Sharp T.S. Woes

Chip Moody

Okay, a week after making the initial call, I'm wishing I could convince my company to never sell another Sharp display product. I've made more than a half-dozen follow-up calls, each time being promised a return call with the assistance I'm looking for. More maddening than the fact that I have to be making follow up calls is the fact that each time I call and supply my case number, I have to re-iterate my question, as the question they have on file with the case is NOT what I was asking! Bah!

Anyway, I thought someone here might have a solution. While many Sharp products, including some 45" Aquos displays that I'm working with reply to this command correctly, an Aquos LC32D7U only gives me an ERR in response.

I'm trying to query power state. POWR?<cr>, POWR????<cr>, POWR ?<cr> do not work. Is there a variation that I'm not considering that >does< work? POWR????<cr> works fine on the 45" models...

Thanks,
- Chip

DHawthorne

You have to turn off the power savings mode in setup, or the TV won't respond to anything on the serial port when it's off, including a power query or even a power on command. If you must keep the power savings active for any reason, you need to use IR to turn it on. There are discreet power commands for this if you go that route.

If none of that is your problem, the protocol requires 4 command digits and 4 parameter digits. I'm not certain it even supports a query on the power state, but if it does, it would be in the form "'POWR?', 32, 32, 32, 13" (note: 3 spaces after the ?). Because of the power savings thing, it may not even support it.

I've used a lot of these displays, and to be honest, I have never worried about feedback. The protocol is pretty solid for sending commands, and I have always assumed in code the set was doing as told, and it has never been an issue. I know, that's the lazy way (:)), but it works.

Chip Moody

I don't have any problem actually turning ANY of these displays on or off - the energy saver disable command works with all of them.

My issue is that some of the displays on this project (the 45" ones) respond to the query as expected, with a "0" or "1". The smaller units reply to the SAME command with an "ERR".

I was hoping to give the client the ability to monitor the state of these displays, as they are spread around the facility, and someone >could< turn them on by hand if they tried.

I shouldn't get worked up over it - my company didn't even sell these displays to the end user. Sharp's (lack of) response for support and their attitude over RS232 control in general just has me peeved, that's all. If you're going to state in your manual "here is how you issue a query command", that command should freakin' work. If all or certain commands aren't supported in a particular device, say so in the manual.

- Chip

Dries Kaspers

I checked the manual for the model you mentioned and it does not specifically mention "'POWR????',$0D" as a valid command. it says "when ? is input for some commands, the present setting value responds"

I have controlled many sharp poducts and i have yet to come across a model that does not support the power query command, so my guess is that this particular model is not manufactured by Sharp themselves. Especially since a lot of commands differ from the ones seen in other models (and Sharp usually keep them pretty much consistent)

Chip Moody

If I were to follow your logic, the display shouldn't respond to any of the commands, which it does do - it's just this one - the query, that doesn't. It powers on fine, it powers off fine, it turns off energy saving mode with an "OK" response, just like you'd expect.

I've also worked with many Sharp products over the years, and strangely enough, POWR0 is the same command for this display as it is for all the LCD projectors I worked with years ago!

The kicker that I may not have pointed out clearly enough before is that a bigger sibling to this display - the LC45GD6U - states the same things in its manual as the unit I'm having problems with. Neither manual explicity says you can query ANY command, as you pointed out. Yet the 45" display responds to the power query, while the 32" does not.

I'm simply trying to point out that aside from being frustrating, it seems almost negligent on Sharp's part to not have better documentation, and absolutely inexcusable for their support department to be unable to supply ANY kind of an answer after over a week and more than half a dozen calls.

- Chip

Dries Kaspers

Chip, i agree that it is frustrating. Furthermore, the protocol for this model is indeed documented very poorly, it doesn't even state "'POWR 1',$0D" as a valid command .You should try the following command "'TERM 1',$0D" , some sharp projectors and displays return model information and power status when you send this string.

Chip Moody

TERM1, eh? Thanks Dries - I'll have to try that next time I'm out on site...

- Chip