NovaStar Receiving Card Replacement: Install, Configure & RCFG Files

The receiving card is the small NovaStar board inside each cabinet that turns network data into the signals your LED modules understand. When a whole cabinet goes dark, scrambles, or drops off the network while its neighbors run fine, the receiving card (or its config) is the usual suspect. This guide covers choosing a replacement, the physical swap, and the configuration step everyone gets stuck on — the RCFG file.

Confirming it's the receiving card

• Whole cabinet dark or frozen, network chain otherwise fine — likely the card (check the cabinet's power supplies first: see the power supply guide).
• Cabinet shows garbage or misaligned content — card configuration, firmware mismatch, or the Ethernet jumper into that cabinet.
• One module wrong, rest of cabinet fine — that's a module or ribbon, not the card: see module replacement.

Choosing the right replacement card

Current NovaStar cards (A5s Plus, A7s Plus, A8s Pro, A10s Pro, and the MRV series) differ in pixel capacity, HUB connector count, and feature support. Two rules: (1) replace like with like when possible — same model means your existing config file just works; (2) if the model is discontinued, our receiving card comparison maps the upgrade path, and every current card is in stock in our receiving cards category. Loading capacity math is in the capacity guide.

The physical swap

1. Power the cabinet down.
2. Photograph the card: which HUB ribbon goes to which connector, Ethernet in/out jumpers, and the power leads.
3. Swap the card and move connections one at a time. HUB ribbon order determines which module rows display which data — get it wrong and the image comes up scrambled or mirrored.

The configuration step: RCFG files explained

A fresh receiving card doesn't know what modules it's driving. That knowledge lives in a configuration file — .rcfg / .rcfgx — that sets the driver IC, scan mode, module layout, and timing for your exact modules.

Where to get one:

• From the working sign: in NovaLCT, open Screen Configuration → Receiving Card and read the configuration back from a healthy card, then save it to a file. Do this today, before anything fails — a saved RCFG file turns a future card swap into a five-minute job.
• From the module or sign manufacturer: most will email the file for your module part number.
• Already have a file but not sure what's in it? Our free browser-based RCFGX viewer decodes it — driver IC, scan, dimensions, HUB layout — no software install needed, and the RCFGX compare tool diffs two files when you're chasing a mismatch.

To apply it: NovaLCT → Screen Configuration → Receiving Card → Load Configuration File, send to the card, and Save to Hardware so it survives power cycles.

Firmware matters too

Receiving-card firmware must support your driver IC — NovaStar publishes different firmware builds for different IC families, and a mismatch shows up as ghosting, wrong grayscale, or a dead module row. Our NovaLCT firmware guide covers checking and upgrading, and the downloads page has current firmware for every card we sell.

Stuck?

We stock every current NovaStar receiving card in Florida, we can often generate or verify the config file for your modules from a photo of the module label, and we talk techs through swaps daily. Call 321-747-3220 or email sales@olympianled.com.