Novastar MFN300

NovaStar MFN300 — the card that drives everything around the screen

The MFN300 is the multifunction card of the NovaStar ecosystem. It does not process the image: it manages everything around it. Eight relays drive the distribution board contactors, four RS485 sensor ports take temperature probes and ambient light sensors, an audio output completes the chain, and a programmable timer replaces an external time switch.

Specifications

Relays: 8 channels, AC 250 V / DC 30 V, 3 A max per channel
Sensors: 4 RS485 ports (temperature, ambient light)
Audio: 1 output
Communication: RS232 serial port or Gigabit Ethernet
Power: DC 3.3 – 5.5 V, 0.38 A, 2.5 W
Dimensions: 144.0 × 94.8 × 20.0 mm — Weight: 164.4 g
Temperature: −20 °C to +75 °C

NovaStar MFN300 — technical analysis

It is the most ordinary reference in the NovaStar catalogue and one of the most useful. An outdoor screen without an MFN300 stays lit at full brightness overnight, does not switch itself off, and nobody knows it is overheating. The eight relays physically cut power to the panels outside operating hours — which extends LED life and cuts the electricity bill far more effectively than a software blackout.

Automatic brightness regulation is the second argument, and it is twofold: visual comfort for neighbours at night, and compliance. A light sensor on one of the four RS485 ports brings the screen down to ambient level with no intervention. On integration, the card slots anywhere in the Ethernet chain — before the first receiving card, between two cards or after the last — and communicates over RS232 or Gigabit, as preferred.

• Permanent outdoor screen — scheduled shutdown, day/night regulation, temperature monitoring.
• Street furniture and DOOH — compliance with night switch-off rules.
• Façades and signs — switching on and off with no human intervention.
• Installations with sound — audio output built into the chain.
• Preventive maintenance — distribution board temperature reporting.

• Relay rating — 3 A per channel at 250 V AC: size the contactors accordingly; the card drives, it does not switch the screen power itself.
• Four sensor ports — the MFN300-B box version has only two: if the project needs several probes, take the card.
• Communication — RS232 or Gigabit Ethernet; Gigabit slots straight into the receiving card chain.
• Timer — the built-in timer replaces an external time switch: one less item in the cabinet.
• Operating saving — cutting power beats a software blackout: power supplies keep drawing current.