Put simply, the NovaStar TCC160 is an asynchronous, all-in-one LED display control card: one board that combines sending and receiving, plays 4K media, and lets you publish content and monitor the screen remotely from a computer, phone or tablet. NovaStar specifies up to 512×512 pixels @ 60 Hz per card with PWM driver ICs (512×384 with general driver ICs) and up to 650,000 pixels when cards are cascaded, which suits storefronts, vehicle-mounted screens, lamp-post signage, community boards and other small-to-medium pixel-capacity displays.

This guide covers the TCC160’s official specifications, what every connector does, how to wire and set it up, how to read the status LEDs and how it compares with older all-in-one cards such as the Huidu HD-C16C and receiving cards such as the Colorlight 5A-75B. It also links to the related HonghaiLED guides you need when a project outgrows a single asynchronous card.

Source: NovaStar TCC160 Asynchronous Full-Color LED Display Control Card Specifications, document version V1.0.8 (31 July 2026). NovaStar updates documents and firmware, so confirm the revision that applies to your batch before you specify a project.

1. What is the NovaStar TCC160 control card?

2. NovaStar TCC160 specifications in full

3. Ports, connectors and wiring

4. How to set up the NovaStar TCC160

5. Status indicators and troubleshooting

6. How much screen can one TCC160 drive?

7. TCC160 vs HD-C16C and 5A-75B

8. Who should choose the TCC160?

9. NovaStar TCC160 FAQs

The NovaStar TCC160 is an asynchronous full-colour LED display control card from NovaStar’s Taurus family. “Asynchronous” means the screen plays media stored on the card or published to it over a network, instead of needing a live video source connected permanently. The card integrates sending and receiving capabilities, so it drives an LED screen directly through its 16 HUB75E connectors, and it works with cloud-based publishing and monitoring platforms, so an operator can manage the display from any internet-connected computer, phone or tablet.

NovaStar positions the TCC160 for applications that require small pixel capacity — storefront displays, vehicle-mounted displays, community information displays and lamp-post displays — where saving cabinet space, simplifying cabling and keeping maintenance simple matter more than raw pixel count.

Key highlights

• One board replaces the sending card, video processor and receiving card in a small asynchronous screen.
• 16 × HUB75E connectors for direct connection to LED modules.
• Hardware decoding of 4K video, including H.265/HEVC up to 4096×2304 @ 60 fps.
• Wi-Fi AP and Sta active at the same time, plus optional 4G and GPS support.
• USB playback and storage expansion, 2 × RS485 for light or temperature and humidity sensors, and a relay output for scheduled screen power.
• Remote monitoring of temperature, voltage and Ethernet bit errors, with cable mapping to locate cabinets on site.

In short: if you need a self-contained asynchronous controller for a screen up to roughly 260,000 pixels per card, or up to 650,000 pixels with cascaded cards, the TCC160 is built for that job. Above that ceiling a sending card plus receiving card system is the right architecture — see how that compares in the NovaStar VX1000 Pro controller guide.

The table below reproduces the TCC160’s published specification set, so you can check a project against the card’s real limits rather than a marketing summary.

• Images: JPEG and JPG (JFIF 1.02, sRGB and Adobe RGB), BMP, PNG and WEBP from 64×64 to 4096×2304 pixels; GIF from 64×64 to 1920×1088 pixels.
• Video: H.265/HEVC up to 4096×2304 @ 60 fps at 100 Mbps, H.264 up to 4096×2304 @ 30 fps at 60 Mbps, MPEG4 and VP8 up to 1920×1088 @ 60 fps, VP9 up to 4096×2304 @ 30 fps.
• Containers: MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV and WEBM, depending on the codec.
• Storage expansion: USB drive from 2 GB to 128 GB, FAT32 or NTFS, with a single file larger than 0 KB and smaller than 4 GB.

Two practical notes: videos between 2K and 4K are converted to 4K during playback, and enabling synchronous playback across multiple screens halves the decoding capability of the card.

Most installation questions about the TCC160 come down to which socket does what. This is the connector map taken from NovaStar’s documentation.

Wiring tips. Keep the supply inside the 5–12 V DC range and size it for the card’s 12 W maximum consumption. Fit the supplied antenna before powering up if you intend to use Wi-Fi. Use the ETHERNET port for commissioning and the LED OUT port for cascading, and label the cables as you run them, because the receiving card’s mapping function uses the same port numbering when you need to find a cabinet later. For the module-side connections, our guide to connecting a NovaStar controller to the control computer covers the same NovaLCT workflow in more detail.

Setup follows six steps: power and cabling, first connection, screen configuration, content publishing, remote access and monitoring.

• Power: connect a 5–12 V DC supply to the Power connector.
• Screen: run HUB75E cables from the card’s 16 HUB75E connectors to your LED modules.
• Network, choose one: an Ethernet cable from your router or switch to the ETHERNET port, or the supplied Wi-Fi antenna on the Wi-Fi Antenna connector.

• Power on the card. The red PWR indicator lights up when the power supply is working correctly, and the green SYS indicator flashes once every 2 seconds when the system is functioning normally.
• On a phone, tablet or computer, look for a Wi-Fi network whose SSID is the model name plus the last 8 digits of the serial number — for example TCC160 followed by the last 8 digits printed on the product label. The default password is printed on the SSID label.
• Connect, then open NovaLCT on your computer to discover and configure the card, or use the supported mobile app for quick publishing.

• In NovaLCT, set the screen parameters such as resolution, module type and data group configuration to match the hardware you installed.
• Build a playlist with your images and videos, then publish it to the card. Content can also be loaded from a USB drive.
• Check the RUN indicator: flashing once per second means the receiving card is working, the Ethernet cable connection is normal and there is a video input.

• Configure Wi-Fi Sta mode so the card joins the site network, or fit a separately purchased 4G module and SIM card where no wired or Wi-Fi network exists.
• Wi-Fi AP and Sta can run at the same time, so an installer can stay connected locally while the screen is also online.

• Register the screen with NovaStar’s cloud-based publishing and monitoring platform, then publish from any internet-connected device.
• Monitor temperature, voltage and Ethernet bit errors remotely, and use the relay output to schedule power on and off so the display runs only when it needs to.

• Adjust individual red, green and blue gamma, apply 18bit+ grayscale enhancement and select a standard or custom colour gamut such as Rec.709, DCI-P3 or Rec.2020.
• Rotate the image in 90° steps if the cabinets are mounted sideways, and enable low latency only when your modules use a driver IC with built-in RAM.

Five LEDs tell you almost everything about the state of the card. This is the official indicator behaviour.

Fast diagnosis. No image while RUN flashes three times every half second points to a content or configuration problem rather than a cabling problem. A dark PWR LED means the supply is outside the 5–12 V DC range or the wiring is reversed. SYS staying on or off is a system fault, so hold RESET for 5 seconds to restore factory settings and then re-import the screen configuration. A WiFi LED that stays on solid usually means the network name or password has changed, not a hardware failure.

Capacity is the question that decides whether the TCC160 fits a project, so it is worth working through the numbers before ordering.

Multiply the horizontal and vertical pixel count of the screen you plan to build and compare it with those figures. A 6 m × 3 m P4 screen, for instance, is 1,500 × 750 pixels, or 1,125,000 pixels, which is beyond both a single card and the 650,000-pixel cascading limit, so that project belongs on a sending card with receiving cards instead. A 3 m × 1.5 m P4 screen is 750 × 375 pixels, or 281,250 pixels, so it exceeds one card and needs two cascaded TCC160 units. Ultra-long strip displays, such as lamp-post or shelf signage, are where the TCC160’s 8,192-pixel width limit is genuinely useful. For larger video walls, compare the alternatives in our NovaStar H Series vs VX Series and VX1000 Pro vs VX1000 guides.

The TCC160 replaced a generation of all-in-one asynchronous cards and receiving cards that installers still encounter on site. Here is how the published specifications differ.

Comparison figures for the HD-C16C and 5A-75B come from those manufacturers’ published specifications and can change with hardware revision or firmware, so confirm the current datasheet with the vendor before you specify a project. Within NovaStar’s own range, the TB series covers larger asynchronous screens and the VX series covers processing and video walls, which is why it is worth reading our NovaStar TB10 Plus setup guide and TB30 guide before deciding.

Choose the TCC160 when the screen is a single, self-contained asynchronous display; the pixel budget fits inside 260,000 pixels per card or 650,000 pixels cascaded; you need content published remotely without a PC on site; the installation is space constrained, such as a lamp-post cabinet, a shop window or a vehicle-mounted screen; or you want straightforward sensor and relay integration through RS485 and the relay output.

Look elsewhere when the screen exceeds the cascading limit, when the job needs multiple live video inputs, or when a video wall must run at full decoding capacity with synchronised playback across several screens. Those projects belong on a sending card or video processor with receiving cards, for example the NovaStar VX1000 Pro combined with MRV412-N receiving cards, or a proven sending card such as the MSD600.

Typical TCC160 installations include retail storefront windows that update promotions from head office, vehicle-mounted and public transit displays that publish over 4G while on the move, community and corporate information boards that power themselves on and off on a schedule, and lamp-post or other digital out-of-home cabinets where space inside the cabinet is at a premium. In each case the value comes from publishing remotely without a computer on site and from monitoring hundreds of screens from a single dashboard.

If you are comparing software rather than hardware, our Viplex Express overview explains the publishing tools used with asynchronous cards, and the commercial LED display buyer’s checklist covers the specification questions to settle before you order a screen.

Sources and verification. The TCC160 specifications in this guide are taken from NovaStar’s official TCC160 Asynchronous Full-Color LED Display Control Card Specifications, document version V1.0.8 dated 31 July 2026, together with NovaStar’s product documentation for the Taurus series. Comparative figures for the Huidu HD-C16C and Colorlight 5A-75B are taken from those manufacturers’ published specifications. Hardware revisions, firmware versions and regional variants can change published values, so confirm the current datasheet with the manufacturer or your supplier before you specify or purchase hardware.