Hall Research Technologies URA-232 User manual

User’s Manual
URA-232 & URA-232-XT
PC Video, Audio & RS232
on Twisted-Pair Receivers
with Cable Length Compensation
Skew Correction and Daisy-Chain Output
URA-232
URA-232-XT
Order toll-free in the U.S. 800-959-6439
FREE technical support, Call 714-641-6607 or fax [phone]
Address: Hall Research, 1163 Warner Ave. Tustin, CA 92780
Web site: www.hallresearch.com E-mail: [e-mail]
CUSTOMER
SUPPORT
INFORMATION
UMA1179 Rev. A

PC (VGA) & HD (YPbPr) AV with RS232 over Twisted-Pair Receivers
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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.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and if not installed and used in strict accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio
communication. This equipment is 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, which are 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 may be necessary to correct the interference.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate
the equipment.

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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Contents
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 General................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Features ............................................................................................................................... 4
2. Installation ............................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Package Contents................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Connection to Compatible Senders ..................................................................................... 4
2.2 Connection to Compatible Senders ..................................................................................... 5
2.3 Cable Requirements ............................................................................................................ 6
2.4 Daisy-Chain Limitations ....................................................................................................... 6
2.5 Block Diagram for URA-232 & URA-232-XT........................................................................ 6
3. Configuration & Operation................................................................................................... 7
3.1 Why Cable Compensation? ................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Compensation Adjustment Procedure ................................................................................. 8
3.3 Advanced Adjustment .......................................................................................................... 9
3.4 Why Skew Adjustment? ..................................................................................................... 10
3.5 Skew Adjustment Procedure.............................................................................................. 11
3.6 Signal Adjustment for the Daisy Chain............................................................................... 12
4. Software GUI........................................................................................................................ 13
4.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................ 13
4.2 Getting Started ................................................................................................................... 13
4.3 URA-232 Modes of Operation............................................................................................ 14
4.4 Button Selection ................................................................................................................. 15
4.5 Connect & Disconnect Buttons .......................................................................................... 16
4.6 Show CONFIG Button........................................................................................................ 17
4.7 Download Button................................................................................................................ 17
4.8 Upload Button..................................................................................................................... 17
4.9 Configuration Tab............................................................................................................... 18
4.10 Settings Tab ..................................................................................................................... 20
4.11 Communications Tab ....................................................................................................... 21
4.12 Menu Bar.......................................................................................................................... 22
4.13 RS-232 Command Summary ........................................................................................... 23
5. Troubleshooting.................................................................................................................. 24
5.1 Contacting Hall Research .................................................................................................. 24
5.2 Shipping and Packaging .................................................................................................... 24
5.3 Problem Solving FAQ......................................................................................................... 25
6. Specifications...................................................................................................................... 26

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1. Introduction
1.1 General
This User Manual applies to Hall Research Models URA-232 and URA-232-XT.
These models are video, audio and uni-directional RS-232 over CAT5/5e/6
receivers.
In a typical application, they are located at a distance from the AV/RS-232 source
and connected to a compatible sender unit that converted the audio, video and RS-
232 source signal for transmission on a twisted pair cable.
Below is a list of capabilities & features of each receiver model:
Uni-
Directional
RS-232
Equalization
to 1000 ft
RGB Skew
Correction
Chain
Output Cable Requirements
URA-232 Any UTP or STP Cable
URA-232-XT Any UTP or STP Cable
Table 1 – Model Number Differences
The Models URA-232 and URA-232-XT do not have any special cable requirements
since they are capable of correcting the RGB color skew induced in typical CATx
cable installations.
The Model URA-232-XT allows downstream receiver units to daisy chain
connections using UTP cables. This eliminates the need for running separate cables
from every receiver back to the sender (in a star or home-run fashion) – this is a very
useful feature when several receivers are located in a line going away from the
sender.
Depending on the application, the URA-232-XT’s downstream RJ45 port can
connect to more receivers (URA-232-XT or URA-232). The constructed daisy chain
may have:
•Up to 3750 feet maximum cable from source to last URA-232
•A maximum of 5 URA-232-XT devices in any chain
•750 feet maximum distance between units in a chain

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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1.2 Features
•Receives audio, video and uni-directional RS-232 on a single CATx cable
•Adjustable cable length compensation to 1000 ft
•RGB skew correction
•Digitally controlled adjustment eliminates tweaking pots
•Supports resolutions up to 1920x1200 at any refresh rate
•Compact & rugged metal enclosure with mounting holes
•Easily expandable by daisy-chaining receivers (URA-232-XT)
•Configurable Discrete Input
oContact Closure
oVoltage (5-30 vDC)
•Software GUI
2. Installation
2.1 Package Contents
Your package should contain the URA-232/URA-232-XT receiver unit, a Universal
power supply (5 VDC @ 2A), an IEC320 Power Cord, and a User Manual.

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2.2 Connection to Compatible Senders
The URA-232 and URA-232-XT units accept a single UTP cable connection from
any of Hall Research’s compatible UVA-232 Sender product line. Some compatible
senders are listed below:
PART NUMBER
UV232A-S
Video, Audio and Uni-Directional RS-232
UVA232-4S
Up to (4) Video, Audio and Uni-Directional RS-232 with
Remote Button Trigger
UVA232-8S
Up to (8) Video, Audio and Uni-Directional RS-232 with
Remote Button Trigger
Genesis 8x8 and 16x16 Matrix with -JAR output option
Up to 16 RJ45 outputs with video, audio and RS232 that
can be switched to any of up to 16 AV inputs. Housed a
single 2 RU enclosure
Table 2 – Compatible Senders
Connect the UTP cable from any of the compatible UVA senders to the
“UTP IN” connector.
Connect the HD15 - “PC/HDTV OUT” connector to the display device. For
YPbPr video sources, use a 3-RCA to HD15 cable (Hall Research P/N
CHD15-RGB).
Connect the 3.5mm - “AUDIO OUT” connector to the speakers or other
sound equipment.
Connect the RS232 from the device to be controlled to the “Terminal Strip”
(Pin 1 = TX, Pin 2 = GND, Pin 3 = RX)
Connect the Discrete Input (Contact Closure or 5-30 vDC power) to the
“Terminal Strip” (Pin 4 = +, Pin 2 = - when using Voltage)
Connect ONLY the included power supply to the 2.1mm
– center positive +5 VDC power input connector on the
unit.
Never use any other supply as this may damage the device.

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2.3 Cable Requirements
All units can use with CAT5/5e/6 or Zero-Skew™ UTP or STP (unshielded or
shielded twisted pair) cables.
All units provide high-frequency compensation (to account for the losses in the CATx
cable) and RGB skew correction.
2.4 Daisy-Chain Limitations
The Model URA-232-XT allows downstream receiver units to be daisy chained using
UTP cables. This eliminates the need for running separate cables from every
receiver back to the sender.
Depending on the application, the URA-232-XT’s downstream RJ45 port can
connect to more receivers (URA-232-XT or URA-232). The constructed daisy chain
may have:
•Up to 3750 feet maximum cable from source to last URA-232
•A maximum of 5 URA-232-XT devices in any chain
•750 feet maximum distance between units in a chain
2.5 Block Diagram for URA-232 & URA-232-XT
Figure 2 – URA-232 & URA-232-XT Application Diagram

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3. Configuration & Operation
3.1 Why Cable Compensation?
All cables attenuate (reduce) the high-frequency components of the video signal that
is being transmitted. The longer the cable, the more signal loss. If not compensated
for, this signal loss will result in blurry and smeared images being displayed.
The image quality depends on the resolution and level of detail in the image. The
Hall Research URA series of receivers have one of the most precise and complex
equalization techniques in the industry and allow full recovery of the original signal’s
bandwidth.
It is best to make this adjustment using a test pattern that is designed to depict and
exaggerate this effect.
Some Hall Research senders may have a built-in test pattern generator. If your
sender unit is equipped with this feature, simply activate it on the sender. Otherwise,
you can connect a PC to the source and display a test pattern. A sample test pattern
is available at http://www.hallresearch.com/skew.htm to assist in the adjustment of
the compensation and to evaluate the amount of color skew in the installation.
The table below lists the recommended maximum distances from sender to the
receiver depending on the resolution used.
Refresh Rate
60 Hz 75 Hz
800x600 1000 ft 1000 ft
1024x768 1000 ft 850 ft
1280x1024 850 ft 750 ft
Resolution
1920x1200 750 ft 700 ft
Table 3 -
Recommended maximum
CATx cable length from
sender to the receiver

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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3.2 Compensation Adjustment Procedure
•Apply power to the receiver. Wait until all LED’s are turned off
•Press the SEL button once to enter Adjustment-mode.
•In Adjustment-mode, all three (3) LEDs will be turned ON.
•The UP or DOWN buttons can now be used to adjust the high
frequency (HF) compensation up or down until the video no longer
looks smeared (see figure below).
•While using the UP and DOWN buttons, if an upper or lower limit of
adjustment is reached, the LED’s will blink for each continued press
of the UP or DOWN button.
•Pressing both the UP & DOWN buttons together will reset the high
frequency (HF) compensation back to zero.
•To exit the Adjustment mode at any time, press the SEL button until
all LED’s are OFF (the unit also has a built-in 1 minute timeout).
Figure 4 - Typical test patterns used for adjusting compensation
Figure 5 - Effect of adjustment on the smearing

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3.3 Advanced Adjustment
The URA series of devices can equalize the brightness of the video by reducing
smearing.
•Apply power to the receiver. Wait until all LED’s are turned off
•Press the SEL button once to enter Adjustment-mode.
•In Adjustment-mode, all three (3) LEDs will be ON solid.
•Press and hold the SEL button for at least 3 seconds to enable the
Video Brightness Adjustment Mode (previously called Wire Gauge
Mode).
•In Video Brightness Adjustment Mode, the GREEN and BLUE
LED’s will be blinking.
•The UP button raises the video brightness level.
•The DOWN button lowers the video brightness level.
•Pressing BOTH the UP and DOWN buttons at the same time will
reset the Video Brightness to the default setting.
•While using the UP and DOWN buttons, if an upper or lower limit of
the adjustment is reached, the LED’s will blink for each continued
press of the UP or DOWN button.
•To exit the Video Brightness Adjustment mode at any time, press
the SEL button until all LED’s are ON solid. Press the SEL button
once more until all LED’s are OFF (The unit also has a built-in 1
minute timeout).
Note
The Video Brightness adjustment may not be noticeable when only using 1 device.
When products are daisy-chained using the –XT version the adjustment is easier to
observe.

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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3.4 Why Skew Adjustment?
UTP cables have 4 twisted pairs inside. The Hall Research UVA/URA video
transmission on UTP uses 3 individual pairs for each color (Red, Green, & Blue).
Figure 6 - skew mechanism, example
As shown in the figure above, a characteristic of CAT5/5e/6 cable is that the pairs of
wires twist at different rates.
Therefore, for a given length of CAT6 cable the total length of any particular pair
could be longer than other pairs in the same cable. Since the signals travel along the
length of each pair at a fixed speed, the arrival times of signals will be skewed in a
long cable (those that have to travel farther arrive later and the corresponding color
shifts to the right).
This is seen on the monitor as separation, or lack of convergence in colors. For
example, a vertical white line on the screen may look to have a red tinge on the left
edge and blue tinge on the right edge.
This effect gets worse at high resolutions, high refresh rates, long cables (in excess
of 200 feet), and depends on the cable construction itself.
If you are using special UTP cables that are specifically designed for video
transmission (such as Hall Research Zero-Skew™), then there should be no shift in
color alignment regardless of the cable length. However, in many applications
standard and common CAT6 cables may be utilized, this will necessitate a receiver
that can also move each color component to the left and right in order to realign
them.

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300 ft of CAT6 (1280x1024 source)
* actual zoomed photo of screen * After skew adjustment
Figure 7 – Example of Skew manifested
3.5 Skew Adjustment Procedure
•Apply power to the receiver. Wait until all LED’s are turned off
•Press the SEL button once to enter Adjustment-mode.
•In Adjustment-mode, all three (3) LEDs will be turned ON.
•Press the SEL button once to enter the Adjustment mode. Press the
SEL button again to light only one of the 3 Red, Green or Blue LEDs.
As you press SEL the Red, Green, and Blue LEDs will light up one at
a time.
•The UP and DOWN buttons are used to move the selected color
component to the left and right. Pressing both buttons at the same
time resets all skew adjustments.
•While using the UP and DOWN buttons, if an upper or lower limit of
adjustment is reached, the LED’s will blink for each continued press
of the UP or DOWN button.
•To exit the Adjustment mode at any time, press the SEL button until
all LED’s are OFF (the unit also has a built-in 1 minute timeout).

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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3.6 Signal Adjustment for the Daisy Chain
There are no specific procedures for adjusting the URA-232-XT’s other than the
order of adjustment.
The URA-232-XT’s RJ45 (CATx) output is the video signal AFTER IT HAS BEEN
ADJUSTED.
The receiver unit closest to the sender must be adjusted first.
Set the high frequency compensation first and then adjust the skew. Since the
effects in the daisy chain are cumulative, we recommend that you set the gauge of
CATx cable used as well (see section 3.3 above).
Remember, if the calibration is off on a URA-232-XT in the middle of a daisy chain
and you adjust the device settings you must then check the rest of the downstream
devices and if necessary; make additional adjustments on those devices as well.
Figure 8 – Daisy-Chain adjustment sequence
Adjust
First Adjust
Second

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4. Software GUI
4.1 Overview
The URA-232 Programmer is a Windows™ GUI used to configure the unit’s discrete
input, serial parameters, and to upload or download user strings. Strings are sent
based on the state of a discrete input, a remote trigger from the sender or by a serial
command sent from compatible UVA232 Sender.
4.2 Getting Started
The URA-232 Programmer is recommended to run on PC with Windows XP or later.
The operating system should have all the latest updates and service packs installed.
The .NET Framework 2.0 or later is required prior to installing the URA-232
Programmer.
Most new PCs running with Windows™ XP or later version come with Microsoft™
.NET Framework 2.0 or later installed. If .NET Framework 2.0 or later is not installed
on your PC, you can install it from the folder called Framework 2.0 in the installation
software or download it from the Microsoft™ website.
After the URA-232 Programmer software has been installed, a program icon will
appear on the users desktop (as shown on the right) as well as under the
Programs\Hall Research menu.
Execute the URA-232 Programmer by double clicking the desktop icon or the
program menu selection found in the PC start menu.
The main screen is displayed as shown in figure 4-2.
The URA-232 Programmer consists of three screens in tabular format,
Configuration, Settings and Communications.
Figure 4-1
FIGURE 4-2

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4.3 URA-232 Modes of Operation
The URA-232 can operate in two different modes, “RUN-MODE” and
“ADJUSTMENT-MODE”. The unit is in “RUN-MODE” when it is first powered up.
In order to establish a communication between the URA-232 and the URA-232
Programmer GUI, the unit must be in the “ADJUSTMENT-MODE” prior to
attempting a serial connection.
•In “RUN-MODE” all LED’s are off.
•To enter the “ADJUSTMENT-MODE”, press the SELECT button.
oIn “ADJUSTMENT-MODE”, all LED’s or a single LED will be on.
oAll LED’s indicates the HF Compensation Adjustment mode
oA single Red, Blue or Green LED indicates SKEW Correction
Adjustment mode.
Note
If the URA-232 is put into ADJUSTMENT-MODE (any LED’s on),
the unit will automatically return to RUN-MODE after 1-minute of
no front panel activity.
If the DISCRETE INPUT is not used, the unit will enter a power
saving mode. If any buttons are pressed, the unit will
automatically resume operation depending on the button
pressed.

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4.4 Button Selection
The URA-232 Programmer has four buttons as shown on the left and two buttons
near the bottom right corner of the Main screen in Figure 4-2 or Figure 4-3, which
allows the user to quickly access frequently used functions.
FIGURE 4-3

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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4.5 Connect & Disconnect Buttons
CONNECTING TO THE URA-232
•Click the Communications tab and from the screen displayed,
ensure that the correct COM port has been selected. This COM Port
will be connected to the URA-232 via a NULL-MODEM RS232 cable.
The port information will be saved and used the next time the
program is started.
•To enter “PROGRAMMING MODE”, click either the CONNECT
button at the bottom left of the main screen or click the CONNECT
button on the Communications tab.
At this point, the URA-232 Programmer software will attempt to establish
communications with the URA-232 unit.
•If the unit is not in “ADJUSTMENT-MODE”, the software will timeout
and the connection status area on the main screen will change color
with the following message displayed:
“Error: Press the Select Button to Enter Program Mode”
oTo enter “ADJUSTMENT-MODE”, press the SELECT
Button until all 3 LED’s are illuminated.
•If the connection has been established, all LED’s will blink
continuously. This is called “PROGRAMMING MODE”
1. DISCONNECTING FROM THE URA-232
•To exit “PROGRAMMING MODE”, click either the DISCONNECT
button on the bottom left of the main screen or click the
DISCONNECT button on the Communications tab.
•You also can EXIT or CLOSE the URA-232 Programmer software to
leave “PROGRAMMING MODE”. The unit will automatically return
to “ADJUSTMENT MODE”, and all the LED’s will stop blinking and
be continuously illuminated.
•Other alternatives to exit the “PROGRAMMING MODE” are to cycle
power on the unit or to hit the SELECT button on the unit.
•To enter “ADJUSTMENT-MODE”, press the SELECT Button
until all 3 LED’s are illuminated.
oExiting “PROGRAMMING MODE” while the URA-232
Programmer is in a CONNECTED state will cause errors if
the unit is reconnected. Restart the software, cycle power
on the unit and try the connection again.

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4.6 Show CONFIG Button
Click the Show Config button to display the current user configuration
strings and the unit’s current settings
•You can upload these user configuration strings and settings into the URA-232
unit by clicking the UPLOAD button displayed on the left of the main screen.
4.7 Download Button
•You can download the current user configuration strings and
settings stored in the URA-232 unit into the URA-232 programmer
by pressing the DOWNLOAD button displayed on the left of the
Main screen.
•The user configuration strings and settings found in the URA-232 unit are
displayed in the configuration and settings tabs.
•If the user configuration string for a specific condition needs to be viewed
or modified, you can click the DOWNLOAD button displayed to the right
of the configuration text box.
4.8 Upload Button
•You can upload the current user configuration strings and settings
into the URA-232 unit from the URA-232 Programmer by selecting
the UPLOAD button displayed on the left of the Main screen.
•If the user configuration string of a specific condition needs to be
uploaded, you can click the UPLOAD button displayed to the right of the
configuration text box as shown.
Note
Uploading an empty user configuration strings is
equivalent to clearing the action required for that
specific condition.
FIGURE 4-4

Model URA-232 & URA-232-XT
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4.9 Configuration Tab
•The Configuration tab is the default tab page. This tab allows the user to build
user configuration strings.
•A user configuration string can be defined to perform one or more specific
actions based on a particular discrete input or remote trigger condition.
A user configuration string can be up to 250 bytes
long, and it can be a combination of many serial
commands and time delays
•Condition Drop-Down Menu – consists of the 4 different states the URA-232
can detect.
Discrete Input High
Discrete Input Low
Remote Trigger On
Remote Trigger Off
FIGURE 4-5