Getting Started

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The following describes how to send the RS-232C command with serial_control.js and Node.js.

Requirements

  • BRAVIA Professional Display
  • PC
  • Serial cable (such as USB to 3.5 mm Mini Plug TTL Serial Cable)

Preparation

Set up BRAVIA Professional Display

  • Connect BRAVIA Professional Display and the PC with the serial cable
  • Set the RS232C control to Via serial port
      1. [HOME] Settings
      2. RS232C control
      3. Via serial port
  • Switch to Normal mode or Pro mode by using the Pro settings tool

Set up PC

  • Install Node.js (v6.x and later) and npm on the PC
  • Install node-serialport
    • C:\>npm install serialport -g
  • Download serial_control.zip
  • Extract the zip file to a specific folder (ex: C:\serial_control>)

Execution

  1. You can get a list of serial port names by running ‘node serial_control.js’ with no argument. 
    C:\serial_control>node serial_control.js
Usage: node serial_control.js [PORTNAME] [CMDNAME]
.
Commands:
  auto_wide_off
  auto_wide_on
  auto_wide_toggle
  ...
  (*snip*)
  ...
.
Serial Ports:
  [PORTNAME]                    [VENDOR]
  COM1                          (*snip*)
  COM2                          (*snip*)
  COM3                          (*snip*)
  2. Send the power_off command, and then BRAVIA Professional Display will power off 
    C:\serial_control>node serial_control.js COM1 power_off
Port 'COM1' opened.
  Request[0]=0x8C
  Request[1]=0x00
  Request[2]=0x00
  Request[3]=0x02
  Request[4]=0x00
  Request[5]=0x8E
Command 'power_off' written.
  Response[0]=0x70: ANSWER
  Response[1]=0x00: Completed (Normal)
  Response[2]=0x70: Checksum matched
  3. Send the power_get command, and then 0x00 (Power Off) will be returned in Return Data[0] 
    C:\serial_control>node serial_control.js COM1 power_get
Port 'COM1' opened.
  Request[0]=0x83
  Request[1]=0x00
  Request[2]=0x00
  Request[3]=0xFF
  Request[4]=0xFF
  Request[5]=0x81
Command 'power_get' written.
  Response[0]=0x70: ANSWER
  Response[1]=0x00: Completed (Normal)
  Response[2]=0x02: Return Data Size
  Response[3]=0x00: Return Data[0]
  Response[4]=0x72: Checksum matched
  4. Send the power_on command, and then BRAVIA Professional Display will power on 
    C:\serial_control>node serial_control.js COM1 power_on
Port 'COM1' opened.
  Request[0]=0x8C
  Request[1]=0x00
  Request[2]=0x00
  Request[3]=0x02
  Request[4]=0x01
  Request[5]=0x8F
Command 'power_on' written.
  Response[0]=0x70: ANSWER
  Response[1]=0x00: Completed (Normal)
  Response[2]=0x70: Checksum matched
  5. Send the power_get command again, and then 0x01 (Power On) will be returned in Return Data[0] 
    C:\serial_control>node serial_control.js COM1 power_get
Port 'COM1' opened.
  Request[0]=0x83
  Request[1]=0x00
  Request[2]=0x00
  Request[3]=0xFF
  Request[4]=0xFF
  Request[5]=0x81
Command 'power_get' written.
  Response[0]=0x70: ANSWER
  Response[1]=0x00: Completed (Normal)
  Response[2]=0x02: Return Data Size
  Response[3]=0x01: Return Data[0]
  Response[4]=0x73: Checksum matched

Sample Code

  • Excerpt from serial_control.js 
    const serialport = require("serialport");

const commands = {
  "power_on":                        [0x8C, 0x00, 0x00, 0x02, 0x01],
  "power_off":                       [0x8C, 0x00, 0x00, 0x02, 0x00],
  "power_get":                       [0x83, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF],
...
(*snip*)
...

const sp = new serialport(portname, {
  baudRate: 9600,
  dataBits: 8,
  parity: 'none',
  stopBits: 1,
  flowControl: false,
  parser: new serialport.parsers.Readline("\n")
});

sp.on("data", function(data) {
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (resp_index == 0) { // HEADER
      if (data[i] == 0x70) {
        resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'ANSWER');
      } else {
        sp.close();
        errorlevel = EL_HEADER_UNKNOWN;
        return resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'Error: Header is not ANSWER(0x70), ' + toHex(data[i]));
      }
    } else if (resp_index == 1) { // ANSWER
      resp_answer = data[i];
      var answer = answers[data[i]];
      if (answer !== undefined) {
        resp_log(resp_index, data[i], answer);
        if (resp_answer !== 0x00) {
          errorlevel = EL_ANSWER_ERROR;
        }
      } else {
        sp.close();
        errorlevel = EL_ANSWER_UNKNOWN;
        return resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'Error: Unknown answer, ' + toHex(data[i]));
      }
    } else {
      if (cmd_type == 0x8C) { // Response to Control Request
        if (resp_index == 2) {
          return checkChecksum(sp, data[i], resp_checksum, resp_index);
        }
      } else if (cmd_type == 0x83) {  // Response to Query Request
        if (resp_index == 2) {
          if (resp_answer == 0x00) {
            resp_return_data_size = data[i];
            resp_return_data_size -= 1;
            resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'Return Data Size');
          } else {
            return checkChecksum(sp, data[i], resp_checksum, resp_index);
          }
        } else if (resp_index >= 3 && resp_index < (2 + resp_return_data_size)) {
          resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'Return Data[' + (resp_index - 3) + ']');
        } else if (resp_index == (2 + resp_return_data_size)) {
          return checkChecksum(sp, data[i], resp_checksum, resp_index);
        }
      } else {
        sp.close();
        errorlevel = EL_CMD_TYPE_UNKNOWN;
        return resp_log(resp_index, data[i], 'Error: Unknown command type');
      }
    }
    resp_index += 1;
    resp_checksum += data[i];
  }
});

sp.on("open", function(err) {
  if (err) {
    errorlevel = EL_OPEN_ERROR;
    sp.close();
    return console.log("Error on open: " + err.message);
  } else {
    console.log("Port '" + portname + "' opened.");
    var buf = commands[cmdname];
    buf.push(0); // for checksum
    var sum = 0;
    for (var i = 0; i < buf.length; i++) {
      if (i == buf.length - 1) {
        buf[i] = sum;
      } else {
        sum += buf[i];
      }
      console.log("   Request[" + i + "]=" + toHex(buf[i]));
    }
    resp_index = 0
    cmd_type = buf[0];
    sp.write(buf, function(err) {
      if (err) {
        errorlevel = EL_WRITE_ERROR;
        sp.close();
        return console.log('Error on write: ', err.message);
      }
      console.log("Command '" + cmdname + "' written.");
    });
  }
});
Last modified: 25 Dec 2019