Xantech 795-20 Installation Instructions Manual

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

795-20

FOUR ZONE AMPLIFIED CONNECTING BLOCK

The Model 795-20 is a Four Zone Amplified Connecting Block that allows control of elaborate multi-zone
audio/video systems. The zone input terminals permit the connection of any Xantech IR Receiver, Keypad
or controller device. Each zone output can control 2 or more pieces of equipment per zone, independent
of the other zones, via single or dual emitters or be direct wired to the IR input of Xantech Preamps, etc.
The 10 amplified common output ports can drive 10 single or 10 dual emitters or the IR input of Xantech
Controllers, etc., for control of common source equipment from any zone. Expansion beyond 4 zones can
be accomplished by adding the 796-20 Six Zone Expander, for a total of 9 zones. The 795-20 utilizes active
isolation devices for elimination of internal zone-to-zone crosstalk as well as high speed amplification to the
common output ports for operation with a wide range of IR controlled products.

795-20

FOUR ZONE AMPLIFIED CONNECTING BLOCK

COMMON EMITTERS

ZONE 4 ZONE 3 ZONE 2 ZONE 1

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Fig. 1 Model 795-20 Four Zone Amplified Connecting Block

ABABABAB+12V

ZONE EMITTERS

POWER

ZONE IR INPUTS

ZONE 1 ZONE 2 ZONE 3 ZONE 4

+12 IN G +12 I N G +12 IN G +12 I N G

Modules & Connecting Blocks

SPECIFICATIONS

• Zone Inputs: Four 3-screw terminal connectors to interface with all Xantech 3-lead IR receivers and/or
keypads.

• Outputs: 8 Zone emitter ports and 10 common emitter ports (3.5mm mini mono phone jacks).

• Green LED test indicators are connected in series with the zone outputs and in series with each common
emitter port. They will only light when the connected emitter or device is conducting current.

• Zone output ports A and B and the Common ports are parallel driven and have a 470-Ohm resistor in series
with each port for lower power operation. This prevents overload of IR sensors on A/V componets and
also allows the use of models 282, 283, 284 & 286 series Mini Emitters, Xantech Controllers, Preamps,
etc. in any combination.

• Power requirements: 12 volts DC. Use 781RG or 782-00 Power Supplies.

• 2.1 mm coaxial power jack.

• Dimensions: 13-3/8" W x 1-7/8" D x 1" H

INSTALLATION

Fig. 2, illustrates a typical installation using the 795-20 in a 4-zone system. A variety of Xantech IR
Receivers and a keypad are shown in the various zones to illustrate the flexibility of the system. When
configuring a system, please keep the following items in mind:

1. More IR Receivers may be wired in parallel at each zone input, if desired, up to a total of twelve. More

than twelve is not recommended, even in a zoned system, because IR noise picked up by the many
IR receivers may cause erratic operation and reduce remote control range.

Note: This restriction does not apply to Smart Pad™ keypads, because they are not IR receivers.
Keypads may be added virtually without limit, provided power supply requirements are taken into
consideration. See item 3.

2. Be sure to connect the +12V, IR OUTput and Gnd of each IR receiver and keypad to the respective

+12, IN and G terminals of the zone inputs as shown.



1

3. Power Supply Requirements. In elaborate installations you may combine many Xantech keypads,

IR receivers, controllers and emitters in a system. Having sufficient power supply voltage and current
available can be critical to achieve proper operation. To be sure you have adequate power supply
capability, take the following factors into consideration:

a) The maximum current available from a 781RG Power Supply for proper operation is 200 mA

(milliamps).
b) The maximum current from a 782-00 Power Supply is 1000 mA.
c) Most IR receivers draw 2 mA without signal and 10 mA with signal (check specs. on actual model).
d) Each 730 SmartPad draws 7 mA without signal and 65 mA with signal.
e) Each SmartPad

draws 85 mA with or without signal and with Status.

2 or 3

f) Each emitter connected to the Zone and Common Ports of the 795-20 draws 3 mA with signal and

0 mA without.
g) Add 10 mA for each 794 or 797 Interface module used,

if they are powered from the 795-20.

h) When using combinations of these devices, add up the currents as shown in the following example.

Then choose a power supply that has a maximum available current that is higher than the total

current required.

For example, the power supply needed for the system shown in Fig. 2 is arrived at as follows:

1) Three IR receivers at 2 mA x 3 + one at 20 mA =

2) Assuming a SmartPad

keypad, the current for one is = 85 mA.

3

26 mA.

Note: Since only one IR source can operate at a time, the lower current IR receivers (and 730
keypads if used) do not need to have their "with signal" currents included.

3) The current for one 794-60 Interface module =

4) The current for six emitters at the Common ports is 6 x 3 =

10 mA.

18 mA. (The 286-00 dual emitters

count as only one, since they are in series).

5) The current for the emitters at the Zone ports is 1 x 3 =

3 mA. (Since it is not likely that the zone

emitters will be operating the zone equipment at the same instant in time, only one need be included).

6) Now add up all the currents from steps 1 through 5.
26 mA + 85 mA + 10 mA + 18 mA + 3 mA = 142 mA total. Since this is considerably less

than 200 mA, a 781RG power supply is used.
When a system requires more current than a 78RG can handle, simply step up to the 782-00.
NOTE: To avoid current "hogging", never connect regulated supplies, such as the 781RG and

782-00, in parallel!
CAUTION: Do not use unregulated 12V power supply adapters from other manufacturers. These may

deliver excessive voltage to the IR receivers and cause them to “latch-up”. When this occurs, the “talk­back” LEDs in the IR receivers and on the 795-20 Zone Controller may stay on continuously!

4. Considerations For Shielded Wire and Long Lead Lengths. When using long lengths (> 50 feet)
of inter-room shielded cable (> 75' unshielded), it may be necessary to connect a 470 Ohm 1/8 Watt
resistor between IR IN (signal) and GND at the 3-screw terminals of the 795-20. Refer to Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Using a 470 Ohm
Capacitance Discharge
Resistor.

The resistor discharges the cable capacitance more quickly, allowing IR codes of high bit rates to pass
without data loss for consistent command executions.

2

Shielded Cable(s)
to remote room(s)

470 Ohm
resistor

Ground Shield as shown

+12 IN G

ZONE 1

795-20 Input
Terminals



795-20

ZONE 4

490-00

Series

Micro Link™

IR Receivers

3-Wire
Cable

Red
Stripe

+12V

GND

795-20

Four Zone

Amplified

Connecting

Block

Satellite Receiver

VCR 1

VCR 2

Laser Disc

Cable Box

ZONE 3

480-00

Dinky Link™

IR Receiver

3-Wire
Cable

IR OUT

+12V

GND

3-Conductor Cable
(unshielded OK)

795-20

FOUR ZONE AMPLIFIED CONNECTING BLOCK

COMMON EMITTERS

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

283M

Blink-IR™ Mouse Emitter

283M

Blink IR™

283M

Blink IR™

283M

Blink IR™

Red
Stripe

IR OUT

ZONE 2

780-80

J-BOX RECEIVER

XANTECH

780-80

+12V

IR OUT

GND

IR OUT

ST

GND

J-Box

IR Receiver

POWER

+12V

IR OUT

GND

+12V

ZONE EMITTERS

ZONE 4 ZONE 3 ZONE 2 ZONE 1
ABABABAB+12V

Smart
Pad

™

3

ZONE IR INPUTS

ZONE 1 ZONE 2 ZONE 3 ZONE 4

+12 IN G +12 I N G +12 IN G +12 IN G

781RG

Power Supply

To 120 V AC
(u

nswitch

ed)

7 Foot Quick
Connect Cable

Do Not Use
These Jacks

XX

OUT

PWR

RCVR

IR

V

GS

283M

Blink IR™

283M

Blink IR™

ZONE 1

291-10

Hidden Link™

IR Receiver

Makita
Drape Controller

794-60

Interface

Module

CB12

Connecting
Block

GND

AV Receiver Zone 1

AV Receiver Zone 2

AV Receiver Zone 3

+12V

EMITTER

SENDER/

OUT

1 (ON)

0 (OFF)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

12345678910

ON

XANTECH

IR IN

GND1

GND2

+12V

+12V

Modules & Connecting Blocks

CD Changer

Cassette DecK

283M

Blink IR™

286M

Dual Blink IR™

283M

Blink IR™

RP41AV

Remote Preamp

1234

RP41AV

VIDEO

REMOTE PREAMP

®

SYLMAR,CA • MADE IN U.S.A.

AUDIO
LEFT

AUDIO
RIGHT

INPUT

OUTPUT

IR

CONFIRM

VVGSPOWER 15VAC

Zone 4

AM/FM Tuner Zone 4

COMMON

SOURCES

Blink-IR™ Mouse Emitter

283M

ZONE

EQUIPMENT

MAIN ROOM, EQUIPMENT CABINET, ETC.

Fig. 2 A Typical 795-20 Four Zone System

5. The resistors in series with each zone and common emitter port provides current sharing to each
emitter and also allows the use of dual emitters in combination with single emitters. You may,
therefore, connect any combination of the 282, 283, 284 & 286 series emitters to the zone or common
ports (such as that illustrated in Fig. 2 for the common ports), to control the desired number of
components.

6. If only one emitter is required in any zone, it may be plugged into either the "A" or "B" jack.

7. CAUTION: Be sure to use MS-1 Mouse Emitter Shields with the 282M and 284M series emitters, if
you use them instead of the 283M's & 286M's. The MS-1's will stop the stray IR output of a zone emitter
or a common source emitter from bleeding over into another zone or zones. This is especially
important when zone receivers and source equipment are stacked close to each other.

795-20



3

Emitter Expansion

1. Zone Output Ports. Since the 795-20 zone output ports (A and B) are parallel driven and have a 470­Ohm resistor in series with each, you may expand up to four emitters simply by using two dual emitters,
such as the 284M or the 286M.

795-20

FOUR ZONE AMPLIFIED CONNECTING BLOCK

COMMON EMITTERS

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ZONE EMITTERS

ZONE 4 ZONE 3 ZONE 2 ZONE 1

ABABABAB+12V

POWER

ZONE IR INPUTS

ZONE 1 ZONE 2 ZONE 3 ZONE 4

+12 IN G +12 I N G +12 IN G +12 I N G

To
+12 & G
at one of
IR Zone

Connections

on 795

to

power this

791

6015900

Cable

HIGH

OUT

RCVR

IR

+12 VDC
GND
STATUS
IR IN

12 VDC

EMITTERS

791-44

AMPLIFIED

CONNECTING BLOCK

To Emitters on

Additional COMMON

SOURCE Components

White
Striped
Side

6015900

Cable

To

+12 & G

at one of

IR Zone

Connections

on 795

to

power this

791

HIGH

OUT

RCVR

IR

12 VDC

+12 VDC
GND
STATUS
IR IN

791-44

AMPLIFIED

CONNECTING BLOCK

EMITTERS

To Emitters on

ZONE 3

Components

Fig. 4 Emitter Expansion - Common and Zone Ports

To expand beyond 4 emitters, connect a 791-44 Amplified Connecting Block at the "A" or "B" port. This
makes a total of 11 ports available for that particular zone. See example in Fig. 4.

2. Common Output Ports. If more than 10 common emitter ports are needed, you may use any one of
the common ports to drive the input of a 791-44 Amplified Connecting Block. This will give you a total
of 19 common ports. See Fig. 4.

3. When using 791-44 Amplified Connecting Blocks for emitter expansion, you may power them from the
+12V and G terminals on any one of the 795-20 IR ZONE terminals. See Fig 3. Be sure to take the
current drain of the 791's into consideration (13 mA each) and the extra emitters you use, when
calculating the total current for choice of power supply.

PLEASE NOTE: Be sure that the 781RG and 782-00 Power Supplies, where used, are plugged into
unswitched AC outlets. This maintains the system in "standby" operation so that power ON commands can
be sent to the controlled equipment.

MOUNTING

The 795-20 can be conveniently mounted to a wall or shelf by using the four sheet-metal screws and the
two right-angle brackets supplied. Fasten a bracket to each end surface of the 795 using the two small black
screws, driving them into the holes provided. Use the longer screws to attach the unit to a wall or shelf. The
holes in the ends are located so that two different mounting positions are possible. The unit may be mounted
in any orientation to accommodate the installation.

4

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795-20

9-29-00