome to contact me, too.

XD regards,
amalas

amalas,

I've got a Aurora 64 and am trying to do the same thing. I've also called Ferrograph and spoke to the man there who said he's had at least three people this week asking for details about how to do this!! :-)

How are you hooking up to the PC, what is the code written in, can I get a copy?

Dotster

Well I got the instructions. Pin outs for converting from RJ45 to RS232, wired it all up and ran the software, but no joy. The challenge continues.

Help, help, help. I have TWO Ferrograph units here and one is brand new! I have tried contacting the company but got the usual silence.

Could someone please E-Mail ANY information of how to drive them - Even a simple "Hello" on the screen would be a start.

So any software, diagrams, hate mail ;) or anything to stevebasset {at} hotmail.com. as it seems a shame to dump them.

Thank you so much.

Just to let you know that I have done quite a lot of reverse engineering on the Aurora 64 wallboards, and have managed to drive them successfully from a PC. From what I can gather, there are two generations; one (circa 1996) uses fibre optic interconnects between the display boards and control board, while the other (circa 2002) uses electrical interconnects. The two versions use incompatible firmware, and damage could occur if the wrong firmware is used. I think the incompatibility lies in the display boards themselves, and that the Z80 based control boards are interchangeable (though I haven't tries this).

The displays in my posession have firmware designed for call center use(FDS64AV), but I know that other variants exist. For example, I saw some Aurora 62 displays scrolling large text in various London tube stations a while ago, and I know for a fact that the FDS64AV firmware cannot do this. In fact, the FDS64AV is pretty primitive, and can only display two lines of 7 high text, with a few basic effects; it cannot display large/fancy text or graphics, though the hardware is certainly capable of this. It's very loosely based on the Adaptive Microsystems Alpha protocol, but is so limited in capability as to be incompatible with their AlphaNET software.

I've written a guide to the FDS64AV firmware and both hardware variants, including software protocols, connectivity, memory map and IO lines, so if anybody is interested in knowing more, feel free to contact me at: robertcoward (at) gmail (dot) com.

Hi all,

Thanks in advance to whoever responds. I've just picked up a Ferrograph LED display. On the back is says model AUR63FDAN with firware v.5.10. When you power it on lines scroll across it. I'm a software engineer and would like to write an apllication to program for this sign, hoping you guys could send me some info as a starting block.

@olbi : can you send me your app? I will send you anything I find in response.
@robertcx : I am going to email you, you seems to know lots!

My email is daniel(dot)archer84(at)googlemail(dot)com.

I will post anything I find.

Thanks again,

Dan

Driving the power LED depends on the application setting and it is not so trivial as it might appear. Here you'll find good explanations about led:

http://dev.emcelettronica.com/driving-leds-i
http://dev.emcelettronica.com/driving-leds-ii

*** New firmware available for all Ferrograph Aurora series displays ***

Just to let you know that I can supply new high quality firmware for all displays in the Aurora series (Aurora 62, 63 or 64, new or old hardware type). This has the following features:

* Conforms to a publicly available protocol, so works with ready made applications, and it's easy to write your own applications for it.
* Lots of new fancy effects (snow, dissolve, drop down, cursor wipe and many more), and smooth continual scrolling, as well as all standard wipes/scrolls
* Small/large normal and fancy character fonts; one or two line operation for small fonts. Double wide, flashing and colour shift flashing options available
* Automatic word fit and centering to ensure a presentable display at all times
* Many colour combinations, including three colour rainbow and two colour stripes
* Full support for pictures and animations; configurable animation speed
* Sophisticated & flexible memory management
* Full real time and date display support in various formats
* Ability to set messages to appear and disappear at certain times/days
* Control of two optically isolated misc IO signals available on some Aurora 63 units, allowing automatic control of external buzzers, lights and even mains appliances (via suitable interface hardware) in synchronisation with message displays.
* Serial readback for message data and system/error status
* Works on RS232 or RS485 interfaces
* Serial timeout message option to display an error or blank message if host serial comms fails.
* Automatically detects Z8S180 CPUs on modern units and switches to high speed internally for maximum performance. Also automatically handles boards hardwired to double speed operation.

If anybody is interested in this firmware, feel free to contact me at the email address below, and I can send you detailed technical documentation. I've also recently produced an updated document describing the Aurora display hardware and existing firmware in extensive detail, so I will email you this at the same time.

Contact me on: robertcoward{at}gmail{dot}com (use your common sense to convert this email address to machine readable format)

If I may make a recommendation here, I have purchased one of the above firmware upgrades and it is superb.

The old firmware, which I only got working with Roberts help was limited to say the least.

After the firmware change, I can now upload animated gif 's (use Paint Shop Pro to create), use various size fonts, colour and scroll effects. I could go on, but you can read the above for yourself.

I can't recommend the upgrade enough if you have one of these displays. Thanks Robert.

I just signed up to post here.

I also purchased a firmware upgrade from Robert, it is worth the money, no question asked. It turns a sign that has more bugs than features that work (possibly just enough working features to make it work with its intended Index phone system) into a sign that is probably worth £2000!!

Not only has Robert made the sign compatible with the ubiquitous Alpha Protocol he has also made the firmware more tolerant of protocol errors.

Thank you Robert!

Stuart.

Just to let everyone know that my ADF firmware upgrade for the Ferrograph Aurora wallboards is still available, and has proven quite popular over the last year. So if you are interested in this upgrade, or just want more information regarding these displays, feel free to contact me at:

robertcoward[at]gmail{dot}com
(use your common sense to convert this email address to machine readable format)

Please note that I can only provide information and firmware upgrades for the Ferrograph Aurora series of display units, and not for any other make or type of LED message display.