This topic describes the wiring from the crystal frame. 

If the frame includes a VX module, then please also refer to crystal - Configuring the Virtual Extension.

crystal Frame (Connections)

All plug-in connectors are located on the frame's rear connector board.

Power In (Kycon)

The Power In port connects to the external DC power supply (to power the frame).

See crystal - Power Supplies.

CAN A & CAN B (RJ45)

The crystal frame supports two CAN bus speeds: CAN A (high speed) and CAN B (low speed).

  • CAN A operates at 1Mb/s. It can be used to connect a second crystal frame.
  • CAN B operates at 500Kb/s. It is included to support products that cannot operate at a higher speed such as Lawo's KSC and GPIO panels.

All CAN bus connections must be point-to-point; a switch or hub is not allowed.

Use a standard (straight 1:1) network cable: STP-CAT 5e with RJ45 connectors.

Important:

  • The CAN A port on the crystal frame must be fitted with the terminator (provided), unless you are linking another frame.
  • When linking two frames via CAN bus, the CAN A cable length must not exceed 13 meters.

The maximum CAN B (low-speed) cable length must not exceed 60 meters.

The CAN bus can be hot-plugged and so the cabling can be performed while the frames are powered.

ETHERNET (RJ45)

The ETHERNET port provides a network connection to the crystal IP module. It is used for the IP connection (to Power Core or OSC device) and for the crystal Web UI administration.

When connecting via a network, then this can be shared with other devices, such as in the regular "house network" of a typical broadcast facility. Routers are permitted as long as the minimum requirements of the network interfaces are met. By using routers, or similar devices, the latency of the communication will increase.

The control network interface in crystal operates at 100 BASE-T. This means that the network switch/router port used for the surface MUST meet the following requirements:
  • Speed = 100Mb/s
  • Duplex mode = Full Duplex

Choose an Ethernet cable that meets the following specification.

  • Cable: CAT 5 or CAT 5e; straight (1:1) cable.
  • Connector: RJ45.
  • Speed: 1000 or 100 Base-TX LAN. 100 Base-TX (Fast Ethernet) is recommended.
  • Length: up to 100m (to the network switch).

Functional Earth

The M4x10 grounding screw must be used to ground the frame. If not, then you may see some odd behaviours once the console is operational. 

See crystal - Grounding.