Bulletin Board Turbo — Internal Troubleshooting Manual
The Bulletin Board Turbo is a digital bulletin board powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 running LKT Signage on the Debian operating system. It displays content such as announcements, schedules, and media on any connected TV or monitor via HDMI.
The device only requires three things to function:
- A power source (supplied power adapter)
- An HDMI connection to a TV or monitor
- An internet connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
Top of device: A sticker displaying the Label King Turbo Communication Board name and support phone number.
Port side — ports:
Front of device — ports:
Label side: A label showing the store identifier and an 8-character code. This code can be used to re-register the device with the LKT Signage dashboard if needed.
Back of device: Contains the MicroSD card slot on the edge of the device. There is also a power/status light on the back that indicates whether the device is on and running.
Bottom of device: A pair of velcro strips for mounting the device to the back of a television. The MicroSD card slot is also located on the edge of the device — this is where the preinstalled OS card sits.
- Once powered on and connected to a TV via HDMI, a sample image should appear on the screen after booting.
- Content is managed remotely through the LKT Signage dashboard.
- The device must be connected to the internet to receive and display updated content.
Accessible at lktsignage.com — used to manage all content displayed on the Communication Boards.
- All content (videos, images, documents, etc.) is referred to as an asset and must be uploaded in the Assets section.
- When uploading, you can assign it to a category to make it easier to find and filter later.
- You can set the duration — how long each image or slide stays on screen.
- You can also set a start and/or end date to schedule when an asset will be active.
Once an asset is uploaded, it must be assigned to a playlist. The following playlists have been created:
- All Stores — content assigned here will play on all store boards.
- Individual store playlists — content assigned here will only play on that specific store's board.
- Playlists are assigned to groups. A group can have multiple playlists assigned to it.
- Groups are where you manage device settings such as resolution and screen orientation.
- Each player is assigned to a group.
- After uploading assets and assigning them to playlists and groups, you must deploy your changes for them to take effect.
- To deploy all groups at once: click Groups, then click the Deploy All button in the top right corner.
- To deploy a single group: click Groups, select the group, and deploy it individually.
- To see whether a board is online, click Players — each player has a status indicator showing whether it is online or offline.
- To see what is currently being displayed on a board, click Players, then click the >_ button next to that player. This opens the Pi Shell, which shows a live snapshot of the screen along with playlist controls and other options.
Verify the following before addressing any specific issue:
- The supplied power cable is securely connected to the device and a wall outlet — not a TV USB port.
- The red power light on the unit is on.
- The HDMI cable is firmly connected between the device and the TV.
- The TV is powered on and set to the correct HDMI input.
- The MicroSD card is fully inserted into the slot on the edge of the device.
- The TV volume is turned up if the content includes audio.
- Unplug the power cable from the device.
- Wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
- Wait up to 60 seconds for the device to fully boot.
- Power off the device by unplugging the power cable.
- Locate the MicroSD card slot on the edge of the device.
- Gently slide the SD card fully into the slot until it feels secure.
- Reconnect the power cable and wait up to 60 seconds to boot.
- Power off and remove the SD card by sliding it out.
- Visually inspect the card for cracks or damage to the gold contacts.
- Re-insert the card firmly and power the device back on.
The Raspberry Pi 4 requires a 5V / 3A USB-C power supply.
- Confirm the device is plugged into a wall outlet using the supplied power adapter.
- If a different adapter or cable is in use, switch back to the supplied one.
- Power the device on and wait up to 60 seconds.
- Confirm the power outlet works by plugging in another device.
- Test the USB-C power cable by using it to charge another device such as a phone or tablet — if it does not charge, the cable may be faulty and should be replaced.
- Make sure the USB-C power cable is firmly connected to the Raspberry Pi.
- Confirm the device is using the supplied power adapter plugged into a wall outlet.
- Try a different wall outlet if available.
- Confirm the HDMI cable is securely connected at both ends.
- Check that the TV is set to the correct input/source (e.g., HDMI 1, HDMI 2).
- If the correct input shows no signal, try switching to a different HDMI input on the TV and moving the cable to that port.
- Try a different Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable if one is available. Note that this cable type is not commonly available — if a spare is not on hand, skip this step.
- Power cycle the device (unplug power, wait 30 seconds, reconnect).
- Connect the device to a different TV or monitor if possible to determine whether the problem is the device or the display. If no other TV or monitor is available, the device should be replaced.
- Confirm the device has an active internet connection (see 5.6).
- Log in to the LKT Signage dashboard and verify the correct content or playlist is scheduled and published.
- Check whether the device shows as online in the dashboard.
- If online but content hasn't refreshed, manually deploy the group from the Groups page.
- If the device shows as offline, resolve the network connection first, then recheck.
- Confirm the internet connection is active at the device's location.
- If using Wi-Fi: follow the steps in 5.6.1 to configure or re-enter Wi-Fi credentials.
- If using Ethernet: check that the cable is firmly connected to both the Raspberry Pi and the router or network switch.
- Power cycle the device — this restarts the network connection as well.
- Log into the LKT Signage dashboard to confirm the device comes back online within a few minutes.
- Plug a USB keyboard into any available USB port on the device.
- Press F7 to bring up the settings page.
- Use the arrow keys to highlight WiFi Config and press Enter.
- Use the arrow keys to select the country and press Enter.
- Type in the network name (SSID) and press Enter.
- Type in the network password and press Enter.
- When asked if the network is hidden, answer accordingly and press Enter.
- The configuration will be saved and you will be returned to the settings screen.
- Press Tab to highlight Finish, then press Enter to restart the device.
Cause: This can occur when a system update overwrites the custom keymap configuration on the device.
The keymap can be restored by running a command through the LKT Signage dashboard. If you are unsure how to do this, please ask Jordan.
- Log in to lktsignage.com and click Players.
- Click the >_ button next to the affected player to open the Pi Shell.
- Paste the following command as a single line and click Execute:
- Connect an Ethernet cable from the device to any available port on a router or network switch.
- The device only needs power and Ethernet — it does not need to be connected to a TV or monitor.
- Wait a minute or two, then check the Players page in the LKT Signage dashboard.
- Once the device shows as online, follow the steps in 5.7 to run the command through the Pi Shell.
- Confirm Wi-Fi has been configured via F7 or that an Ethernet cable is securely connected.
- Power cycle the device and wait a few minutes for it to come back online.
- Check the Players page in the LKT Signage dashboard to see if the status indicator has changed.