Clever little unit to create an interesting and eye-catching feature on your layout
Having seen these in use on a couple of layouts at exhibitions I decided I must have one! I'm attracted by the different possible ways of triggering different messages via sensors or DCC commands.
You will need a DCC system to program the text and to set the rea-ltime clock, even if after that you just power it on DC and let it run on automatic. Unfortunately the clock resets if you power off and on again.
I'll actually be using it on an N gauge layout, so although it's clearly too large for a platform information board I plan to use it as a large sign on a gantry at a steam museum open day scene.
It's easy enough to program but takes a lot of DCC function button pressing to program the text for each message, you have to scroll through the available characters for each letter of text. It has a useful character set with full upper and lower case alphabet, digits, and a few symbols. I'll be writing messages in English and in German and it has the vowels with umlauts required for this.
As a software developer I fancied a challenge so I've begun creating a piece of software to let me type in the text strings and have the software talk to the SmartScreen via a DCC SPROG programmer box and simulate all the button pushing :) I reckon I can also create a JMRI script to to the same job.