Overview
The ePaper signs outside the meeting rooms in TCC are managed by our Visix server and a connection to AstraSchedule. Here is an overview of how that works.
Information
Support:
Visix Support
800.572.4935
678-392-1773
support@visix.com
Steve Carr
scarr@visix.com
Senior Software Support Specialist
Joel Laccruche
678-392-1747
Manager, Software support
IMPORTANT: According to Joel on 1/22/2019 our signs and system are no longer being manufactured. Should there be a problem with a sign that can not be fixed, there is nothing that can be done.
Transmitters:
Per Visix support the signs should be within 150 feet of a transmitter. We have 3 transmitters or communicators. The information is below. Due to power glitches in the building the transmitters need to be reset occasionally. That can be done by simply unplugging them, waiting a few seconds and then plugging them back in. Per support if the master communicator is not functioning properly the others may not be able to update the signs. If you ping the IP address and do not get a response, you should reset the transmitter.
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Serial Number
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Type
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Location
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IP Address
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ZE00005465
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Master
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Outside 316
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172.16.94.100
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ZE00005031
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Slave
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Outside PDR
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172.16.94.99
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ZE00005465
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Slave
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Over the east side door of TCC
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172.16.94.96
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Signs:
The signs run on one AAA battery. The signs must be removed from the wall and then the battery compartment opened with a Phillips screw driver to access the battery.
Data from Astra Schedule:
Astra Schedule has an export configured to pull all events for the day in TCC. Canceled events are not included. The spoke file used by the export was supplied by Ad Astra. The export is schedule to run every day and every 15 minutes from 6:15 am to 9:00 pm central time so 7:15 am to 10:00 pm.
To see the export information,
- Log into Astra Schedule.
- Go to the Setup tab.
- On the right click on Import/Export Management.
- The export is called TCC ePaper Signage. Click on the pencil to edit.
This creates a file called tcc_epaper.txt. Because Astra Schedule is now cloud hosted there is a schedule task on CCCEPAPER that runs command line WinSCP to pick up the file from the Ad Astra FTP server and places the file in a share on CCCEPAPER called Event Data. The process is scheduled to run every day, every 15 minutes beginning at 7:25 am.
On the Epaper Server:
On the server, AxisTV Conference Configuration is used to configure the data input data from the Astra Schedule file to the output data. The lower section called Input Sources configures how the input data is handled. Since the file will only include rooms that have events scheduled in them for that day, the rooms should not be filtered, but include all rooms from the file even if the room does not have a sign. The top section called Output Summary defines how the data is put into a file that is read by the signs. The room filter in this section will use only the rooms with signs. The name must be the name coming from the Astra Schedule data and then the Display Name will be whatever is needed to display on the sign. If you make changes to the configuration, go to the File menu and save the configuration. The output section creates a file called EPS Events.csv and puts it at C:\Event Data\. This is done every 15 minutes. Again this file is read by the signs.
Bounce Manager is used to configure the rooms, signs and transmitters. Open Internet Explorer and go to http://localhost/BounceManager/. The username is admin and the password is admin. The Products tab shows the rooms with signs. The epops tab shows the signs. Click on any sign and you can see the current display and the expected display. If you make a change to the data, you do not have to visit the sign to see if the change was sent to the sign. After the next AxisTV synch has happened the current display shows you exactly what is on the sign. The Communicators tab shows the transmitters. If we would purchase new sign and transmitters, we should contact Visix to configure them.