Managing the display using RS‑232

You can connect an RS-232 cable from a computer or a control system’s serial output to the display’s RS‑232 in connector to remotely select video inputs, turn the display on or off, and get information about the display’s current settings, such as volume and power state.

Important 

Use only a standard RS-232 cable. Do not use a null modem cable. Null modem cables typically have ends of the same type.

Tip 

SMART also offers SMART Remote Management cloud-based device-management software, which you can use to manage SMART Board interactive displays with iQ and devices running Windows, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS operating systems. For more information, see SMART Remote Management.

Configure the computer or control system’s serial interface before sending commands to the display.

  1. Turn on the display.

  2. If you’re using a terminal application on a computer, activate local echo to see what you’re typing and sending to the display.

  3. Configure the serial interface settings with the following values:

    Baud rate

    19200

    Data length

    8

    Parity bit

    None

    Stop bit

    1

  4. Send a carriage return character (<CR>) to the display. The display will show a command prompt (>) to indicate that the display can now accept commands.

    Note 

    • If you’re using a terminal application on a computer, pressing ENTER should send a carriage return character (<CR>) but may also send a line feed character (<LF>), depending on your terminal application configuration.

    • If no message appears or an error message appears, the serial interface isn’t configured correctly. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

When using a control system program instead of terminal program, all lines output from the display are preceded by a carriage return character (<CR>) and line feed character (<LF>) and then followed by a carriage return character (<CR>) and line feed character (<LF>), as shown in the example below. Refer to an ASCII table for more information about character codes if needed. 

>set volume=0<CR>
<CR><LF>
volume=0<CR><LF>
>

To access display information or to adjust display settings using the room control system, send a command after the command prompt (>), send a carriage return character or press ENTER, and then wait for the response from the display. Responses are preceded by a carriage return character (<CR>) and line feed character (<LF>) and then followed by a carriage return character (<CR>) and line feed character (<LF>). If no command prompt is present, send a carriage return character to the display. If the display is ready to receive commands, it will show a command prompt (>) when the carriage return is received. See the example below.

Copy

Correct

>get volume

volume=55

>

In the example below, the user used =-50 instead of -50.

Copy

Incorrect

>set volume=-50

invalid cmd: setvolume=-50

>

Notes 

  • Use ASCII formatted commands.

  • Commands aren’t case-sensitive and extra spacing is ignored.

  • In many terminal applications on a computer, you can use the BACKSPACE key when typing commands.

  • Review each entry carefully before sending a command to the display.

  • Don’t send another command until you receive the response and the next command prompt (>). If no command prompt is present, send a carriage return character (<CR>) to the display. If the display is ready to receive commands, it will show a command prompt after receiving the carriage return.

To retrieve a setting’s current value

  1. Use a get command.

    This example shows how to get the volume:

    Copy
    >get volume

    volume=55

    >

To assign a value to a setting

  1. Use a set command.

    This example sets the volume to 65:

    Copy
    >set volume=65

    volume=65

    >

To increase or decrease the value of a setting

  1. Use the set command to increase or decrease the value by a designated number.

    This example increases the volume by 5:

    Copy
    >set volume+5

    volume=70

    >

    This example decreases the volume by 15:

    Copy
    >set volume-15

    volume=55

    >

Get command

Set command

Response

get powerstate

set powerstateValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =ready

  • =standby

  • =powersave

Notes 

  • If the display is in UPDATEON or UPDATEREADY state, it might not change power states after receiving the command.

  • When switching between power states on displays running iQ 3.11 or earlier, wait at least 30 seconds before sending another command.

powerstate=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • ready

  • standby

  • powersave

  • updateon

  • updateready

The display has six power states:

Power state

Description

ON

The display is in normal operating mode.

READY

The screen is off, but the display is ready to turn on when one of the following occurs:

  • A user presses the Power button on the convenience panel or the remote control.

  • You send the set powerstate=on command.

  • The display receives a video signal.

STANDBY

The screen is off, and the display is in a low power state. The display enters READY or ON state when one of the following occurs:

  • A user presses the Power button on the front control panel or the remote control.

  • You send the set powerstate=standby command.

This power state is the default energy saving mode for displays set to a non-EU location.

Note 

The EU uses “networked standby” to describe this power state.

POWERSAVE

The screen is off, and the display is a very low power state. The display enters READY or ON state when one of the following occurs:

  • A user presses the Power button on the front control panel or the remote control.

  • You send the set powerstate=ready or set powerstate=on command.

This power state is the default energy saving mode for displays set to an EU location.

Note 

The EU uses “standby” to describe this power state.

UPDATEON

The display is updating firmware. Do not turn off the display.

UPDATEREADY

The display is updating firmware while the screen is off. Do not turn off the display.

With the exception of get powerstate and set powerstate, commands are available only when the display is in READY or ON power state.

Get command

Set command

Response

get input

set inputValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =hdmi1

  • =hdmi2

  • =hdmi3

  • =vga1

  • =ops1

  • =usbc1

  • =usbc2

  • =android

Note 

The usbc1 set command applies only to displays equipped with USB Type-C receptacles.

input=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • hdmi1

  • hdmi2

  • hdmi3

  • vga1

  • ops1

  • usbc1

  • usbc2

  • android

Get command

Set command

Response

get brightness

set brightnessValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • +Value

  • -Value

  • =5–100

brightness=Value

Where Value is a number between 5 and 100

Get command

Set command

Response

get videofreeze

set videofreezeValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =off

videofreeze=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Get command

Set command

Response

get screenshade

set screenshadeValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =off

screenshade=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Get command

Set command

Response

get volume

set volumeValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • +Value

  • -Value

  • =0–100

volume=Value

Where Value is a number between 0 and 100

Get command

Set command

Response

get mute

set muteValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =off

mute=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Get command

Response

get fwversion

fwversion=Value

Where Value is the firmware version.

Get command

Response

get modelnum

modelnum=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • sbid-mx055-v4

  • sbid-mx065-v4

  • sbid-mx075-v4

  • sbid-mx086-v4

  • sbid-mx055-v3

  • sbid-mx065-v3

  • sbid-mx075-v3

  • sbid-mx086-v3

  • sbid-mx055-v2

  • sbid-mx065-v2

  • sbid-mx075-v2

  • sbid-mx086-v2

Get command

Response

get serialnum

serialnum=Value

Where Value is the serial number.

Get command

Response

get partnum

partnum=Value

Where Value is the part number, including the revision.

The display sends an asynchronous message when the front control panel, Settings app, or remote control are used to change a display’s setting that can be controlled by RS-232. The display will also send an asynchronous message if the display’s power state changes. Asynchronous messages are identified by a pound sign (#) before the message and aren’t followed by a command prompt (>).

Change

Asyncronous message

Display power state

#powerstate=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • ready

  • standby

  • powersave

  • updateon

  • updateready

Input selection

#input=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • hdmi1

  • hdmi2

  • hdmi3

  • vga1

  • ops1

  • android

Brightness

#brightness=Value

Where Value is a number between 5 and 100

Freeze frame

#videofreeze=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Screen shade

#screenshade=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Volume increase or decrease

#volume=Value

Where Value is a number between 0 and 100

Volume mute

#mute=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

You can connect a control system or terminal emulation program on your computer to the display's room control input and remotely select video inputs, change power and sleep states, and get information about the display’s current settings, such as current input source, contrast, and power state.

Connect an RS-232 cable from the control system or the computer’s serial port to the RS‑232 connector on the bottom of the display.

Display connected to a room control system using an RS-232 cable

Important 

Use only a standard RS-232 cable. Do not use a null modem cable. Null modem cables typically have ends of the same type.

Configure the control system or computer’s serial interface before sending commands to the display.

To configure the serial interface settings

  1. Turn on the display.

  2. Turn on the control system or computer, and access the serial data communications settings.

  3. If you’re using a terminal emulation program on a computer, activate local echo.

  4. Configure the serial interface settings using the following values, and then press ENTER.

    Baud rate

    19200

    Data length

    8

    Parity bit

    None

    Stop bit

    1

    When a command prompt (>) is received by your control system or terminal emulation program, the display can accept commands. If the command prompt isn’t received, send a carriage return character (0x0d) to the display (press ENTER on your keyboard if you’re using a terminal emulation program on your computer).

    Note 

    If no message or an error message is received in the control system or terminal emulation program, the serial interface isn’t configured correctly. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Communication consists of a command argument, the property affected, an operator symbol, a value to apply, and a terminating carriage return character (0x0d).

Important 

When manually entering commands into a terminal emulation program, commands must be terminated with only a carriage return character (0x0d). If you terminate a command with both a carriage return character (0x0d) and a line feed (0x0a), the command may not be processed, and the command prompt that indicates readiness to receive the next command may not be received.

Notes 

  • The display won’t respond to RS-232 commands when it is in a low power state (soft off). Disable Power saving mode to prevent the display from entering a low power state. See Power saving mode.

  • When you first turn on the display, the RS-232 connector operates in a special diagnostics mode instead of control mode, and the display won’t respond to control commands. In addition, the connected control system or terminal emulation program might receive unexpected data characters.

    Program a connected control system to ignore the unexpected data characters and only send commands after it receives the command prompt (>).

    If you haven’t disabled Power saving mode, you’ll see the unexpected characters every time you turn on the display.

Copy

Correct

>set input=HDMI1
Copy

Incorrect

>set HDMI1

To use the room control system to get information about the display or to adjust display settings, send commands after receiving a command prompt (>), and then wait for the display’s response before sending another command.

Copy

Correct

>get volume
volume=55
>

If you send a command that the room control system doesn’t recognize, you receive an invalid command response.

The example contains an extra space in the volume command.

Copy

Incorrect

>set vol ume=65
invalid cmd=set vol ume=65
>

Notes 

  • Use ASCII formatted commands.

  • Commands aren’t case-sensitive.

  • When manually entering commands into a terminal emulation program, review each entry carefully before you press ENTER to send a carriage return (0x0d) to terminate the command.

  • Don’t send another command until you receive the response and the next command prompt.

To identify the current value of a setting

  1. Use a get command.

    This example shows how to get the display’s current volume setting:

    Copy
    >get volume
    volume=55
    >

To assign a value to a setting

  1. Use a set command.

    This example sets the volume to 65:

    Copy
    >set volume=65
    volume=65
    >

To increase or decrease the value of a setting

  1. Use the set command to increase or decrease the value by a designated number.

    This example increases the volume by 5:

    Copy
    >set volume+5
    volume=70
    >

    This example decreases the volume by 15:

    Copy
    >set volume-15
    volume=55
    >

The display has the following power states:

Power state

Description

ON

The display is in normal operating mode.

READY

The screen is off, but the display is ready to turn on when:

  • A user presses the Power buttonPower on the front control panel.

  • A user presses the Power button on the remote control.

  • You send the set powerstate=on command.

    Tip 

    If the set powerstate command returns an “invalid command” message, add spaces around the operator symbol (=).

SOFT OFF (low power state)

The screen is in a low power state (soft off) and won’t respond to RS-232 commands. Disable Power saving mode to prevent the display from entering a low power state. See Power saving mode.

The display turns on when:

  • A user presses the Power buttonPower on the front control panel.

  • A user presses the Power button on the remote control.

UPDATEON

The display is updating firmware. Do not turn off the display.

UPDATEREADY

The display is updating firmware while the screen is off. Do not turn off the display.

With the exception of get powerstate and set powerstate, commands are available only when the display is in ON power state.

Get command

Set command

Response

get powerstate

set powerstateValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • = on

  • = ready

Notes 

  • If the command returns an “invalid command” message, add spaces around the operator symbol (=).

  • When the screen is in a low power state, it doesn’t respond to any RS-232 commands. Disable Power saving mode to prevent the display from entering a low power state. See Power saving mode.

  • If the display is in UPDATEON or UPDATEREADY state, it might not change power states after it receives the command.

powerstate=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • ready

  • updateon

  • updateready

get input

set inputValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =OPS

  • =OPSCC

  • =HDMI1

  • =HDMI2

  • =HDMI3

  • =VGA

input=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =OPS

  • =OPSCC

  • =HDMI1

  • =HDMI2

  • =HDMI3

  • =VGA

  • =ANDROID

Notes 

  • =OPSCC is only available if you install an AM50 iQ appliance and compute card.

  • =ANDROID is the display’s settings.

get brightness

set brightnessValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • +Value

  • -Value

  • =5–100

brightness=Value

Where Value is a number between 5 and 100

Note 

Enabling Auto Brightness overrides any brightness values set manually.

get volume

set volumeValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • +Value

  • -Value

  • =0–100

volume=Value

Where Value is a number between 0 and 100

get mute

set muteValue

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =off

mute=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

get fwversion

N/A

fwversion=Value

Where Value is the firmware version.

get serialnum

N/A

serialnum=Value

Where Value is the display’s serial number.

Note 

If multiple displays are connected, the response includes the serial numbers for all displays, separated by commas.

get partnum

N/A

partnum=Value

Where Value is the part number, including the revision.

get videofreeze

Note 

This command is only available in SMART Board MX firmware 1.8.7 or later.

set videofreeze=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • =on

  • =off

Note 

This command is only available in SMART Board MX firmware 1.8.7 or later.

videofreeze=Value

Where Value is one of the following:

  • on

  • off

Note 

This command is only available in SMART Board MX firmware 1.8.7 or later.

Models

Identify your model

Keywords

  • RS-232 cables
  • remote management
  • room control
  • serial interface settings
  • power states
  • remote commands and responses

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