Bittree 422A32 User manual

USER GUIDE

RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay

Models 422A32 and 422A32-D

Table of Contents

1. Introduction........................................................................................3

1.1 Overview of the Patchbay ......................................................3

1.2 Key Features of the Patchbay.................................................5

1.3 Powering the Patchbay ...........................................................5

2. Connecting the Patchbay....................................................................7

2.1 Rear Panel DE9 Connections .................................................7

2.2 Front Panel Patchcord Connections .......................................8

3. Verifying and Diagnosing Connectivity.............................................8

3.1 Verifying Connectivity...........................................................8

3.2 Diagnosing Connectivity......................................................10

4. Specifications ...................................................................................13

5. Index.................................................................................................14

Bittree, Inc.

600 West Elk Avenue

Glendale, CA 91204

(818) 500-8142

(800) 500-8142 toll-free

(818) 500-7062 fax

www.Bittree.com

Page 2 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

1. Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the new Bittree RS422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay. You

have purchased the latest innovation in data patchbays, which will help you accomplish your

RS422 patching with unprecedented speed and reliability. Please read this User Guide end-to-

end to familiarize yourself with all of your patchbay’s features, and to ensure you will use it

safely and effectively.

1.1 Overview of the Patchbay

The new Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay delivers the most significant improvement in

RS422 patching since its inception, making it easier to route, manage, verify and diagnose

RS422 data connections.

The key innovation lies in the patchbay’s auto-sensing transceivers that receive, interpret and re-

transmit perfectly regenerated RS422 signals, eliminating inductive and capacitive signal

distortion frequently imposed by traditional passive switches. The patchbay also provides a

powerful diagnostic tool that easily verifies the connection status between controllers and remote

devices (e.g., VTRs). The color-coded Indicator LEDs on the front panel display the

transmitting and receiving status of each device connected to the patchbay, providing you with a

reliable way to manage, verify and diagnose RS422 signals, as well as determine which devices

are set to “Master” and which to “Remote.”

The RS422 Active Data Patchbay enhances the mechanical and electrical reliability of your

RS422 connections. Mechanically, your system will be more reliable because it uses standard,

robust bantam (TT) audio jacks and corresponding bantam audio patchcords, as opposed to the

more fragile “card edge” patchcords used by competing 2 x 32 patchbays that can cost twice as

much. Electrically, your system will be more reliable because the patchbay transmits

regenerated, pristine RS422 signals.

In addition to the signal-enhancement, diagnostic capabilities and increased reliability described

above, the form-factor of the new RS422 64-Port Data Patchbay is more efficient than that of

competing models, thanks to its 2 x 32 port configuration that perfectly matches standard routers.

To ensure uninterruptible operation and unmatched reliability, Model 422A32-D features dual,

redundant power supplies and automatic internal power switching in case of anomalous events.

Dual power indicator lights on the front panel provide complete status information on both

power supplies and the patchbay’s power bus. Model 422A32 features a single power supply.

The RS422 Active Data Patchbay is ideal for multiple edit bays and machine rooms in post-

production, broadcast and duplication houses. And because the patchbay also serves as a

repeater, it excels in today’s larger networked installations, helping to provide RS422 cable runs

of up to 8,000 feet, depending on the termination gear.

Page 3 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

Front and rear views of the Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay, with annotations, are shown in

Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 – Front and rear views of the RS422 Active Data Patchbay

Two rows of 32 bantam audio jacks and two rows of 128 indicator LEDs, one green and one

yellow per jack, are mounted on the front panel of the patchbay. Two rows of 32 9-pin female

subminiature-D (DE9) connectors are mounted on the rear panel of the patchbay. A bantam

audio patchcord inserted in any pair of front panel jacks completes a data connection between a

controller and a remote device connected to the corresponding rear panel DE9 connectors.

Page 4 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

Model 422A32-D, with dual, redundant power supplies, features two power indicator LEDs

mounted on the front panel of the patchbay and two “long” 2.0 mm power jacks mounted on the

rear. Meanwhile, Model 422A32A with a single power supply, features a power indicator LED

mounted on the front panel of the patchbay and one “long” 2.0 mm power jack mounted on the

rear.

1.2 Key Features of the Patchbay

•Electronic transceivers clean-up and re-generate RS422 signals, for cable runs up to

8,000 feet (total distance, from controller to remote)

•2 x 32 ports, 2 RU, 12" deep chassis

•Easy-to-read connection-status indicator lights

•Uses standard, low-cost, ultra-reliable bantam audio patchcords

•Port auto-sensing/auto-configuring (master or remote)

•Designed for the Sony Remote Delegation Protocol (“Protocol of Remote 9-Pin

Connector”)

•EIA RS-422-A (RS422) standard compliant

•Normal I/O paired ports

•DE9 female rear interface

•Patchbay power indicator lights

•Dual/redundant or single high-quality power supplies

•Jacks rated to 30,000 minimum insertions

•Rugged nickel-plated, cold-rolled steel box-frame jack construction

•Copper-nickel-silver alloy leaf springs with gold-alloy crossbar switching contacts and

nickel-plated sleeve bushings

•Panels made from 3/16” solid aluminum with black durable powder-coat finish

•Extra-wide designation strips

1.3 Powering the Patchbay

Depending on the Model, the Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay is shipped with either one or

two power supplies. There are specific grounding and current handling requirements that the

power supplies must meet. Although you could power your patchbay with any power supply that

meets the requirements detailed in the Specifications section (section 4) of this document, Bittree

strongly recommends that you use only Bittree-supplied power supplies to power your patchbay.

To ensure uninterruptible operation and unmatched reliability, Model 422A32-D features dual,

redundant power supplies and automatic internal power switching in case of anomalous events.

Dual power indicator lights on the front panel provide complete status information on both

power supplies and the patchbay’s power bus. Under normal circumstances, when both power

supplies are in good operational condition and powered-up, the patchbay draws its power from

the primary supply, “P1,” which is the supply plugged into the rightmost power jack on the rear-

panel. If for some reason the primary supply stops supplying power, the patchbay automatically

Page 5 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

and seamlessly switches over to the secondary supply, “P2,” which is plugged into the second

power jack. The switch-over operation is transparent to the user; continuous operation of the

patchbay is maintained.

Table 1 below describes the possible the states and meanings of the two power indicator LEDs,

“L1” and “L2,” which are mounted on the front panel.

Top LED (L1)

(Clear when Off)

Bottom LED (L2)

(Green when Off)

Meaning

Yellow Green All clear. Both power supplies are operational.

Yellow Off

The primary power supply has failed. Repair or

replace as soon as possible. Patchbay is powered

from the secondary power supply, but power

redundancy no longer exists.

Red Green

The secondary power supply has failed. Repair or

replace as soon as possible. Patchbay is powered

from the primary power supply, but power

redundancy no longer exists.

Table 1 – Explanation of the states of the two power indicator LEDs

NOTE: If you experience a power indicator LED color combination that is not listed in Table 2,

then the patchbay may possibly be exhibiting an internal fault. Please call Bittree Customer

Service for further assistance.

If you ordered Model 422A32 with the single power supply, your patchbay will still function but

will not have the benefit of a redundant power supply. Continue reading for information and

instructions pertaining to patchbays with either dual or single power supplies.

The DC power plug of the power supply(s) is equipped with a threaded cowling to ensure that,

once installed, it will stay securely plugged in – even if the power supply cable is accidentally

tugged. After plugging the DC power plug into the DC power jack on the rear panel of the

patchbay, screw the threaded cowling clockwise until finger-tight.

TECHNICAL NOTE: This patchbay employs a special “long” power jack, specifically designed

for use with a 2.0 mm inner-diameter, 12 mm long power plug with a locking threaded cowling.

Standard length 2.1 mm power plugs will not make good contact with this power jack.

The 120 Volt AC power plug of the power supply is a three-prong AC power plug that includes

an earth-ground terminal. Bittree recommends that this AC power plug only be plugged into AC

outlets that have been tested and proven to have a true earth-ground connection. Furthermore, if

you are planning to interconnect and patch between more than one RS422 Active Data Patchbays,

please ensure that all the patchbays are connected to a common earth-ground circuit (e.g., by

plugging them all into the same power strip). This ensures that a common ground potential is

established between the different patchbays and the signals are interpreted correctly.

Page 6 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

After inserting the AC power plug of the power supply into a grounded 120 Volt AC power

outlet, the green power indicator LED on the front panel of the patchbay, shown in Figure 1,

should light, confirming that the patchbay is powered up. If this does not happen, try a different

AC power outlet. Also please ensure that the DC power plug is properly and completely inserted

into the power jack on the rear panel of the patchbay, and that its threaded cowling is completely

screwed in. If all the above is verified, and the green power indicator LED on the front panel

fails to light-up, please contact Bittree Customer Service.

2. Connecting the Patchbay

2.1 Rear Panel DE9 Connections

Once the Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay is powered up, and the green power indicator LED

on the front panel is lit, you are ready to connect controllers and remote devices to it.

Use DE9 male-to-male patch cables to connect controllers and remote devices to the female DE9

connectors on the rear panel of the patchbay. NOTE: Only devices that conform to the Sony

“Protocol of Remote 9-Pin Connector” communications protocol should be connected to this

data patchbay.

This patchbay is designed to mount in a

standard rack, which limits the width of its

chassis to 17.5 inches. On the other hand,

the patchbay is designed to accommodate

the industry-standard two rows of 32

connections. Therefore, the resulting small

distance between adjacent DE9 connectors

on the rear panel may preclude the use of

cables with standard-size DE9 connector

hoods. For this reason, Bittree has designed

a special narrow connector hood, the DE9

Slim Hood shown in Figure 2, which allows

users to fit up to 32 connectors in each row

and take advantage of all 64 patchbay ports.

The DE9 Slim Hood is easy to assemble, Figure 2 – The DE9 Slim Hood Plug

comes with a rugged tie-wrap strain relief

to ensure solid connections, and features slotted thumb screws for maximum convenience.

TECHNICAL NOTES: For standard, one-to-one controller to remote device connections, your

DE9 cables must interconnect all pins of the DE9 plugs at each end, in a “straight-through”

configuration (i.e., they must connect all corresponding pins of the two DE9 end plugs). The

pins that are absolutely required to complete a proper bi-directional connection between a

device and the patchbay are pins 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. In addition, the patchbay also routes pin 5

of the DE9 connectors, which carries the PRIORITY signal on some Sony devices. Please do not

use a null modem cable, or any other cable that “crosses pins” from one side to the other.

Page 7 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

If you would like to daisy-chain devices through the Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay, you

may have to use special DE9 cables, with pins 2 and 7 disconnected, to connect the output

remote DE9 ports of the remote devices. This is because certain popular devices, such as the

Sony DVW-M2000 Digital Videocassette Recorder, internally connect drivers at both differential

pairs of pins (pins 3-8 and pins 7-2) of their second, output remote DE9 connector, which is

commonly used to daisy-chain devices in broadcast mode, so that multiple remote devices can be

controlled by a single controller. This practice is in breach of the RS422 protocol, to which the

Bittree patchbay conforms. Therefore, to make the system work correctly, connections between

the second, output remote DE9 connector (labeled REMOTE IN/OUT in the Sony DVW-M2000)

of one of these devices and the patchbay must be accomplished with these special DE9 cables

that do not connect pins 2 and 7 of the end DE9 plugs.

2.2 Front Panel Patchcord Connections

This data patchbay is a “normaling” patchbay. Therefore, devices connected to vertically

aligned DE9 connectors are connected to each other by default, in the absence of a patchcord.

Use standard 3-conductor bantam audio patchcords to connect pairs of jacks on the front panel.

Connecting jacks on the front panel completes data connections between devices connected to

the corresponding DE9 connectors on the rear panel. When a patchcord is inserted into a front

panel jack, the default normaling connection of that jack is broken, and the data is rerouted

through the patchcord.

3. Verifying and Diagnosing Connectivity

The Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay includes circuitry to sense and appropriately auto-

configure its rear panel DE9 ports, according to whether a controller or a remote device is

connected. The auto-configuration process relies on signals that exist at the DE9 connectors of

the connected devices, so these devices must be powered up and configured in the correct remote

mode (“Master” or “Remote”). After the devices connected to the patchbay are correctly

configured, the auto-configuration process is accomplished almost instantaneously, in human

time scale (completed in under one tenth of a second).

3.1 Verifying Connectivity

The Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay includes connection-status indicator LEDs designed to

help you verify connectivity or even diagnose connectivity problems, in the unlikely event that

they occur. Two indicator LEDs, one green and one yellow, are mounted above or below each

bantam audio jack on the front panel. A simplified schematic circuit diagram of a vertical slice

of the patchbay (side view), including two front panel jacks and two rear panel DE9 connectors,

is shown in Figure 3.

Page 8 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

Figure 3 – Schematic circuit diagram of a vertical slice of the patchbay

As shown in Figure 3, the green LED of each jack is connected to the signal line driven by pins 3

and 8 of the corresponding rear panel DE9 connector. On these pins a controller sends its

periodic hailing command when searching for a connected remote device. Therefore, when a

controller is connected to a DE9 port, the green LED of the corresponding jack on the front panel

starts flashing, indicating that the controller has been successfully connected and is searching for

a remote device. Simultaneously, the green LED of the other jack, located vertically above or

below the first jack, will start flashing if there is no patchcord plugged into the first jack. This is

because the internal normaling connection carries the controller’s commands to the second jack.

If the first jack had been connected to a different jack with a patchcord, then the green LED of

that jack would flash, verifying that the controller’s commands are reaching that jack, and

therefore also the rear panel DE9 connector corresponding to that jack.

The yellow LED of each jack is connected to the signal line driven by pins 2 and 7 of the

corresponding rear panel DE9 connector. A remote device responds to the controller’s

commands on these pins. A remote device, however, will not send any data on these pins until it

recognizes an incoming command on pins 3 and 8. Therefore, when connecting a remote device

to a DE9 connector of the patchbay that is not patched to a controller (either by an internal

normaling connection or by a patchcord), the yellow LED of the corresponding jack will not

flash. It will only start flashing when a controller is patched to that remote device, indicating

that the remote device is receiving the controller’s commands and is responding to them. At that

time, the yellow LED of the jack that the remote device is connected to and the yellow LED of

Page 9 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

the jack the controller is connected to will both start flashing, verifying that the remote device’s

responses are reaching the controller.

Therefore, after a bi-directional connection has been successfully established, four LEDs will

continuously flash while the data connection is active: a green and a yellow one at the jack

corresponding to the DE9 connector that the controller is connected to, and a green and a yellow

one at the jack corresponding to the DE9 connector that the remote device is connected to.

In addition to the DE9 connector pins required by the Sony Protocol of Remote 9-Pin Connector

and the RS422 Protocol, the Bittree RS422 Active Data Patchbay also switches and routes pin 5

of the rear panel DE9 connectors, as shown in Figure 3. This pin is designated as “spare” by the

Sony Remote Delegation protocol, but is used in some installations for priority signal routing.

3.2 Diagnosing Connectivity

Table 2 below summarizes some possible abnormal conditions, potential causes, and suggested

actions. A controller is assumed connected to Port 1 and a remote device is assumed connected

to Port 2. It is assumed that both the controller and the remote device are powered-up,

configured and connected to DE9 connectors on the rear panel of the patchbay. The two jacks

that correspond to those DE9 connectors are assumed patched together, either via an internal

normaling connection (i.e., they are vertically aligned) or through an external patchcord. Please

ensure that there are no “hanging” patchcords (i.e., patchcords with only one of the two ends

connected) between the jacks in question.

NOTE: If you experience an LED flashing/off combination that is not listed in Table 2 below,

then the patchbay may possibly be exhibiting an internal fault. Please call Bittree Customer

Service for further assistance.

Page 10 – Bittree RS-422 64-Port Active Data Patchbay User Guide

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