Introduction

With TDM Digital Signage you have the ability the send RS232 commands. With this functionality it is possible to power on/off displays connected to your Windows machine.

This manual will explain how the RS232 software can be installed and configured.

Requirements

If you want to install the RS232 service you need to meet the following requirements:

• Have administrator access to the TDM designer
• Have access to the Windows player which you want to use to send RS232 commands

How To install the RS232 service

In this section, we explain how to install the RS232 service on your Windows machine. This requires an installation file, which you can download by logging on to your TDM Designer.

1. Login to the designer with an administrator account on your Windows based machine: https://designer.tdmsignage.com  
   
   
2. Once logged in select: Administration > Downloads
   
   
   
3. From here you can download the setup called ‘TDM RS232 Service’.
   
   
4. Launch the downloaded setup on your Windows based machine to install the RS232 service.
   
   
5. Read the instructions and click ‘Next’.
   
   
   
6. Select your preferred installation folder and click ‘Next’.
   
   
   
7. Click ‘Next’ to start the installation.
   
   
   
8. Select ‘Close’ once the installation has finished.
   
   
   
9. Now that the installation has finished we can start configuring the service. There are a few changes which we need to make. The thirst thing is copying the file called ‘Utils.dll’ from c:\TDMSignage to the installation folder of the RS232 service.
   
   This can be found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Blue and Red\TDM RS232 Service
   
   
   
10. Now we can configure the COM port used for the connection together with the baudrate and the Databits. This can be configured in the file called ‘RS232Service.exe.config’. This file can be found in the installation directory of the RS232 service. The file can be modified with a text editor like ‘Notepad’.
    
    
    
11. Once the values have been configured we can restart the RS232 service, this can be done as followed: Select ‘Start’ and search for ‘Services’.
    
    
    
12. Locate the service called ‘TDM RS232 Service’. Once found right mouse click the service and select ‘Restart’.
    
    
13. If everything is configured correctly the log file of the RS232 should mention that the schedules have been found. The log file can be found here:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Blue and Red\TDM RS232 Service
    
    It is the .txt file in the folder, if you open the file it should mention:
    03:17:11.547 PM          INFO                                       Getting new schedules from webservice
    03:17:11.903 PM          INFO                                       6 schedules found
    
    We have finished configuring the RS232 service, the service will now send the commands on the configured time to the COM port configured in the configuration file.

How to configure RS232 schedules inside the designer

1. Please login to the designer with an administrator account: https://designer.tdmsignage.com 
   
   
2. Then go to: Config Panel
   
   
   
3. Select the tab “RS232 schedules”, from this tab it is possible to create new schedules.
   
   
   
4. When making a new schedule make sure it's at least 15 minutes in the future.
   
   
5. Use the commands below relative to your brand. Please contact the manufacturer or your hardware supplier in case the commands are not working. It could be that your device type requires different commands.