Support FAQs
How long does the portable MPCW battery pack take to charge and how long should it run under load?
The unit operates with a 5hr charge time from completely discharged for 18hrs of continuous run time before losing enough voltage to go into auto shutdown. Below is the test conducted using a MPCW7 and accessories.
- Starting with no zero bars and placed on supplied wall charger the unit should reach full charge in 5 hours. (full charge it reads 9.3vdc)
- Tested day 1 operation on W7 with TCS and two receivers in profile with 4 bars for 8 continuous hours with 3 bars of charge remaining. (unit read 9.3vdc)
- Tested day two operation on W7 with TCS and two receivers in profile with 3 bars for 8 continuous hours with 2 bars of charge remaining. (unit read 9.2vdc)
- Tested day 3 operation on W7 with TCS and two receivers in profile with 2 bars for 2 continuous hours with 3 bars of charge remaining. (unit read 8.6vdc)
How do I change the horn volume or tone for my indoor scoreboard?
Our indoor boards have a set of hardwired horns that are incapable of externally adjusted for tone or volume. You can however disconnect one or both if they are too loud for you location.
You need to access the ILM module behind the hinged “Period” panel to disconnect one or both of the horn cables.
I purchased new Nevco game timers, can you help me determine some rules or guidelines for installation and layout on a football field?
Typically, they are installed on the end of the field behind the end zone on opposing corners. There are no rules governing the installation location for play clocks on a Football or Lacrosse field.
Nevco recommends that the clocks be installed in the optimal field of view for the players avoiding blockage from the goal post and any other obstructions.
The diagram below shows the optimal area for such placement.
How do your wireless controls operate and what bandwidth are they running in?
Our wireless communication operates through bandwidth determined by the product type. Keep in mind all signals are dependent upon a clear Line-Of-Sight and will diminish proportionately as LOS degrades.
The MPCW6 and MPCW7 wireless equipment operate in the 900MHz spectrum and is FCC certified as transmitter ID: PLHZW4 and Industry Canada IC: 4006A-ZW4, it complies with the following:
- Part 15.247 rules govern operation of the either FHSS or DSSS radio operation.
- OFHSS radios are required under these rule to limit RF transmit power (measured at the antenna) to 1W
- Further, the radio must hop over a minimum of 50 channels, with a maximum dwell time of 400ms, 20db bandwidth at 500 kHz over a 20 second period.
The MPCX and MPCX2 wireless equipment operates in the 2.4 GHz spectrum and shares it with other devices by scanning for the best channel and utilizing Listen Before Talk, sometimes called Listen Before Transmit (LBT) technology. Primarily developed for the battery powered hand-held, this technology utilizes Ultra-Low Power (ULP) components and techniques. The handheld technology is built to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standards.
Our wireless signal to the message center operates on the same 2.4GHz frequency as our handheld control device.
What is the estimate of power costs for a day or month for a 4×16-message center? I want to estimate based on an average per kw hour on 24/7 use.
What you put on it and what brightness it runs has a big impact, but here’s how we calculate it.
From the product spec the power consumption of a 4x16SS is 20Amps
So maximum full white screen on full bright is 120V * 20A = 2400 Watts.
The screen will have content on it, not full white, and we see that content is on average 60% of a white screen. During the daytime hours in full sun it will consume 0.6 * 2400W = 1440W.
At night, in total darkness if our auto-dimming sensor is used, the power will drop to about 10% of that, 0.1 * 1440W = 144W
Assuming there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, the power consumption in a day would be:
(1440W * 12 hrs/day) + (144W * 12 hrs/day) = 19008 W*hrs/day, or we say 19 kwh per day
I pay $0.13 per kwh, so my cost would be $0.13 * 19kwh = $2.47 / day.
How do I get my Scorbitz to communicate and APP to update?
Let’s start by verifying power at your Scorebitz Scoreboard Gateway. You should observe a red led that indicates incoming power.
When your signal path has been established you should verify you have data transmission by observing the RJ45 port. If it is on solid on the left indicator the connection is good. Two short flashes in rhythm on the right indicator means the server is not connected. Rapid succession of flashing on the right indicator indicates the Scorbitz server is connected.
If your venue has the ssg serial number and it is transmitting you will see it here:
http://www.scorbitz.com/live_venues
The following link is to the Scorbitz manual.
How can I change the vinyl on my scoretable when I decide to change ads or graphics?
The following link will take you to our video showing how easy it can be accomplished. All of the graphics were designed to make this a do-it-yourself task. https://info.nevco.com/l/484411/2019-10-17/hwy98
How do I get a composer update on my current operating system?
The following link will take you to our most current version of composer. The user manual is provided to help assist you as needed. https://nevco.com/downloads/
I have an existing scoreboard and would like to install one your new boards. Can I just put it in the place of the old unit?
We would need to know the dimensions of the columns and the size of the foundations in order to determine if the existing structure was sufficient. The rule of thumb is that if the new display square footage does not exceed the square footage of the existing then it is fine. Code allows for a 10% increase in loading on an existing structure.
Approximate size of existing display WxH
How high from ground to bottom of existing sign?
Some good pictures
These dimensions from the columns themselves
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My vinyl for the sign on my board has bubbles all over it. How do I get rid of them?
The bubbles will eventually go away all by themselves. This happens for two reasons.
1. The vinyl is porous enough to allow a slow escape of air. When the air expands during the heat of the day, force is exerted allowing some air to pass through. When it shrinks back at night, there is less air and more of the adhesive makes contact and bonds. Eventually there is nothing left.
2. The adhesive we use is also porous … somewhat like a thick spider web, this adhesive allows the air to spread out slowly over time and dissipate.
What products can I run with your solar kit and how does it work?
You can go the following link to reference the scoreboard models our solar kit will operate effectively. https://nevco.com/product/solar-power-kit/
The solar panel itself is only about 85W, and the scoreboard’s maximum intended use is 200W max. So the solar panel is not designed to run the scoreboard regardless of the amount of sun.
The solar panel charges the batteries when the board is not in use and then the two marine batteries in the metal enclosure run the scoreboard during the game. The battery power is converted to 120Vac utilizing an inverter that has been spec’d to supply the scoreboard models referenced in the product spec sheet.
There are a couple of things that could be cause a board to lose power prematurely:
- Failure to turn a system off over a winter or significantly long period could cause significant damage to the batteries. When the inverter is left powered on, it drains more from the batteries overnight than the solar panel can put back in them the next day. Lead-acid batteries lose capacity and life when left in a discharged state due to sulfates forming on the plates and the active material delaminating from the plates in the electrolyte. If this problem has occurred, replacing the marine batteries is the only cure.
- If the battery were fully charged at start up to their full-recommended capacity, then a typical board should operate for a minimum of about 40 hours. However, if the controller were left on overnight, then they only would have as much energy as they could have collected from sunrise to 10am. The solar controller in the enclosure has a capacity meter indicating the current charge on the battery. It is extremely important that the power switch be turned off every day so that the batteries will not be drained overnight.
- Standard installations use two Group 27 with 85-105 Amp Hour rating. Deep cycle AGM Marine batteries that are 12v are what we recommend. Use of any other batteries will diminish the expected life cycle of the system. (DO NOT USE STANDARD CAR BATTERIES)
Why does my solar kit not have UL listing stickers on it? My local electrical inspector will not sign off until I can answer this.
Your Solar Kit does not require UL listing as a complete unit. NEC Article 690.4(B) states that Inverters, motor generators, PV modules, PV panels, ac modules, dc combiners, dc-to-dc converters, and charge controllers intended for use in PV system shall be agency listed or field labeled for the PV application. Nevco’s solar kit includes listed components and if installed according to the instructions complies fully with NEC article 690 covering Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems.