AJA HA5-FIBER Operation Guide

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter

HDMI to 3G-SDI over Fiber

Installation & Operation Guide

Version 1.0
Published: June 24, 2016

Table of Contents

Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Contacting Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Block Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

User Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Mini-Config Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

USB Control and Setup—Using AJA Mini-Config. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Acquiring Mini-Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Mini-Converter Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Installing Mini-Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

PC Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Mac Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Running Mini-Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

PC Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Mac Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Saving Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Operating Mini-Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Running Multiple Mini-Converters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tabbed Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Input Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Output Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Audio Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Update Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Software Update Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Info Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Appendix A: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Input Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Output Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Video Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Video Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Optical Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Size (w x d x h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Appendix B: Safety and Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Compliance Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

2

Class A Interference Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

FCC Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Canadian ICES Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

European Union and European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Regulatory Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Recycling Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Korea KCC Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Taiwan Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Japanese Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Translated Warning and Caution Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Before Operation Please Read These Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

3

Notices

Trademarks

AJA® and Because it matters.® are registered trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for use with
most AJA products. AJA™ is a trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for use with recorder, router,
software and camera products. Because it matters.™ is a trademark of AJA Video Systems, Inc. for
use with camera products.

CION®, Corvid Ultra®, lo®, Ki Pro®, KONA®, KUMO®, ROI® and T-Tap® are registered trademarks of AJA
Video Systems, Inc.

AJA Control Room™, FiDO™, KiStor™, Science of the Beautiful™, TruScale™, TruZoom™, V2Analog™
and V2Digital™ are trademarks of AJA Video Systems, Inc.

AirPort, Apple, Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, FireWire, iPod, iPod touch, Mac, Macintosh and
ProRes, are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Final Cut Pro, QuickTime and QuickTime logo are
trademarks of Apple Inc.

Avid, Avid DNxHD and Media Composer are registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.
Adobe is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other

countries.
HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered

trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC.
DVI is a registered trademark of DDWG.
TASCAM is a registered trademark of TEAC Corporation.
Dolby and the double-D Dolby logo are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing

Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Copyright

Contacting Support

Telephone: [phone]

FAX : [phone]

Web: http://www.aja.com

Support Email: [e-mail]

Sales Email: [e-mail]

Copyright © 2016 AJA Video Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All information in this
manual is subject to change without notice. No part of the document may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying or recording, without the express written permission of AJA
Video Systems, Inc.

When calling for support, have all information at hand prior to calling. To contact AJA for
sales or support, use any of the following methods:

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

4

Chapter 1: Introduction

Overview

The HA5-Fiber converts HDMI to 3G, HD, or SD SDI over Fiber ST connector output. Up to
eight channels of HDMI audio are embedded into the fiber output allowing a convenient
single cable audio/video connection. Two external analog audio inputs can replace two
of these embedded audio channels, if desired. The HA5-Fiber supports long HDMI cables
on the input. The HA5-Fiber is useful for connecting HDMI cameras and other sources to
SDI capture cards and equipment.

Features • HDMI to 3G, HD, or SD SDI over Fiber ST connector output (see "Appendix A:

Specifications on page 18" for a complete list of supported inputs).

• Full 10-bit Conversion

• Full HDMI support including embedded audio

• Equalized HDMI input supports long HDMI cables up to 30m

• PLL clock filtering for low jitter SDI outputs

• Lock LED shows type of input source: SD (green), HD (red), or 3G (amber)

• Unbalanced analog audio input (2 RCA)

• Accepts 8 channels of HDMI embedded audio

• Outputs 8 channels of SDI embedded audio (Channels 1-8 or 9-16)

• HDMI cable supplied

• Uses universal input +5V power supply AJA model DWP-U-R1 (included)

NOTE: The HA5-Fiber will not pass HDMI video with HDCP copy protection.

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

5

Block Diagram

A/D

Converter

8 Channel

Audio Sample Rate

Converter

Embed

Audio

HDMI

Processing

HDMI

Receiver

HDMI Cable

Equalizer

HDMI

In

Analog

Audio In 1

(RCA)

Analog

Audio In 2

(RCA)

USB Port

(connect to

PC or Mac)

Video

Audio

MiniCong Contro l

ST Fiber

Out

Power LED

Fiber ST

connector

output

USB Port

Signal Presence

Lock LED

DC Power Input

HDMI Input
Connector

2 Channel
Unbalanced
Analog
Audio In
(RCA Jacks)

Audio

Figure 1. HA5-Fiber Converter, Simplified Block Diagram

The HA5-Fiber converter supports 8 audio channels (4 stereo pairs) at 24-bit/48 KHz
which it dis-embeds from HDMI and embeds into SDI. For proper embedding, audio
must be synchronous to video. If audio is not synchronous with video or the sample rate
is not 48 KHz, then Mini-Config must be used to set the Sample Rate Converter to convert
audio to 24-bit/48 KHz and then synchronize it with input video before embedding.

I/O Connections

Figure 2. HA5-Fiber Converter

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

NOTE: The Lock LED indicates valid input video by color. Green is SD video, red is HD video,

amber is 3G video, off is no input.

6

User Controls

Mini-Config Control Auto controls configures the unit automatically to match the input and output video

parameters. Advanced Mini-Config control supports setting the RGB video range, and
adjusting audio input, conversion, and routing to embedded HDMI audio.

Configuration set via Mini-Config is stored in the HA5-Fiber unit through subsequent
power cycles.

Installation

Typically, HA5-Fiber installation consists of the following steps:

1. Ensure the converter is disconnected from power.

2. Connect equipment to the converter HDMI input connector, the 3G, HD-SDI or SD-

SDI over Fiber ST output connector, and the analog audio inputs (if used).

3. Connect audio equipment to RCA connectors (optional)

4. Apply power to the converter (AJA power supply included).

5. The converter will now run using the default factory settings. If you wish to alter the

factory settings, you’ll need to:

• Install the AJA Mini-Config software on your computer

• Attach the converter via USB

• Make your changes using Mini-Config setup screens.

6. This process is detailed in "Chapter 2: Operation on page 8".

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

7

Chapter 2: Operation

USB Control and Setup—Using AJA Mini-Config

Your AJA Mini-Converter can be used right out of the box for some applications since it is
designed to recognize inputs and perform standard actions automatically by default.
However, to use its full capability, you must use AJA’s Mini-Config software application
for PCs and Macs. This same application can be used to update to new Mini-Converter
software released by AJA.

Acquiring Mini­Config

Mini-Converter

Documentation

AJA’s Mini-Config application is available for download from the AJA website.

To download the latest Mini-Config package, which includes the Mini-Config application,
Mini-Converter firmware, and documentation, go to:

https://www.aja.com/en/products/mini-converters/mini-config-software

Select either the Windows or Mac icon to download the desired version.

Included with the Mini-Config package is a complete set of documentation for all Mini­Converters supported by Mini-Config. A .PDF of the Installation and Operation Guide for
the currently connected Mini-Converter can be accessed from the Mini-Config UI via the
Help/Manual drop-down menu.

Documentation for all AJA Mini-Converters that use Mini-Config can also be accessed
directly in the Mini-Config download package Documentation folder, and via the
Documentation icon available on the Mac installer.

Documentation (and firmware) included with the Mini-Config application are the
versions available at the time of distribution. However, Mini-Converter software,
firmware and documentation are updated regularly, so newer versions may exist.

To download the latest documentation for an individual Mini-Converter, go to:

https://www.aja.com/en/category/mini-converters

and navigate to the Support webpage of that Mini-Converter.

Installing Mini­Config

PC Installation To install Mini-Config on a Windows PC:

1. Download the application from the AJA website (select the Windows icon on the

Mini-Config Support webpage).

2. Open the AJA_MiniConfig.zip file

3. Double-click on the MiniInstaller.msi file.

4. A Setup Wizard will guide you through the installation.

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

8

Figure 3. Mini-Config PC Setup Wizard

5. Click Next to begin. Answer the questions in the subsequent dialogues. When

finished, an AJA Mini-Config shortcut will be installed on the desktop, and you will be
able to locate the Mini-Config application in the AJA folder in the Programs listing.

NOTE: If the Mini-Config application already exists on the PC, a different Setup Wizard appears.

Figure 4. Mini-Config Setup Wizard, Reinstallation

With this screen you can Repair (reinstall) or Remove (uninstall) Mini-Config on the PC.

Mac Installation To install the application on a Mac:

NOTE: Macintosh computers must be Intel-based (G5, G4 and earlier models will not work with Mini-

Config).

1. Download the application from the AJA website (select the Apple icon on the Mini-

Config Support webpage).

2. Open the AJA_MiniConfig folder.

3. Double-click on the AJAMiniConfig.dmg file.

4. Answer the prompt and a utility program will be launched.

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

9

Figure 5. Mini-Config Mac Installer

5. To complete the installation drag the “MiniConfig.app” icon to the Applications

folder.

Running Mini­Config

PC Startup To run Mini-Config on a PC, double-click on the AJA Mini-Config icon on your desktop, or

Mac Startup To run Mini-Config on a Mac, open the Applications folder and locate the AJA Mini-

Connect the Mini-Converter to the PC or Mac via the supplied USB cable. Connect the
external power supply (supplied) to the Mini-Converter.

open the AJA folder in the program list and click on the AJA Mini-Config application
located inside the Mini-Config folder.

Config application. Double-click the application to launch it.

Saving Setups A File drop down menu on the Mini-Config application bar allows you to save the current

state of the Mini-Converter to a preset file for later recall.

HA5-Fiber Mini-Converter v1.0 www.aja.com

10