Serial Devices; User Devices - Crestron SIMPL Windows User Manual

Crestron SIMPL Windows
Primer – DOC. 6253

Serial Devices

Crestron processors control serial devices using physical standards such as RS-232,
RS-422, and RS-485. Unlike IR, RS-232 control does not use ready-to-go driver
files. Instead, the data format, or protocol, that the device is expecting will be
provided by the manufacturer in the unit's documentation.
Most Crestron control systems provide built-in COM cards and IR cards that enable
1-way and 2-way serial control. In addition, Crestron manufactures a variety of plug-
in COM cards, plug-in IR cards, and standalone network devices that enable serial
control. For example, the C2COM-2 plug-in control card is capable of generating
RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 two-way signals. The ST-COM is a standalone Cresnet
device that also generates two-way communication data. The C2-IR8 card provides
eight IR/serial ports that support one-way RS-232 signals.
Crestron's COM cards have internal serial drivers ready to be configured for 2-way
communication. Once you know the protocol for a serial device you can "add" the
device by configuring the communication settings of the serial driver. You can view
the serial ports by expanding the COM card or COM device in the control system
tree.
Double-click the serial driver to display its Device Settings. Click the Serial Settings
tab and configure the device according to the manufacturer's specification. This is
described in detail in the Configure Device section.

User Devices

You can locate third-party user devices in the Device Library by Manufacturer or
Device Type. To add a user device, right-click the unit and select Add device to
system. As shown below, you also have the option to add multiple copies of the
device.
You can also use the standard Windows drag-and-drop method to drag a device to
the card slot or port address in the tree view.
Software
Crestron SIMPL Windows • 29