Novastar BR860

NovaStar BR860 — power supply and receiving card on one PCB

The BR860 belongs to NovaStar's BR series, a family of integrated control boards combining the AC/DC power supply and the receiving card on a single board. At the back of a cabinet it replaces the usual "power supply unit + receiving card" pair with one item: less internal cabling, fewer connectors, fewer failure points, and depth saved.

It is the entry version of the long 492 × 166 mm format: same 8 × 60-pin connectors and 32 RGB groups as the BR860 Pro, but 15.5 A instead of 35 A and previous-generation image processing.

Key specifications

Load capacity: 512×384@60Hz en 8 bits — 512×256@60Hz en 10 et 12 bits. Avec contrôleur COEX : 512×384@60Hz en 10 bits. Driver IC PWM.
Module connectors: 8 × connecteurs JH 60 broches, jusqu'à 32 groupes RGB parallèle
AC input: 90–264 Vac, 47–63 Hz
DC output: 3,8 / 4,0 / 4,2 V au cavalier — 15,5 A nominal
Dimensions: 492,0 × 166,0 × 22,1 mm
Weight: non publié par Novastar
Operating temperature: -20 °C à +70 °C (déclassement au-delà de 60 °C)
Image processing: Color Management, 18bit+, pixel-level calibration, Low Latency, Smart Module, Mapping 1.1 — no HDR, no Image Booster

NovaStar BR860 — technical analysis

Buying a BR board is not the same reasoning as buying a receiving card. What decides is the available DC current, because it caps the luminance the cabinet can hold at full white. Its 15.5 A under 4 V is roughly 62 W. Enough for a standard pitch at ordinary indoor luminance, but it saturates on fine pitch or high brightness. Moving to the Pro version doubles the available current.

A pre-sales point not to miss: this board supports neither HDR10 nor HLG. The official datasheet does not mention them and we will not claim them. For a studio, a set or a wall meant to be shot in HDR, move to the BR860 Pro. For corporate display, retail or signage, the absence of HDR is irrelevant.

Three design points: the module connector format must match your panels exactly (8 × connecteurs JH 60 broches, jusqu'à 32 groupes RGB parallèle); thermal derating means sizing cabinet ventilation accordingly; and since the board is both power supply and receiver, one failure takes out both — on a critical installation, plan spare stock accordingly.

On the "-1" references: NovaStar publishes for most BR models a "-1" suffixed variant whose published specifications are strictly identical: same dimensions to the tenth of a millimetre, same weight, same current, same load capacity. The manufacturer nowhere documents what the suffix means. We treat them as equivalent in performance and refer you to the cabinet manufacturer for mechanical compatibility.

• Corporate and retail display — where HDR is not a criterion.
• Signage and digital display — standard pitch, ordinary indoor luminance.
• Long narrow cabinets — 492 × 166 mm, 32 RGB groups.
• Budget-constrained projects — the long format without the Pro premium.
• Volume panel manufacturing — one board instead of two.

• Available current — 15.5 A nominal: size on the luminance actually used, not the module peak figure.
• Connectors — 8 × connecteurs JH 60 broches, jusqu'à 32 groupes RGB parallèle: check the exact match with your modules before ordering.
• Thermal — derating above 60 °C, more tolerant than the Pro versions.
• No HDR — HDR10 and HLG absent from the official datasheet: for broadcast use, target the BR860 Pro.
• Single point of failure — power and reception on the same board: one failure takes out both, plan spare stock.