Control 4 HC-300 Installation Manual page 2

1. WiFi LED—This LED blinks first red, then orange, and finally blue during the boot
process. Once the operating system is running, the WiFi driver changes the LED color
depending on the signal strength of its connection to its associated access point.
Colors and signal strength are as follows: orange=Fair to Good, blue=Excellent, and
no light=No connection.
2. Data LED—This blue LED indicates streaming audio is received.
3. Link LED—Blue LED light indicates Home Controller has been identified in a Control4
Composer project.
4. Power LED—Blue LED light indicates AC power is present. It turns on immediately
after the power is applied to the device.
5. IR Window / IR Blaster—For capturing third-party IR codes from hand-held devices
(such as remote controls) or blasting IR codes.
Back View
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1. Power plug port—AC power receptacle for an IEC 320 power cord.
2. Video Out—Composite RCA, S-VIDEO mini-DIN, and Component RCA jacks.
3. Audio Out (2 Left-Right pairs)—RCA jacks for stereo channel line output (line level)
for amplifiers or audio switches.
4. Audio In (1 Left-Right pair)—RCA jacks for stereo channel input (line level) for one
stereo analog source.
5. Video Sense In-Out (2 pairs)—Composite In-Out RCA jack pairs for monitoring the
On/Off status of up to two (2) video sources.
6. Ethernet—RJ-45 jack for a 10/100 BaseT Ethernet connection.
7. Factory Restore Button—Restores the Controller to the factory defaults.
8. USB (1 port)—For external storage device with USB support (such as FAT32-format-
ted devices) and WiFi adapter (C4-NWA-11G-USB).
9. Contact (1 set)—Pluggable terminal block connector for one dry contact closure, logic
input connection, door contact sensor, or motion sensor.
10. Relay (1 set)—Pluggable terminal block connector for one (1) normally closed or
normally opened switchable connection.
11. Serial (2 sets, DB9)—Two (2) serial devices, such as a receiver or disc changer.
12. IR Out (6)—3.5 mm jacks for up to six (6) IR output transmitters.
13. Identification button—Easily-pressed button used when identifying this device in
Composer.
Install the HC-300
To install this Controller:
1. Ensure that your home network is in place before starting your system setup:
The Home Controller HC-300 requires a network connection (wired or WiFi) to use all
features as designed. When connected, the Home Controller can access web-based
media databases and Control4® system updates.
2. If mounting directly to a wall:
a. Obtain the HC-300 Wall Template, part # 851-00001, available at:
http://www.control4.com/dealer/support/pid.htm.
b, Attach the template to the wall with tape, then level it.
c. Screw or nail four (4) screws or nails into the wall where indicated.
d. Remove the template from the wall.
e. Pull to remove rubber strips from the feet of the HC-300 to expose the prepared
holes (no need to remove the existing screws).
f. Hang the HC-300 on the wall.
3.
Connect the HC-300 controller to the network: To connect using an Ethernet connec-
tion, plug the data cable from the home network connection into the Home Controller
RJ-45 port (labeled "Ethernet") and the network port on the wall or at the network switch.
Note: To connect using the optional USB WiFi adapter (C4-NWA-11G-USB), refer to the
installation instructions shipped with the adapter.
Only use the power supply included in this box.
4. Power up the controller: Plug the HC-300 power cord (provided) into the Home Con-
troller power plug port and an electrical outlet.
Note: The HC-300 may take several minutes to boot up and become operational.
Please allow sufficient time for boot-up.
5.
Connect system devices: As described in the "Connect Devices" section that follows.
6. Set up external storage devices as described in "Set up External Storage Device."
Connect Devices
Note: You can use the Composer software to step through the connection process before or
after the physical connections are completed.
Connect all applicable devices to the Home Controller HC-300 using one of the connection
options described in the following table.
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Power plug port—For use with the IEC 320 power connector (provided).
Video Out Options—Composite, Component, or S-Video port for display-
ing navigation menus on a monitor or TV. The Component jack is only for
displaying high-definition video. To display standard definition video, use
the Composite or S-Video ports. When available, use S-Video instead of
Composite for a higher quality display.
Audio Out (2 Left-Right pairs)—RCA jacks for stereo channel line output
(line level) for amplifiers or audio switches.
Audio In (1 Left-Right pair)—RCA jacks for stereo channel input (line
level) for one stereo analog source.
Video Sense In-Out (2 pairs)—Composite In-Out port pairs for monitoring
up to two (2) video In sources, such as DVD players or VCRs, that allow
the system to determine the On/Off status of devices. Each Out port allows
the signal to loop through the Controller and continue to its intended video
connection. See "Use Video Sense Loops" for information.
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Ethernet—RJ-45 for a 10/100 BaseT Ethernet connection.
USB (1 port)—For external storage device with USB support (such as
FAT32-formatted devices). See "Set up External Storage Device" for infor-
mation or to connect the optional WiFi adapter C4-NWA-11G-USB.
Contact (1 set)—Pluggable terminal block connector for one (1) dry contact
closure, logic input connection, door contact sensor, or motion sensor.
Provides power for small devices (12V), signal input (SIG), and return path
(GND).
Relay (1 set)—Pluggable terminal block connector for one (1) normally
closed or normally opened switchable connection, such as a blind, a
fireplace, or a projector screen. The set contains a connection for Normally
Opened (NO), Normally Closed (NC), and Common (COM).
Serial (2 sets)—DB9 connector for a serial device, such as a receiver or
disk changer. See "Connect the Serial Ports" for more information.
IR Out (6)—3.5 mm jacks for up to six (6) IR output transmitters.
See "Set Up IR Emitters or IR Blaster" for more information.
The following section provides more information about other connection options.
Use Video Sense Loops
Video sensing can enhance the ability to sense the power state of a device, such as
whether the device is "on" or "off." To add video signal sensing capabilities for a video
device (such as a VCR, DVD player, etc.), connect one of the device's composite Video Out
ports to a HC-300 Video Sense In port. Use the companion Video Sense Out port for the
device's video out as needed. For Video Sense only (no loop-through), connect a device's
Composite Video Out port to one of the two (2) Video Sense In ports.
Use Pluggable Terminal Block Connectors
For the Contact and Relay ports, the HC-300 makes use of a pluggable terminal block
connector—a removable plastic part that locks in individual wires, which is included.
To connect a device to the Pluggable Terminal Block:
1. Insert one of the wires required for your device into the appropriate opening in the
Pluggable Terminal Block you reserved for that device (refer to Figure 1 on page 2).
For example, if you were adding a motion sensor, you would connect its wires to the
following Contact openings: power input to +12V output signal to SIG, and ground
connector to GND. See the sections that follow for instructions about connecting the
various protocols.
2. Lower the openings latch until it locks the wire in place.
3. Repeat Steps 1-2 for all wires required for your device.
Note: When you connect dry contact closure devices, such as door switches, connect the
switch between +12V (Power) and SIG (Signal).
Connect to the Contact Port
The HC-300 provides one (1) contact port as a subset of the pluggable terminal block pro-
vided. See the following figures to determine how to connect the device to a contact port.
Table 1. Connections Options