Control4 EA-1 Controller
Installation Guide
Supported models
• C4-EA1
Entertainment and Automation Controller, 1 Zone
• C4-EA1-V2
Entertainment and Automation Controller, 1 Zone, V2
• C4-EA1-1-V2
Entertainment and Automation Controller, 1 Zone, V2, Intl
Introduction
Designed for an exceptional family room entertainment experience, the Control4
EA-1 Entertainment and Automation Controller does more than automate the gear
around your TV; it is the ideal smart home starter system with entertainment built
in.
The EA-1 delivers a beautiful, intuitive, and responsive on-screen user interface
with the ability to create and enhance the entertainment experience for any TV
in the house. The EA-1 can orchestrate a wide range of entertainment devices
including Blu-ray players, satellite or cable boxes, game consoles, TVs, and
virtually any product with infrared (IR) or serial (RS-232) control. It also features
IP control for Apple TV, Roku, televisions, AVRs, or other network-connected
devices, as well as secure wireless ZigBee control for lights, thermostats, smart
locks, and more.
For entertainment, the EA-1 also includes a built-in music server that allows you to
listen to your own music library, stream from a variety of leading music services, or
from your AirPlay-enabled devices using Control4 ShairBridge technology.
Box contents
The following items are included in the EA-1 controller box:
• EA-1 controller
• AC power cord
• IR emitters (4)
• External antennas (2)
Accessories available for purchase
• EA-1 Wall-Mount Bracket (C4-WMEA1)
• Rack Mount Kit (C4-EA1RMK1-BL or C4-EA1RMK2-BL)
• Control4 3.5 mm to DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)
Requirements and specifications
Note:
We recommend using Ethernet instead of WiFi for the best
network connectivity.
Note:
The Ethernet or WiFi network should be installed before starting
the EA-1 controller installation.
Note:
The EA-1 V2 requires OS 2.10.2 or higher.
Composer Pro software is required to configure this device. See the
Composer Pro
User Guide
(
ctrl4.co/cpro-ug
) for details.
Additional resources
The following resources are available for more support.
• Control4 Knowledgebase:
kb.control4.com
and Dealer Forums:
forums.control4.com
• Control4 Technical Support
• Control4 website:
www.control4.com
Composer Pro documentation in online help or PDF format available on the Dealer
Portal:
ctrl4.co/docs
Warnings
Caution!
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this
apparatus to rain or moisture.
AVERTISSEMENT !
Pour réduire le risque de choc électrique, n’exposez
pas cet appareil à la pluie ou à l’humidité.
Caution! I
n an over-current condition on USB, the software disables
the output. If the attached USB device does not appear to power on,
remove the USB device from the controller.
AVERTISSEMENT !
Dans une condition de surintensité sur USB ou
sortie de contact le logiciel désactive sortie. Si le périphérique USB
ou le capteur de contact connecté ne semble pas s’allumer, retirez le
périphérique du contrôleur.
Specifications
Inputs / Outputs
Video out
1 video out—1 HDMI
Video
HDMI 1.4 output; HD 1080p, 50-60 Hz
Audio out
1 audio out—1 HDMI
Audio playback formats
AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, MP2, MP3, MP4/M4A,
Ogg Vorbis, PCM, WAV, WMA
High-resolution audio playback
Up to 192 kHz / 24 bit
Network
Ethernet
10/100/1000BaseT compatible (required for
controller setup)
WiFI
Internal Wireless-N (2.4 GHz, 802.11n/g/b)
WiFi security
WPA/WPA2
WiFi antenna
External reverse SMA connector
ZigBee Pro
802.15.4
ZigBee antenna
External reverse SMA connector
USB port
1 USB 2.0 port—500mA
Control
IR out
4 IR out—5V 27mA max output
1 IR blaster—front
IR capture
1 IR receiver—front, 20-60 KHz
Serial out
2 serial out (shared with IR out 1 and 2)
Power
Power requirements
100-240 VAC, 60/50Hz
Power consumption
Max: 18W, 61 BTUs/hour
Idle: 9W, 30 BTUs/hour
Other
Operating temperature
32˚F ~ 104˚F (0˚C ~ 40˚C)
Storage temperature
4˚F ~ 158˚F (-20˚C ~ 70˚C)
Fan dB level
Max: 35 dB
Dimensions (H × W × D)
1.13 × 7.5 × 5.0" (29 × 191 × 127 mm)
Weight
1.2 lb (0.54 kg)
Shipping weight
2.2 lb (1.0 kg)
5
Connect system devices. Attach IR and serial devices as described in
“Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” and “Setting up IR emitters.”
6
Set up any external storage devices as described in “Setting up external
storage devices” in this document.
7
Connect the power cord to the controller’s power port and then into an
electrical outlet.
Connecting the IR ports/serial ports (optional)
The controller provides four IR ports, and ports 1 and 2 can be reconfigured
independently for serial communication. If not used for serial, they can be used
for IR. Connect a serial device to the controller using the Control4 3.5 mm-to-DB9
Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B, sold separately).
1
The serial ports support baud rates between 1200 to 115200 baud for odd
and even parity. The serial ports do not support hardware flow control.
2
See Knowledgebase article #268 (
dealer.control4.com/dealer/
knowledgebase/article/268
) for pinout diagrams.
3
To configure a port for serial or IR, make the appropriate connections in your
project using Composer Pro. See the
Composer Pro User Guide
for details.
Note:
The serial ports can be configured as straight-through or null with
Composer Pro. Serial ports by default are configured straight-through
and can be changed in Composer by selecting
Enable Null-Modem
Serial Port (1 or 2)
.
Setting up IR emitters
Your system may contain third-party products that are controlled through IR
commands.
1
Connect one of the included IR emitters to an
IR OUT
port on the controller.
2
Place the stick-on emitter end onto the IR receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV,
or other target device to drive IR signals from the controller to the targets.
Setting up external storage devices (optional)
You can store and access media from an external storage device, for example, a
network hard drive or USB memory device, by connecting the USB drive to the
USB port and configuring or scanning the media in Composer Pro.
Note:
We support only externally powered USB drives or solid state
USB sticks. Self-powered USB drives are not supported.
Note:
When using USB storage devices on an EA-1 controller, you can
use only one partition with a 2 TB maximum size. This limitation also
applies to the USB storage on other controllers.
Composer Pro driver information
Use Auto Discovery and SDDP to add the driver to the Composer project. See the
Composer Pro User Guide
for details.
Front view
A
Data LED
—The Data LED shows solid red when the controller is streaming
audio.
B
IR window
—IR blaster and IR receiver for learning IR codes.
C
Caution LED
—This LED shows solid red, then blinks blue during the boot
process.
Note:
The Caution LED blinks orange during the factory restore process.
See “Reset to factory settings” in this document.
D
Link LED
—The LED indicates that the controller has been identified in a
Control4 Composer project and is communicating with Director.
E
Power LED
—The blue LED indicates that AC power is present. The controller
turns on immediately after power is applied to it.
Back view
A
Power port—
AC power connector for an IEC 60320-C5 power cord.
B
SERIAL and IR OUT
—3.5 mm jacks for up to four IR emitters or for
acombination of IR emitters and serial devices. Ports 1 and 2 can be configured
independently for serial control (for controlling receivers or disc changers) or
for IR control. See “Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” in this document for
more information.
C
USB—
One port for an external USB drive (such as a USB stick formatted
FAT32). See “Setting up external storage devices” in this document.
D
HDMI OUT
—An HDMI port to display navigation menus on a monitor or TV.
Also an audio out over HDMI.
E
WIFI
—The antenna for the WiFi radio.
F
ID button
—Easily pressed button to identify the device in Composer Pro. The
ID button on the EA-1 V2 is also an LED that displays feedback useful in a
factory restore.
G
FACTORY RESTORE
—Restores the controller to its factory defaults.
H
ETHERNET
—RJ-45 jack for a 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connection.
I
ZIGBEE
—The antenna for the ZigBee radio.
Installation instructions
To install the controller:
1
Ensure that the home network is in place before starting system setup. An
Ethernet connection to the local network is required for setup. The controller
requires a network connection to use all of the features as designed. After
initial configuration, Ethernet (recommended) or WiFi can be used to
connect the controller to web-based media databases, communicate with
other IP devices in the home, and access Control4 system updates.
2
Mount the controller near the local devices you need to control. The
controller can be hidden behind a TV, mounted on a wall, placed in a rack,
or stacked on a shelf. The EA-1 Wall-Mount Bracket is sold separately and
designed for easy installation of the EA-1 controller behind a TV or on the
wall. See the
EA-1/EA-3 Wall-Mount Bracket Installation Guide
(
ctrl4.co/ea-
wmb
) for more details.
3
Attach antennas to the
WIFI
and
ZIGBEE
antenna connectors.
4
Connect the controller to the network.
• Ethernet
—To connect using an Ethernet connection, connect the network
cable into the controller’s RJ-45 port (labeled “Ethernet”) and into the
network port on the wall or at the network switch.
• WiFi
—To connect using WiFi, first connect the unit to Ethernet, and then
use Composer Pro System Manager to reconfigure the unit for WiFi.
Important:
Do
not
install your EA controller on a 172.18.xxx.xxx
subnet.
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D
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