Control 4 C4-HC250-BL Installation Manual

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HC-250 Controller
Installation Guide

Box Contents

The following items are included in the HC-250 box:

• HC-250 Controller

• AC power cord

• IR emitters (4)

• Universal Television Mounting Plate

• Screws (4)

• Contact/Relay Terminal Block

• Ferrite clamps (4)

• Warranty Card

Accessories Available for Purchase

• Rack Mount Kit (C4-1URMK1B-B or C4­1URMK2B-B)

• Serial Cable Kit (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)

Supported Model

• C4-HC250-BL – HC-250 Controller, Black

Introduction

The Control4® HC-250 Controller (HC-250) provides
ways to control lights, home theaters, distributed
audio and video systems, and other devices
controlled by Infrared (IR), IP, Serial, Contact, or Relay
connections. The Controller has a fast processor,
built-in WiFi, HDMI for audio and video, improved
ZigBee radio, and is perfect for smaller systems!

The HC-250 also provides extensive media
management for audio and video content: CDs,
DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs, or digital media stored on
connected devices. Use an external storage device
with USB or NAS connectivity to store music and
photos. The HC-250 fits easily behind a TV, stacked
with AV devices, or mounted on a rack using the
Rack Mount Kit (sold separately).

After you install and configure the HC-250 (using the
Composer Pro software) along with other system
components, your customers can control their
system using the On-Screen Navigator, MyHome
apps, System Remote Controls, Touch Screens, or
any other Control4-supported interface devices (sold
separately).

Warnings

WARNING! To reduce the risk of electrical

shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or
moisture.

AVERTISSEMENT! Pour réduire le risque de

choc électrique, n’exposez pas cet appareil à la
pluie ou à l’humidité.

CAUTION: In an over-current condition on

USB or contact output the software disables
the output and then blinks the power LED for
10 seconds. When a USB overcurrent fault is
detected, you will see the power light blink the
LED five (5) times per second. When a contact
overcurrent fault is detected, you will see the
power light blink the LED 12 times a second.
After the 10-second blinking period is over the
over-current circuit will be re-enabled. If the
over-current condition remains, then the same
sequence will repeat itself.

ATTENTION : Dans une condition de

surintensité sur USB ou sortie de contact le
logiciel désactive sortie, puis le DEL Power
clignote pendant 10 secondes. Quand une
erreur de condition de surintensité sur USB
est détectée, vous verrez le DEL Power
clignoté le DEL (5) fois par seconde et puis
quand un défaut de condition de surintensité
sur contact est détecté, vous verrez le DEL

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The software required to configure this device is
Composer Pro. See the Composer Pro User Guide for
details.

HC-250 Specifications

HC-250 Controller
Installation Guide

clignoté 12 fois par seconde. Après la période
de 10 secondes de clignotement, le circuit de
sur-courant sera réactivé. Si la condition de
surintensité reste donc la même, la séquence
se répète.

For more information, refer to the Products or
Documentation pages at www.control4.com.

Requirements and Specifications

NOTES:

(1) We recommend using Ethernet rather than
WiFi for the best network connectivity.
(2) The Ethernet or WiFi network should
be installed prior to starting the HC-250
installation.

(3) The HC-250 is only compatible with PoE
injectors that have DC ground isolated from

AC ground. The easiest way to determine if
this is the case is to use PoE injectors that only
have a two-prong AC power cord. You can find
additional PoE information on the Control4
Knowledgebase.
(4) Ferrite clamp installation. When installing
a Control4® HC-250 Controller, also install the
enclosed ferrite clamps as described in this
document.
Ethernet cable. Install two (2) ferrite clamps
on the Ethernet cable no farther than 6 inches
from the HC-250 Ethernet jack.
Video cable. Install two (2) ferrite clamps on
each end of the HDMI or Component video
cable no farther than 6 inches from the HC­250 and the TV.

Model Number

Network

Media Recognition

Video

Audio Playback Formats

Display

Power Requirements

Power Consumption

Operating Temperature

Storage Temperature

IR Out

IR Capture

Contact (1)

Relay (1)

Dimensions (H x W x D)

Weight

Shipping Weight

C4-HC250-BL

Ethernet—required
WiFi (only supported
when the unit is used in a
single-Controller system or as a
Secondary Controller)

Online CD/DVD/Blu-ray
recognition and media information
service. Supports MP3, AAC, FLAC.

HDMI 1.4 output; Component
Video output; SD 480I; HD 720p,
50-60Hz.

MP3: 32kbps to 320kbps, CBR,
VBR, AAC, and FLAC

LED indicators

100-240 VAC, 60/50 Hz, 0.25 A
PoE requirement: 13W

Max: 44W, 150 BTUs/hour.
Idle: 24W, 82 BTUs/hour

32˚ - 104˚ F (0˚ - 40˚ C)

-4˚ - 149˚ F (-20˚ - 65˚ C)

5V 27 mA max/output

0-60 KHz

DC - 36V maximum operation (low
voltage)
Maximum output current for 12V
rail: 125mA

AC - 36V, 2A
DC - 24V, 2A
maximum operation (low voltage)

1.23” (31.19 mm) x 8.59” (218.13 mm)
x 4.92” (125.01 mm)

1.3 lbs/0.589 kg

2.7 lbs/1.224 kg

Additional Resources

The following resources are available for more
support.

• Control4 Knowledgebase and Forums

• Control4 Technical Support

• Control4 website: http://www.control4.com

• Composer documentation in online help or PDF

format available on the Dealer portal

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Front View

Figure 1. Front View

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1 Power Plug Port. AC power receptacle for an IEC

320 power cord.

2 Ethernet/PoE. RJ-45 jack for a 10/100 BaseT

Ethernet connection. Supports PoE (802.3af).

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3

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3 Audio In (1). 3.5 mm jack for stereo channel input

(line level) for one (1) stereo analog source.

4 Audio Out (1). 3.5 mm jack for stereo channel

line output (line level) for amplifiers or audio
switches.

5 Video Out. An HDMI port to display navigation

menus on a monitor or TV. Also an Audio Out
over HDMI.

6 Video Out. Component port.

1 WiFi LED. This LED blinks first Red, then Orange,

and finally Blue during the boot process. When
the operating system is running, the WiFi driver
changes the LED color depending on the signal
strength of its connection to its associated
access point. Color/signal strength indicators:
Orange=Fair to Good, Blue=Excellent, Red=Poor
Signal Strength, and No Light=No connection.

2 Data LED. The Blue LED indicates that the

Controller is streaming audio.

3 Link LED. The Blue LED indicates that the

Controller has been identified in a Control4
Composer project and is communicating with
Director.

4 Power LED. The Blue LED indicates that AC or

PoE power is present. The Controller turns on
immediately after power is applied to it.

5 IR Window/IR Blaster. For learning IR codes.

Back View

NOTE: Audio cables are not provided with this

product.

Figure 2. Back View

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2

4

3

5

7

6

9

8

NOTE: Use only an HDMI or Component cable

in one of these ports, not both.

7 USB. One (1) port for an external storage device

or a USB drive (e.g., FAT32-formatted devices).
See “Using External Storage Devices” in this
document for more information.

8 Identification Button. Easily-pressed button to

identify the device in Composer Pro.

9 IR and Serial Outs (4). 3.5 mm jacks for up to

four (4) IR emiiters or for a combination of IR
emitters and serial devices. Ports 1 and 2 can
be configured independently for serial control,
e.g., receivers or disc changers, or for IR control.
See “Set Up IR Emitters or IR Blaster” in this
document for more information.

10 Factory Restore Button. Restores the Controller

to its factory defaults. This also reboots the
Controller.

11 Contact (1). Pluggable terminal block connector

for one (1) dry contact closure, logic input
connection, e.g., door contact sensor, or motion
sensor. Provides power for small devices (12V),
signal input (SIG), and return path (GND).

12 Relay (1). Pluggable terminal block connector

for one (1) Normally Closed or Normally Opened
switchable connection, e.g., a blind, a fireplace, or
a projector screen. The set contains a connection
for Normally Opened (NO), Normally Closed
(NC), and Common (COM).

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Installation Instructions

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To install the Controller:

1 Ensure that the home network is in place before

starting system setup. The HC-250 requires a

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network connection (Ethernet - preferred or
WiFi) to use all of the features as designed. When
connected, the Controller can access web-based
media databases, communicate with other IP
devices in the home, and access Control4 system
updates.

2 Mount options. The HC-250 can be mounted or

placed behind a TV, mounted on a wall, placed
in a rack, or stacked on a shelf. See “Wall Mount
Options” below if mounting the HC-250 on a wall.

3 Connect the HC-250 to the network.

• Ethernet. To connect using an Ethernet

connection, plug the data cable from the home
network connection into the Controller’s RJ-45
port (labeled “Ethernet”) and the network port
on the wall or at the network switch.

• WiFi. To connect using WiFi, first connect the

unit to Ethernet, and then use Composer Pro’s
System Manager to reconfigure the unit for WiFi.
You can find sample instructions in the Composer
Pro User Guide, “Configuring Speaker Point for
WiFi.”

WiFi LED. The LED blinks Orange and then Blue
during the boot process. When the operating
system starts running, the WiFi driver changes
the LED color depending on the signal strength
of its connection to its associated access point.
Colors for signal strength: Orange=Fair to Good,
Blue=Excellent, No Light=No connection or not
enabled, and Red=Poor signal strength.

wall.

• Mount the HC-250 horizontally or vertically using
one (1) standard double-gang back box (sold
separately). Install a standard double-gang back

box allowing the screws to protrude .08” from
the wall.

• Mount the HC-250 horizontally or vertically (see
Figure 3) using four (4) screws (not provided)
placed directly into a wall stud or studs. Using

the mounting plate as a template, screw the four
(4) screws into a stud to align with the four (4)
center slots for vertical positioning or into two
(2) studs to align with the four (4) corner slots
for horizontal positioning and allowing the screws
to protrude .08” from the wall.

NOTE: To check the fit of the screws, place the

wall mounting plate over the screws before
attaching it to the bottom of the Controller.

Figure 3. Screw Location

Slots for mounting
Controller horizontally

Holes for attaching
plate to Controller

Slots for mounting
Controller vertically

4 Power up the Controller. Plug the power cord

into the Controller’s power plug port and then
into an electrical outlet. If you are powering the
Controller using PoE, you can skip this step.

5 Connect system devices. Attach the devices as

described in “Connect the Devices.”

6 Set up any external storage devices as described

in “Setting Up External Storage Devices” in this
document.

Wall Mount Options

• Mount the HC-250 horizontally using one (1)
standard single-gang back box (sold separately).

The wall mounting plate has four (4) horizontal
sets of slots. Install a single-gang back box
allowing the screws to protrude .08” from the

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Mount the HC-250

1 Use the four (4) screws (provided) to attach the

mounting plate to the bottom of the Controller.
Ensure that the narrow end of the slots is on top
when the device is installed.

2 Arrange the wires to fit in the wire channels on

the mounting plate.

3 Line up the slots on the mounting plate with the

screws.

4 Press the device onto the screws and slide it

down until the screws are in the narrow end of
the slots.

5 Connect all applicable devices to the HC-250

using the connection options described next.

Connect the IR Ports/Serial Ports
(Optional)

The HC-250 provides four (4) IR ports; Ports 1 and
2 can be reconfigured independently for serial
communication. If not used for serial, they can be
used for IR. Connect a device to the HC-250, for
example, a receiver or disc changer, using the special
serial cable (optional, C4-CBL3.5-DB9B). Serial ports
support many dierent baud rates (acceptable range:
1200 to 115200 baud for odd and even parity).

IR Blaster

The HC-250 is also equipped with an IR blaster, for
learning codes, which is located just left of the front
LEDs. To use the blaster rather than an IR emitter:
1 In Composer, connect the IR Blaster of the

Controller to the IR In for the device you want to
control.

2 Test and verify that the HC-250 is positioned in

such a way that the blaster can reach the device

you want to control.

The following table shows the serial communication
values. Also see Knowledgebase article #268 for
pinouts.

Hardware
Flow
Control

Serial Port 1 X X X

Serial Port 2 X X X

Odd
Parity

Even
Parity

No
Parity

Other

To configure a port for serial or IR, make the appro­priate connections in your project using Composer
Pro. See the Composer Pro User Guide for details.

Set Up IR Emitters or IR Blaster

Your system may contain third-party products that
are controlled through IR commands. To provide
a way for the Controller to control a device that
only recognizes IR commands, complete one of the
following setups:

• IR Emitters

• IR Blaster

Setting Up External Storage Devices

You can store and access media from an external
storage device, for example, a network hard drive
or USB memory device, by plugging the USB drive
into the USB port and configure or scan the media in
Composer Pro.

NOTES:

(1) We support only USB drives that are
externally powered or USB sticks (solid state).
Self-powered USB drives are not supported.
(2) When using USB storage devices on an
HC-250, you can only use one (1) partition with
a 2TB maximum size. This limitation applies to
the USB storage on all other Controllers also.

Composer Pro Driver Information

Select the Home Controller HC250 driver in
Composer Pro and add it to your Composer project.

See the Composer Pro User Guide for details.

Troubleshooting

IR Emitters

1 Plug the 3.5 mm connector end of one of the four

(4) IR stick-on emitters provided into an IR Out
port on the HC-250.

2 Place the stick-on emitter end over the IR

receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV, or other target
device to drive IR signals from the HC-250 to the
target.

Factory Restore Button

CAUTION! The Factory Restore process will

remove the Composer project.

To restore the HC-250 for system recovery to the
factory default image, perform the following steps:

1 Disconnect power to the HC-250.
2 Insert one (1) end of a paper clip into the small

hole on the back of the HC-250 that is labeled
‘Factory Restore.’

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3 While pressing and holding the Factory Restore

button, power on the HC-250.

4 Hold the button until the WiFi Status LED blinks

Orange. This should take five (5) to seven (7)
seconds. The Status LED will blink Orange while
the restore is running.

Factory Resets

• Press the Factory Restore button, but do not hold

it down. The Controller will reset.

Identification Button (Network Reset)

To reset the HC-250 network settings to the default,
perform the following steps:

1 Disconnect power to the HC-250.
2 While pressing and holding the ID button on the

back of the HC-250, power on the HC-250.

3 Hold the ID button until the Data, Link and Power

LEDs are solid Blue, then immediately release the
button.

4 If during the boot sequence the Status LED stays

Orange, press and hold the Identification button
until the LED blinks Blue, and then release it.

Regulatory/Safety Information

To review regulatory information for your particular
Control4 products, see the information located on
the Control4 website at: http://www.control4.com/
regulatory/.

Warranty

Go to http://www.control4.com/warranty for details.

About This Document

Part number: 200-00240, Rev. D 08/17/2012

control4.com |

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©2012 Control4. All rights reserved. Control4, the Control4 logo, the Control4 iQ logo and the Control4 certified logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Control4 Corporation in

the United States and/or other countries. All other names and brands may be claimed as the property of their respective owners.

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