Send A Message To An LED Sign

An anonymous reader submits "I just got a Pro Lite LED sign today. After a few minutes splicing and wiring up a DB9 to RJ11 connection, and a little fun with python, I've got a script that lets me take input from the web and display it on the sign. Eventually it will have other, more useful, purposes, but I figured I'd let you guys play with it as it is. There's also a log of past messages."

Comments

Hah

[lancomandr]

Before the story went public....I input to the sign "You're about to get RAPED by slashdot!" Now the story is public. No more website.

That's a good idea

[HiQ]

Maybe you can use the smoke that's coming from your computer right now as a screen for looking at the Venus transit. You won't be using that for a while I guess.

Re:That's a good idea

[joshuaobrien]

Maybe you can use the smoke that's coming from your computer right now as a screen for looking at the Venus transit.

Or to implement a Native American wireless communication protocol...

connection speed..?

[Polkyb]

After a few minutes splicing and wiring up a DB9 to RJ11 connection

Have you thought of trying ethernet...? I hear it's a bit quicker than a serial connection and may help prevent the /. effect...

;-)

Re:The sign of a slashdotting

[Einer2]

That's a pity. I wanted to add a "First Post" scrolling LED message...

Original /.ing error code

[frs_rbl]

Traceback (most recent call last): File "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\sendmessage.py", line 13, in ? tty=SerialPort("COM1", 1000, 9600) File "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\SerialPort_win.py", line 117, in __init__ raise SerialPortException('Unable to open port') SerialPort_win.SerialPortException: Unable to open port Exception exceptions.AttributeError: in > ignored

I suppose he's busy debugging now

Re:Original /.ing error code

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps that's the result of him frantically cutting the serial cable with a butter knife.

Famous last words

[GammaTau]

Slashdot hits you. You die. --More--

Re:Famous last words

[Borg453b]

Earlier that day:

You apply LED to internet connection.
You begind praying to Slashdot for attention.
You finish your prayer. You feel that slashdot is displeased.
The LED is cursed. You cannot disconnect it from the internet.
The voice of slashdot booms: "Thou hast angered me."

Re:AYB...

[xsupergr0verx]

Your server has no chance to survive make your time. Ha ha ha ha ha...

Could be worse

[xsupergr0verx]

At least he didn't code it into his spiffy new Nokia phone and has to wave his arm for the next 8 hours to display our messages.

Mirror anyone?

[craigmarshall]

Doesn't ANYONE have a mirror?!

Re:Mirror anyone?

[oPless]

What, and have the messages come out backwards ?

Here's a useful purpose...

[MonkeyBot]

I've always wanted to get an LED sign for the back of my car. Yours fixes the problem that I had with actually buying one. Now, I could just edit the Unix "fortune" program to quip random, witty, profane statements to drivers that piss me off rather than having to type the whole statement in. Thanks.

Re:Imagine...

[JabberWokky]

A beowulf cluster of these things!!
No, seriously!! We could...uhh....
*runs*
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

With a beowulf cluster of LED signs, it's unlikely to be pitch black. Thus it can be taken seriously as an anti-grue measure.

--
Evan "Or a Vin Disel counter-measure"

Re:The sign of a slashdotting

[sg_oneill]

Lets see.

Half the worlds geeks visiting simultaneously a website having its bandwidth narrowed to a 9.6k serial pipe with the repeated message "j00 b33n ownz3d by goatse LOL". Let me think...

hmm...

This is why we cant have nice things. :(

Re:Here's the site

[kiwirob]

Last seen on the LED screen before it went down...

<blink>Free Porn Here</blink>
<blink>Penis Enlargement Pills Here</blink>
<blink>Reduce Debt with free $10,000 Credit Card Now</blink>

Co-incidence?

[MtlDty]

Perhaps its just a coincidence, but the ticker board in Times Square is now scrolling: 'Error 404 Page not found' ?