Installation guide

Theater Installation Guide (97127016B) 16
Electrical and Data Requirements — Sign networking and addressing considerations
Example
A theater with multiple Box Offices wants to repeat the performance list three times. It takes two signs to
display the full performance listing. These two signs are referred to as a “bank.” This same exact
information can be repeated on the other two sign banks. To do this, they set the address for the first sign in
each bank to 1 and the address for the second sign in each bank to 2.
When the sign addressing is set up this way, all Box Office signs with the same address will display the
same information at the same time.
Sign addressing and the hexadecimal numbering system
The hexadecimal numbering system is used to represent the sign address on the network. In this numbering
system, 15 different numerals can be used in each of its positions. Since we only have 1-digit numerals 0-9,
the hexadecimal system uses the letters A through F to represent the extra numerals.
When a sign powers up, it uses the hexadecimal numbering system to display its address. This will appear
familiar for sign addresses 1-9. But for an address of 10, for example, it would display 0A.
You can use the Windows Calculator to quickly convert addresses between the numbering systems.
To convert addresses between numbering systems:
1. On a computer with Windows, open the Calculator.
2. Select View | Scientific.
3. To convert a hexadecimal value to a decimal value, do the following:
• Select the Hex option.
• Enter the (hexadecimal) address appearing on the sign.
• Select the Dec option. The decimal value will appear on the Calculator.
4. To convert a decimal value to a hexadecimal value, do the following:
• Select the Dec option.
• Enter the address you want to convert to hexadecimal.
• Select the Hex option. The hexadecimal value will appear on the Calculator.