Kramer FC-28 User manual

P/N: 2900-300539 Rev 5 www.kramerAV.com
USER MANUAL
MODEL:
FC-28
Ethernet Controller

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Contents
i
Contents
Introduction 1
Getting Started 1
Overview 2
Typical Applications 4
Defining FC-28 Ethernet Controller 5
Initial Configuration and Use Overview 7
Configuring the FC-28 Ethernet Controller 8
Configuring a Virtual Port on the PC 9
Setting Up an Ethernet Connection on the PC 9
Mounting FC-28 10
Connecting FC-28 11
Connecting via Ethernet 12
Remote Operation via the Web Pages 16
Browsing Web Pages 16
Connected Clients Page 18
Device Settings Page 18
Communication Page 20
Serial Port Settings Page 21
GPIO Port Settings Page 22
Relay Port Settings Page 26
IR Command Learner Page 27
Security Page 28
Logs Page 29
About Us Page 30
Configuring and Maintaining FC-28 31
IR Learning 31
Resetting Factory Default Settings 31
Upgrading Firmware 32
Technical Specifications 33
Data Handling Performance 34
Example Bandwidth Calculation 34
TCP/UDP Port Limitations 34
Default Communication Parameters 35
Kramer Protocol 3000 36
Understanding Protocol 3000 36
Kramer Protocol 3000 –Command List 39
Kramer Protocol 3000 –Detailed Commands 40
Parameters 61

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Introduction
1
Introduction
Welcome to Kramer Electronics! Since 1981, Kramer Electronics has been providing a world
of unique, creative, and affordable solutions to the vast range of problems that confront the
video, audio, presentation, and broadcasting professional on a daily basis. In recent years, we
have redesigned and upgraded most of our line, making the best even better!
Getting Started
We recommend that you:
•Unpack the equipment carefully and save the original box and packaging materials for
possible future shipment
•Review the contents of this user manual
Go to www.kramerav.com/downloads/FC-28 to check for up-to-date user manuals,
application programs, and to check if firmware upgrades are available (where appropriate).
Achieving Best Performance
To achieve the best performance:
•Use only good quality connection cables (we recommend Kramer high-performance,
high-resolution cables) to avoid interference, deterioration in signal quality due to poor
matching, and elevated noise levels (often associated with low quality cables)
•Do not secure the cables in tight bundles or roll the slack into tight coils
•Avoid interference from neighboring electrical appliances that may adversely influence
signal quality
•Position your Kramer FC-28, and away from moisture, excessive sunlight and dust
Safety Instructions
Caution:
•This equipment is to be used only inside a building. It may only be connected to other
equipment that is installed inside a building.
•For products with relay terminals and GPI\O ports, please refer to the permitted rating
for an external connection, located next to the terminal or in the User Manual.
•There are no operator serviceable parts inside the unit.
Warning:
•Use only the power cord that is supplied with the unit.
•To ensure continuous risk protection, replace fuses only according to the rating
specified on the product label which located on the bottom of the unit.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Introduction
2
Recycling Kramer Products
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC aims to reduce
the amount of WEEE sent for disposal to landfill or incineration by requiring it to be collected
and recycled. To comply with the WEEE Directive, Kramer Electronics has made
arrangements with the European Advanced Recycling Network (EARN) and will cover any
costs of treatment, recycling and recovery of waste Kramer Electronics branded equipment on
arrival at the EARN facility. For details of Kramer’s recycling arrangements in your particular
country go to our recycling pages at www.kramerav.com/support/recycling.
Overview
Congratulations on purchasing your Kramer FC-28 Ethernet Controller. The FC-28 is a PoE-
powered control gateway, capable for plug and play deployment over customer Ethernet LAN
for remote control of customer controlled devices via bidirectional RS-232, IR, GPIO and relay
control connections. Multiple control clients can be IP-connected to the FC-28 control gateway
for concurrent control of two RS-232, four IR, two GPIO, and two relay-controllable devices,
such as AV scalers, video displays, audio amplifiers, DVD players, sensors, screens, shades,
door locks, and lighting.
The FC-28 is bidirectional RS-232, IR control, GP I/O and relay control signal to Ethernet
converter. It allows two RS-232, four IR, two GP I/O, and two relay-controllable devices to be
controlled via an Ethernet or LAN connection.
These Ethernet to I/O controllers bridge the gap between Ethernet infrastructures and I/O
communication devices by offering bidirectional Ethernet to any I/O interface conversion. All
setup and maintenance of the devices is done from built-in Web pages which are accessible
using any common Web browser.
The FC-28 can receive K-Touch Ethernet-based per-I/O port commands and convert them
into I/O interface signals on the requested I/O port. Responses are sent back to all Ethernet
connected panels.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Introduction
3
Exceptional Quality
•Built-in IR learning capabilities.
•Included Windows®-based Virtual Port software for setting up virtual ports on a PC.
•A compact, Kramer MegaTOOLS™ enclosure which can be mounted side by side in a
19-inch rack using suitable rack adapters.
Figure 1: FC-28 Controlling Devices Remotely Using K-Touch 3.0 over a LAN
Flexible Connectivity
•Network connectivity that lets you connect a Kramer (or other) device via its control I/O
port to an Ethernet LAN.
•Working in conjunction with K-Touch 3 for remote control of devices over an Ethernet
LAN via I/O interface connections (see Figure 1).
•Control of up to two RS-232 devices via Ethernet from a PC, tablet, smartphone, and so
on.
•Up to four IR ports for device control via IR blasters/emitters.
•Input/output triggering for up to two devices via the GP I/O ports.
•Control of up to two devices via built-in relays.
•Control of a device from multiple Ethernet points (PCs or remote controllers), via a LAN
or the Internet.
•Static or dynamic (DHCP) IP addressing.
•PoE receiver capability.
•A USB port for upgrading the firmware.
•Remote firmware upgrades via a LAN.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Introduction
4
About Power over Ethernet Feature
Power over Ethernet passes electrical power along with data on Ethernet cabling. This allows
a single cable to provide both data connection and electrical power to compatible devices.
Using K-Touch you can design advanced room-control and automation systems that can be
operated from iOS or Android touch devices. K-Touch can be used to perform device
discovery over the network as the FC-28 is set to be a DHCP client by default.
You can use the Kramer LAN Configurator software to discover devices that are attached to
the network, including the FC-28.
The FC-28 includes the Virtual Serial Port Manager (Kramer VSPM) for compatibility with
applications based on COM-port communication. Virtual Serial Port Manager:
•Makes the FC-28 compatible with all Windows®-based applications which require a
physical COM port. This includes all versions of K-Router and other Kramer control
applications. It lets you operate all RS-232 controllable devices via an Ethernet LAN
using their existing PC software.
•Allows virtual serial ports to operate like physical COM ports, that is, logical COM ports
that behave exactly like a standard hardware COM port. In reality, it transparently
reroutes the data using the TCP/IP network to the
FC-28 interface via a virtual connection which you can emulate over the Ethernet or
Internet.
•Allows the creation of any number of serial ports on your PC which do not occupy any
physical serial ports.
Typical Applications
FC-28 is ideal for the following typical applications:
•Remote IP control of RS-232, IR, GPIO and relay controllable devices.
•K-Touch multi-clients IP room control.
•LAN-based expansion of K-Config control system.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Defining FC-28 Ethernet Controller
5
Defining FC-28 Ethernet
Controller
Front Panel
Figure 2 defines the front panel of the FC-28.
Figure 2: FC-28 Ethernet Controller Front Panel
#
Feature
Function
1
F/W UPGRADE Mini USB
Connector
Connect to a PC to perform a firmware upgrade.
2
IR IN Sensor
Sensor for IR learning.
3
ETH LEDs
CONNECT
Lights orange when the Ethernet port is connected.
DATA
Flashes green when data is transferred over the Ethernet link.
4
RS-232
LEDs
TX 1
Lights green when data Is transmitted on serial port 1.
RX 1
Lights red when data is received on serial port 1.
TX 2
Lights green when data Is transmitted on serial port 2.
RX 2
Lights red when data is received on serial port 2.
5
IR OUT 1 ~ 4 LEDs
The associated LED lights green when the relevant IR port
transmits data.
When IR learning is in progress, the relevant IR Out LED
lights and the FC-28 is unavailable for normal operation.
6
I/O 1 ~ 2 LEDs
Lights green when the port is triggered.
7
RELAY 1 ~ 2 LEDs
Lights green when the relay is closed.
8
ON LED
Lights green when the unit is on.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Defining FC-28 Ethernet Controller
6
Rear Panel
Figure 3 defines the rear panel of the FC-28.
Figure 3: FC-28 Ethernet Controller Rear Panel
#
Feature
Function
1
RS-232 Two 3-pin
Terminal Blocks
1
Connect to the first RS-232 controlled device.
2
Connect to the second RS-232 controlled device.
2
IR 1 ~ 4 Four 2-pin
Terminal Blocks
Connect to IR blasters/emitters using cables up to 80m (260ft) long.
3
I/O Two 2-pin
Terminal Blocks
1
Connect to sensors or devices to be controlled, (for example, a
motion sensor). Port may be configured as a digital input, digital
output, or analog input.
2
Connect to the second sensor or device to be controlled.
4
RELAY Two 2-pin
Terminal Blocks
1
Connect to the first device to be controlled by relay, (for example, a
motorized projection screen).
2
Connect to the second device to be controlled by relay.
5
LAN POE RJ-45
Connector
Connect to a PC or other controller directly or via a LAN (see
Connecting via Ethernet on page 12).
6
RESET Button
Press and hold while power-cycling the device to reset to factory
default parameters, (see Default Communication Parameters
on page 35).
7
5V DC Connector
Connect to the 5V DC power supply, center pin positive. External
power supply is not needed when the device is supplied power by a
PoE provider.

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Initial Configuration and Use Overview
7
Initial Configuration and Use
Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the initial configuration and basic operation of the FC-28
and comprises:
•Configuring the FC-28 (see Configuring the FC-28 Ethernet Controller on page 8).
•Configuring a virtual port on the PC (see Configuring a Virtual Port on the PC
on page 9).
•Configuring an Ethernet connection on the PC (see Setting Up an Ethernet Connection
on the PC on page 9).
Figure 4: Connecting the FC-28 for Initial Configuration

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
FC-28 –Initial Configuration and Use Overview
8
Configuring the FC-28 Ethernet Controller
The FC-28 is dispatched from the factory with DHCP enabled and a random IP address. This
means that in order to connect to the FC-28 on first installation, you need to identify what IP
address has been automatically assigned to the FC-28. This can be done by using K-LAN
Configurator to discover the IP address of the FC-28. This is available for download from our
website at www.kramerav.com.
To browse the FC-28 Web pages on taking the device out of the box, use the default host
name, (see Default Communication Parameters on page 35).
To configure the FC-28:
1. Connect the Ethernet port on the rear panel of the FC-28 to a PC, either directly or via a
LAN, (see Connecting via Ethernet on page 12).
2. Using a Web browser and the relevant IP address, browse the General Info home page
(see Figure 11).
3. Click on Device Settings to browse to the Device Settings page, (see
Figure 13).
4. Enter the time and date manually, or enter the Time server address for automatic time
and date synchronization.
5. Click Save Changes.
6. Click on Communication to browse to the Communication page, (see
Figure 14).
7. Enter the IP address, mask and gateway for static IP addressing and Click Set. We
recommend that you set a meaningful host name.
If you have changed the IP from the default setting, you must reload the General
Info home page again using the new IP address.
8. Click on Serial Ports Settings to browse to the Serial Port Settings page, (see Figure 15).
9. Associate the required serial ports with their corresponding TCP/UDP settings.
10.For each associated serial port, enter the serial port configuration parameters using the
drop-down lists under Serial Configuration.
11.Click Save Changes.
12.If required, click on Security to browse to the Security page.
13.Click ON to activate security.
The user name and password credentials popup appears.
14.Enter the required user name and password.