Hall Research Technologies SC-3H User manual

User’s Manual
SC-3H
MULTI-FORMAT
PRESENTATION SWITCHER
&
RS-232 CONTROLLER
UMA1256 Rev 2
© Copyright 2017. Hall Research, Inc. All rights reserved
1163 Warner Ave Tustin, CA 92780, Phone [phone]

MULT-FORMAT PRESENTATION SWITCHER & CONTROLLER
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Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 3
2.0 FEATURES ...................................................................................................... 4
2.1 PACKAGE CONTENTS........................................................................................ 4
3.0 SETUP ............................................................................................................. 4
3.1 INSTALLATION ................................................................................................. 4
4.0 OPERATION .................................................................................................... 5
4.1 FRONT PANEL ................................................................................................. 5
4.2 REAR PANEL................................................................................................... 6
4.3 FACTORY DEFAULT .......................................................................................... 7
4.4 POWER CONNECTION ....................................................................................... 7
4.5 L/R IN AND L/R OUT CONNECTIONS ................................................................... 7
5.0 USING THE RS-232 SERIAL PORT ................................................................... 8
5.1 SERIAL COMMANDS ....................................................................................... 8
5.2 AUTO POWER VIDEO DETECTION METHODS........................................................ 10
5.3 AUTO INPUT SELECTION AND INPUT PRIORITY ..................................................... 10
6.0 TROUBLESHOOTING..................................................................................... 11
7.0 SPECIFICATIONS........................................................................................... 12
TRADEMARKS USED IN THIS MANUAL
Hall Research and its logo are trademarks of Hall Research. Any other
trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged as the property of
the trademark owners.
FCC RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
This equipment can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and
used properly, may cause interference to radio communication. It has been
designed to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device in
accordance with the specifications in Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules,
intended to provide reasonable protection against such interference when
the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this
equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case
the user at their own expense will be required to take whatever measures
necessary to correct the interference.

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1.0 Introduction
The SC-3H is a multi-format switcher with 2 HDMI and 1 VGA (with audio) inputs. The
SC-3H provides an HDMI video output together with stereo analog audio output. HDMI
inputs support virtually all PC and TV resolutions including 4K @ 30 and 4K @ 60 (4:2:0).
The VGA and its associated audio inputs are converted to HDMI and scaled to 1080p for
maximum compatibility with HDMI TV’s.
Affordably priced, the SC-3H provides a powerful and cost effective way to add AV
switching and control to any classroom, huddle room, or conference room.
The device can manually or automatically switch between the various video inputs. In
auto input mode it scans the inputs in order to detect video on its inputs and
automatically switches to the active input. If more than one input has video, the SC-3H
can choose among them based on user definable priority tree.
The device can also act as a controller to send serial RS232 commands to turn displays
on and off. Users can upload power control commands for their display and when the
SC-3H is turned on, it will send the “on command” to the display and upon turning the
device off, an off command will be issued. The power commands can also function
automatically. In Auto Power Command Mode, the unit will send out a power on
command if there is video on the output, and if there is no video is being output, it will
send a power off command to the display after a predefined delay.
Normally the RS-232 port on the unit is acting as the “master” issuing commands to
external devices, but this port can also be used to control the SC-3H. Please see Section
5 of the Manual for details.
To use the unit in manual mode, where power and inputs are selected manually, front
panel buttons can be used. Alternatively, an optional external single-gang wall-plate
controller can be connected to the SC-3H. They are SW3-UI and SW3-UI-VOL.
Full EDID management is provided for the HDMI inputs. By default the connected
display’s EDID is used for the HDMI inputs, but users have the ability to upload, emulate
read, or download the EDID. A mini-USB port on the front panel is provided to configure
the device via a free Windows™ GUI available from the SC-3H product webpage.
Figure 1 -
Internal Block Diagram

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2.0 Features
•Two HDMI inputs and 1 VGA input with 3.5mm Audio
•Manual or automatic input selection based on video detection
•Control via front panel buttons, optional external keypad, or RS-232
•RS-232 port can control auxiliary devices (such as projector power on/off)
•Manual or Automatic power control command.
•EDID management
•Supports VGA, HDMI, MHL (on HDMI #1), and DVI
•Locking power supply input connector
•Compact, Rugged, Reliable, and Economical
2.1 Package Contents
Qty (1) SC-3H
Qty (1) 5V DC Universal DC Power Adapter
Qty (1) User’s Manual
Qty (1) Type A to Mini-B USB cable
3.0 Setup
Figure 2 -Typical Installation Diagram
3.1 Installation
•Connect HDMI compatible source signals to the HDMI 1 and/or HDMI 2 IN
connectors. Connect a VGA compatible source signal to the VGA connector. If
VGA source has separate analog audio, connect it to the audio input.

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•Connect the HDMI display device to the HDMI OUT connector.
•Optionally, connect a compatible line-level audio output device to the L/R OUT
connector. (e.g., headphones, amps, assistive listening devices).
•Optionally, connect a compatible RS-232 device to be controlled to the RS-232
connector. (e.g., Projector)
•Optionally, connect a Model SW3-UI-DP to the Aux Ctrl connector. (e.g., For
control of unit from a remote location)
4.0 Operation
4.1 Front Panel
Figure 3 - Front Panel
ON/OFF LED
This LED shows the power status of the unit.
POWER Button
Press this button to turn the system on or off. When the unit is on, the ON/OFF LED
illuminates. If you have defined ON/OFF commands for external devices, the unit will
send those commands as it turns on or off.
To enter or exit Auto Power Command Mode, press and hold the button for 7 seconds.
POWER AUTO LED
This LED shows the status of Auto Power Command Mode. When the LED is not lit
pressing the power button will turn the unit on and off and also cause the RS-232 port to
send out any programmed ON and OFF commands. When the LED is on, the unit stays
on all the time (power button is disabled) and the unit automatically sends ON and OFF
commands based on detecting Video on the selected input.
VGA, HDMI1 and HDMI2 LEDs
These LED’s show the currently selected video input.
INPUT Button
Press this button to select the different inputs; VGA, HDMI1 or HDMI2. Each press
selects the next available input.
To enter or exit Auto Input Mode, press and hold the button for 7 seconds.

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INPUT AUTO LED
This LED shows whether the unit will automatically select an input based on the priorities
configured.
CONFIG
Connect the supplied USB cable to a compatible Windows™ PC running the free
software GUI available for download from the product’s webpage.
4.2 Rear Panel
Figure 4 – Rear Panel
DC 5V
Connect to the power supply shipped with the unit. See Section 4.4 Power Connection.
HDMI/MHL 1 IN and HDMI 2 IN
Connect the HDMI connector to a compatible video source.
VGA/HD IN
Connect the VGA connector to a compatible video source.
L/R IN
Connect the 3.5mm jack to compatible line level audio source. This signal is only
available when using the VGA source signal.
L/R OUT
Connect the 3.5mm connector to compatible line level audio output devices. This is the
audio embedded in the output HDMI.
HDMI OUT
Connect the HDMI connector to a compatible video sink (TV or Projector).
NOTE
The 3.5mm L/R IN and L/R OUT connectors are configured for Consumer
Level signals (typical of MP3 players or wireless microphone receivers).
These connectors are stereo (Tip=Left, Ring=Right).
Care must be taken when connecting to balanced or mono signals.

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RS-232
Connect RS-232 out to the controlled device such as a projector using the appropriate
RS-232 cable. In “slave mode” you can use the serial port to control the SC-3H, Please
refer to Section 5.0 for more details.
AUX-CTRL
Connect to a Optional SW3-UI (or SW3-UI-VOL) keypad via CATx cabling.
4.3 Factory Default
Hold the ‘POWER’ and ‘INPUT’ buttons for more than 4 seconds to reset the unit to the
‘FACTORY DEFAULT’ state. Factory default can also be set via PC GUI
4.4 Power Connection
A universal 5 Volt DC power supply is provided.
4.5 L/R IN and L/R OUT Connections
NOTE The L/R IN connection expects a line level signal (maximum of ~0.9 vDC).
If you need an external preamp for low-level microphones, the Hall Research Model HR-101-S
may work for your needs. In most classroom installations, the wireless microphone present
may have a line-level output.
Use the following diagram for connection of external preamp (such as wireless microphone
receiver) to the system.
Ground referenced means that the external preamp has a connection to ground (the AC cord
has a ground prong).
If the preamp does not provide a balanced (differential) output, you should not tie the return of
your source to the ground of the SC-3H. Doing so would create a ground loop that will most
likely cause audio hum.
If you are sure that your external preamp is floating (its AC cord has no ground prong), then it
may be advisable to connect the negative input signal to ground at the SC-3H.
TIP, RING and SLEEVE refer to the L/R IN and L/R OUT 3.5mm connectors
Figure 5 –L/R IN and L/R OUT Wiring Diagram

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5.0 Using the RS-232 Serial Port
As shipped from the factory, the unit is configured as RS-232 master. This
means that this port is to be used to control external devices. In master mode any
commands received by the RS-232 port will be ignored. To control the SC-3H
from the serial port, you must first put the unit in slave mode. In slave mode the
SC-3H will not send out power on/off commands, instead it will listen for the
commands described in section 5.1 and respond accordingly.
To invoke Slave Mode, you must send: “HRT-SC3H<CR>” to the serial port.
After that the unit will remain in Slave Mode even after power cycle.
To exit Slave Mode send the command “OM0<CR>”
5.1 Serial Commands
The following table lists the RS-232 commands (in Slave Mode). A single
carriage return character (0x0D) must terminate each command - shown as
<CR> in table below. Invalid input, spaces and line feed characters (0x0A) are
ignored.
RS-232 communication at the rear connector is configurable; factory default is
9600 bps, 8 Bit, No Parity, 1 Stop bit. The baud rate can be changed via
Software GUI or via the “XBx” and “XPx” commands.
“Error – Invalid Command” is sent in response to invalid RS-232 commands
“Error” is sent in response to invalid command parameters
•(1) DB9M - RS-232.
PIN 2 = RX Input, PIN 3 = TX Output and PIN 5 = GND
Command
Response
Function and Example
FW
FWx.y<CR>
Current firmware version.
X and Y represent the firmware version numbers.
(e.g., FW1.1<CR>)
PWx
PWx<CR>
Controls power status.
PW?<CR> – Query current power setting
PW1<CR> -- Turn power on
PW0<CR> -- Turn power off (Factory Default)
MUTx
MUTx<CR>
Controls the MUTE status
MUT?<CR> – Query current Mute Setting
MUT1<CR> – Turn on Audio Muting
MUT0<CR> – Turn off Audio Muting (Factory Default)
EDx
EDx<CR>
Controls EDID mode setting
ED?<CR> – Query current Mute Setting
ED1<CR> – Pass-Thru (Factory Default)
ED0<CR> – Emulated
FD
FD<CR>
Resets device to Factory Defaults
Unit will reboot

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Command
Response
Function and Example
FPx
FPx<CR>
Controls the Front Panel Lock Status
FP?<CR> – Query current Front Panel Lock Setting
FP1<CR> – Turn on Front Panel Lock
FP0<CR> – Turn off Front Panel Lock (Factory Default)
ST
System status
Queries system status
ST<CR> – Query the current system status
Current Status for the commands below:
FW?, PW?, MUT?, FP?, AU?, AT?, AP?, ED?, XB?
and XP?
XBx
XBx<CR>
Controls the RS-232 Out Baud Rate
XB?<CR> – Query current Output Baud Rate Setting
XB4<CR> – Set Baud Rate to 9600 (Factory Default)
•The baud rate can be set to any of the following:
XB1 = 1200, XB2 = 2400, XB3 = 4800
XB4 = 9600, XB5 = 19200, XB6 = 38400
XB7 = 57600, XB8 = 115200
XPx
XPx<CR>
Controls the RS-232 Out Parity
XP?<CR> – Query current Output Parity Setting
XP0<CR> – Set Parity to ‘NONE’ (Factory Default)
XP1<CR> – Set Parity to ‘EVEN’
XP2<CR> – Set Parity to ‘ODD’
XT
XT<CR>
Transmit from RS-232 OUT with specific baud and parity
Terminated with <0x17><0x0D>
SPx
SPx<CR>
Controls the Serial Data Pass-Thru Status
SP?<CR> – Query current Serial Pass-Thru Setting
SP1<CR> – Turn on Serial Pass-Thru
SP0<CR> – Turn off Serial Pass-Thru (Factory Default)
BPx or
BPx,y
BPx<CR>
BPx,y<CR>
Controls transmission of stored serial commands
‘x’ is from 0 to 7, ‘y’ is either 1 (on) or 0 (off)
BP?<CR> – Query current Button Press Status
BP0<CR> – Simulates pressing button #0
BP1,0<CR> – Simulates turning button #1 off
AUx
AUx<CR>
Controls AUTO DETECT Mode
AU?<CR> – Query current Auto Detect Mode Status
AU1<CR> – Auto Detect Mode Active
AU0<CR> – Auto Detect Mode In-Active (Factory
Default)
ATx
ATx<CR>
Controls the Auto Detection Method Settings
AT?<CR> – Query current Auto Detection setting
AT0<CR> – Auto Detection Disabled (Factory Default)
AT1<CR> – +5VDC on HDMI INPUT
AT2<CR> – Video on HDMI INPUT
Auto Detect must be active (AU1) for a Trigger to occur.
Disabling Auto Detection will turn off Auto Detect (AU0).

MULT-FORMAT PRESENTATION SWITCHER & CONTROLLER
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Command
Response
Function and Example
ISx
ISx<CR>
Input Selection
IS?<CR> – Query current input selection
IS0<CR> –
IS1<CR> – Select HDMI #1 Input (Factory Default)
IS2<CR> – Select HDMI #2 Input
IS3<CR> – Select VGA Input
UIx
UIx<CR>
SW3-UI Installed Selection
UI?<CR> – Query current SW3-UI Installed selection
UI1<CR> – SW3-UI Installed (Factory Default)
UI0<CR> – SW3-UI NOT Installed
APx
APx<CR>
Auto Detection Input Priority Selection
AP?<CR> – Query current Auto Detection Input Priority
selection
AP0<CR> –Manual Controlled (Factory Default)
AP1<CR> – Priority Controlled
AP2<CR> – Last Plugged
5.2 Auto Power Video Detection Methods
As mentioned earlier, when the power mode is in Auto Command, the SC-3H can send
the user programmed ON/OFF RS-232 strings based on sensing different parameters of
the currently selected input source.
Source Video +5V –
•+5V from source detected will cause the ON string to be sent out.
•+5V from source lost for more than the programmed OFF Delay will cause the ON
string to be sent out.
•The OFF Delay is programmable from 0 to 240 minutes. Factory default - 3 minutes
Source Video –
•TMDS Video Clock detected will cause the ON string to be sent out.
•TMDS Video Clock detected will cause the will cause the OFF string to be sent out
after the OFF Delay mentioned above.
5.3 Auto Input Selection and Input Priority
This model can switch automatically to another input based on the following events.
Manually Controlled – (Factory Default)
The user must select the desired input.
Priority Controlled
The appropriate input is selected based on the priorities configured and whether video
is being received.
Last Plugged
The appropriate input is selected based on which input was last plugged in and
whether video is being received.

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6.0 Troubleshooting
If you are experiencing problems getting the switcher to work properly, please use the
following troubleshooting suggestions.
•Ensure that all connections are solid.
•Try resetting the system by unplugging the power supply, waiting 5 seconds
and plugging it back.
•Try performing a factory default. Holding the Power Button and Input Buttons
together for more than 4 seconds will reset the unit back to ‘Factory Default’.
•If you still are not able to get the system working properly, contact Hall
Research support (preferably via email or via www.hallresearch.com) with a
detailed description of the issue and the troubleshooting steps you have taken.
Do not open or try to repair the unit, this will void your warranty.
To ship the unit back for repair, make sure to obtain a Return Material Authorization
(RMA) number from Hall Research. Anything received without valid RMA number may be
discarded or lost.
NOTE
Ensure you backup any existing device configuration using the Windows™
GUI. Setting Factory Default will delete any user programmed RS-232
strings in the device.

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7.0 Specifications
Video
Connectors
(2) Locking HDMI INPUT
(1) VGA INPUT
(1) Locking HDMI OUTPUT
Standards
DVI (single link)
HDMI up to 12 bit color depth, 3D video HDCP 1.2
Signal type
TMDS
Resolutions
DVI or VGA signal VGA (640x480) thru WUXGA (1920x1200)
HDMI signal 480i through 4K@30 Hz 4:4:4 or 4K@60 4:2:0
Audio
Formats
All HDMI Embedded Audio including: LPCM 7.1CH, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master
Audio (32-192kHz sample rate). Analog audio output only supports two channel format.
Other Signals
RS-232
(1) DB9M
RS-232 Baud Rate: 9600, N, 8, 1 (factory default)
Configurable at 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, or 115200
USB
(1) Mini-B
General
Power Supply
100 VAC to 240 VAC, 47-63 Hz, External; 5 VDC
Temp/humidity
Storage: -40 to +158 °F (-40 to +70 °C) / 10% to 90%, non-condensing
Operating: +32 to +122 °F (0 to +50 °C) / 10% to 90%, non-condensing
Typical DC
Current Draw
5 VDC, 2.0 A Power Supply
ON: 650-750 mADC
OFF: ~400 mADC
Cooling
Convection
Enclosure type
Metal (Steel)
Dimensions
1.25" H x 9.00" W x 4.3" D
(32mm H x 229mm W x 109mm D)
Depth excludes connectors
Product weight
Model Only 1.3 lb
Kit (shipping) 3.0 lb includes: SC-3H, power supply, power cord, USB cable, manual,
and packaging
Vibration
ISTA 1A in carton (International Safe Transit Association)
Safety
CE
EMI/EMC
CE, FCC Class A
MTBF
90,000 hours (Calculated Estimate)
Warranty
3 years parts and labor
Specifications are subject to change without notice

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© Copyright 2017. Hall Research, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Toll-free in the U.S. 800-959-6439
Email: [e-mail]
Hall Research, 1163 Warner Ave. Tustin, CA 92780
www.hallresearch.com
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