As a new developer in the BrightSign ecosystem, there are several items that will help get you up and running as efficiently as possible. Mandatory items include everything listed in the earlier hands-on examples, listed again here for convenience:

• BrightSign player and associated power supply

• microSD (µSD) or other storage device

  • µSD card adapter (computers with standard SD card readers typically require an adapter to access µSD cards)

• Mac or PC

• Display

• HDMI cable (connects the player to the display)

In addition, it is very useful to connect the player to the local network via an Ethernet cable or, if the player has the appropriate hardware, WiFi.

The following items, while not strictly required, are helpful tools.

Serial Cable

To enable serial access to the BrightSign player, a serial cable is required. Older lines of BrightSign hardware (Series 2 and older) used a DB9 connection to the player. Series 3 and later players primarily use a 3.5mm jack on the player except for the LS line which uses a USB-C connection.

Not all serial cables are the same. Even if two cables physically look similar externally, they may be wired differently and thus not compatible with our players. For this reason, we recommend that you procure serial cables per the sources provided below.

Series 3 and Later

The serial cable for all Series 3 and later players with the exception of the LS line requires the following configuration:

Open

The above items can be procured at the following links:

• Cable 1

• Adapter

• Cable 2

LS

For the LS424 and LS423 players, you will need an additional cable, Cable 3, with the following configuration:

Open

Cable 3 can be procured from the BrightSign Store.

Series 2 and Earlier

The DB9 to USB-A serial cable for these players can be procured here or here.

Local DWS

The Diagnostic Web Server (DWS) is a powerful tool that enables inspection of various player settings and diagnostic details. Both a Local Diagnostic Web Server (LDWS, accessible over the local network via the player’s IP address) and Remote Diagnostic Web Server (RDWS, accessible via either the Control Cloud or Content Cloud at bsn.cloud) are available. General info about the DWS can be found here and more specific info about the RDWS can be found here.

Local DWS APIs also exist to enable direct access to DWS functionality.

VSCode

Visual Studio Code is a popular coding environment for BrightSign development. The BrightScript Language extension facilitates coding in BrightScript and is used by thousands of developers around the world.

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