2 of 3
6/15/2007
#24758
724-746-5500
blackbox.com
FEATURES
• 4 x 4 or 8 x 2 video switching.
• Enough bandwidth to handle
1600 x 1280 resolution at 85 Hz.
• Just press a button to switch any
input to any output.
• Has universal power supply—can be
used almost anywhere.
• Designed for VGA, but can support
almost any kind of video with the
right cabling.
• Can drive video as far as 300 ft. (90 m).
• Front-panel LEDs make it easy to figure
out where video is going.
Direct any of your video output to different locations
for display, recording, broadcasting—you name it!
OVERVIEW
If you have several sources of video that you’d like to
display at different places at different times, here are a
few things not to do:
1. Don’t settle for static, expensive dedicated video feeds.
2. Don’t swap video cables by hand.
3. Don’t subject your video devices to ugly and potentially
damaging mechanical video switching.
4. Don’t pay for extra switching (keyboard, mouse, etc.)
that you don’t need.
What should you do? Consider ServSwitch
™
Brand Matrix
Video Switches. You can use them to electronically switch
video signals from four source devices among video screens
or to switch from eight source devices to two video screens.
In the standard application, computer CPUs will be the
sources and computer monitors will be the destinations. But
with the proper cabling and signal conversion (and as long as
the destination devices can handle it), almost any video device
can be involved—TVs, VCRs, cameras, projectors, DVD players,
etc.
This is because the switches can handle almost any kind
of video synchronization: RGBHV (as used in VGA, SVGA, and
other types of computer video), RGBS (as used in NTSC and
PAL TV signals), and RGsB (“sync on green”). They have a vast
amount of bandwidth—enough to carry video at resolutions
up to 1600 x 1280 at refresh rates up to 85 Hz. All inputs and
outputs are buffered, so you always get the sharpest possible
images.
The 4 x 4 switch can drive signals up to 150 ft. (45 m);
the 8 x 2 switch can drive signals up to 300 ft. (90 m).
ServSwitch Brand Matrix Video Switches can be controlled
in either of two ways. For one, it can be controlled with a
standard serial numeric keypad, powered by the Switch, that
plugs into the Switch’s rear panel. Press the keypad buttons in
the sequence output–decimal point–input–Enter key to make
a switch. For example, press [3][.][1][Enter] to switch the input
from CPU #1 to output to monitor #3. If you press zero for the
input number, the output channel will be blanked (the Switch
won’t send it any video signal). If you press the asterisk key for
the output number, the input channel will be broadcast to all
outputs. LEDs show you which output channel is receiving
which input.
The keypad’s cable is 6 ft. (1.8 m) long, but you can use
DB9 extension cable (not included) to extend your “roaming
radius” out to RS-232’s maximum distance of 50 ft. (15 m).
The 4 x 4 model includes one keypad; the 8 x 2 model includes
two keypads.
The other way to control a switch is by attaching a PC or
other serial device that can send the Switch the ASCII characters
or hex codes equivalent to the keypad keypresses. In this way,
switching can be automatically controlled for displays, demos,
and so on.
Each switch has a universal power supply; with the proper
input cord, you can plug it in just about anywhere in the world.
Control
Keypad
Monitors
ServSwitch Brand Matrix
Video Switch (ACL0404A)
Computer
CPUs
Monitors
Video Converter
Video Projector
Video Converter
VCR