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DynaScan video monitor RS-232

Anybody wrangled control of the newer DynaScan high-brightness monitors? They're supposed to be able to be controlled via the 9-pin RS-232 port on it. In fact the unit comes with a small application on a disc that in fact does control it, including power, which is the only thing I really need to do.

A whole day of experimenting with the somewhat poorly-documented protocol and several terminal programs and port sniffers has come up with no joy. According to the tech in California, I am sending the strings just "like the engineers in Taiwan told him they should be".

The strings that I see generated from their app when I'm monitoring my PC serial port look nothing like the ones in the protocol.

Thanks,

Greg

Comments

  • gregrgregr Posts: 54
    Correct documentation helps

    I guess I'll go ahead and interrupt the crickets and post the only reply to my own inquiry!

    An urgent plea to the stateside distributor led to a request to the Asian engineers for updated control protocol. To their credit, they responded fairly promptly with a completely different document with a simple protocol which works perfectly!

    If anyone ever needs it, let me know.

    Thanks

    Greg
  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    I have this. Sorry, I didn't catch this post earlier.

    Seems to me that a very important command is not present - like directinoals or "enter" or something. There was no way for the technicians to adjust something on the TV onsite and the codes were just not there to have me do it over the phone via rs232.
  • gregrgregr Posts: 54
    Hey, no problem, Eric.

    I had a similar document to the one you posted. It didn't work at all on the ones we just got in-they're a new model with different code.

    But it does not look like it replicates the remote function either. Guess it's a good idea to always have the clicker on service calls!

    Attached is the one for newest models.
  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    gregr wrote: »
    Hey, no problem, Eric.

    I had a similar document to the one you posted. It didn't work at all on the ones we just got in-they're a new model with different code.

    But it does not look like it replicates the remote function either. Guess it's a good idea to always have the clicker on service calls!

    Attached is the one for newest models.

    I'm not one who will throw folks under the buss - but I will say that the technical support I received from that company was atrocious. The person Who was always given to me as the "only guy who knows what's going on around here" had absolutely no idea what RS-232 was. He actually told me that there should be no problem - you just hook up the wire and it should just work. He repeated ly asked me which version of Windows I was running on my AMX computer. No amount of explaining seemed to work. I even sent him to the AMX website.

    Once I got him to understand - he had no idea where to get the commands to work. It was awful.

    To this date, I have the most basic function running on them and not much more. And to top it off - the client was absolutely insistent that we only use RS232 and not IR - even though the IR worked flawlessly.

    Oh well... that's way too much energy spent on an issue that's been over for several years. on to more coffee drinking.
  • gregrgregr Posts: 54
    Wow, that one has gotta rate right up there with the 10 Worst Tech Support Experiences ever.

    Hopefully that guy has moved on. I spoke with a person who at least knew what control protocol was.
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