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55

CHAPTER 7: Troubleshooting

7.6 Calling Black Box

If you determine that your ServSwitch Wizard Extender is malfunctioning, do not
attempt to alter or repair the unit
. It contains no user-serviceable parts. Contact Black
Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500.

Before you do, make a record of the history of the problem. We will be able to

provide more efficient and accurate assistance if you have a complete description,
including:

• the nature and duration of the problem;

• when the problem occurs;

• the components involved in the problem—that is, which module(s), what type

of cable, computer, and keyboard, what make and model of monitor and
mouse, etc.;

• any particular application that, when used, appears to create the problem or

make it worse; and

• the results of any testing you’ve already done.

7.7 Shipping and Packaging

If you need to transport or ship your ServSwitch Wizard Extender:

• Package it carefully. We recommend that you use the original container.

• Before you ship it back to Black Box for repair or return, contact us to get a

Return Authorization (RA) number.

Summary of Contents for ServSwitch ACU5010A

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...share many computers including a mix of IBM PC RS 6000 Apple Macintosh Sun Microsystems and SGI types among multiple worldwide users with different access levels Do you have to send video from one computer to two different local monitors Or do you need to send video from multiple computers to dozens of remote monitors Does your switch have to sit solidly on a worktable and use regular everyday cab...

Page 3: ...t 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 his 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 T...

Page 4: ...nce will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment on and off you can correct the interference with one or more of the following measures a Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna b Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver c Connect the equipment to an o...

Page 5: ...l aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como sea recomendado por el fabricante 8 Servicio El usuario no debe intentar dar servicio al equipo eléctrico más allá a lo descrito en las instrucciones de operación Todo otro servicio deberá ser referido a personal de servicio calificado 9 El aparato eléctrico debe ser situado de tal manera que su posición no interfiera su uso La c...

Page 6: ...r una antena externa deberá ser localizada lejos de las lineas de energia 16 El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo no sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo 17 Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación 18 Servicio por personal calificado deberá ser provisto cuando A El cable de poder o ...

Page 7: ...t 20 3 3 The Installation Procedure 22 4 Configuration 26 4 1 Configuring an Attached PC ACU5010A Only 26 4 2 Configuring the Extender 27 4 2 1 Setting the DIP Switches 27 4 2 2 Using Configuration Mode 30 4 2 2 A Setting the Video Compensation 30 4 2 2 B Issuing Other Configuration Mode Keyboard Commands 32 4 3 Selecting the Mouse Protocol 33 4 4 Setting a Password for the Extender 34 4 5 Resetti...

Page 8: ...2 6 Upgrading the Extender s Firmware 44 7 Troubleshooting 48 7 1 Forcing Automatic Video Compensation 48 7 2 Reporting and Compensating for Video Skew 49 7 3 Other Problems and Possible Solutions 53 7 4 Resetting the Extender Hardware Reset 54 7 5 Displaying the Extender s Firmware Revision 54 7 6 Calling Black Box 55 7 7 Shipping and Packaging 55 Appendix Cable Guidelines 56 A 1 Cabling from the...

Page 9: ...z At distances to 100 m 325 ft Up to 1600 x 1280 noninterlaced at up to 65 Hz At distances to 200 m 655 ft Up to 1024 x 768 noninterlaced at up to 65 Hz Maximum Distance Between transmitters and receivers Up to 200 m 655 ft of unshielded twisted pair cable or 100 m 325 ft of shielded twisted pair cable From ACU5010A transmitter 5 m 15 ft to any attached CPU From ACU5010A receiver or ACU5011A 10 m ...

Page 10: ...nput Maximum Altitude 10 000 ft 3048 m Temperature Tolerance 32 to 104 F 0 to 40 C Humidity Tolerance 5 to 60 noncondensing Enclosure Steel and stainless steel Power ACU5010A transmitter 5 VDC at 500 mA normally draws only 180 mA from attached CPU s keyboard interface ACU5010A receiver or ACU5011A using included external power adapter Input 100 to 240 VAC at 50 to 60 Hz from utility power mains ou...

Page 11: ...010A receiver or ACU5011A 2 5 watts maximum Size ACU5010A transmitter ACU5010A receiver ACU5011A 1 H x 4 9 W x 3 1 D 2 5 x 12 5 x 7 9 cm rear edge of endplate protrudes an additional 0 4 1 cm optional stick on feet protrude an additional 0 1 0 3 cm Weight ACU5010A transmitter ACU5010A receiver ACU5011A 12 3 oz 350 g ...

Page 12: ...r that can be used with the ServSwitch Duo and ServSwitch Quadro which contain built in transmitters as a smaller alternative to the ServSwitch Duo Extender Some of these accessories have their own manuals or installation guides The ServSwitch Wizard Extender Chassis product code ACU5000A is a rackmount chassis that can hold a number of transmitters or receivers If you won t be filling all of the ...

Page 13: ...Chassis Power Supply and Skew Compensator may also be mounted in this chassis Each 2U high chassis will house up to 16 local or remote modules Supports Microsoft IntelliMouse IntelliMouse Explorer and other common wheel mice Fine user adjustable video compensation enables the video quality to be maximized for any given length of cable Supports automatic and manual video compensation In manual comp...

Page 14: ...M switch systems Some useful features of the main accessories The Wizard Extender Chassis makes it easy to mount Extender modules in 19 racks The Wizard Extender Chassis Power Supply can power as many as four Extender receivers using a single AC power adapter The Wizard Extender Skew Compensator can compensate for the color skew that is introduced by using longer lengths of certain types of Catego...

Page 15: ... to a computer or KVM switch 2 Pan head screws for attaching the modules to the Extender Chassis 8 Adhesive rubber feet and This manual The ServSwitch Wizard Extender Receiver ACU5011A comes with 1 Remote receiver module 1 Power adapter for the receiver including a region specific input cord 1 Pan head screw for attaching the module to the Extender Chassis 4 Adhesive rubber feet and This manual If...

Page 16: ...IDE VIEW FROM LEFT SIDE VIEW FROM LEFT SIDE LED shows power status and data activity LED shows power status and data activity Power input port 6 pin mini DIN keyboard left and mouse right ports HD15 monitor port 8 pin mini DIN expansion port for optional future connections DB25 SERVSWITCH CPU port for connection to a CPU or KVM switch RJ 45 interconnect port for twisted pair link to receiver RJ 45...

Page 17: ...16 SERVSWITCH WIZARD EXTENDER Figure 2 3 The ServSwitch Wizard Extender Chassis ACU5000A Slots for up to 16 transmitters receivers and chassis power supplies ...

Page 18: ...der yourself Instead call Black Box Technical Support as described in Section 7 6 These issues involve the power adapter included with the Extender receiver or Extender Chassis Power Supply Warning The power adapter contains no user serviceable parts but it does contain parts capable of delivering hazardous electric shocks Do not attempt to dismantle it Plug the power adapter into a socket outlet ...

Page 19: ...pin DIN connector you can connect it to the Extender using a standard PC AT to PS 2 keyboard adapter such as product code FA211 A PS 2 style two or three button Microsoft or Logitech compatible mouse or a Microsoft IntelliMouse compatible mouse The Extender supports other Internet mice compatible with the IntelliMouse fitted with a wheel or other scrolling control and sometimes additional buttons ...

Page 20: ... 2 to serial mouse port adapter such as product code FA314 The Extender automatically converts commands and data from the mouse s PS 2 format to the CPU s RS 232 format and vice versa the adapter just changes the connector and pinning For more information about cabling see the Appendix For assistance figuring out which cables and adapters you ll need call Black Box Technical Support If you ll be m...

Page 21: ...t a module in an Extender Chassis take these steps referring to Figure 3 1 1 Slide the module into the chassis with the protruding tip of its endplate pointing upwards 2 Screw the included pan head screw through the hole at the top of the module s endplate and the matching hole in the front flange of the chassis in order to secure the module to the chassis To mount the chassis itself hold its side...

Page 22: ...ive rubber feet to the bottom of the module the wide flat area where there are no connectors no DIP switches and no LEDs Four feet are included for each module attach one in each corner of the bottom of the module To mount an Extender module on a non horizontal surface such as a wall or the side of a desk use a pair of double sided adhesive strips not included preferably the kind that have VELCRO ...

Page 23: ... m 655 ft If necessary install a ServSwitch Wizard Skew Compensator between these modules see Section 7 2 2 Plug the composite end of the included three to one cable shown in Figure 3 2 to the transmitter s DB25 connector 3 Attach the triple end of the included three to one cable to the computer CPU or KVM switch you want to control If it s a CPU or a switch with separate keyboard mouse and monito...

Page 24: ...switch 8A If you re using the full Extender kit ACU5010A plug in and power up the CPU or KVM switch attached to the transmitter The transmitter should begin operating immediately it has no on off switch NOTE The Extender s standalone transmitter normally draws its power from the keyboard leads of the connected computer or KVM switch However if you need to use cabling included cable extension cable...

Page 25: ...d ACU5010A Wizard Extender installation Receiver Transmitter Computer CPU Included three to one cable Keyboard mouse and monitor plug in directly or with extension cables see the Appendix To included power adapter CAT5 or higher cable up to 200 m 655 ft ...

Page 26: ...ser 1 Optional local user 1 Local user 2 Local users monitors keyboards and mice plug in directly or with extension cables ServSwitch Duo KV6108SA Computer CPUs connected with EHN408 cables Keyboard mouse and monitor plug in directly or with extension cables see the Appendix CAT5 or higher cable up to 200 m 655 ft ...

Page 27: ...ed PC ACU5010A Only If you ve directly attached a PC to the standalone transmitter of a full ACU5010A Extender kit configure it in the same way that you would if your keyboard mouse and monitor were all connected directly to it but keep these things in mind The Extender emulates Microsoft compatible serial IntelliMouse and PS 2 mice so make sure that your PC software is configured for a Microsoft ...

Page 28: ... Extender and may be changed while it s powered on The default settings all switches OFF are suitable for most installations The DIP switches are shown in Figures 4 1 and 4 2 on the following pages They have these functions Receiver s DIP switch Position 1 Leave this position OFF for normal operation the default setting Move it to ON to put the receiver in upgrade mode see Chapter 6 so that new fi...

Page 29: ...hat aren t circuit compatible with it as are ServSwitch Wizards Duos or Quadros move this switch position to ON for transparent operation so that the Extender can pass through types of cascade signaling that it isn t designed for Top of receiver Bottom of receiver Position 2 OFF 3 ON Hotkeys Alt Shift Position 2 ON 3 OFF Hotkeys Ctrl Alt Positions 2 3 ON Hotkeys disabled ON OFF Positions 2 3 OFF H...

Page 30: ...eceiver or transmitter or disconnecting any of the attached devices move this switch position to ON then back to OFF Figure 4 2 The transmitter s DIP switch settings Top of transmitter Bottom of transmitter ON OFF Position 4 OFF Normal operation default Position 4 ON then back OFF Reset transmitter Position 1 OFF Normal operation default Position 1 ON Upgrade mode for transmitter Position 2 OFF No...

Page 31: ...r performs automatic compensation In this mode the Extender automatically adjusts its video compensation amplifiers to suit the twisted pair cable whenever the Extender is powered on But you might want to manually fine tune the video compensation because the perfect adjustment for any given length of cable is subjective and depends on personal preference If you move position 4 of the receiver s DI...

Page 32: ...all increments Pg Dn decreases the video compensation coarsely in large increments down arrow decreases the video compensation finely in small increments As you change the video compensation setting you ll see the sharpness of the picture change the Extender automatically recalculates the required matching brightness Adjust the video compensation until you get the best picture The longer your twis...

Page 33: ...to restore the Extender s keyboard controlled settings to their factory default states type in F then 8 then Enter When you do this the flashing Num Lock Caps Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs on your primary keyboard which normally flash in sequence during configuration mode will be affected this way 1 After you press the first key of a command sequence the Num Lock Caps Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs will al...

Page 34: ...ensation see Section 4 2 2 A press Enter to quit configuration mode and return to normal operation The Num Lock Caps Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs on your keyboard will stop flashing and will return to the states they were in before 4 3 Selecting the Mouse Protocol Most mouse drivers are compatible with Microsoft mice so the Extender uses a Microsoft compatible mouse signaling protocol by default Howe...

Page 35: ...he password F4 F R E D Home would be valid The length of the password can be from 1 to 40 characters although for better security we recommend that the password be at least four characters long To set the password first get into configuration mode by typing in the current hotkey sequence followed by Enter at the receiver s keyboard Ctrl Shift Enter if the hotkey sequence is set to its default valu...

Page 36: ...but it won t prevent anyone from accessing the CPU 4 5 Resetting the Extender to Its Factory Default Configuration If you want to set all of the ServSwitch Wizard Extender s keyboard controlled configuration options back to their factory defaults first go into configuration mode then issue the F 8 Enter command F 8 is the letter F followed by the number 8 not the F8 function key This will also cle...

Page 37: ...the transmitter s DIP switch is set see Section 4 2 1 and on whether you ve set a password for the Extender or not see Section 4 4 If position 3 is set to ON the Extender will go directly into configuration mode see Section 4 2 2 so that you can reconfigure it as necessary before pressing Enter to resume normal operation This is most commonly done to clear an incorrectly entered or forgotten passw...

Page 38: ...oximately five times per second The module is sending or receiving keyboard or mouse data FLASHING SLOWLY once per second The module is being upgraded Several things can cause the Extender s LEDs to be dark On the transmitter this can be caused by in decreasing order of likelihood loose undone cable connections CPU cables being run farther than 5 m 16 5 ft low power on the CPU s keyboard port the ...

Page 39: ...iguration mode The speed of the cycle indicates how much video compensation the Extender is applying which is one of the things you can set in configuration mode if you choose to do so A slow flash rate indicates low compensation suitable for shorter cable distances while a fast flash rate indicates high compensation suitable for longer distances For examples of actual rates and distances see step...

Page 40: ... no immediate effect but the PC will lose mouse function as soon as you plug the mouse back in RS 232 mice can usually be freely unplugged and replugged provided that an RS 232 mouse was connected when the operating system initially booted The Extender has a PS 2 mouse recovery system which allows you to disconnect and reconnect the mouse without powering down the system but we recommend using thi...

Page 41: ...r will keep absorbing the Tab keystroke until you release the hotkeys The hotkey commands are summarized below Note that to generate the numeric digits in the commands that contain them you need to press the number keys on the top row of the main section of the keyboard not the number keys on the keypad the Extender will not recognize keypad numbers Use Hotkeys 1 or Hotkeys Tab to select the attac...

Page 42: ...s Enter to cause the Extender to go into configuration mode See Section 4 2 2 Examples of how to enter these hotkey commands assuming the hotkeys are Ctrl and Shift To blank the attached monitor s video Press and hold Ctrl and Shift press and release 0 zero release Ctrl and Shift To password lock the receiver Press and hold Ctrl and Shift press and release L release Ctrl and Shift ...

Page 43: ...red down your Extender or if you are attempting to hot plug a system into it you might be able to restore lost mouse movement using the Extender s mouse restoration functions These should be used with caution because unpredictable results might occur if you select the wrong mouse type If in doubt restore the mouse by rebooting the PC normally Standard PS 2 mouse data is formatted differently than ...

Page 44: ...n mode see Section 4 2 2 by pressing the hotkeys followed by Enter 3 To restore a PS 2 mouse connection issue the M 6 Enter command Or to restore an IntelliMouse connection issue the M 7 Enter command 4 Press Enter again to exit configuration mode 5 Move the mouse a short distance to make sure that the connection has been restored properly 6 Press Enter again to exit configuration mode ...

Page 45: ...s Help for instructions For example a DOS disk can be created in Windows XP by selecting My Computer right clicking on the A disk icon selecting Format and then selecting Create an MS DOS startup disk To upgrade the Extender s firmware take these steps 1 Create an MS DOS boot disk using a blank floppy disk 2 Download the latest firmware upgrade files as directed by Black Box Technical Support The ...

Page 46: ...grading the transmitter 6 Set position 1 of the transmitter s DIP switch to ON 7 Insert the DOS disk into your computer s floppy drive and power on the computer The upgrade should be performed automatically 8 When the upgrade has completed power down the computer and disconnect the transmitter from it 9 Set position 1 of the transmitter s DIP switch back to OFF 10 Power down the computer again Mov...

Page 47: ...ding the receiver 13 Set position 1 of the receiver s DIP switch to ON 14 Power up the receiver 15 Make sure the DOS boot disk is still in your computer s floppy drive and power on the computer The upgrade should be performed automatically 16 When the upgrade has completed power down the computer and disconnect the receiver from it 17 Set position 1 of the receiver s DIP switch back to OFF Move po...

Page 48: ...47 CHAPTER 6 Upgrading the Extender s Firmware 18 Reconnect the upgraded transmitter and receiver to each other and to any previously connected equipment ...

Page 49: ...2 A situations can arise in which that setting no longer provides the best video for example if you swap in a different cable CPU or monitor If you would rather not spend a lot of time trying to find a better manual compensation setting especially if the replacement equipment is only in place temporarily you can force the Extender to override the current manual setting and apply its automatic vide...

Page 50: ...ios will actually cause the pairs to differ significantly in total length with tightly wound pairs being longer than more loosely wound pairs This is good for data transmission but in an Extender system it will cause the three color signals to arrive at different times and to be displayed at different positions on the screen If this appears to be a problem in your system there are several things y...

Page 51: ...Skew Compensator product code ACU5100A between your transmitter and receiver as shown in Figure 7 2 Figure 7 2 An Extender system with a Skew Compensator installed Receiver Skew Compensator Transmitter Computer CPU Keyboard mouse and monitor To included power adapter CAT5 or higher cables together totaling up to 200 m 655 ft in length ...

Page 52: ...d prompt a text prompt in a word processing program or a similar point in some other application that can display several lines of typed characters on the screen at once The Extender generates the skew report by sending keypress signals to the computer as if the report had been typed in at the keyboard 4 Go into configuration mode by pressing the hotkeys followed by Enter at the keyboard The defau...

Page 53: ...ompensator s top panel switches should be set to ON to compensate for the twisted pair length differences indicated by the report All other switches should be OFF You will see that each of these switches is constructed using 4 individual sliders To set a switch to ON all four sliders must be moved to the ON position To set a switch to OFF all four sliders must be moved to the OFF position The exam...

Page 54: ...r 3 If you are attempting to connect the mouse to a PS 2 mouse port on a CPU that has not been powered down you will need to use the mouse restoration function see Section 5 6 4 Make sure that you have an appropriate mouse driver loaded and that your computer s software is configured to accept a supported mouse of the type that you have connected See the relevant paragraphs in Section 3 1 5 Make s...

Page 55: ...ssor essentially shuts down To finish resetting the Extender move position 1 back to OFF power is restored to the microprocessor which then performs a complete hardware reset 7 5 Displaying the Extender s Firmware Revision For technical support purposes it might be necessary to find out the firmware release version of your ServSwitch Wizard Extender To do this select the CPU and get to a DOS promp...

Page 56: ...ng the nature and duration of the problem when the problem occurs the components involved in the problem that is which module s what type of cable computer and keyboard what make and model of monitor and mouse etc any particular application that when used appears to create the problem or make it worse and the results of any testing you ve already done 7 7 Shipping and Packaging If you need to tran...

Page 57: ...istance from the Wizard to your peripherals to as much as 32 ft 10 m Many keyboards and mice will operate at distances up to 65 ft 20 m but don t count on this A 2 Cabling from the Transmitter to the CPU The computer CPU is attached to the Extender s transmitter through the included three to one cable as described in Section 3 3 There should never be more than 5 m 15 ft of cable between the transm...

Page 58: ... pinout 6 pin mini DIN attaches to Wizard or cable from Wizard N C RLSD DCD RD KDAT TD SGND 5V KCLK 12V TD 12V DTR SGND DSR RTS CTS RI N C N C DB9 attaches to PC s serial port or cable to PC s serial port 1 2 2 3 4 4 3 5 6 6 5 Female Male 1 1 Male Female 5 6 9 5 1 9 6 ...

Page 59: ...s are constructed in such a way that each of the twisted pairs has a slightly different twist ratio This is done to reduce the electrical crosstalk between signals carried on adjacent pairs Because of this the wire distance that an electrical signal has to travel is different for the different pairs This does not normally cause a noticeable problem in fact the twist differences have no effect at a...

Page 60: ...iring Pair 1 Pins 4 and 5 differential green video and vertical sync Pair 2 Pins 1 and 2 differential blue video Pair 3 Pins 3 and 6 differential red video and horizontal sync Pair 4 Pins 7 and 8 keyboard and mouse data Figure A 2 Twisted pair cable specifications 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 PR1 PR3 PR2 PR4 ...

Page 61: ...crosystems are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc in the United States and other countries Any other trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged to be the property of the trademark owners DISCLAIMERS While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual the manufacturer assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions Neither does the manufacturer assume any ...

Page 62: ...NOTES ...

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