C-Series Introduction

Status: General Availability Scope: Pulse Hardware Initial Release: 12 Jan2016

In comparison to the A-Series, highlights of the Loop® Pulse C-Series kiosk and scoreboard solution are:

• Powered by Chrome-based devices for improved device management and cost efficiency.
• Improved local connectivity with Local Live Update to better-handle network issues.
• Multiple connection options including Internet, WiFi, Wired Ethernet and HDMI.
• Additional enclosure options that are most cost effective and easier to transport.
• Full LDM support for remote device management and field support.
• Full Pulse feature support for the full kiosk and scoreboard experience.

C-Series device options are shown below (with detailed components listed following):

C-Series connection options include (are summarized on the next page and discussed in detail throughout):

1. Direct-Link in which the kiosk is linked directly to the scoreboard monitor using a HDMI cable.
2. Local-Link in which the kiosk and scoreboard communicate over the local Wi-Fi or Wired network
3. Internet-Link in which the kiosk and scoreboard both communicate with the Loop® service.

The three connection models, highlights and considerations for each of the C-Series are:

Device Connection Guidelines

Direct-Link

With Direct-Link, the Loop Kiosk application and Scoreboard application both run locally on the same Loop CBK Tablet device (the kiosk device) with two screens (the tablet’s primary screen and a secondary display connected via HDMI). The kiosk and scoreboard applications communicate internally (within the device) to ensure the scoreboard will display in the absence of internet (A) or local network (B) connectivity. Connection (C) is HDMI; several cable lengths are supported but to a maximum of 330’ (feet of cable). Connections (A) and (B) are required to: -        Initially start the devices -        Sync scores and results with Loop® -        Receive new app content from Loop® (including software updates and configuration changes)

 

Local-Link

With Local-Link, the Loop Kiosk application and Scoreboard application both run on different devices. In the event that the devices cannot reach the Internet, the Kiosk will update the scoreboard via a UDP broadcast over the local connection (B), which can be wired or wireless Ethernet. The scoreboard will display correct results in the absence of internet (A) connectivity. Connection (A) and (B) are required to: -        Initially start the devices -        Sync scores and results with Loop® -        Receive new app content from Loop® (including software updates and configuration changes)

Connection (B) is required to update the scoreboard with live results (connection (C) is assumed).

Connection (C) is HDMI; several cable lengths are supported but to a maximum of 330’ (feet of cable).

Internet-Link

With Internet-Link, the Loop Kiosk application and Scoreboard application run independently and are connected only through the Loop® service (via the public internet). No ‘local’ communication is supported between kiosk and scoreboard. Connections (Ai) and (Bi) respectively are required to: -        Initially start each device -        Sync scores and results with Loop® -        Receive new app content from Loop® (including software updates and configuration changes) Connection (C) is HDMI; several cable lengths are supported but to a maximum of 330’ (feet of cable).

For comparison: All Series-A devices (see separate Pulse documentation) support Internet-Link only.

C-Series Kiosk Branding

 

The C-Series podium kiosk has two physical branding options: Screen Wrap Front Panel The counter kiosk supports on the screen wrap. In addition to physical branding options, the kiosk supports live idle-screen video or still image display for additional branding capability.

C-Series Hardware Bundles

C-Series Hardware Items [General Sourcing]

C-Series Hardware Items [CDW Sourcing]

Technical Notes

Connectivity

The Kiosk, Scoreboard and Loop application communicate primarily over the Internet. For the different hardware configurations available, there are different redundancies so that the Kiosk and Scoreboard can stay synchronized in the absence of an Internet connection.

1. UDP broadcast between different Kiosk and Scoreboard devices (for Local-Link)
2. Chrome messaging between Kiosk and Scoreboard application windows running
   on the same device (for Direct-Link, communications happens ‘internally’ to the Tablet device).

UDP Broadcast – Local-Link Connection

UDP broadcast messages are sent from the Kiosk device via port 30303. Scoreboard(s) listen on this same port and update their loop counts via these messages in the event they cannot reach the Internet. All devices should be in the same broadcast domain which typically means connected to same Ethernet repeater or switch.

Chrome Messaging – Direct-Link Connection

Where Kiosk and Scoreboard application are powered by the same device (Loop CBK Tablet in this case). In this scenario the Kiosk and Scoreboard applications communicate with each other locally using a Chrome application API, thus eliminating any dependency to the network. See Loop Pulse BOM part numbers CSLP or CSLC.

Local-Link with Wi-Fi

In the case Wi-Fi solution is deployed, the following requirements must be met:

• Devices on Wi-Fi should have a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of at least 25 dBm, if that information is not available then the signal strength should be at least -60 dBm.
• Devices on Wi-Fi where there is a lot of multipath signal propagation (such as near parked airplanes) will require an SNR even greater than what is advised in the previous bullet. The specific amount will vary depending how much interference exists in the environment