ABC LED · Internal — Staff Only

LED sign build, cloud setup and customer handover

The standard procedure every install follows, start to finish. Do the steps in order — most callbacks come from skipping step 2 or step 6.

Full copy covers every brand. The HD Player copy leaves the Novastar material out — Huidu / HD Player V5.3 only.

Decision

Which CMS we use, and why

A CMS here means the system that stores content and pushes it to the controller card. The card brand decides the CMS — they are not interchangeable.

House standard

Huidu

HD Player V5.3 on the workstation for building and USB export. Huidu Cloud (HDCloud / hdway) for remote publishing, online status, brightness and power schedules. Supports sub-accounts, so a customer can be scoped to only their own screens.

Existing fleet

Novastar

ViPlex Express (Windows) and ViPlex Handy (phone) for local/on-site work. VNNOX Cloud for remote control and customer sub-accounts. Keep for screens already installed; do not spec it on new jobs without a reason.

Reality

Mixed fleet

Run both clouds and keep one master registry: screen ID, address, card brand and model, pixel size, connection type, SIM number and expiry, cloud account, owner. A single multi-brand CMS is a later evaluation, not a day-one project.

The rule

New installs get Huidu unless the customer's existing hardware forces otherwise. One brand means one set of spares, one training path and one support script.

Setup

Everything on the employee workstation

  • HD Player V5.3

    Required

    Program authoring, device discovery, USB export, firmware push.

    Get it: huidu.cn → Support → Downloads

    Pin to 5.3 across the whole team — mixed versions cause file-format mismatches.

  • HDSet

    Required

    Screen parameter tool: scan mode, module type, receiving card setup.

    Get it: huidu.cn → Support → Downloads

    Techs only. Never install on a customer machine.

  • HDShow

    Optional

    Legacy program editor for older synchronous/asynchronous cards.

    Get it: huidu.cn → Support → Downloads

  • Huidu Cloud (HDCloud / hdway) — web

    Required

    Remote publishing, device status, sub-account management.

    Get it: Browser login with the company master account.

Setup

Phone apps every tech carries

  • HD Player (Huidu) — App Store

    Required

    On-site Wi-Fi-direct setup, quick text changes, brightness, restart, status.

    Get it: App Store

  • ViPlex Handy — App Store

    Required

    Same functions for Novastar Taurus players.

    Get it: App Store

Phone can do: join the card's hotspot, set the card onto site Wi-Fi, enter SIM/APN details, push text and images, set brightness and power schedule, restart, read firmware version and online status. Phone can't do: scan/module configuration or calibration — laptop with HDSet or NovaLCT only.

Step 1

Identify the card before you touch anything

  • Read the silkscreen on the card: Huidu is HD-A3/A4/A6, C10/C15, E63, D-series; Novastar is TB1/TB2/TB30/TB40 or a receiving card marked MRV/A-series.
  • No label? Power up and run discovery in HD Player, then ViPlex Express — whichever finds it tells you the brand.
  • Record brand, model, firmware version and MAC/serial in the registry before proceeding.
  • Photograph the card, the wiring and the module label. This saves an hour on the next service call.

Step 2

Screen size, scan configuration and test pattern

  1. 1

    Enter the true pixel dimensions

    Count modules × module resolution. Guessing here is the single most common cause of a rebuild.

  2. 2

    Load the scan / module configuration

    HDSet (Huidu) or NovaLCT (Novastar). Use the manufacturer's file for the module type. Save the file to the registry folder for that screen — you will need it again.

  3. 3

    Run the test patterns

    Full red, green, blue, white, then the grid. Watch for dead pixels, wrong color order, offset lines and dim halves before the screen goes up.

  4. 4

    Save the configuration to the card

    Write to hardware, power-cycle, and confirm it survived the reboot.

Step 3

Get it connected — all three methods

  1. 1

    Join the card's own hotspot

    Typically HD-XXXXXX / AP-XXXXXX, default password 88888888.

  2. 2

    Set the card onto the site's 2.4 GHz network

    Most cards can't see 5 GHz. Get the SSID and password in writing from the customer's IT or owner, and record it in the registry.

  3. 3

    Change the hotspot password

    Never leave the factory default in the field — anyone in the parking lot can take over the sign.

  4. 4

    Verify

    Leave the hotspot, confirm the card reports online from the cloud.

Step 4

Register the screen to the cloud

  1. 1

    Bind the card to the company master account

    Huidu Cloud or VNNOX, using the card's serial/ID. The master account always owns the device — never bind it to a customer account directly.

  2. 2

    Name it with the standard convention

    CUSTOMER — CITY — LOCATION — PIXELS (e.g. RIVERSIDE AUTO — TULSA — HWY51 — 192x96)

  3. 3

    Assign it to a customer group

    Groups are what make sub-account permissions clean later.

  4. 4

    Confirm online status and firmware

    Update firmware now if it's behind — not after the customer is using it.

Step 5

Build and publish the first program

  1. 1

    New program at the exact pixel size

    Match the registry entry precisely.

  2. 2

    Build the default content

    Customer name, phone number, and one rotating message. Fonts big, high contrast, 5–8 seconds per page.

  3. 3

    Preview, then publish to that device only

    Double-check the device selection — publishing to the wrong screen happens.

  4. 4

    Verify on the physical screen

    Stand where the traffic sees it. Check readability at distance and at speed.

  5. 5

    Save the source file to the registry folder

    So anyone can pick up the next edit without rebuilding from scratch.

Step 6

Brightness, timezone and power schedule

  • Set the correct timezone and sync time — wrong timezone breaks every schedule.
  • Enable automatic brightness; cap night brightness around 15–25%.
  • Set the power schedule to the customer's business hours plus a margin.
  • Check the local sign ordinance for brightness and curfew limits, and note it in the registry.
  • Enable a scheduled nightly restart where the card supports it — it prevents most "frozen screen" calls.

Step 7

Customer handover

  1. 1

    Create the customer sub-account

    Scoped to their group only. Permissions: publish content, brightness, schedule. Never: screen configuration, device binding, firmware, or other customers' groups.

  2. 2

    Decide the service level with them

    Self-serve (they post their own content) or managed (we post for them). Record which, plus the after-hours contact.

  3. 3

    Email the handover sheet

    Login, exact pixel size, connection type, SIM renewal date if applicable, and the customer guide link.

  4. 4

    Walk them through one live change

    Do it with them on site or over the phone. A customer who has done it once calls us far less.

  5. 5

    Send them the customer guide

    abcled.com/cms — the public version of this procedure written for them.

Step 8

Troubleshooting

ProblemUsual causeFix
Card offline in the cloudPower loss, Wi-Fi credentials changed, SIM data expired, site firewallConfirm power, check SIM plan and renewal date, re-enter Wi-Fi, then test outbound access from the site network.
Half the screen is darkPower supply, ribbon cable, or a failed receiving cardHardware — swap the suspect PSU or ribbon. Not a software issue; don't reload config first.
Colors inverted or wrongWrong scan/module configuration fileReload the correct file from the registry folder via HDSet (NovaLCT on Novastar cards), save to hardware, power-cycle.
Video won't playCodec or resolution the card can't decodeRe-encode with HandBrake to MP4/H.264 at the screen resolution, moderate bitrate, then republish.
Program shows in preview but not on screenPublished to the wrong device, or the transfer stalledConfirm the device ID, resend a small text-only program, watch the transfer progress to 100%.
Schedule fires at the wrong hourTimezone or clock not syncedSet timezone, sync time from the cloud, power-cycle and re-verify.
SIM data expiredPlan lapsedRenew, then check the registry for other screens on the same renewal date.
Screen frozen on one pageCard lockup, usually thermal or a corrupt fileRemote restart, republish, and enable the nightly scheduled restart.

Step 9

Account and password policy

  • All credentials go in the company password manager. Never in a text file, email, or truck notebook.
  • The cloud master account is never shared with a customer, contractor, or installer. No exceptions.
  • Every customer gets their own sub-account. No shared logins across customers.
  • Change the card hotspot password from factory default on every install and record it.
  • Disable a sub-account the day a customer relationship ends, and unbind the device if the screen leaves our service.
  • Registry entry isn't complete until brand, model, pixel size, connection type, SIM details, cloud group and owner are all filled in.

Fill in before this goes into circulation

Company-specific items intentionally left blank: exact cloud portal URLs for our accounts, our cellular carrier and APN values, the password manager we standardize on, and the registry spreadsheet link. Add them once and this guide is complete.

Rogers copy — 中文版 · Back to all guides