ATEN VK1100A User manual

ATEN Control System
User Manual
www.aten.com
VK1100A / VK1200 /
VK2100A / VK2200
Control Box Gen. 2
Setup Guide

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
ii
Compliance Statements
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION INTERFERENCE
STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when
the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user
will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
The device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
FCC Caution
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
Warning
Operation of this equipment in a residential environment could cause radio
interference.
Achtung
Der Gebrauch dieses Geräts in Wohnumgebung kann Funkstörungen
verursachen.
KCC Statement:
Industry Canada Statement
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
iii
RoHS
This product is RoHS compliant.
Conventions
Contents
1. Introduction
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Package Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VK1100A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VK1200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
VK2100A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
VK2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
VK1200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
VK2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. Getting Started
Overall Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Placement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Rack Mount. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
VK2100A / VK2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
VK1100A / VK1200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Desktop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Powering the Control Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Terminology Description
Control Box, Control Box
Gen. 2
Control Box or Control Box Gen. 2 refers to ATEN Control
Box Gen. 2 models, including VK1100A, VK1200, VK2100A,
and VK2200.
controller Controller refers to all models of ATEN Control Box and
Control Pad.

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
iv
3. Initialization
ID, Network & License Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Setting Control Box ID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Determining the IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Changing Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
IP Installer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Web Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Upgrading Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Adding Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4. Wiring
Wiring and Connecting to Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12 V DC Power Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Independent Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using Self-Supplied Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Digital I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Digital Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Bidirectional Serial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
RS-232 (3-Pin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
RS-232/422/485 (5-Pin). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Unidirectional IR / Serial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
IR Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Serial Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Control LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5. ATEN Configurator
ATEN Configurator — VK6000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
ATEN Expansion Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
1
Overview
The Control Box Gen. 2 is an Ethernet-based controller device that connects
and integrates a spate of devices to provide single-access configuration and
convenient remote control for a room setting, such as boardrooms and lecture
halls.
It offers multiple bidirectional serial ports, relays, IR/serial ports, digital I/O,
and 12 V DC power output ports, as well as a dedicated control LAN port,
separate from the corporate LAN, for IP device management within a secure
subnetwork. In addition, it also supports a range of ATEN Expansion Boxes in
providing versatile scalability.
Once successfully connected, users will be able to configure all in-room
devices using the ATEN Configurator software — VK6000, and allow remote
control using ATEN Touch Panel, ATEN Keypads, and Android / iOS /
Windows mobile devices via the ATEN Control System app.
For a centralized management, the VK1200 / VK2200 can be connected to
ATEN Unizon, a global AV management platform software, allowing users to
control and monitor multiple ATEN Ethernet-based solutions across different
locations, including but not limited to ATEN Control Boxes, at the same time.
Package Contents
Make sure the following are present and in working condition:
1 Control Box Gen. 2
1 power cord
1 foot pad set (4 pcs)
1 rack mount kit (VK2100A / VK2200 only)
1 user instructions
1 terminal block kit
Terminal Block VK1100A / VK1200 VK2100A VK2200
2-Pin 7 12 20
3-Pin 2 4 6
5-Pin 1 3 4

Overview
2
Before You Start
The following is a checklist of the items to prepare / consider before you start:
Go through the numbers and types of ports available, and see if it satisfies
all of the devices you want to be controlled within your room setting.
Note: For more control port interfaces, up to 8 ATEN Expansion boxes per
expander model can be connected to the Control Box. See Compatible
Products on the product web page for details.
Consider the recommended maximum length of each interface cable, as
listed below, and choose an appropriate installation location for the
Control Box.
Note: The maximum allowed length of each interface cable may vary de-
pending on the cable quality.
Interface VK1100A VK1200 VK2100A VK2200
Bidirectional
RS232/422/485
Serial
3-Pin RS-232 1 4 6
5-Pin
RS-232/422/485 12
Unidirectional IR/Serial 2 4 8
Relay 4 4 8
Digital I/O 2 4 8
12 V DC Output 1 4
Ethernet 1 2 1 2
Interface Length (m)
RS-232 15
RS-422/485 350
Relay 30
I/O 30
IR 30

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
3
Prepare a PC with the following specifications, which may be used to set
the system settings of Control Box Gen. 2 and run VK6000.
Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Installed with .Net Framework V4.5 or later
Take note of the network information and login credentials of each IP
device that will be connecting to and managed by the Control Box, if any.
Front Panel
VK1100A
VK1200
12 3 46
5
8 9 10 11 12 14
1 2 35
7
89
4
10 141311

Overview
4
VK2100A
VK2200
No. Component Description
1 relay LEDs
 Lights green to indicate an active device connection or
signals being transmitted.
 Blinks green once to indicate system startup, with the
buzzer beeping once
2I/OLEDs
3 IR / serial LEDs
4 serial LEDs
5LANLED Lights green to indicate successful connection to the
network.
6SystemLED Blinks green to indicate that the system is running without
issues.
7 Control LAN LED Lights green to indicate successful connection to the
network.
8DC output
overload LED
Lights orange to indicate DC output exceeding the
maximum output threshold, with the buzzer beeping for 3
seconds.
Note: Please unplug any of the connected devices to keep
its total output under 12 V DC, 1 A / 2A and restart the
unit.
1234 5
689 10 11 12 14
114
5
24
37910
811 13

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
5
9 IR receiver / LED Passes the functions of a remote control to the Control Box
in learning mode. The distance between the IR remote and
the receiver window should be kept under 10 cm with a
direct line of sight.
 The LED blinks green to indicate the unit is receiving
signals from an IR remote control
 The LED lights green to indicate entering learning mode,
or IR learning success with the buzzer beeping once.
10 USB port / LED Note: Control Box Gen 2. is compatible with USB drivers
in NTFS format only.
Plugs in a USB device to upload Viewers (configured by
the VK6000) to the Control Box.
 The LED blinks green to indicate that Viewers are being
uploaded, and lights green to indicate a successful
upload, with the buzzer beeping once upon USB plug-in
and once upon upload success.
 The LED lights orange to indicate upload failure, with the
buzzer beeping 3 times for no available file found or
upload failure.
11 reset button
 Clear all settings but network: Press and hold until
the front panel LEDs blink once, with the buzzer
beeping once (about 8 seconds). The LEDs and
buzzer will trigger once more when the reset is
complete.
 Reset network settings: Short press once.
Note: For more reset functions, please refer to the user
manual.
12 Control Box ID
Switch Use the switch to set an ID for the Control Box.
13 LCD panel and
buttons
Use the Up, Down, and Enter buttons to display the unit’s
system information, and set its ID.
14 power LED Lights green when the unit is turned on.
No. Component Description

Overview
6
Rear Panel
VK1100A
VK1200
VK2100A
12 3 4510
6789
1 2 3 4 5 106
9
7811
13 4
5
67810
92

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
7
VK2200
No. Component Description
1 power socket Plugs in the power cord from an AC power source.
2 power switch Powers the unit on or off.
3 12 V DC output ports 1 / 4 DC output port(s) providing a total output of 12 V
DC, 1 / 2 A from the Control Box.
4 relay channels 4 / 8 channels; normally open, isolated relays with a
contact rating of 24 V DC, 2 A max.
5 I/O channels 2 / 4 / 8 channels that can be configured as digital
inputs or outputs, with the first pin being ground and
the rest being number pins.
 Digital Input:
 VDC Mode: 0 - 24 V DC; programmable range
of 1 - 24 V DC
 Dry Contact Mode: Pull-up 2k Ωto +12 V DC
 Digital Output: 300 mA sink from 24 V DC
6 IR / serial ports 2 / 4 / 8 IR ports that can also be configured as RS-232
TX ports. pin 1: Signal / pin 2: Ground.
7 RS-232/422/485
serial ports
1 / 2 5-pin RS-232/422/485 serial ports by pin
assignment.
8 RS-232 serial ports 1 / 4 / 6 3-pin RS-232 serial ports with Tx, Rx and
GND.
9 grounding terminal Connects to the grounding wire.
10 LAN
Connects the unit to the
corporate LAN for remote
access and centralized
management by ATEN
Unizon.
Default network settings
when no dynamic IP
address is assigned, by
a DHCP server, after 30
seconds:
IP: 192.168.1.60 / mask:
255.255.255.0
91 2 3456 10
811
7

Overview
8
11 Control LAN Connects the unit to a
secure subnetwork,
separate from the corporate
LAN, for managing IP
devices and configuration
by the ATEN Configurator
VK6000, as well as for
remote control by ATEN
Keypads, Touch Panel or
the ATEN Control System
app on mobile devices.
Default network settings
when no dynamic IP
address is assigned, by
a DHCP server, after 30
seconds:
IP: 192.168.0.60 / mask:
255.255.255.0
No. Component Description

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
9
Overall Installation Procedure
The installation of the Control Box Gen. 2 shall be done in the following order:
Step 1 — Mounting the Control Box
see Placement, page 10.
Step 2 — Powering the Control Box
see Powering the Control Box, page 13.
Step 3 — ID Setting and Initialization
see ID, Network & License Configuration, page 14.
Step 4 — Wiring and Connecting Devices
see Wiring and Connecting to Devices, page 19.
Step 5 — Adding the Control Box on VK6000
see ATEN Configurator — VK6000, page 30.

Getting Started
10
Placement
Rack Mount
The Control Box can be mounted onto a 19” (1U) system rack.
VK2100A / VK2200
1. Using the rack mount kit, attach the 2 mounting brackets onto the sides of
the unit with the 6 screws (M3x6) included.
2. Align the mounting brackets’ screw holes with that of the front of the rack,
and secure the unit onto the rack using 4 self-supplied screws.

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
11
VK1100A / VK1200
Note: For VK1100A / VK1200, the rack mount kit (2X-021G / 2X-049G)
must be purchased separately.
2X-049G (single rack mount)
1. Using the rack mount kit, attach the 2 mounting brackets onto the sides of
the unit with the 4 screws (M3x6) included.
2. Align the mounting brackets’ screw holes with that of the front of the rack,
and secure the unit onto the rack using 2 self-supplied screws.

Getting Started
12
2X-021G (dual rack mount)
1. Remove 2 screws at the bottom and 1 screw at the side from each of the
two VK1100A / VK1200 units, as shown below.
2. Use 4 of the screws from step 2 to secure the two VK1100A / VK1200
units together with the link bracket. Then install the left and right
mounting brackets onto the sides of the units using 2 of the M3x5 and
M3x6 screws included.
3. Align the mounting brackets’ screw holes with that of the front of the rack,
and secure the units onto the rack using 4 self-supplied screw.

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
13
Desktop
To place the Control Box on a flat surface, such as a desk, simply attach the
foot pad set provided onto its 4 corners and place it on the surface.
Powering the Control Box
1. Use a grounding wire to ground the unit by connecting one end to the
grounding terminal (No. 9, Rear Panel, page 6) and the other end to a
suitable grounded object.
Note: Do not omit this step. Proper grounding helps prevent damage to the
unit from power surges and static electricity.
2. Plug the power cord into the unit’s power socket (No. 1, Rear Panel,
page 6), and connect it to an AC power source.
3. Using a self-supplied Cat 5e/6 cable, connect the unit to a secured
subnetwork via:
Control LAN port for VK1200 / VK2200 (No. 11, Rear Panel, page 6)
LAN port for VK1100A / VK2100A (No. 10, Rear Panel, page 6)
4. (Optional) For VK1200 / 2200, use another Cat 5e/6 cable to connect the
unit to the corporate LAN, via its LAN port (No. 10, Rear Panel, page 6),
for remote access and/or centralized management by ATEN Unizon.
5. Start the unit by switching on its power switch (No. 2, Rear Panel,
page 6). Upon startup, all of the Control Box’s interface LEDs will blink
once, with the buzzer beeping once.

14
ID, Network & License Configuration
Setting Control Box ID
For VK1200 / VK2200, use the LCD panel on the front panel to set its ID.
For VK1100A / VK2100A, use the Control Box ID switch to set its ID.
Note: Take note of the control box ID, which should be unique and unrepeated
if there are other controllers within the same subnet.
Determining the IP Address
The network information of the VK1200 / VK2200 can be found on its LCD
panel, via Information, as illustrated below.
VK1100A / VK2100A VK1200 / VK2200
DHCP When connected to a DHCP network, the control box is assigned with
an IP address automatically upon startup.
Non-DHCP
When no dynamic IP address is assigned to it within 30 seconds after
startup, the control box’s default network settings are applied:
LAN
Default IP Address: 192.168.0.60
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
LAN
Default IP Address: 192.168.1.60
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Control LAN (CLAN)
Default IP Address: 192.168.0.60
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Control Box Gen. 2 Setup Guide
15
The network information of the VK1100A / VK2100A can be determined
using the IP Installer. Follow the steps below to install IP Installer.
1. Using a Windows PC, download the IP Installer zip file in Support and
Downloads from the ATEN controller’s product web page.
2. Extract and execute IPInstaller.exe. A window similar to the one below
appears.
3. Make sure the proper network adapter is selected and click Enumerate to
search for and display your ATEN controllers within the Device List.

Initialization
16
Changing Network Settings
There are two methods of changing the network settings of the Control Box —
via IP Installer or web interface — on a PC within the same subnet.
IP Installer
1. Using a Windows PC, download IP Installer zip file under Support and
Downloads from the Control Box’s product web page. Then extract and
execute IPInstaller.exe.
2. Select the Control Box model from the Device List, and select Use the
following IP address under IPv4 settings to change its IP address, subnet
mask, and default gateway.
Web Interface
Accessing the Web Interface
1. Open a web browser, enter the Control Box’s IP address, and log into its
web interface using the default access key — password. Upon login, the
user will be prompted and required to set a new password for the unit.
2. Click Settings
>Network, select Manually (DHCP off) from the
Get IP Address drop-down list, and change its network settings, namely
IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
Working as a DHCP Server
To set the VK1200 / VK2200 as a DHCP server for automatically
assigning dynamic IP addresses to the IP devices managed via its Control
LAN, do the following: