VSN V3 User Guide CONTENTS DISCLAIMER/COPYRIGHT STATEMENT CHAPTER 1 – INITIAL SETUP 1.1 Keyboard and Mouse 1.2 Connect an Expansion Chassis (Optional) 1.3 Connect to a Network (Optional) 1.4 Connecting Video Input Sources 1.5 Connecting a Control Screen 1.6 Powering up the System 1.7 System Maintenance...
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VSN V3 User Guide CHAPTER 4 - GENERAL 4.1 Overview 4.2 Associated Output/Input Cards and Related Products 4.3 Product Datasheets CHAPTER 5 - HARDWARE 5.1 VSN V3 Chassis 5.2 SBC 5.3 Backplanes 5.4 Backplane LEDs 5.5 Fan Replacement 5.6 Removing an SSD Tray 5.7 Removing a Power Supply Unit PSU Module...
USB Ports are located on both the front and rear panels of the system. If the intention is to mount the VSN V3 wall controller in a rack, it may be more convenient to use the USB ports on the front for easy access.
VSN V3 – Rear panel 1.3 Connect to a Network (Optional) If the VSN V3 wall controller is to be used over a network, connect the controller to a network point (cables not supplied) using one of the LAN connectors on the rear panel.
Connect the control screen to the motherboard graphics output connector on the rear of the VSN V3 wall controller. A control screen is initially required to set up the system including the operating system (Windows 10).
Note: If you have a VSN Expansion Chassis connected to the main unit, the power supply units on the expansion chassis should be switched on prior to the VSN V3 wall controller. There is no requirement to switch on the expansion chassis on the front panel.
VSN V3 User Guide 1.9 Display Configuration Once the Windows 10 setup is complete, the VSN V3 wall controller will reboot and the control screen will show a Windows desktop displaying the Display Driver Configuration Tool (DDCT). The DDCT will guide you, step by step, through the configuration of the graphics outputs, enabling you to quickly create one or more video walls.
VSN V3 User Guide Click on Continue. The tool will then display a configuration page for the type of display you selected. 1.10 What type of displays do you have? Use the manufacturer and model dropdown lists to select the displays you are using for your wall.
VSN V3 User Guide 1.11 Add Displays Add Displays is available for displays with bezels or overlapable displays. Use the Displays Across and the Displays Up to create your Display Group. Once created, configure the displays using What Type of Displays Do You Have? When using overlapable displays Display Overlap becomes available, enabling you to select a percentage of overlap between displays.
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VSN V3 User Guide At this stage of the set up you can choose to create another independent display group from the same system, this would be considered if one machine will be used to drive a number of separate video walls. See User Guide for more details.
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VSN V3 wall controller shows where the display connectors are located on your system. If your VSN V3 wall controller is connected to a printer, you can print a copy of the wiring diagram using the Print a Wiring Diagram function.
VSN V3 User Guide 1.12 WallControl 10 (Optional) Before opening the WallControl 10 Client interface you may need to start the WallControl 10 Server should it not start automatically. The Server icon is displayed in the System Tray. Server icon If the Server fails to start automatically, start the Server by clicking on it in the “All Programs”...
VSN V3 User Guide Display wall Display wall Sources When opened, the display wall tab shows a live representation of the physical wall and the sources available to display on it. To place a source on the video wall, simply click on the required source in the sources tab and drag it onto the display wall representation.
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VSN V3 User Guide Start | All Programs | WallControl 10 - Security Administration Client The WallControl 10 - Security Administration Client allows Administrators to assign specific users to roles on a wall by wall basis. For example, a user can be assigned a role allowing unrestricted access on one wall but assigned a role on another wall which only allows the opening of pre-determined layouts.
VSN V3 User Guide 1.16 Create a Restore USB Flash Drive To create your Restore USB Flash Drive you will need a USB memory stick with a minimum capacity of 16GB. It is recommended that once your restore flash drive has been created, it is stored in a safe place accessible to personnel who may be required to restore the system.
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VSN V3 User Guide This will lead you to the Windows 10 Restore Menu as shown below: Click on the Create Restore Media icon then insert the USB flash drive into a vacant USB slot (min capacity 16GB).
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VSN V3 User Guide It should be noted that any data currently stored on the USB Flash Drive will be deleted permanently during this process. Click on SCAN FOR USB. The application will now scan the system USB ports to detect your USB flash drive. Once the flash drive has been discovered, it will appear in the Select Drive dropdown list.
2.2 System The system covered by this user guide is the VSN V3 video wall controller and expansion chassis. 2.3 How the User Guide is Organized The user guide is broken down into chapters and each chapter into sections. Chapters, sections, and pages are numbered individually.
2.5 Terminology and Definitions 2.5.1 Backplane Datapath manufactures their own backplanes, the Express 11 Gen 3 is used in the VSN V3 and the VSNV3X expansion chassis. The backplanes use advanced PCI Express switches to create a high bandwidth fabric that connects up 11 PCI Express plug-in cards in a single system.
CHAPTER 3 – SAFETY 3.1 Safety Precautions To prevent damage to your Datapath product or injury to personnel operating the equipment, please read the following safety precautions prior to operation. These instructions should be made available to all those who will use and operate Datapath products.
Check the chassis for damage that could have an adverse effect on the operation of the system or could cause injury to the operator. Should there be any physical damage to the power supply unit, for example damaged power sockets or exposed wiring do not connect to a power source, contact Datapath for further instructions.
Wall Monitor software (optional) – Provides monitoring of the temperature and voltage sensors on system components 4.2 Associated Output/Input Cards and Related Products The following table lists the range of Datapath products associated with the VSN range of video wall controllers: Product Description Image 2K/4K Quad output DisplayPort graphics card.
Slave link card for Gen.3 expansion systems. ExCable-G3 Copper cable Gen.3 for expansion systems. We are constantly updating our product portfolio, for the latest details on our full product range please visit our website: www.datapath.co.uk. 4.3 Product Datasheets Product datasheets are available to download from www.datapath.co.uk.
R3 R4 5.2 SBC Datapath has developed, tested and qualified the SBC8 for use with the VSN V3 video wall controller providing improvements to the BIOS and a higher performance for Windows-based software applications. The SBC 8 is the 13th/12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors (formerly Raptor Lake-S/Alder Lake-S) based PICMG 1.3 VSN V3 –...
2x 2.5GbE LAN, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 on rear I/O On-board TPM2.0 5.3 Backplanes The Datapath backplanes use advanced PCI Express switches to create a high bandwidth fabric for connecting multiple PCI Express into a system. 5.3.1 Express11-G3 Express11-G3 Eleven slot PCI Express backplane –...
VSN V3 User Guide The LEDs indicate the following: ON = +12V supply present ON = +3.3V supply present ON = +5V supply present ON = +5V Standby supply present ON = PICMG link speed = G3, FLASH-FAST = G2, FLASH-SLOW = G1...
VSN V3 User Guide The chassis contains three fan cassettes, each fan cassette is secured in place by two thumb screws positioned diagonally on each cassette as shown below: Fan Cassette Thumb Screws Loosen the two screws and gently pull out the cassette. When replacing a fan cassette, ensure the cassette is orientated with the connector at the bottom and gently insert the fan into position then tighten both thumb screws.
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VSN V3 User Guide Release lever Module handle To replace the PSU module, insert the module into the PSU housing ensuring the green lever is on the right. The release lever will lock into place when the module is fully inserted.
6.2 Connecting an Expansion Chassis The Datapath range of expansion chassis are solutions that allow system builders and integrators the flexibility to extend a PCIe based PC or motherboard enabling a larger, distributed system architecture.
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VSN V3 – Slink G3 (to optional extra chassis) Expansion Chassis SLink-G3 Card The example above shows the connection of a VSN V3 – VSNV3X. For detailed instructions/information on connecting multiple expansion chassis, refer to the Datapath Expansion Chassis User Guide supplied with your expansion chassis.
The VSN systems have two LAN ports: plug in your network cable (not supplied) to a LAN port and connect the wall controller to the LAN, as shown below: VSN V3 – Rear panel 6.3.1 Network Security It should be noted that network ports have a potential vulnerability.
6.5 Connecting a Control Screen Datapath VSN V3 systems are configured to boot off the onboard graphics device therefore there is a requirement to connect a control screen. The control screen is a standalone monitor which is separate from the monitors on the display wall.
Both cables must be connected prior to turning on the power. Ensure cable(s) are fully inserted into the power supply sockets on the rear of the VSN V3 wall controller. Failure to do so could result in the cable becoming dislodged and the system inadvertently shutting down.
All systems are supplied with an RPSU power supply – ensure the controller is plugged into a mains power supply then turn on the system power switch located on the front of the VSN V3 wall controller. The BIOS and boot messages will be displayed on the control screen as the system boots. Once the system boot up is complete, the display wall will open up into a Windows®...
VSN V3 User Guide 7.2 Initial System Boot on Delivery Once the system has been configured in the factory, the operating system is resealed, meaning that when switching on the system for the first time, the operating system setup commences.
VSN V3 User Guide 7.2.3 Names and Password Next, you will be prompted to create an account for your computer by entering a username, a computer name and a password. It is recommended that only Internet-standard characters are used in the computer name.
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VSN V3 User Guide It is recommended that you read the information on each page carefully. Click on the “Information Icon” to open a sliding window which gives version details and copyright information. The latest version of the DDCT is available to download from the Datapath website.
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.3.2 Displays with Bezels 7.3.3 Overlapable Displays 7.3.4 LED Displays Representation Wall Naming...
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.3.5 Application Tools The application tools enable the user to manipulate the design of the wall. The table below describes the tool functionalities: Undo All – Undo all commands made on this page. Undo – Undo the last command.
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VSN V3 User Guide Representation The representation grid (6) see page 42 displays the physical arrangement of the wall as it is being created. Displays can be arranged as required by clicking and dragging them to their required positions using the application tools.
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.3.8 Add Displays Add Displays is available for displays with bezels or overlapable displays. It enables you to configure the layout of your wall or display group. Use the “Displays Across” and the “Displays Up” to create a plan of your layout.
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VSN V3 User Guide It is strongly recommended that measurements are taken from the display manufacturers specifications if available. Once a layout has been designed and the type of displays have been selected, you can add the displays to the representation by clicking on the “Add Displays”...
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.3.12 Wiring How do you want to wire up your wall controller? The DDCT can recommend the best wiring configuration for your system, ensuring the load is balanced between the graphics hardware. Click on “Recommended” for the optimal configuration for your system.
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You can print a copy of the wiring diagram using “Print a Wiring Diagram”. Note: The Datapath Diagnostic Suite must be installed on the system to print a wiring diagram. To manually select the outputs, right click on the display group and select “Edit”.
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.3.13 Manage Display Groups Display groups are collections of displays which cover different portions of your video wall. Display groups can be used to separate different areas of your video wall or use different groups to manage multiple video walls from a single controller.
WallControl 10 is an optional video/display wall management software application specifically designed for Datapath Wall Controllers. WallControl 10 consists of two separate elements that work together to enable you to control the display wall, the Client (application) and the Server.
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VSN V3 User Guide 7.4.2 WallControl 10 Client The WallControl 10 Client should be installed on the machine that has been identified to control the display wall. This could be any machine on the network including the machine driving the display wall. The application element of WallControl 10 is used to control the position, size and properties of each window displayed on the Server machine.
VSN V3 User Guide CHAPTER 8 – SOFTWARE This Chapter will cover: WallControl 10 Wall Monitor Utilities 8.1 WallControl 10 (Optional) WallControl 10 provides users with interface required to quickly and effectively manage content that includes video captures, IP streams and local applications. Users can place any input source on any part of the video wall using a simple drag and drop operation.
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VSN V3 User Guide The WallControl 10 – User Interface Indicates the server you are connected to. A representation of the display wall(s) associated with the server. Sources Tab – Displaying all the sources connected to the server for use on the display wall.
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VSN V3 User Guide When opened, the display wall tab shows a live representation of the physical wall and the sources available to display on it. To place a source on the video wall, simply click on the required source in the sources tab and drag it onto the display wall representation.
VSN V3 User Guide 8.2 Wall Monitor (Optional) The optional Wall Monitor software application enables you to monitor the temperatures and voltages of the following system components: Backplanes. Capture Cards. SQX Cards. SBC. CPU Cores. Graphics Cards. Should any overheating or voltage surge be imminent within the system, the Wall Monitor application will alert the user via a pre-configured alarm.
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VSN V3 User Guide 8.2.2 Wall Monitor Application Window The Wall Monitor application window (above) is displaying the temperature of the capture cards in the system. To view different components, click on the relevant tabs of the application. Temperatures can be displayed in either degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius.
VSN V3 User Guide 8.3 Vision Application (Optional) When purchased separately, Vision capture cards are supplied with a powerful software application for configuring the format of input sources and displaying the data. 8.3.1 Video Streaming DirectShow drivers for WDM Streaming driver supports the following applications, to encode, record and stream video over networks or the Internet: Microsoft Media Encoder®...
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Frame sync and time stamping. DirectShow interface. The RGBEasy API for advanced audio and video control. Fully integrated for use with Datapath Wall Control software for video wall applications. 8.3.3 MultiStream Datapath’s MultiStream feature is available on all Datapath capture cards and enables multiple, independently formatted video streams to be set up in parallel.
VSN V3 User Guide 8.4 Software Utilities Datapath provides a group of software utilities designed to assist you fine tune your system for specific individual system requirements. All the software utilities can be found on the Recovery Media that was shipped with your system, alternatively, you can download the most up-to-date versions from the Datapath website.
VSN V3 User Guide CHAPTER 9 – SPECIFICATIONS This Chapter will cover: Technical drawings of the chassis Technical specification of the VSN V3 Technical specification of the VSNV3X Technical specification of the Express11-G3 backplane 9.1 Technical Drawings...
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VSN V3 User Guide 9.4.3 Power and Environment Max Power (without SBC) Max current at +3.3V < 0.5A Max current at +12V < 0.5A Power requirements Max current at +5V <4A PICMG1.3 Host SBC interface (x8 PCle) Form Factor 11 x PCI Express (x8) expansion slot...
Hard Drives, RAM, Fans 10.2 RMA Returns Policy If your Datapath product is not working as you expect, we recommend that you contact Datapath Ltd in the first instance for support. Many issues that may first appear as hardware faults are actually installation or set-up problems and can normally be resolved without having to ship any hardware back to us.
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PLEASE NOTE: Datapath will not accept responsibility for the safety, integrity or security of any programmes, data or other content held on hard drives or any other type of rewritable media which is sent to us either separately or as part of any equipment returned to us for repair or for any other purpose.
VSN V3 User Guide CHAPTER 11 – ADVANCED USERS This chapter is aimed towards advanced users and covers the following: WallControl 10 Command line Interface Replacing Cards Software Development Kit (SDK)? Updating Firmware RAID System Recovery 11.1 WallControl 10 – Command Line Interface The WallControl 10 command line interface can be accessed from a command prompt and also by using Telnet for issuing commands remotely, specifying wcmd.exe.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Inputs -provider={Capture|Video|Word|Application|Quant|Image|IPDecode| Web|Pdf|Remote} Target a type of provider on the server. -provider The types of Provider that may be available are: Images, MS Word, IP, Internet, Quant, Applications and PDF providers.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Used to specify a username for a stream source. Must be paired with password. -streamusername -sun wcmd.exe -provider=<provider> -addinput=<url> -alias=<name> -streamusername=<username> -streampassword=<password> Used to specify a password for a stream source. Must be paired with username.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Used in conjunction with the –layout command to create a scheduled task to execute a specific layout. This creates a single scheduled task: wcmd.exe -layout=<name> -schedule=<datetime> -schedule Specify date time format as “DD/MM/YYYY HH:mm:ss” dependent on windows culture settings.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example wcmd.exe -setpowerlevel=<Eco | EcoAdvanced | Bright | Normal> Sets the power level of the screens for the current wall, valid levels are -setpowerlevel -spl Eco, EcoAdvanced, Bright and Normal Note: A delay can occur when setting the power level due to the hardware.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Window -window=[left],[top],[width],[height] Set the position and size of the window. Commas must be used between values. Must be used in conjunction with the –id switch. To display a Vision window a typical command line argument would be:...
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example IpDecode, Video and Capture sources only. Allows the user to switch aspect ratio on or off <true|false> for a selected capture. For example: wcmd.exe –id=<window number> -aspectratio=<true | false>...
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Only valid for Web Provider. Allows a web page to be refreshed every X seconds. For example: -refresh wcmd.exe –id=<window number> -refresh=<seconds> It can also be used with the open window command (-window) Used in conjunction with the web provider.
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Sets the OSD text to be Bold, true or false. Used as part of the definition of an OSD. -osdtextbold -osdtb Default = false wcmd.exe -id=<window id> -osdtext=<text> -osdtextbold=<true | false>...
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Sets the OSD content’s background to be transparent, true or false. Used as part of the definition of an OSD. -osdbtransparent -osdbt Default = false wcmd.exe -id=<window id> -osdtext=<text>...
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example System wcmd.exe -machine=<server>:<port> -closewindows -machine wcmd.exe -machine=<server> -wall=<wall name> -closewindows This has been added so that users are not required to know about the random port numbers for direct connection to a wall, they...
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VSN V3 User Guide Action Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example -help=-<command> Example Usage: To return a list of all command switches and comment wcmd -help -help To return specific help for a command wcmd.exe -helpwcmd.exe -help=<-command> Authentication Commands Long Switch Short Switch Description/Example Only relevant is the user is using User Rights Management (URM).
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VSN V3 User Guide Change the source of Window 1 to a known internet source wcmd –machine=10.0.0.21:8081 –id=1 –provider=Web –input=”google” Note: The input used must exist within the repository and the name “google” must exist as an internet source accessible via the source menu.
VSN V3 User Guide 11.2 Display Driver Configuration Tool – Command Line Interface It is possible to Import and Export Display Driver Configuration files via the Command Line. However, this will require Driver Install Version 5.0 or higher. Import To import and apply a Display Driver Configuration via the command line please use the following command: C:\Program Files\Datapath Drivers\ModeSetupTool\ModeSetupToolCmd.exe -import=”[path...
VSN V3 User Guide 11.3 Verify RAID To verify the RAID set up on your Wall Controller follow these instructions. 11.3.1 Enter the BIOS Setup Restart the Wall Controller and press the keyboard delete button when the Boot-Up splash screen is displayed.
IO would be the one with the highest bus number. It is also worth noting that once booted into Windows the Datapath Drivers will reorder our hardware so that it appears in the order dictated by the jumpers on the card, or by the physical slot if the jumpers are not set.
VSN V3 User Guide 11.5 Installing Additional Image2K/4K Cards As the number of required screens increase, the likelihood of reaching a system limitation or encountering problems increases. The system limitations are the amount of address space available and the capacity of the power supply.
The procedures for updating the firmware of your cards can be found in the relevant user guide which is available on your Support Tile on the Start Menu. Check the Datapath website for the latest version of the user guides.
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VSN V3 User Guide It should be noted that the dialogue is only displayed briefly, approximately 3 seconds. This will lead you to the Windows 10 Restore Menu as shown below: Click on the “Create Restore Media” icon then insert the USB flash drive into a vacant USB slot (min capacity 16GB).
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VSN V3 User Guide Once the Windows 10 Restore USB Flash Drive has been created a “Build Complete” dialogue is displayed: Click on “OK” to complete the process. 11.8.2 Restoring the Windows 10 Operating System To restore the Windows 10 Operating System you will need to boot the system from your “Restore USB Flash Drive”...
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Once the Windows configuration process is complete, the Display Drivers need to be re-installed and if required, the Wall Control application software. The Display Drivers and WallControl 10 software can be found in the Support Tile on the Start Menu. For the latest drivers and software go to www.datapath.co.uk...
12.3 Disposal At the end of life all Datapath products should be disposed of as per local laws and regulations dictate. In the UK contact Datapath to arrange disposal. Our WEE registration number is WEEE/AA0005ZR.
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VSN V3 User Guide Datapath UK and Corporate Headquarters Bemrose House, Bemrose Park, Wayzgoose Drive, Derby, DE21 6XQ, United Kingdom +44 (0) 1332 294 441 sales-uk@datapath.co.uk Datapath North America 2490 General Armistead Avenue, Suite 102, Norristown, PA 19403, USA +1 484 679 1553 sales-us@datapath.co.uk...
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