Novastar A4s

NovaStar A4s — entry-level Armor receiving card

The A4s is a previous-generation NovaStar receiving card, now withdrawn from the manufacturer's active catalogue. We list it for one precise reason: the installed base. It is the historical entry point of the A series, on small cabinets.

Specifications

Load: 256×256 pixels
Connectors: JH1 et JH2 120 broches, 24 groupes RGB parallèle ou 64 groupes série (extensible à 128), 2 × Gigabit Ethernet
Dimensions: 70,0 × 45,0 × 8,0 mm
Weight: 17,3 g
Power: DC 3,3 – 5,5 V, 3 W
Status: outside NovaStar's active catalogue
Recommended replacement: A5s Plus

NovaStar A4s — why this reference is still stocked

On an LED wall, a receiving card is not swapped like a light bulb. Its load capacity determines how the wall is divided into zones, and that division is frozen in the cabinet configuration file. Changing reference means rebuilding that file, revalidating the mapping, and sometimes reworking the internal harness — turning a standard exchange into an engineering job.

Our position: we always state the current replacement card — here the A5s Plus — and we tell you plainly how good the substitution is. The A5s Plus replaces it in the catalogue, but changes the capacity: 512×384 in PWM 8-bit against 256×256. On a wall where every other card is an A4s, that forces a mapping rework.

On a partially serviced estate, like-for-like replacement is often the cheaper option once engineering time is counted. On a full refurbishment it is the opposite. We quote both.

• Service on a wall in operation — like-for-like replacement without rebuilding the configuration.
• Homogeneous estate — keeping a single card reference across the whole wall.
• Maintenance stock — spare cards on site for critical installations.
• Extending an existing wall — installation already fitted with A4s.
• Planned migration — we also quote the move to A5s Plus with the engineering time it implies.

• Status — outside NovaStar's active catalogue: confirm availability before committing.
• Replacement — A5s Plus. Different capacity: mapping rework required.
• Supply voltage — DC 3,3 – 5,5 V; recent replacement cards start at 3.8 V, check against older 3.3 V supplies.
• Configuration — any change of reference means rebuilding the cabinet configuration file and revalidating the mapping.
• Clearance — compare dimensions before proposing a substitution: recent cards often add 1 to 2 mm of thickness.