Need help with LED sign I found on the road

[ktfdemo111]

I found a led sign and it turns on, but it requires a "keyboard", can anyone explain what I actually need? The port looks like this:

[: : : : : : : : : : :]

(I don't have a camera at the moment, but that pretty much describes the port. The dots are pins, not holes)

 

[Minder]

A picture and part number is worth a 1000 words .
M.

 

[shrtrnd]

Any manufacturer identification plate on it, that might tell us who made it and a model number?

 

[ktfdemo111]

A picture and part number is worth a 1000 words .
M.

Any manufacturer identification plate on it, that might tell us who made it and a model number?

this should give the info you need

 

[ktfdemo111]

this should give the info you needView attachment 35804View attachment 35805

Company: DDC (Data Display Corporation)

hid serial number because it may be important not to show it.

 

[Bluejets]

Did you ring the number and ask them ??? Don't think you'll get too much help with anything " hot".

 

[ktfdemo111]

Did you ring the number and ask them ??? Don't think you'll get too much help with anything " hot".

First and formost, I didnt steal this. One of my neighbors were throwing it out, and I even asked him. I usually hide serial numbers because its a habit. If you want me to show the serial number I will. Secondly, I dont want to get charged for calling, due to it having a distant area code in the phone number. That is why I turned to this forum.

 

[kellys_eye]

Does your neighbour have the keyboard perhaps?

Even if he doesn't then you'll be lucky to find information on these units - they tend to be internally programmed to fixed messages/character locations etc by a programmed EPROM. If you want to use it you might be looking at hacking the interface and/or display part (usually a simple serial data stream) to get it going.

 

[hevans1944]

I dont want to get charged for calling, due to it having a distant area code in the phone number.

Hey, it's the 21st Century! Why don't you have a calling plan with unlimited, free, long-distance calling like just about everyone else does? Not to worry, though. The number (303) 440-0746 visible in your photo has been disconnected.

The company, Data Display Corporation, Boulder, Colorado, does not appear in any Google search. They probably went out of business sometime in the 20th Century. Competition in custom large-format LED display signs was pretty intense, circa 1970 and onward. Your best bet is gonna be to open it up and reverse engineer it to discover how it works. Maybe you can learn how to put an arbitrary message up on the LED display. Worse comes to worst, maybe you can salvage individual LEDs from the display. After all, it is just road-kill, riiight? OTOH, LEDs are dirt cheap, so maybe not worth the effort to salvage them.