Kramer FC-6P User Manual

USER MANUAL

MODEL:

FC-6P

Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

P/N: 2900-300613 Rev 1

www.kramerAV.com

FC-6P – Contents i

Contents

1 Introduction 1
2 Getting Started 2

2.1 Achieving the Best Performance 2

2.2 Safety Instructions 2

2.3 Recycling Kramer Products 3

3 Overview 4
4 Defining the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR 6
5 Performing Initial Configuration 8

5.1 Configuring the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR 8

5.2 Setting Up an Ethernet Connection on the PC 10

6 Connecting the FC-6P 11

6.1 Connecting via Ethernet 12

7 Remote Operation via the Web UI 17

7.1 Browsing the Web UI 17

7.2 Displaying Connected Clients 19

7.3 Setting Device Name and Time Functions 20

7.4 Setting Communication Parameters 22

7.5 Setting Serial Port Parameters 23

7.6 Configuring IR Command Learning 25

7.7 Activating Security 26

7.8 Using the Logs Page 28

7.9 Kramer Information 29

8 Using FC-6P Operations 30

8.1 IR Learning 30

8.2 Resetting to the Factory Default Settings 31

8.3 Upgrading the Firmware 31

9 Technical Specifications 32

9.1 Data Handling Performance 33

9.2 Example Bandwidth Calculation 33

10 Default Parameters 34
11 Kramer Protocol 3000 35

11.1 Kramer Protocol 3000 – Syntax 36

11.2 Kramer Protocol 3000 – Command List 39

11.3 Kramer Protocol 3000 – Detailed Commands 40

ii FC-6P - Introduction

Figures

Figure 1: FC-6P Controlled Devices from Remote IP-based Clients 5
Figure 2: FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR 6
Figure 3: Connecting the FC-6P for Initial Configuration 8
Figure 4: Configuring a Remote Connection 10
Figure 5: Connecting the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR 11
Figure 6: Terminal Block Connections 12
Figure 7: Local Area Connection Properties Window 13
Figure 8: Internet Protocol Version 4 Properties Window 14
Figure 9: Internet Protocol Version 6 Properties Window 14
Figure 10: Internet Protocol Properties Window 15
Figure 11: General Info Page 18
Figure 12: Connected Clients Page 20
Figure 13: Device Settings Page 21
Figure 14: Communication Page 22
Figure 15: Serial Port Settings Page 23
Figure 16: Serial Port Settings Page – RS-485 24
Figure 17: Serial Port Settings Page – No Serial Ports Configured 24
Figure 18: IR Command Learner Page 25
Figure 19: Security Page 26
Figure 20: Security Confirmation Popup 26
Figure 21: Authentication Required Popup 27
Figure 22: Security Activated Page 27
Figure 23: Logs Page 28
Figure 24: About Us Page 29

FC-6P – Introduction 1

1 Introduction

Welcome to Kramer Electronics! Since 1981, Kramer Electronics has been

providing a world of unique, creative, and affordable solutions to the vast range of

problems that confront video, audio, presentation, and broadcasting professionals

on a daily basis. In recent years, we have redesigned and upgraded most of our

line, making the best even better!

Our 1,000-plus different models now appear in 14 groups that are clearly defined by

function: GROUP 1: Distribution Amplifiers; GROUP 2: Switchers and Routers;

GROUP 3: Control Systems; GROUP 4: Format/Standards Converters; GROUP 5:

Range Extenders and Repeaters; GROUP 6: Specialty AV Products; GROUP 7:

Scan Converters and Scalers; GROUP 8: Cables and Connectors; GROUP 9:

Room Connectivity; GROUP 10: Accessories and Rack Adapters; GROUP 11:

Sierra Video Products; GROUP 12: Digital Signage; GROUP 13: Audio; and

GROUP 14: Collaboration.

Congratulations on purchasing your Kramer FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

that is ideal for:

• Remote IP control of RS-232 and IR controlled devices

• K-Touch multi-clients IP room control

• LAN-based expansion of K-Config control system

2 FC-6P - Getting Started

2 Getting Started

We recommend that you:

• Unpack the equipment carefully and save the original box and packaging

materials for possible future shipment

• Review the contents of this user manual

Go to www.kramerav.com/downloads/FC-6P to check for up-to-date user

manuals, application programs, and to check if firmware upgrades are

available (where appropriate).

2.1 Achieving the Best Performance

To achieve the best performance:

• For optimum range and performance, use the recommended Kramer cables

available at www.kramerav.com/product/FC-6P

• Do not secure the cables in tight bundles or roll the slack into tight coils

• Avoid interference from neighbouring electrical appliances that may adversely

influence signal quality

• Position your FC-6P away from moisture, excessive sunlight and dust

This equipment is to be used only inside a building. It may only be
connected to other equipment that is installed inside a building.

2.2 Safety Instructions

Caution:

There are no operator serviceable parts inside the unit

Warning:

Use only the Kramer Electronics power supply that is

provided with the unit

Warning:

Disconnect the power and unplug the unit from the wall

before installing

FC-6P – Getting Started 3

2.3 Recycling Kramer Products

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC aims

to reduce the amount of WEEE sent for disposal to landfill or incineration by

requiring it to be collected and recycled. To comply with the WEEE Directive,

Kramer Electronics has made arrangements with the European Advanced

Recycling Network (EARN) and will cover any costs of treatment, recycling and

recovery of waste Kramer Electronics branded equipment on arrival at the EARN

facility. For details of Kramer’s recycling arrangements in your particular country go

to our recycling pages at www.kramerav.com/support/recycling/

.

4 FC-6P - Overview

3 Overview

The FC-6P is an RS-232/IR multi-function control gateway with Power over

Ethernet, capable of plug and play deployment over a customer Ethernet LAN for

remote bidirectional RS-232 and IR emitter control of customer devices. Multiple

control clients can be IP-connected to the FC-6P control gateway for concurrent

control of two RS-232 or four IR controllable devices, such as AV scalers, video

displays, audio amplifiers, and DVD players.

This Ethernet to serial/IR gateway bridges the gap between Ethernet infrastructures

and serial or IR communication devices by offering bidirectional Ethernet to serial

and IR conversion. All setup and maintenance of the devices is done from built-in

Web pages that are accessible using any common Web browser.

The FC-6P features:

• Dual-Function I/O Ports − Remote IP-Based control of any device connected to

the control gateway dual-function I/O ports, with selectable port configuration to

bidirectional RS-232 or IR control.

• Multiple IP Connected Clients − Remotely connected over a customer Ethernet

network that concurrently controls any devices connected to control gateway

I/O ports.

• Easy & Reliable Installation:

• Plug and Play IP installation with dynamic (DHCP) address resolution

and auto device discovery over existing LAN.

• Resilient powering with USB and optional PSU (not included).

• Compact, designed for piggy-back installation, such as behind a TV or

display with the ability to draw power from device USB port and Ethernet

connectivity.

• Remote Management − Built-in web UI for remote browser-based management

and support, by multiple IP-clients over an existing LAN. Easy firmware

upgrades, either remotely via an existing LAN, or locally via device USB port.

FC-6P – Overview 5

• Power Options − USB, Power over Ethernet, optional PSU.

• PoE Support – According to IEEE 802.3af standard

• Size − DigiTOOLS™ − Mount 3 units side-by-side in a 1U rack space with the

optional RK-3T rack adapter.

Figure 1: FC-6P Controlled Devices from Remote IP-based Clients

For example, using Kramer K-Touch control software you can design advanced

room-control and automation systems that can be operated from iOS or Android

touch devices. K-Touch can be used to perform device discovery over the network

as the FC-6P is set to be a DHCP client by default.

You can use the Kramer LAN Configurator software to discover devices that are

attached to the network, including the FC-6P.

6 FC-6P - Defining the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

4 Defining the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway −

Serial/IR

This section defines the FC-6P.

Figure 2: FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

# Feature Function

1

IR Sensor

Sensor for IR learning, LED lights during activity

2

LINK LED

Shows the Ethernet link is active

3 Port 1 and 2 white (upper)

and blue LEDs

Show the transmission status of port 1 and port 2:
When set as RS-232, the white LED indicates Tx and

blue LED indicates Rx
When set as IR, the white LED indicates IR-P1 Tx

and blue LED indicates IR-P2 Tx

4 MODE DIP-switches (Port 1

and Port 2)

Switch up (off) for RS-232, switch down (on) for IR
The default setting is port 1 RS-232 (up) and port 2 IR
(down)

5

ON LED

Lights green when the unit is on

6 Port 1 I/O 3-pin Terminal

Block

Port 1 terminal block connects one bidirectional RS-

232/RS-485 port or two IR outputs

7

Port 2 I/O 3-pin Terminal
Block

Port 2 terminal block connects one bidirectional RS­232 port or two IR outputs

8

RESET Button

Press and hold while cycling the device power to
reset to factory default parameters (see Section 8.2)

FC-6P – Defining the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR 7

#

Feature

Function

9

ID Button

Press to broadcast ID message for auto-discovery of
the device

10

LAN/POE RJ-45 Connector

Connects to a PoE source (Power over Ethernet) for

powering and an IP client or other controller, either

directly or via a LAN (see Section 6.1)

11

SERVICE Mini USB
Connector

Connects to a USB power source for powering and to
a PC for a local firmware upgrade

12

5V DC Connector

For extra power resiliency, connect to the optional 5V

DC power supply, center pin positive. Not needed
when the device is supplied power by PoE or a USB

power source

FC-6P Function Table

Port IO
Function

Terminal Block

Connections IO Port

Default

TCP

Default

Port

[P1/P2]

Blue Activity LED

Pair

Comment

G P1 P2

RS-232

Ground Rx Tx 9600,8,N,1 5001/2

Flashes when
port is
transmitting &
receiving data

Additional serial

configurations
available via Web,
including RS-485

for Port 1

IR

Ground IR1 IR2 5000

ON when ports

are transmitting
IR data

Key:

P1 / P2 – Port 1 / Port 2

Tx – Transmit, Rx– Receive

9600, 8, N, 1 – 9600 baud, 8-bits, no parity, 1 stop bit

IR

1

/ IR2 – IR Port 1 / IR Port 2

8 FC-6P - Performing Initial Configuration

5 Performing Initial Configuration

This chapter provides an overview of the initial configuration and basic operation of

the FC-6P and comprises:

• Configuring the FC-6P (see Section 5.1

)

• Configuring an Ethernet connection on the PC (see Section 5.2)

Figure 3: Connecting the FC-6P for Initial Configuration

5.1 Configuring the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

Note: The FC-6P is shipped from the factory with DHCP enabled and a random IP

address. To connect the FC-6P on first installation, you must identify the IP address

that was automatically assigned to the FC-6P. To discover the IP address of FC-6P,

use K-LAN Configurator, available for download from our website at

www.kramerav.com

.

To browse the FC-6P Web UI on taking the device out of the box (using the

default settings), use the default host name, (see Section 10

).

Use the default host name: FC-6-xxxx, where xxxx are the last four digits of the

serial number of the device.

FC-6P – Performing Initial Configuration 9

To configure the FC-6P:

1. Connect the Ethernet port on the rear panel of FC-6P to a PC, either directly

or via a LAN, (see Section 6.1

).

2. Using a Web browser and the relevant IP address, browse the General Info

home page (see Figure 11

).

3. Click on Device Settings to browse to the Device Settings page, (see

Figure 13

).

4. Enter the time and date manually, or enter the Time server address for

automatic time and date synchronization.

5. Click Save Changes.

6. Click on Communication to browse to the Communication page, (see

Figure 14

).

7. Enter the IP address, mask and gateway for static IP addressing and Click

Set. We suggest a meaningful host name.

Note: If you have changed the IP address from the default setting, you must

reload the General Info home page again using the new IP address.

8. Click on Serial Ports Settings to browse to the Serial Port Settings page,

(see Figure 15

).

9. Associate the required serial ports with their corresponding TCP/UDP

settings.

10. For each associated serial port, enter the serial port configuration

parameters using the drop-down lists under Serial Configuration.

11. Click Save Changes.

12. If required, click on Security to browse to the Security page.

13. Click ON to activate security.

The user name and password credentials popup appears.

10 FC-6P - Performing Initial Configuration

14. Enter the required user name and password. (The default user name is

Admin and the password is Admin).

5.2 Setting Up an Ethernet Connection on the PC

If the control application can directly connect to the Ethernet driver, select the host

IP address and port number according to your FC-6P configuration, as illustrated in

Figure 4

.

Figure 4: Configuring a Remote Connection

FC-6P – Connecting the FC-6P 11

6 Connecting the FC-6P

Always switch off the power to each device before connecting it to your
FC-6P. After connecting your FC-6P, connect its power and then switch

on the power to each device.

Figure 5: Connecting the FC-6P Ethernet Gateway − Serial/IR

To connect the FC-6P as illustrated in the example in Figure 5:

1. Connect the device to a LAN or PC via the RJ-45 Ethernet connector.

2. Set DIP-switch 1 down to select IR.

Connect an IR device (for example, an emitter/blaster) to terminal block 1,

pin P2 (or P1) according to the connections shown in Figure 6

.

3. Set DIP-switch 2 up to select RS-232.

Connect an RS-232-controlled device, (for example, a projector) to terminal

block 2, according to the connections shown in Figure 6

.

i

12 FC-6P - Connecting the FC-6P

Port IO Function

Terminal Block Connections

G P1 P2

RS-232

Ground Rx Tx

IR

Ground IR1 IR2

Figure 6: Terminal Block Connections

4. Connect the device to a USB power port or to a USB power adapter or to an

optional 5V DC power adapter and connect the power adapter to the mains

electricity (not shown in Figure 5

).

Note: You can connect up to four IR devices or up to two RS-232 devices if both

ports are used for each setting.

6.1 Connecting via Ethernet

You can connect to the FC-6P via Ethernet using either of the following methods:

• Directly to the PC using a crossover cable (see Section 6.1.1

)

• Via a network hub, switch, or router, using a straight-through cable (see

Section 6.1.2

)

Note: If you want to connect via a router and your IT system is based on IPv6,

speak to your IT department for specific installation instructions.

6.1.1 Connecting the Ethernet Port Directly to a PC

You can connect the Ethernet port of the FC-6P directly to the Ethernet port on your

PC using a crossover cable with RJ-45 connectors.

This type of connection is recommended for identifying the FC-6P
with the factory configured default IP address.

After connecting to the Ethernet port, configure your PC as follows:

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center.

2. Click Change Adapter Settings.

3. Highlight the network adapter you want to use to connect to the device and

click Change settings of this connection.

i

FC-6P – Connecting the FC-6P 13

The Local Area Connection Properties window for the selected network

adapter appears as shown in Figure 7

.

Figure 7: Local Area Connection Properties Window

4. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.

The Internet Protocol Properties window relevant to your IT system appears

as shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9

.

14 FC-6P - Connecting the FC-6P

Figure 8: Internet Protocol Version 4 Properties Window

Figure 9: Internet Protocol Version 6 Properties Window

FC-6P – Connecting the FC-6P 15

5. Select Use the following IP Address for static IP addressing and fill in the

details as shown in Figure 10

.

For TCP/IPv4 you can use any IP address in the range 192.168.1.1 to

192.168.1.255 (excluding 192.168.1.39) that is provided by your IT

department.

Figure 10: Internet Protocol Properties Window

6. Click OK.

7. Click Close.

6.1.2 Connecting the Ethernet Port via a Network Hub or Switch

You can connect the Ethernet port of the FC-6P to the Ethernet port on a network

hub or switch using a straight-through cable with RJ-45 connectors.

16 FC-6P - Connecting the FC-6P

6.1.3 Connecting to the FC-6P via RS-232 or IR

To connect to the FC-6P via RS-232:

• Connect the RS-232, 3-pin, terminal block connectors on the rear panel of the

FC-6P using 3-wire cable (pin TX to pin 2, RX to pin 3, and G to pin 5) to the

RS-232 9-pin D-sub port on the devices to be controlled

To connect to the FC-6P via IR:

• Connect an IR blaster to one of the IR Outputs and place it within 4m to 8m (13

to 26ft) and in line-of-sight of the device to be controlled

—OR—

• Connect an IR emitter cable to one of the IR outputs and stick the emitter to the

IR sensor on the device to be controlled

FC-6P – Remote Operation via the Web UI 17

7 Remote Operation via the Web UI

The embedded Web UI can be used to remotely operate the FC-6P using a Web

browser and an Ethernet connection.

Before attempting to connect:

• Perform the initial configuration in Section 5.1

and connecting via Ethernet in

Section 6.1

• Ensure that your browser is supported (see Section 8)

7.1 Browsing the Web UI

To browse the Web UI pages:

1. Open your Internet browser. Type the IP address of the device (see

Section 5.1

) in the Address bar of your browser.

The Loading page appears followed shortly by the General Info page shown in

Figure 11

.

The General Info page displays the following:

• Model Name

• Firmware version

• Device serial number

• Web UI version