Sharp Displays: unexpected string from it

fogled@mizzou

Grinding away at my big project, and ran across something unexpected. When I power up the display (RSPW1 , then POWR1 ), I always get the OK$0D response from the POWR command, but then I usually get another $00 from the display about a second later. When I get that $00 from the display, the next command I send it (doesn't matter what), I always get an ERR$0D response and the command fails. Commands only fail after I've gotten that $00, and I only get that on the POWR1 command.

Has anyone else run into this? Why is it sending a $00? What's the fix? Do I just need to send another command (maybe POWR?) after I get that goofy $00 response?

fogled@mizzou

UPDATE: I was almost always getting an ERR response from the RSPW1 command. When I got that ERR response, then I always got the extra $00 about a second after the OK response from the POWR1 command.

Then I disconnected the AC power from the display for a few seconds. FIXED! Now, I'm not getting the ERR response from the RSPW1 command, and not the $00 after the POWR1 command, either. So there's my answer: Cut power. Not impressed. I hope they aren't all this unreliable - I've got 25 of these things I'm controlling, and this one started going goofy after just a few days of testing.

Possibly compounding the issue is the fact that other people have been using a remote to control this display. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

NOTE: on this particular model (LC52D64U), the RSPW1 command actually powers up the display. Wasn't expecting that, either.

avi_dave

All Aquos suck and because there not real commercial TVs(commercial dealers are not major clients), there support team dont really do anything for you. You get an ERR if the display is off and you poll for input, POWR??? or POWR ? gives you an error in all states(there is not power poll command). The other side of the coin is it all comes down to what firmware is on the display, wrong firm = massive headache.

DHawthorne

The last Aquos I dealt with gave an error for any command that was not appropriate for the current display state. For example: you got an error if you tried to change to an input that had no signal, or if you chose an aspect ratio that didn't apply to the input type. It's something of a moving target though, since every model seems to have it's own quirks and subset of "valid" commands.

Chip Moody

Derrick, while I've often written Sharp code to send RSPW1 just before turning the set off - attempting to make certain that energy saving mode is turned off, I don't think there's much point in sending it just before turning the unit on.

If energy saving mode was on, the RS232 port isn't going to be listening for anything - even an RSPW1 command. Energy saving on equals RS232 being turned off, plain & simple.

- Chip

avi_dave

sending the RSPW1 for some of these displays render the command unusable after so many requests, send it once when the display is on and test the POWR 1, if it comes on after a been off your good if not, repeat the step. But everyone I have come across, the 60's, 40's etc. dont support a power poll command, which sharp wouldnt supply the correct commands for the specific display to our company.

fogled@mizzou

avi_dave wrote: »

the 60's, 40's etc. dont support a power poll command

The one I've been testing so far does, I'm not having any problem with that. But I will be changing the power-up sequence to try just the POWR1 first, then the RSPW1 if I don't get a positive response from the POWR1.

I think an earlier poster was right - it's all a matter of which firmware is on them, and no two sets appear to have the same firmware. I'm sure to run into problems with some of the others; it sounds like Sharp changes firmware and thus functionality as often as most people change underwear. I've got almost 30 of them to control. Who bets I'll be talking to at least 2 different versions of firmware? 3? Should we set up a techie pool and bet on it? :-)