NovaStar XC100 LED Receiving Card

What is the NovaStar XC100 receiving card?

The NovaStar XC100 is a compact LED receiving card made for an older cabinet that uses its DDR3 SODIMM connection. It sits inside the cabinet, receives image data from the controller or the previous cabinet, and passes the right pixel data to the modules through the matching hub board.

XC100 is an end-of-life model, so it is usually bought to restore an existing wall rather than to design a new one. The label on the old card, the DDR3 connector and hub board, the module wiring and the saved cabinet file matter more than a newer card’s larger capacity headline. A card that looks close can still leave one cabinet scrambled, dark or at the wrong brightness.

XC100 key features

• Compact DDR3 SODIMM cabinet interface: the XC100 is 67.6 × 30.2 × 4.2 mm, but its size is only one part of the fit. The mating connector and hub board must be the right type too.
• One-card load up to 256 × 256 pixels: this is the documented whole-card ceiling, useful for checking the original cabinet design. It does not make XC100 interchangeable with another 256 × 256 receiver.
• Existing-cabinet data paths: the card supports 24 parallel RGB groups, with up to 48 through data extension, plus the scan and driver choices used by the cabinet. Those paths are set by the module and wiring already in the screen.
• Conditional service tools: a compatible smart module can retain calibration and module information and help locate row-line or LED faults. That depends on the cabinet’s modules and configuration; it is not a promise that every XC100 wall has the same diagnostics.

NovaStar XC100 specifications

These V1.2.2 values are useful when checking an installed cabinet. Read the last column before using a number as a replacement decision.

Is XC100 the right replacement for your LED cabinet?

For a cabinet that already has an XC100 label, the answer can be yes, provided the connector, hub board, module wiring and power rail also match. Start with a clear photo of the old card and its two mating sides. Then compare the cabinet’s hub board and the module ribbons before ordering several spares.

Do not substitute an XC160, XC190, MRV or A-series card because it fits in the same space or advertises more pixels. A receiving card is part of a cabinet design. The wrong interface or configuration can make a single cabinet show a wrong scan, wrong color order, missing rows or no image at all. If an old wall has no working reference cabinet, obtain the original cabinet file from its maker before choosing a different model.

XC100 capacity, RGB data groups and scan types

The XC100’s 256 × 256 figure answers one question only: the maximum pixel load documented for one card. It does not describe the physical shape of every cabinet, the number of modules, or whether a replacement will match the original output order.

Think of the 24 RGB groups and optional data extension as the routes the cabinet was designed to use. A wide module layout, a special-shaped cabinet or a 595 serial-decoding design may use those routes in a very specific order. Copy that order from a working cabinet or its approved file. Do not create a new map from a similar-looking panel just because the total pixel count matches.

XC100 smart-module monitoring and fault checks

On a compatible smart-module cabinet, XC100 can help preserve calibration coefficients and module information, and support row-line or LED-error checks. That can turn a vague “one cabinet looks different” call into a more focused inspection of a module, ribbon or configuration before parts are swapped.

The important word is compatible. NovaStar documents smart-module monitoring for XC100 as a customized function, and hub-product monitoring as optional. Do not buy XC100 expecting a diagnostic feature that the installed modules or hub board were never built to use. When it is available, use it to narrow down the fault; when it is not, the replacement decision still rests on the original cabinet hardware and saved configuration.

XC100 backup options depend on the cabinet design

The XC100 specification lists loop backup, dual-card backup and dual-power backup. These protect a screen only when the cabinet, hub board, cabling and power system were designed around them. They are not features that appear when a single spare XC100 is installed.

For an existing high-availability wall, replace an XC100 like for like and keep the original input/output order. Before the wall returns to service, test one cabinet and the planned backup path. For a standard cabinet with one card and one data route, treat the new card as a restoration part, not as a way to add redundancy after the fact.

XC100 setup with NovaLCT and cabinet files

Before removing a working card, use NovaLCT to record the screen connection and save the cabinet configuration that is known to work. If the particular card supports program readback, save that program as well. The cabinet file describes scan, wiring and pixel mapping; the card program is a separate item. One cannot replace the other.

Install and restore one cabinet first. Check the cabinet at normal brightness, compare it with its neighbors, then inspect the screen connection before sending anything across the full wall. This sequence is slower than copying a file everywhere, but it avoids turning one failed card into a full-wall configuration recovery.

XC100 vs XC160 and XC190

These models should be compared as cabinet interfaces and installation decisions, not as a simple speed ladder. The XC100 is the choice for an existing XC100/DDR3 cabinet that needs its original receiver restored. Use another model only when a new cabinet design has confirmed its own connector, hub board, module map and configuration path.

XC100 datasheet, firmware and NovaLCT

Use these routes to preserve and check an installed XC100 system. An original V1.2.2 specification exists, but no current independent XC100 PDF or firmware package has yet been verified for our download library, so this page does not disguise another model’s file as an XC100 download.

NovaStar XC100 FAQ