Contemporary Research 232-STS User Manual

Product Manual

232-STS

Stereo S-Video TV Tuner
Version 4.5 May 24 , 2008

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

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

New Features (Rev 3.4-4.0) ...................................................................................................................... 3

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

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

RF Tuner .................................................................................................................................................. 4

IC-RC Remote Control (IC-RC Optional) ..................................................................................................... 4

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

Rear Panel ............................................................................................................................................... 5

Internal Character Generator/Captioning .................................................................................................... 5

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

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

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................. 6

Front Panel Programming ................................................................................................................... 6

Modes 10 and above ................................................................................................................................. 6

Front Panel Programming Commands ................................................................................................ 7

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

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

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

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

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

General 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

Q Mode Response String (Q): ................................................................................................................... 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-STS Stereo S-Video TV Tuner

The Contemporary Research 232-STS is a versatile RS-232 controlled TV tuner featuring high-quality
S-Video video and balanced stereo audio output, switchable composite AV input, closed-captioning and on-screen
text, 125-channel access in off-air, CATV, HRC, or IRC modes, front-panel operation and feedback, and intelligent RS­232 control. Fully programmable, the unit can restore all settings on power-up from non-volatile memory. A list of
channels can be stored in memory, used to provide convenient channel up/down operation and restrict direct access
to other channels. Enjoy a full range of wireless control with the optional IC-RC IR Wireless Remote.

An onboard character generator displays on-screen text for closed captioning, channel names, interactive menus, and
system feedback. Switchable inputs for composite NTSC video and stereo audio are included for display of PC
graphics, VCR, camera or other A/V sources. AV from inputs and off-air broadcast are output as composite video, S­Video and balanced/unbalanced stereo audio.

The front-panel buttons, LEDs, and channel/mode display can be used for general operation and to program basic
features for tuning, RS-232 baud rate and local control. Full setup, control, and feedback is provided by RS-232. Up to
nine units 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.

 Tunes 125 channels in off-air, CATV, HRC, or IRC modes
 Outputs S-Video signal for improved image quality for monitors, large-screen displays and video projectors,

employing adaptive comb and anti-aliasing filtering, as well as cross-color and cross-luminance reduction

 Delivers balanced MTS stereo/mono/SAP audio with programmable volume, bass, and treble levels
 Switches between tuner and composite stereo AV inputs, output as composite and S-Video NTSC video
 Stores programmable tuning ring in memory to control channel access
 Interacts with PCs and control systems via RS-232, using simple ASCII commands
 Provides front-panel control for A/V Mute, mode select, and channel up/down, with and LED feedback for Mute,

current channel and programming mode, enabled via front-panel and RS-232 commands

 Accesses channel up/down from contact closure inputs
 Displays closed-captioning text and on-screen channel names, interactive menus, and system feedback
 Restores all operation status after loss of power from data stored in non-volatile memory
 Inserts blue screen video image when unit senses loss of video level
 Accepts IR control from IR wireless remote from front-panel sensor or rear IR In jack, discrete IR power and input

commands available with upcoming firmware upgrade

 Mounts in 19" rack with optional RK1 or RK2 kit for dual side-by-side installation
 Operates from Tuner Helper .NET software for easy setup and onscreen control
 Upgradeable firmware via S12 Flash program, downloadable from www.crwww.com
 Now includes IR In jack for external sensor or wired IR

New Features (Rev 3.4-4.0)

 Request Tune Ring and Channel Label, IC-RC Remote emulation from RS-232 (V 3.4)
 19.2 Kb, audio always unmated when External AV selected, Q2 Video only mute (V 3.5)
 Up to 9 units can be controlled from a single RS-232 control port (V 3.5)
 Fixes audio dropout after DC power glitch (V3.6)
 AV Muting when video is lost (Q2) can be disabled (V3.8)
 Sending a command to Unit#0 (Zero) acts as a global command to all tuners (V4.0)

Contemporary Research 3 232-STS Stereo S-Video TV Tuner

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)

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

*All tuners with firmware V3.7 to V4.1 made between Apr and Nov 2005 should be upgraded to new V4.3
(or higher) to ensure higher RF input level specs and best video performance.

IC-RC Remote Control (IC-RC Optional)

Keypad Channel selection, press Enter to select channel
Volume Up, Down and Mute
Channel Channel Up, Down
Input Toggles between External AV input and tuner channel

Front Panel

RS-232 LEDs: Yellow LEDs light when RS-232 data is transmitted (TX) or received (RX)
Mute A/V: Mutes audio and video (blanks video)
Mute LED: Red LED lights when A/V is muted
Volume: Up and down buttons raise and lower volume
Channel: Up and down buttons select channels from stored tuning ring
IR LED: Red LED lights when receiving IR data, internal IR sensor below or from external

receiver (optional)

Display: Red LED 3 digit, 7 segment LED display for channels and modes

Contemporary Research 4 232-STS Stereo S-Video TV Tuner

Specifications

Rear Panel

Power In: 2.1mm coaxial jack (inside center conductor positive), 475 mA maximum

10.5 to 16.0 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
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
GND: Grounding lug
Antenna/Cable: 'F', female, 75 ohm impedance
Video Input: RCA female, NTSC composite
Audio Inputs: 2 RCA female stereo unbalanced, 20K ohms impedance
Maximum level +8dBu, (2V RMS), Reference: 0 dBu = .775 V RMS
Video Output: RCA composite output, 1V p-p at 75 ohm impedance,
S-Video Output: Mini DIN 4-pin, Y - 1V p-p at 75 ohms, C - 0.286 V p-p at 75 ohms
Audio Outputs: 5-Pin captive screw terminal, stereo, 200 ohm balanced/100 ohm unbalanced
Selectable for stereo, mono and SAP modes
Stereo/SAP: Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 1% maximum, 0.3% typical
Response: 50Hz to 12KHz, Channel Separation: 25dB minimum, 30dB typical
Mono: Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) 0.5%, 0.1% typical
Response: 20Hz to 20KHz
Level: +4 dBu (1.2V RMS) balanced, 0 dBu (.8V RMS) unbalanced, typical at max volume
+11.5 dBu (2.9V RMS) balanced, +8 dBu (2V RMS) unbalanced peak max output
Volume: 0 to -70 dB and mute in 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

Muting: Displays blue video image when loss of video is sensed

Includes

12 VDC power supply, 500 mA min (North American shipments only)
Plug-in adapter for unbalanced stereo RCA wiring

Options

CC-232 RS-232 Cable
IC-RC Wireless IR Remote, IR-RXC External IR Receiver also available (IR In factory-installed option)
RK1 Kit for mounting single unit in 19" rack or RK2 Kit for mounting two units side-by-side in 19" rack

Contemporary Research 5 232-STS Stereo S-Video TV Tuner

Symptom: Front-Panel Channel Up does not operate, advances one channel when powered

The RS-232 port has contact closures for Channel Up and Down on pins 4 and 9. Off-the shelf RS-232 control cables (such
as consumer null modem cables) that include those wires can lock up channel operation. If the problem clears up when you
unplug the RS-232 cable, use a cable with only 3 wires for GND, Transmit, and Receive.

Symptom: Problems with Cable Channels

There are three types 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 work. Change to HRC.

To Enter a Front Panel Programming Mode:

1. Press and hold the Mute A/V button such that the red LED light above is lit (indicating Mute On).

2. Press Volume Up.

3. Release all buttons, the 232-STS will now be in the front panel programming mode.

4. The front panel display is dedicated to programming information display while in this mode.

5. Changes are saved in non-volatile memory as they are entered.

6. The Volume up/down buttons scroll through programming modes 0 through 9 and 10+.

7. The Channel up/down buttons scroll through possible parameters for each mode.

To Exit the Front Panel Mode

Push and release the Mute All A/V button.

Modes 10 and above

When you select programming mode 10 and above, the Mode digit and decimal point will flash. For example, if
Mode 14 is selected, the display will show a flashing 4. - followed by the current parameter setting.

The Modes 10 – 14 are identical to RS-232 Commands Q0 – Q4.

Contemporary Research 6 232-STS Stereo S-Video TV Tuner