Comtrol® DeviceMaster® Setup

The Comtrol® DeviceMaster® connects to the switcher over ethernet and provides a number of RS-232/422/485 serial ports that can be used to connect multiple serial devices to the switcher without using the a serial port on the switcher. This document describes how to set up the switcher and the DeviceMaster® to work together. To connect a device to the switcher through the DeviceMaster®, you need the serial connection information for that device.

Before starting, ensure that you have the Comtrol® PortVision® software installed on your setup computer. Refer to the Comtrol® documentation for information on installing this software.

Cable Connections

The DeviceMaster® connects to the switcher over an ethernet connection and then either an RS-232 or RS-422 connections to the device you want to connect to.

Table 1. DeviceMaster® Cable Connections
RS-232 RS-422
2 (Rx) 2 (Rx-)
3 (Tx) 3 (Tx-)
5 (GND) --
-- 7 (Tx+)
-- 8 (Rx+)

Switcher Setup

The switcher must be set up to communicate with the device connected to the DeviceMaster®. Refer to the Ross Video external device setup sheet for the device you want to control from the switcher for specific setup instructions.

To Set Up Communications with a Device

Refer to the setup sheet for the device you want to set up and substitute this information for setting up communications with the device.

  1. Press HOME > Setup > Installation > Com Setup
  2. Press Type and use the Com Port knob to select the net port that you want to set up for the device.
  3. Use the Device knob to select the type device you want to connect to.
  4. Press Select Device and use the Device knob to select the specific model of device you want to setup.
  5. Press Com Type and use the Type knob to select Network TCP.
  6. Press Com Settings and select whether the switcher is acting as a client (Client) or server (Server) when connecting to the device.
    • Client — Enter the IP address of your device in the Remote IP Address field and the port on your device that the switcher must connect to in the Remote Port field.
    • Server — Select the IP address of the switcher in the Local IP Address field that you want to use to connect to your device and the port on the switcher that the your device must connect to in the Local Port field.
    Note: Use the IP address of the DeviceMaster® and the port number on the DeviceMaster® that is assigned to the device you want to control.
  7. Press Extra Options and use the Option and Value knobs to select the any extra option that are required from the device setup sheet.
  8. Press HOME > Confirm.

Device Setup

The port expander must be set up to communicate with the switcher as well as the device you want to connect to through the port expander.

Note: This information in this procedure is provided as a guide and is based on the current version of hardware and software that was available at the time of testing. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, refer to the documentation that came with your port expander.

To Set Up Communications

Note: If you are using a Cisco Systems® brand router, or switch, to connect the Comtrol® DeviceMaster® to the switcher, you must disable the BPDU Guard on the Cisco Systems® brand router or switch to ensure proper communications.
  1. Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address of the DeviceMaster®.

    The default IP address is 192.168.250.250.

  2. Click Configure Network.
  3. Click Use static configuration below: and enter the IP Address, Netmask, and Gateway you want to use.
    Tip: A static IP Address is required for the switcher to connect to the DeviceMaster®.
  4. Click Save.

    Changes do not take effect until the DeviceMaster® is rebooted.

  5. Click Port x, where x is the port on the DeviceMaster® you are connecting a device to.
  6. Enter the Serial Configuration information for your device:
    • Mode — set for device
    • Baud — set for device
    • Parity — set for device
    • DTR — off
    • EOL — disabled
    Tip: If you are connecting a device using the RAP protocol to the DeviceMaster®, you must have Listen unchecked and enter the IP address of the Master Panel in the Connect To: field, as well as the Local IP Port in the To Port: field. The Local IP Port is found on the Device Network Setup menu.
  7. Enter the TCP Connection Configuration information for your device:
    • Enable — selected
    • Listen — selected
    • Port — we suggests that you start numbering the ports at 1001.
    • Leave all other setting at their default values.
  8. Reboot the DeviceMaster®.