What is the NovaStar MFN300-B?
If somebody still switches your screen on and off by hand, the NovaStar MFN300-B is the box that takes that over. It switches the power supplies feeding your screen on a schedule it holds itself, and reads the sensors you mount around the screen.
Everything it controls sits at the screen end: eight relay channels for your power supplies, two ports for your sensors, one audio output, and a clock that keeps your on and off times.
It joins your display’s Ethernet run like another link in the chain. No video passes through it, so your picture reaches the cabinets exactly as it left the controller.
Order the boxed version when there is nowhere in your distribution box to mount a bare circuit board.
Why pay more for the box than the card?
You pay more for the box because it powers and protects itself. The MFN300 card needs a DC 3.3 V to 5.5 V supply found somewhere in the distribution box, plus a clear spot to mount an unprotected board. The MFN300-B needs a wall socket.
That is the entire case for it, and it is worth being straight about the rest. On paper the box gives you less than the card: two sensor ports instead of four, and two places in the chain instead of three.
The extra money buys an easier installation, not more capability.
- Choose the MFN300-B if there is no low-voltage rail to tap, or the unit has to sit somewhere damp, dusty or within reach of people.
- Choose the MFN300 card if the distribution box already has a 5 V rail and room to mount it — $118 against $216, with twice the sensor ports.
MFN300-B key features
The screen switches itself off at night
Leave your screen on from Friday to Monday and it runs three days for nobody. The MFN300-B keeps its own clock and its own on/off table, so your times hold after the laptop goes home and the control PC is shut down.
NovaStar lists this as replacing a timer and a delayer, which is one less thing wired into the panel.
No hunting for a DC supply in your distribution box
It runs on AC 100 V to 240 V at 50/60 Hz and draws 5 W at most, which means a wall socket rather than a rail you have to find and tap. It also arrives with the power cord and the signal cable in the carton, so you have nothing to source before install day.
A front light that answers “is the cable good?”
Two indicators sit on the front, and the green one is the one you want. Flashing once a second means the box is running and your Ethernet connection is fine; once every two seconds means it is not.
You can read that from the ground, without a laptop.
NovaStar MFN300-B specifications
The two rows that decide most orders are the power switch rating, which sets what the eight channels may carry, and the dimensions, which decide where the box will fit.
| Input voltage | AC 100 V to 240 V, 50/60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Rated current | 0.05 A |
| Maximum power consumption | 5 W |
| Power switch control | 8 channels, each rated AC 250 V or DC 30 V at 3 A |
| Sensor ports | 2, RS485 (VDD5.0 / GND / RS485 A0 / RS485 B0) |
| Audio | 1 output port |
| Communication | RS232 serial port, or Gigabit Ethernet in the receiving-card run |
| Operating temperature | −20°C to +75°C |
| Operating humidity | 0% RH to 90% RH, non-condensing |
| Dimensions | 204.0 mm × 163.0 mm × 48.0 mm |
| Net weight | 1,154.6 g |
| In the carton | Power cord, signal cable, certificate of approval |
| Certifications | FCC, IC |
Figures come from NovaStar’s MFN300-B Multifunction Box Specifications V2.0.4. The 3 A per channel is the figure to hold on to: above that, your channel should switch a contactor and the contactor should switch the screen.
Where does the MFN300-B go in your cable run?
Your MFN300-B sits in the Ethernet run between the controller and the cabinets, and NovaStar allows two places for it: ahead of the first receiving card, or after the last one. Unlike the card, it cannot be dropped into a joint partway along the run.
That matters when the distribution box you want to control sits in the middle of a long screen. Your cable then has to come back to the head or the end of the run, or you fit the card version instead.
There is also a serial route. An RS232 cable straight from the box to a PC does the same setup job without touching the display run. That suits a bench check before anything is mounted.
Either way, you add the box in NovaLCT under Settings > Multi-function Card. You pick serial or Ethernet there and give it a name, before the relays and sensors can be set.
Which sensors to order with an MFN300-B
Two ports means two devices, so this is a real choice rather than a shopping list. Both ports take the same RS485 connection.
- NS060-5A light sensor — reads ambient brightness so the screen follows it. 5 m cable; the NS060-10A is the 10 m version.
- MTH310 temperature sensor — watches the distribution box. 5 m cable, and NovaStar allows a 25 m replacement.
One of each is the usual pairing, and it fills your box. If your screen is wide enough to want a light sensor at each end, your temperature sensor has nowhere to go and the four-port MFN300 card is the better buy.
MFN300-B datasheet and NovaLCT
Nothing about your screen is stored in the box. Swapping one risks no cabinet configuration, and you enter your schedule and sensor settings again in NovaLCT in a few minutes.
NovaStar does not publish an MFN300-B program file for general download. The Load Program page in NovaLCT shows the model and its FPGA version, but a program update is something support supplies against a specific fault rather than something you download.
NovaStar MFN300-B FAQ
What is the difference between the MFN300 and the MFN300-B?
The box runs on mains power and comes in an enclosure; the card is a bare board fed 3.3–5.5 V from the distribution box. The box also has two sensor ports rather than four, and two positions in the chain rather than three. The eight power switch channels are the same on both.
Does the MFN300-B need a separate power supply?
No. It plugs into AC 100–240 V and the power cord is in the carton. That is the main reason to choose it over the card.
Can it switch my LED power supplies directly?
Only small ones. Each channel is rated 3 A, so on most screens the channel switches a contactor coil and the contactor carries the load. Size this before you order, because contactors are a separate line on the quote.
Will the schedule keep running if the control PC is off?
Yes. The box holds its own clock and its own power control list, so the times run without a PC. NovaLCT syncs its clock when it next connects.
Why doesn’t NovaLCT find my MFN300-B?
Check the sender output port number first. Integrators report the MFN300 card has to be connected through output ports 1 to 4, and that is the first thing to rule out here. Then confirm the connection type added under Settings > Multi-function Card matches the cable you actually used.
Can it go in the middle of a long receiving-card run?
No. NovaStar gives the box two positions, ahead of the first receiving card or after the last one. The MFN300 card is the version that can sit at a joint partway along the run.
Is the MFN300-B waterproof?
No. NovaStar publishes no IP rating for it, and the operating range is 0% to 90% relative humidity, non-condensing. It belongs inside a cabinet or a service enclosure, not on an exposed wall.
What warranty covers an MFN300-B?
Three years of serial-tracked manufacturer coverage, because these units come through our authorized US NovaStar channel.
Can I get volume pricing or Net 30 terms?
Yes. Send the model and the quantity for volume pricing. Purchase orders and Net 30 terms may be available for approved schools, government buyers, venues and established integrators.
How do I order an MFN300-B?
Pricing here is per unit, and one unit covers one distribution box. Orders placed before 3 PM ET on in-stock items ship the same business day from Florida. Contact us to confirm current availability.
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