Contemporary Research 232-MCT User Manual

Product Manual

232-MCT

Mono Caption Tuner
Ver.5.1 March 7, 2013

4355 Excel Pkwy, Suite 600, Addison, TX, 75001

Phone: [phone] • Toll-Free: 888-972-2728 • Fax: [phone]

E-Mail: [e-mail] • Website: www.crwww.com

Table of Contents

Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Specifications ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Physical ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Front Panel .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Rear Panel ............................................................................................................................................... 4

Internal Character Generator/Captioning .................................................................................................... 4

RF Tuner .................................................................................................................................................. 5

Includes ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Options .................................................................................................................................................... 5

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................. 5

Tuner Setup ......................................................................................................................................... 6

Tuner Helper ............................................................................................................................................ 6

Terminal .................................................................................................................................................. 7

RS-232 Control Protocol ..................................................................................................................... 8

Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 8

General protocol specifications .................................................................................................................. 8

Command String Structure ........................................................................................................................ 8

Command and Status Response ................................................................................................................ 8

RS-232 Commands ................................................................................................................................... 9

Character Generator Commands ............................................................................................................... 11

Keypad Channel Command ...................................................................................................................... 12

IC-RC Remote Emulation.......................................................................................................................... 12

Tune Ring Commands and Replies ............................................................................................................ 13

Terminal Communication Commands ........................................................................................................ 13

RS-232 Command Hints and Tips .............................................................................................................. 13

Response Strings .............................................................................................................................. 14

Channel/Source Status Response String (T): ............................................................................................. 14

Audio Status Response String (V): ............................................................................................................ 14

Front Panel Mode Status Response String (S): ........................................................................................... 14

RS-232 Cable Connections ................................................................................................................ 15

Single Tuner ............................................................................................................................................ 15

Multiple Tuners........................................................................................................................................ 15

Rack Mounting .................................................................................................................................. 16

RK1 Single Unit Rack Mount ..................................................................................................................... 16

RK2 Side-by-Side Rack Kit ........................................................................................................................ 16

Safety Instructions ........................................................................................................................... 17

Limited Warranty and Disclaimer ..................................................................................................... 18

Contemporary Research 2 232-MCT Mono Caption Tuner

Overview

The Contemporary Research 232-MCT is an economical RS-232/IR controlled video tuner featuring mono audio, 125­channel access in CATV, HRC, or IRC modes, closed captioning and intelligent control. Fully programmable, the unit
can restore all settings on power-up from non-volatile memory. A list of accessible channels, called channel rings, can
be stored in memory, used for convenient channel up/down control and to control direct access to unlisted channels.
Switchable inputs for NTSC video and mono audio are included for display of PC graphics, a character generator
information channel, camera or other A/V sources.

An onboard character generator displays on-screen text for closed captioning, channel names, and text from a custom
control system. Full setup, control, and feedback is provided by RS-232. Up to nine 232-series tuners can be
controlled from a single RS-232 port. In addition, remote tuning ring channel up and down operation can be accessed
through contact closure inputs. Enjoy a full range of wireless control with the optional IC-RC IR Wireless Remote.

 Interacts with PCs and control systems via RS-232, using simple ASCII-format commands and feedback, up to

9 tuners can be linked to a single RS-232 control port; AMX, Crestron, or RTI modules available.

 Tunes 125 channels CATV, HRC, or IRC modes, using true synchronous video detection and intercarrier SAW

filter – channel 126 selects the composite input.

 Stores programmable tuning ring in memory to control channel access
 Receives IR commands from front-panel sensor and wired IR input on the back, also responds to Sharp IR TV

commands

 Accesses tuning ring channel up/down from contact closure inputs

 Displays closed-captioning text, on-screen channel names, and on-screen text from custom control systems
 Inserts blue screen video image when unit senses loss of video level

 Restores all operation status after loss of power from data stored in non-volatile memory
 Mutes both audio and video, variable volume control
 Switches between tuner and external A/V input (video and audio inputs, can convert stereo to mono)
 Mounts in 19" rack with optional RK1 or RK2 kit for dual side-by-side installation
 Setup available via RS-232 using free Tuner Helper software, a Terminal application, or by custom system

programming

 Integrates with 232-AMP for educational applications, pole mount bracket available
 Firmware updateable via local PC over RS-232

Firmware Versions:

V5.1 Adds RS-232 command for setting Unit#, enables use of fully-wired RS-232 cables (ignores voltage on pins 4
and 9).

Contemporary Research 3 232-MCT Mono Caption Tuner

Specifications

Physical
Size: 8.5" [216mm] wide x 1.75" [38mm] height (1RU) x 6.0" [153mm] deep

Weight: 1.5 lbs [0.68kg]
Enclosure: All aluminum with durable black powder coat paint
Mounting: Rack mounting for one or two units side-by-side optional (RK1, RK2)

Front Panel

IR Sensor: Receives 57 KHz IR commands, CR mode 9 or Sharp TV
Power LED: Green LED behind IR window lights when power is on (AV unmuted)

Rear Panel

Power In: 2.1mm coaxial jack (inside center conductor positive), 350 mA maximum

10.5 to 14.5 VDC, 12 VDC typical (may be unregulated)
RS-232 Control: DB-9 male connector
User selectable 300 to 19,200 (9600 default) baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit
Employs standard ASCII strings from any terminal program, PC, or control system
Can accept non-standard RS-232, including 0 to +5 VDC operation
Integrates with 232-AMP, daisy-chain RS-232, set tuner to Unit 2
Closures: 2 momentary closure inputs - Channel Up (Pin 4), Down (Pin 9), GND (Pin 5)
IR In: 3.5mm stereo jack for optional IR-RXC IR Receiver
Sleeve= DC power+ from power jack input, limited to less than 100mA
Ring=DC power– (GND)
Tip= IR data signal
Antenna/Cable: ‘F’, female, 75 ohm impedance
AV Input: 1 RCA female NTSC composite, 2 RCA mono audio (mixes stereo input to mono)
Video Output: RCA female, NTSC composite, 75 ohm impedance, 1V peak-to-peak typical

Audio Outputs: 2 RCA female, mono, unbalanced, 330 ohms impedance

(they are marked Left/Right, but both provide the same mono output)
Response: Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) 0.5%, 0.1% typical 20Hz to 20KHz
Level: +8dBu, (2V RMS), 0 to -70 dB and mute, 64 steps

Internal Character Generator/Captioning

Characters: ASCII
Format: White text over video or white text with black background over video,
Up to 32 characters, 13 lines
Function: Closed captioning, channel labels, interactive menus, messages, and system feedback
Captioning: Modes CC1-CC4, TT1-TT4, On/On with Mute/Off modes, CG text times out to show

captioning

Contemporary Research 4 232-MCT Mono Caption Tuner

Specifications

RF Tuner

Frequency Range: NTSC television 55.25 to 801.25 MHz, 62.5KHZ fine tune resolution
Maximum Input: Maximum Input: +20dBmV max, +10dBmV nominal*
Video Gain: ±5% maximum, 2% typical
Video Phase: ±3 degrees maximum, 2 degrees typical

Includes

12 VDC power supply, 500 mA min (North American shipments only)

Options

CC-232 RS-232 Control Cable (specify make and model)
RK1 Kit for mounting single unit in 19” rack, RK2 Kit for mounting two units side-by-side in 19” rack
IC-RC IR Wireless Remote
PMT-1 Pole Mount Bracket can mount tuner (and 232-AMP) to a video projector pole.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: Problems with Cable Channels

There are three types of cable channel systems, Cable, IRC, and HRC. While the Cable setting works for over 90% of
installations, there are a few cable systems set for IRC and HRC channel frequencies. Here’s how to tell which is which:

 IRC– Channels 5 and 6 are missing. Change to IRC and they will appear.
 HRC – None of the channels tune in, or they are noisy or lack audio. Change to HRC.

Symptom: Need to change Unit # of Tuner

See Page 9 for S2 RS-232 command.

Symptom: How do I select the composite input?

Select Channel 126.

Contemporary Research 5 232-MCT Mono Caption Tuner

Tuner Setup

There are several ways you can set up the 232-MCT tuner via RS-232.

Tuner Helper

Download this easy-to-use free software tool (Version 3.2.0) from the bottom of the www.crwww.com home
page, or the Downloads page. The three tabs you’ll use are:

 Control – Acts a test control panel, sets up TV Standard and Volume.
 Setup – Channel ID text and define list of channels (tune ring)
 Text – sets closed captioning operation
 COM – defines RS-232 port or IP port for communication

All changes are live, so your changes are real-time. You can save your setup to a file, then use to clone
identical tuners.

Contemporary Research 6 232-MCT Mono Caption Tuner