Sports Radar DL431-R 4 Inch Red LED Speed Display
The Sports Radar DL431-R is a three digit red LED speed display that takes the reading off a radar gun and puts it in front of everyone at once. The digits stand 4 inches tall and stay legible at about 200 feet in shaded light across a wide viewing angle, so the pitcher on the mound, the coach behind the net and the line of players waiting a turn all see the same number at the same moment. For indoor cages, bullpens, speed pitch booths and tryout stations, this is the display most baseball programs start with.
Be clear on one thing before ordering: a display is not a radar. The DL431-R shows what a radar sends it, so a working setup takes three parts. You need this display, a speed source such as the SR3600 gun, the SR3800 gun or a DT100 speed detector, and an RJ45 cable to connect the two. Bought on its own the display arrives without a power supply and without a cable. To get the whole setup under a single part number instead, the SRDL-36-KIT packages a gun, this display, an adapter and a 25 foot cable together.
Readable Across the Whole Facility
Three 4 inch digits carry to roughly 200 feet in shaded light, which covers the length of most indoor facilities and the crowd standing around a speed pitch booth. Red LEDs hold their contrast at an angle as well as head on, so people off to the side of the board still read the number cleanly instead of crowding in front of it. Three digits also means the display reads up to 999, so no baseball pitch, throw or batted ball will ever run off the end of the board.
Sunlight is the honest limit. LEDs wash out in direct sun, and this is the model built for indoor and shaded use: under a roof, down a tunnel, in the shade of a backstop or inside a booth. It is not waterproof either, so keep it clean and dry and bring it in after a session. When the audience sits farther back than 200 feet, the 8 inch DL834 carries to about 350 feet, and the SRDL-836-KIT pairs that larger board with a gun.
Power and Wiring on the DL431-R
The display runs on 6 to 14 VDC and draws 0.5 A at high brightness or 0.3 A at normal brightness. No adapter is in the box, so add the 9V wall adapter for indoor work, or the 12V automotive adapter to run the board from a vehicle outlet at a field or an event. Both are on the Sports Radar power adapters page. The power jack is a 5.5 x 5.0 mm barrel with a 2.1 mm center post wired center negative, which is worth knowing before anyone substitutes a generic adapter out of a drawer.
Speed data arrives on an RJ45 8/8 jack as a standard RS232 serial signal at 1200 baud, the format every Sports Radar gun and detector puts out. Shielded RJ45 cable comes in 25 foot and 50 foot lengths and stacks to a 100 foot maximum run, with an RJ45 coupler at each join.
There is a second way to power the board. It can draw power through the data cable from the radar gun rather than from its own outlet, which solves the cage where the only power is at the gun end. Three conditions come with that arrangement: the cable run is limited to 50 feet, the gun has to be on external power rather than internal batteries, and the gun needs to be switched on before the cable is plugged in. Brightness can drop slightly when the display is fed this way.
Mounting Options
A 1/4-20 tripod nut is threaded into the bottom of the case and two hanging brackets are built into the back, so the display either sits on a stand or hangs flat on a wall with no extra hardware. At 1.5 pounds it is light enough for a standard radar tripod, and the 4 inch table top stand is the tidy answer for a scorer's table, a booth counter or a shelf at the front of a cage.
What the DL431-R Works With
Any Sports Radar gun or detector with a data port drives this board: the SR3600 and SR3800 guns, the DT100, DT200 and DT300 speed detectors, and the NFSC radar units. Two exceptions matter. The older SR3500 needs a wireless link kit to reach the display, and the SRA3000 Tracer guns cannot drive a remote display at all, since a Tracer is self contained with its own readout. If a Tracer is what you own, a DT100 detector is a straightforward way to feed a board.
Who This Display Is For
Indoor baseball facilities hang it at the end of a tunnel so a pitcher gets a number after every pitch without breaking rhythm to ask for it. Travel and high school baseball programs use it at tryouts and showcase stations, where a visible board keeps a line of players moving and gives coaches and parents the same reading at the same time. Speed pitch booths at fundraisers, fairs and team events get the most obvious benefit, because the number is the attraction and it has to be visible to the people waiting in line, not just the operator.
It also earns a place in a cage or a bullpen for one quiet reason: the pitcher stops looking at the coach. A speed read out loud is a conversation. A number on the wall is feedback, and that shows up in how many pitches a bullpen gets through.
Setting Up the DL431-R
Position the board where the athlete and the audience both have a clean sight line, generally beside or slightly behind the target so nobody looks away from the action to read it. Mount it on the wall hangers, the tripod or the table top stand, then run the RJ45 cable from the gun or detector to the display and plug in the adapter. Speeds appear as the radar reports them, with no menus to work through on the display end.
Plan the cable distance before install day. Measure the run from the radar to the board, order cable to match with a little slack, and remember the 100 foot ceiling on a stacked run. If the board hangs high on a wall, angle it down toward eye level and keep it clear of direct sun.
Sports Radar DL431-R Specifications
- Display: three red LED digits, 4 inches tall, reads up to 999
- Viewing distance: about 200 feet in shaded light, wide viewing angle
- Best environment: indoor or shaded areas, not waterproof
- Enclosure: 12.25 in wide, 6.375 in high, 1.5 in deep
- Weight: 1.5 lb
- Power input: 6 to 14 VDC, 0.5 A at high brightness, 0.3 A at normal brightness
- Power jack: 5.5 x 5.0 mm barrel, 2.1 mm center post, center negative
- Data input: RJ45 8/8 jack, RS232 serial at 1200 baud
- Cable: shielded RJ45 in 25 foot and 50 foot lengths, stackable to a 100 foot maximum run
- Mounting: 1/4-20 tripod nut on the bottom, two hanging brackets on the back
- Operating temperature: 40 to 110 F
- Storage temperature: 30 to 125 F
- Compatible sources: SR3600, SR3800, DT100, DT200 and DT300 detectors, NFSC radar units
- Warranty: 1 year limited
- Made in the USA
What's Included
The box holds the DL431-R display and its instruction manual. It does not include a power supply, a data cable or a radar of any kind. Order the 9V wall adapter, the cable length that matches your install and a gun or detector alongside it, or take the SRDL-36-KIT, which arrives with all four pieces already matched.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the DL431-R come with a power supply?
No. It ships without an adapter. The 9V wall adapter is the one to order with it for indoor use, and the 12V automotive adapter runs it from a vehicle outlet. The display accepts anything between 6 and 14 VDC.
Do I need a cable, and how far can the display sit from the gun?
A cable is required and is not in the box. Shielded RJ45 cable comes in 25 foot and 50 foot lengths and stacks to a 100 foot maximum run between the radar and the display, with a coupler at each join.
Can I power the display from the gun instead of a wall outlet?
Yes, over the RJ45 data cable, with three conditions: the run is limited to 50 feet, the gun must be on external power rather than internal batteries, and the gun must be switched on before the cable is plugged in. Expect a small drop in brightness.
Will it work outside in the sun?
Not well. LEDs wash out in direct sunlight, so this board belongs indoors or in shade. It is also not waterproof, so keep it dry and bring it in when you are done.
Which radar guns and detectors work with it?
The SR3600 and SR3800 guns, the DT100, DT200 and DT300 detectors, and the NFSC radar units. The SR3500 needs a wireless link kit to connect, and the SRA3000 Tracer guns cannot drive a remote display at all.
How do I mount it?
Two ways come built in: a 1/4-20 tripod nut on the bottom of the case and two hanging brackets on the back for flat wall mounting. A tripod or the 4 inch table top stand covers portable setups.