NovaLCT screen configuration can seem complex for first-time users — but with the right steps, you can set up your LED display in under 30 minutes.
This guide walks you through the complete NovaLCT screen configuration process, including graphics card settings, sending card setup, receiving card configuration, and LED screen connection. Whether you are setting up a small indoor display or a large outdoor LED wall, the same four steps apply.
You will also find the latest NovaLCT software download links at the end of this page.
Table of Contents
Quick Answer: 4 Steps to Configure Your LED Screen:
Overview — 4 Steps to Configure Your LED Screen:
Step | Section | Key Action |
1 | Graphics Card Settings | Set display mode + resolution to 100% scale |
2 | Sending Card Settings | Match video source, resolution, and refresh rate |
3 | Receiving Card Configuration | Load RCFG file or use Read Back |
4 | LED Screen Connection | Fill rows/columns, Send to HW, verify with Enable Mapping |
Quick facts:
(1) Default login password: admin
(2) Latest version: NovaLCT V5.9.2 (Windows)
(3) Time needed: about 30 minutes for a standard LED screen
1. What Is Novastar NovaLCT?
NovaLCT is a free LED display configuration tool developed by Novastar. It works with receiving cards, monitoring cards, and multi-function cards to help you configure and manage LED screens.
Key functions include:
- Brightness adjustment
- Power supply control
- Error detection and diagnostics
- Smart settings for display calibration
System requirements before you start:
- A PC running Windows 7 or later
- The NovaLCT installation package (download link below)
- Antivirus software disabled during installation
1.1 How to Download Nova LCT Software?
How to install Nova LCT on your computer? Very simple:
(1) Go to Novastar download to download the latest version.
(2) Complete the full installation including add-on applications and drivers.
(3) When windows Firewall notification alarming, allow access.
2. Graphics Card Setting
Before opening NovaLCT, configure your PC graphics card output. This step ensures the LED screen displays images pixel-by-pixel without stretching or scaling artifacts.
2.1 Set the Display Mode
Right-click on your desktop and select Display Settings. You will see two display mode options:
- Duplicate mode — mirrors your desktop including icons. Recommended for first-time setup so you can verify the screen connection is correct.
- Extended mode — shows the desktop background only, no icons. Use this after setup is complete for production use.
2.2 Set Scale to 100%
Please right-click your mouse and then choose the display setting in the push-down list.
Then we will go to this interface, and please change the scale and layout settings to 100% without any scaling and stretch to make the display pixel by pixel to show the best image effect.
Now, after the graphics card settings, we can turn to the next step – NovaLCT software settings.
3. Sending Card Settings
With graphics card settings complete, open NovaLCT to begin the sending card configuration.
3.1 Log In to NovaLCT
First, you need to Log in the software.
Just choose the “user” on the navigation bar, then we will have three options in the drop-down list.
Note: If your sending card is already connected, NovaLCT works with the basic functions right away — no login needed. Login is only required for advanced functions: choose User > Advanced Synchronous System User Login and enter the password admin.
The first option in the list “advanced synchronous system UserLogin” is for the synchronous control method; the second one is for demonstrating software functions without connecting a real LED screen, and the third one “media player” mode is for the asynchronous control way. In this case, we will discuss the first mode.
Please notice the password is “admin”.
After we log in, the main interface will be like this:
For further operation, please click “screen configuration”.
You can also click the “view details of device” to find out more details such as which kind of sending cards we are using now and the number of sending cards.
After you click the screen configuration, you can get a pop-up page like this. And here are three boxes to be filled.
For the “select communication port”, you do not need to select the communication port if you only connect one sending card. And this is a common situation.
In this case, we will just configure the screen so we do not need to select the loaded configuration file. Then we will jump to the sending card setting window.
3.2 Configure the Sending Card — Video Source, Resolution, and Refresh Rate
First, we need to set up the source configuration. Just choose the corresponding video source such as HDMI or DVI, and then choose the right resolution.
Please make sure the chosen resolution is the same as the graphic card output resolution, and the refresh rate should be the same as the graphic card output, too.
Then we will click “set” to confirm the setting.
After this, please click the “refresh ” button in the top area that we marked to check whether the sending card resolution and graphic card output resolution are the same as we have to make sure the LED screen is displayed pixel by pixel.
Then, we can click “save” in the bottom area. You can do the setting following the sequence we mark in the screenshot.
Next, we will go to set the receiving card. Click the bottom to shift to the receiving card setting window.
4. Receiving Card Configuration
Here we get these parameters to set. This window has three parts like module information, cabinet information, and performance setting.
Please notice the “cabinet information” represents the receiving card loading information actually.
4.1 Load Parameters from an RCFG File
In this window, there are many parameters to be set. However, you don’t need to adjust them by yourself.
Commonly, the LED screen provider will provide you with the corresponding receiving card configuration file so you just need to choose “load from file” to load the parameters on the window bottom.
After loading the rcfg file, please make step 2, which will send the parameters to the receiving card.
Here we get the pop-up option to let us choose from sending the data to all receiving card, specify receiving card or reset starting coordinate. If you just set the parameters at the first time, we need to send the data to all receiving cards directly.
So, what are the functions of the other two options?
For sending to specify receiving card, it mainly happens when changing a new receiving card or some parts of the screen showing different effects. And the latter one is mainly for troubleshooting.
Of course, do not forget to save the setting.
4.2 No RCFG File? Use Read Back
If you do not have the rcfg file, you can still read back the data from the receiving card if the LED display screen can show the normal images after lighting up and connecting to the LED control system.
That is because, when you light up the LED display, and it still can show the images normally, it means there are parameters set in the receiving card so you can just read back to get the file and save it. And next time when we need to change a new receiving card, we can just load the file we obtained and set it to the new receiving card.
Just achieve it like the picture shows.
After we finish the receiving card setting, we will turn to the next step – LED screen connection to let customers get the pictures they truly want.
5. LED Screen Connection
After we complete the receiving card configuration, the LED display still can not show the complete images of our controlling computer because of the lack of LED screen connection, and each cabinet will show the same image.
It will only show the top-left part of the desktop like the pictures above. And only after we finish the LED screen connection, we will get the whole entire images on the LED screen display.
So, how to do that? Let us turn to the screen connection interface.
5.1 Screen Connection Setup
Here we list these steps firstly, and we will explain the meanings of them then.
Step 1: Choose how many quantities of the LED screen. Normally, the quantity is one. And then click the “configure.”
Step 2: fill in area 2 with the number of LED display cabinets or receiving cards. In this case, we have 4 receiving cards in columns, and 2 receiving cards in rows.
Step 3: select the sending card number.
Step 4: choose the receiving card size according to the cabinet information on the former page of receiving card configuration interface.
Step 5: make the LED screen connection manually, or just choose the quick connection.
Step 6: send the data to HW, meaning sending the data to hardware, and it will be stored in the sending card automatically.
Of course, do not forget to save the setting.
You can also click “save to file” because when the sending cards are changed or advanced for some other functions, it will save you some time cause you will not need to send the screen connection again. And just click “load from file” you can achieve the setting again.
For the logic of how to arrange the screen connection, here are some knowledge points for you to learn. Please jump to the: LED Display Connection to know more!
5.2 Enable Mapping — Verify Your Connection Layout
This is a very useful function to help us know the screen connection well. Just click in, the software will tell you how the connection laying out.
For example, if there is a rental LED screen, and the technician on-site does not know the sequence of the connection, then the “enable mapping” can help him to know this quickly.
The “P” represents the serial number of the output port that each receiving card is connecting to, and the hashtag plus the numbers mean the orders of receiving cards.
Please be noticed that this function is not supported by all receiving card series, you can ask the staff online or read the product introduction to know it exactly.
5.3 Detect Communication Status — Troubleshoot Connection Issues
If you click the button on area 3 which is named “detect communication status”, there will be a pop-up window to tell you the connection status of all the receiving cards.
As you can see, if it shows green, meaning all the connection is good. But if we find some items showing red, then we should check the connection status such as the connection with the ethernet cables.
This function can help us do the troubleshooting easily. If you are doing the screen connection the first time, then you should try to use this function.
6. Conclusion
Now, we have already known the basic steps to configure LED screen, and these steps can help you to solve most regular LED screen projects.
We can make a simple conclusion of the four basic parts – graphics card setting, sending card setting, receiving card setting, and LED screen connection.
(1) For the graphics card configuration, there are displaying modes and display settings for you to choose from. Please make sure the steps that can enable your LED display boards displayed pixel-by-pixel.
(2) For the sending card setting, fill in the right video resolution, resolution and refresh rate.
(3) For the receiving card configuration, you can load in the parameters from the rcfg file. But if you do not have such file, try to read back the parameters.
(4) For the LED display connection, please fill in the right information such as the quantity of screen, columns and rows of receiving cards and so on. Please notify there are two very useful functions – “Enable Mapping” and “Detect Communication Status.”
If you want to know more basic knowledge of LED screen connection, which part you need to take some time to study and practice too, you can turn to our LED FAQ page to find the corresponding article.
Now, I believe you already have more insights of LED screen configuration and NovaLCT screen configuration. You can practice by yourself now to get the right setting because you are an expert already! Want more useful posts? Just click the pull-down list below to read!
7. Novastar NovaLCT Download
You can download the latest NovaLCT V5.9.2 from this page — the most up-to-date stable release recommended for all users. V5.8.1 is also available as the previous stable release.
Legacy versions (V5.4.4.6, V5.2.0, V5.1.0, V5.0.0) and the NovaLCT-Pluto V5.1.0 for Pluto series controllers are also available below.
NovaLCT V5.4.4.6 Update Log:
[Supported Devices]
1. Supported synchronous controllers
MCTRL300/MCTRL R5/MCTRL500/MCTRL600/MCTRL660/MCTRL700/MCTRL4K/MCTRL660 PRO
2. Supported video controllers
NovaPro UHD/NovaPro UHD Jr/VX4S-N/VX16s/Novastar VX1000/K4S-N/VX400S/VS1/VS2/VS3/VS7/H series/C1/N9/J6
3. Supported multimedia players
TB1/TB2/TB3/TB4/TB6/TB8/TB30/TB40/TB50/TB60/JT100/JT50/TCC70/JT200/JT20
[Bug Fixes]
1. Fixed the problem that the fault diagnosis fails on nodes outside of China.
[Notes]
1. NovaLCT is available only for Windows 7 and later.
2. When the receiving card firmware program does not support the chips of SHIXIN TECHNOLOGY, the content displayed in NovaLCT after the receiving card parameters are read back is unreliable. The receiving card firmware program must be updated to support those chips.
7.1 SmartLCT Download
Also we provide SmartLCT – an another professional Novastar software for you to download. You can find SmartLCTV3.5.3 for Windows and Mac operation systems.
8. FAQs
The default password for Advanced Synchronous System User Login is admin.
Try the following in order:
- Confirm the sending card is powered on and the USB or Ethernet cable is connected to your PC
- Disable your antivirus software — some antivirus programs block the NovaLCT driver from communicating with hardware
- Reinstall NovaLCT and make sure to install all add-on drivers during setup
- Try a different USB port or cable
- Open Device Manager on Windows and check for driver errors on the sending card device
Both are free Novastar configuration tools, but they serve different purposes:
•NovaLCT — primary tool for full LED screen configuration including sending cards, receiving cards, and screen connection. Works on Windows only.
•SmartLCT — focuses on LED cabinet commissioning and module-level calibration. Available for both Windows and macOS. Better suited for on-site maintenance and fine-tuning.
For initial screen setup, use NovaLCT. For brightness uniformity calibration and module replacement, SmartLCT is more appropriate.
Use the Read Back function in NovaLCT (covered in Section 4.2). As long as your LED screen is displaying an image — even an incorrect one — the receiving card contains parameters that can be read back and saved as an RCFG file.
This is usually a screen connection issue. Check the following:
•Verify the number of columns and rows in the Screen Connection window matches your physical cabinet layout
•Use Enable Mapping to check whether each cabinet is assigned the correct position
•Use Detect Communication Status to confirm all receiving cards are connected — a red status on one card will break the display chain
•Check the Ethernet cable on any red-status receiving cards
If you still have problems, please check this video
More Useful Articles!
NovaStar MCTRL600 Specs, Setup & Price Guide
NovaStar MCTRL600 guide covering specs, setup, price, cascading, resolution, connections, and MCTRL600 vs MCTRL660, plus manuals and downloads.
Novastar VX1000 All-in-One Controller — Full Guide, Specs & Price
Novastar VX1000 all-in-one LED controller: specs, features, price, and setup guide for stage, rental, and fine-pitch LED screens.
NovaStar VX600 All-in-One LED Controller: Specs & Manual
NovaStar VX600 all-in-one LED controller — 3.9M pixels, 6 Ethernet ports. Full specs, working modes, firmware download and price inside.
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