Daktronics Galaxy AF-3050 Series, Display Manual

Page: 9 / 87

1.4 Component Identification
The following illustrations depict some of the more commonly accessed Galaxy sign components.
Because Daktronics occasionally alters standard design to meet customer needs, the actual sign design
may very slightly from the illustrations below.
This is only a brief overview. Refer to
Section 4 for more detailed information on maintaining and
troubleshooting various sign components.
Com Port:
Connector on the back of the control computer. The COM port is used to control the sign
network through either a 9- or a 25-pin serial connector.
Controller: “Brains” of the sign (refer to Figure 2 below). The controller receives signal information
from the control computer, translates it, and activates the appropriate pixels on the sign accordingly.
Figure 2: Controller
Galaxy
®
: Daktronics trademarked name for LED monochrome or tri-colored matrix signs.
Network: Consists of multiple signs connected to each other.
RS422: Standard differential communication type with a maximum cable length of 4000 feet (1.2
kilometers).
Sign Address: Identification number assigned to each sign of a network. It is set by flipping DIP
switches on the controller. The control software uses the address to locate and communicate with each
sign. Signs that are on the same network cannot have the same address.
Signal Converter: Daktronics supplied unit that converts the data from RS232 to RS422. The signal
converter is usually used in RS422 systems.
Refer to
Figure 3 on the following page while reading the following component descriptions.
Introduction
1-3