Planar M46L - Manual (Page 27)

Connecting RS232 Communication
m40L/m46L Installation & Configuration Guide 17
Connecting RS232 Communication
RS232 control is not necessary for operation, but it is a convenient way to control
displays from a computer at a distance. If your installation will not use RS232 control,
skip this section.
Everything you can do with the remote, you can do with RS232 commands. Plus, you
can send inquiries to the displays and find out the current settings and values.
RS232 connections are made with cables like those used for computer networks.
These cables have eight (8) conductors and have RJ-45 connectors on each end.
Note: It is important that the RJ-45 cable has “straight through” connections. To see if your
cable is correct, hold the two connectors side by side with the ends pointing in the same
direction. Look at the sides of the connectors that do not have the locking tab. If the colors of
the wires inside the connectors are the same left to right for both connectors, this is the
correct cable. If the colors are mirror reflections of each other, it is the wrong type.
You need an adapter to go from the computer’s 9-pin serial output connector to an
RJ-45 connector. Adapters of this type are readily available at computer and
electronic supply stores. You will only need one adapter. The adapter is not pre-
wired. You will make three connections inside the adapter, as described below.
Connecting RS232 Cables
1 Connect the 9-pin adapter to the serial output connector of the controlling
computer. (This computer does not have to be the same one as the computer
used as a picture source.) The serial output is sometimes called the Comm Port,
and sometimes there is more than one.
5 4 3 2 1
6 7 8 9
1 8
Wiring the adapter
To go from 9-pin D-sub serial connector on
the back of the computer to an RJ45
connector, use a standard RJ45-to-9-pin
adapter. Wire it internally as shown. The
wiring shown for this adapter is correct for
straight-through cables. Straight-through
cables are wired 1-to-1, 2-to-2, etc.
RJ45 9-pin
Yellow wire 6 3
Black wire 3 2
Green wire 5 5
RJ45 looking into
the socket