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Datapath X4 User Manual

Stand alone display wall controller
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Download this manual See also: User Manual, Setup Manual

Safety Instructions

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.

Power Supply

All Datapath products require a mains power supply. This power supply must be disconnected when
equipment is being upgraded or relocated.
Cables
Do not expose cables to any liquids; doing so may cause a short circuit which could damage the
equipment. Do not place heavy objects on top of any cables as this can cause damage and possibly lead
to exposed live wires.
Ventilation
All computer equipment should be located in a well ventilated area. All ventilation holes on the comput-
er casing must be kept clear of any obstruction at all times. Failure to do so will result in the system over
heating and damaging your equipment.

Working Environment

The equipment should be located in an environment free from dust, moisture and extreme changes
in temperature and should be placed on a stable and solid work surface. Liquids (hot/cold drinks etc)
should not be placed near the equipment as spillage could cause serious damage.
Gas/Flammable Liquids
Electronic equipment should never be used in the presence of gas or any flammable liquid, doing so
could result in an explosion or serious fire.
Smoke/Unusual Smells
Should you notice smoke or unusual smells being emitted from your computer, turn off and unplug the
system from the mains supply. The system should then be passed to a qualified technician for
inspection. Continued operation could result in personal injury and damage to property.
Maintenance
Maintenance should only be carried out by competent technicians, any Datapath plug-in cards that are
physically damaged should be returned to Datapath for repair using Datapath RMA procedures.
Disposal
At the end of life all Datapath products should be disposed of as per local laws and regulations dictate.
In UK contact Datapath to arrange disposal. Our WEE registration number is WEEE/AA0005ZR.

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Summary of Contents for Datapath X4

  • Page 1: Safety Instructions

    Datapath for repair using Datapath RMA procedures. Disposal At the end of life all Datapath products should be disposed of as per local laws and regulations dictate. In UK contact Datapath to arrange disposal. Our WEE registration number is WEEE/AA0005ZR.
  • Page 2 Introduction The Datapath x4 is a stand alone display wall controller that accepts a standard single or dual-link DVI input and can flexibly display this across four output monitors. Each output can be driven as DVI or analog RGB, and can represent an arbitrary crop region of the original input image.

  • Page 3: Configuration Examples

    Configuration Examples Listed on the next few pages are just a few examples of what can be achieved with the Datapath x4. The list of examples is not definative and users are encouraged to experiment with different display orientations Duplicate the input signal x 4 and displays each duplicate on separate screens...
  • Page 4 Divide the input signal into quadrants and display each quarter on separate displays with optional frame rate conversion (in this case 30Hz to 60Hz). Crop regions can be adjusted to provide monitor bezel compensation.
  • Page 5 Duplicate the input signal x2 and display 1 on a single landscape display and divide the 2nd into thirds, rotate to portrait, upscale and split between 3 displays. Crop input signal, upscale specific areas and display on 4 separate screens.
  • Page 6 Crop the input signal into x4 and display x2 quarters landscape and x2 quarters portrait. Crop the input signal x4 rotate through 90º,180º or 270º, display in landscape and portrait. Arbitrary crop regions can allow the monitors to be artistically arranged, but maintain an undistorted image.
  • Page 7 We recommend that you do not discard the packing box until you are completely satisfied with the x4, and it is fully installed and working correctly. We also recommend that you make note of the serial number of the controller in a prominent place before you connect it to the computer.

  • Page 8: Front Panel

    When the x4 device is connected to a PC by a USB cable, and the x4 Control application is active, then all three lights flash in turn to help to identify which unit is being controlled.

  • Page 9: Rear Panel

    USB Socket The USB socket is used to connect the x4 to a PC via a USB connection using the supplied USB Type A to Type B cable. Configuration of the x4 is programmable via an application utility allowing easy control of cropping, scaling, rotation and gaps.

  • Page 10: Setting Up The X4

    Setting up the x4 • Ensure the power supply for the DVI source is disconnected. • Connect the cable from the DVI source to the input socket on the rear of the x4. • Connect the four displays to the output sockets on the rear panel of the x4. • Connect the x4-PSU to the x4 and switch on the power supply at the mains socket using the correct international blade (see page 9). • Power up the DVI source. The Power LED located on the front panel will illuminate to indicate that power has successfully been applied to the unit. The x4 incorporates an internal processor that will continuously monitor the received DVI signal, and whenever a valid and stable input is detected the Input LED is illuminated. If the Input LED is not illuminated, the x4 cannot detect a valid DVI input source. During operation, the x4 is able to adjust its internal operation to maintain the programmed output pro- portions even when the input resolution changes. Fig.3...

  • Page 11: Configuring The X4

    Application section. Configuring DVI Input resolution Because the timings and resolution of the DVI input are set by the DVI source machine, the x4 can only configure this indirectly by presenting a programmable “Preferred Mode” as part of its EDID (Extended Display Identification Data).
  • Page 12 In some cases it may be that the user requires a very specific output timing (for example when genlocking to the input) irrespective of the monitor EDIDs. In this case the x4 can be configured to al- ways output the mode that has been programmed as the default mode.

  • Page 13: Dvi Input

    Configuring the x4 The x4 has a USB port to allow a host PC to connect to the x4 box and for the user to program its configuration. Once configured the x4 will run stand-alone without the need for the USB connection and will auto detect input resolutions and adjust internal scaling to drive the output monitors consistently.

  • Page 14: X4 Control Application

    The application will search for an x4 connected to your computer and display the status of the first x4 detected. Should there be more than one x4 in use, a list of all available x4’s can be found in the File menu.

  • Page 15: Connection Diagram

    Input Capture Regions Device Monitor Outputs Connection Diagram The connection diagram displays a schematic view of the rear panel of the x4 to assist in identifying the connectors. Fig.5 Device The unique USB device name that is connected is displayed in the Device group. It is possible to asso- ciate a more user friendly name such as “First Four Outputs”.
  • Page 16 The DVI-D Input group displays the current DVI mode that is being captured (if any) and the prefered mode that has been programmed into the x4’s EDID. Use the Modify button to update the EDID. The small square to the left of the current input resolution indicates whether the x4 has genlocked to the input source.
  • Page 17 Detect on the Screen Resolutions dialog box (Win- dows® 7) or by disconnecting the souce from the x4 and reconnecting. All modifications to the input settings can be save as a .vqs file, removing the requirement to input the same settings again.
  • Page 18 Input Capture Regions Each output of the x4 can select a different region of the input source image. This dialog (Fig. 9) displays the settings of each region (region 1 corresponds to output 1 etc). The numbers denote the top, left, width and height coordinates of the region that is to be displayed. Note, these are described in terms of the current active input resolution.
  • Page 19 To see more information such as whether this is an analog RGB or DVI mode, if it is the monitor EDID preferred mode or a default mode programmed into the x4, along with detailed timing information, click on the Modify button for the required output.
  • Page 20 Fig.11 Individual monitor outputs can be configured by clicking on the corresponding Modify button. This will bring up a timing dialog similar to that of the input timings. This dialog is shown in Fig.12. Fig.12...
  • Page 21 Finally there is a Test button which should be used when defining a default mode that you are not sure the attached monitor can support. In test mode, the output timings are programmed, but they are not saved to non-volatile memory on the x4 until the OK button is pressed to accept the mode.

  • Page 22: Specification

    Specification x4 Physical Dimensions 235 x 175 x 44mm/9.25” x 6.9” x 1.75” Operating Temperature Range 0 - 35 DegC/32 - 96 DegF Power Requirements 5V DC, 11W. Universal mains power adapter supplied (100-240V) The unit contains a cooling fan. The input...

  • Page 23: Technical Support

    Datapath Limited Datapath has a long and very successful history in the computer graphics industry. Datapath has been designing and supplying high performance, high quality graphics display systems to the world’s larg- est and most demanding companies and institutions since 1982. Datapath was one of the founding companies of multi-screen Windows acceleration using single and multi board solutions.

  • Page 24: Uk Headquarters And Main Sales Office

    UK Headquarters and Main Sales Office Datapath Ltd., Alfreton Road, Derby, DE21 4AD, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1332 294441 Fax: +44 (0) 1332 290667 Email: sales@datapath.co.uk www.datapath.co.uk...
  • Page 25 Index Application Installation 16 configuration 13 Configuring the x4 15 Cooling 24 Copyright Statement 25 Crop regions 6 Default Settings 13 device name 17 display orientations 5 DVI-D Input 18 Input socket 11 Input Surface 24 LED’s 10 mirrored 4...
  • Page 26 Power socket 11 PSU Blades 9 PSU Power supply 9 Quarter 21 regions to be displayed 14 Replicate 21 rotate to portrait 7 safety precautions 3 Technical Support 25 UK Headquarters 26 Up Scaling 24 USB socket 11...

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