VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide VideoEase VGA Balun (500010, 500011, 500014) 500010 500011 500014 Application Guide Version 1.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Purpose The purpose of this document is to explain how to apply the VGA Balun under different operating conditions and to discuss issues not covered in the Installation Guide that comes with the product.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Equipment With Which the VGA Balun Works The VGA Balun works with any equipment that supports VGA, XGA or SVGA signals, including; PCs, laptops, multimedia projectors, CRT monitors, flat-screen LCD monitors, plasma displays, VGA signal boosters, VGA signal splitters and VGA scan converters. Application Table There are currently three (3) product items in the VGA Balun range.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide When Must Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Be Used Cat 5 Shielded Twisted Pair must be used with the VGA Balun when either the VGA source or destination equipment does not have a built-in 3-prong power plug. This is due to the fact that the VGA Balun requires a reliable ground on both sides of the connection to transmit the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Shielded Cat 5 and Shielded RJ45 Components In order to prepare a shielded Cat 5 cable connection, the following material is needed: Two (2) shielded RJ45 plugs One (1) spool 4-pair shielded Cat 5 cable cut to the desired length. One (1) Twisted Pair Cable Stripping Tool One (1) Crimping Tool and RJ45 Die Insert. Shielded Cat 5 cable is sold as 26 AWG stranded twisted pair or as 24AWG solid copper twisted pair. Stranded cable is usually used for patch cables.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Shielded Cable and Connector Sources In order to provide a complete shielded Cat5 cabling solution for the VGA Balun, the following table lists a few sources for shielded twisted pair cable and connectors.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Pin Configuration The cable between the two VGA Baluns must respect the pin configuration of the baluns. The twisted pairs must mate with the correct pins and the polarity must be straightthrough. That is, Pin 1 on one end must connect to Pin 1 at the other, and so on for the other seven pins. Each of the following pin-pairs constitute a twisted pair; Pins 1&2, Pins 7&8, Pins 4&5, Pins 3&6 as shown in the following diagram.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide How to Provide a Common Ground if UTP is Used In the event that UTP has already been installed and it is not practical or feasible to install STP cable, an alternative solution is to connect a spare wire between the VGA Baluns to provide a commons signal ground. One method of achieving this is to use shielded RJ45 plugs at both ends of the UTP cable and to crimp or solder the extra wire to the RJ45 metal shroud.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Cable Stiffness It has been related by several customers that when terminating solid copper STP cable at the VGA Balun, movement of the stiffer solid copper STP cable applies excess torque on the RJ45 plug inside the balun thereby causing intermittent contact, leading to color changes or lost signals. Jiggling the RJ45 plug inside the balun restores the picture.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide between the CPU and the monitor are all some of the causes. In these cases it is best to replace the existing cable with a new one. Wrong Colors If the wrong colors appear in an image (i.e. blue appears where green should appear), the problem may be due to swapped or split twisted pairs. The key is to verify the pin configuration of the cable between the CPU and the monitor to ensure that the correct pin configuration is respected.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Laptop Touchpad Mouse and Image Flicker It has been noted that when certain touchpad laptops are connected to a monitor using UTP cable and VGA Baluns, some background flicker or flutter in the image has been noticed when the touchpad mouse cursor is moved. This phenomena has been traced to additional EMI/RFI noise generated by the laptop when the touchpad is activated consequently interfering with the VGA video signal.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide DVI-I to VGA Adapters The DVI-I interface is a combined analog and digital interface found on some PCs and screens. In applications where the analog (VGA) portion of a DVI-I interface needs to be connected to a VGA monitor, the VGA Balun may be used in conjunction with a DVIVGA Adapter. The adapter extracts the analog video (VGA) portion of the DVI-I interface and converts it to DB15-HD as shown in the following picture.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Laptops with External Switching Power Supplies One problem that has been documented is that when certain laptops are connected to a projector using Cat 5 unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP) and are powered from the external switching power supply cube, image distortions appear on the screen. These distortions range from ghosting to cropped edges and background interference patterns.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide VGA Distribution Amplifiers In some applications it is necessary to distribute a VGA source to multiple screens. The VGA Balun works in conjunction with commercially available VGA distribution amplifiers (DA). In order to operate correctly it is necessary that the VGA outputs on the DA be fully isolated in order not to interfere with the synchronization pulses. It has been found that with certain VGA distribution amplifiers (i.e.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Altinex: http://www.altinex.com/Products/Dedicated_AV/Distribution_Amplifiers/DA1506RT/DA1506RT.htm Kramer: http://www.kramerelectronics.com/pdf/VP-8.pdf MSC: http://www.mycableshop.com/sku/MSC-MSV2010.htm GVS:http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=506041 Startech:http://www.startech.com/ststore/itemdetail.cfm?ProductID=ST122&topbar=topbarav.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide VGA Dual head Cards As an alternative to inserting a VGA distribution amp in front of the VGA Balun, some vendors offer dual head VGA cards. When used, a pair of VGA Baluns may be connected to each port thereby providing a neat point-to-point connection. The advantage of this approach is that there are fewer points of failure and no extra power is required. Matrox, for example offers the Millenium Dual Head VGA Card. http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/mill_g450/pci.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Classroom Instruction – Example #1 In many schools, classrooms now feature an overhead projector connected to an instructor’s PC or laptop. The instructor typically sits at a PC or laptop at the front of the class while an overhead projector displays the screen that appears on the instructor’s PC. The instructor usually needs to be able to view the local PC screen while the class is watching the projection display.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Podium – to – Projector Cabling The typical presentation system comprises a speaker’s podium and a projector. Instead of installation complex and expensive switching systems, videobaluns and the appropriate cable harnesses can provide a neater and more cost-effective cabling structure, that can be set-up and taken down quickly and without damaging the furnishings in the presentation hall.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Point-of-Sale Restaurant Application In the restaurant and fast-food industry, a point-of-sale (POS) terminal is typically connected to a display monitor in the kitchen. The monitor displays information generated by the POS terminal about customer orders to be prepared. The kitchen monitor is often a VGA monitor connected to a PC-based POS terminal.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide On-Line Video Information Systems Some applications require VGA video to be displayed simultaneously to multiple screens. These applications include airline information systems or retail video kiosk setups as shown in the following diagram. The VGA Balun works in conjunction with third party VGA distribution amplifiers. In order to ensure reliable operation, is important to verify that the VGA distribution amp has buffered (isolated) outputs.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Altinex DA203 1-in 1-out Equalizer http://www.altinex.com/Products/Special_Application/DA203-101/DA203-101.htm Extron GLI 350 Ground Loop Isolator http://www.extron.com/product/product.asp?id=gli350&version=print Jensen Ground Loop Corrector http://www.jensen-transformers.com/datashts/vbh3rr.pdf Newer Plasmas without Tint/Color Adjustment It has been found that on some newer plasma displays, there is no color/tint adjustment.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide VGA Cabling Sources The following table provides a list of vendors who sell VGA equipment and accessories that work in conjunction with the VGA Balun. Company Website Products Altinex http://www.altinex.com/ VGA cables, Distribution Amps Black Box http://www.blackbox.com/ VGA cables, splitters Kramer Electronics http://www.kramerelectronics.com/ VGA Distribution Amps Startech http://www.startech.com/ VGA Splitter, Distribution Amps Extron http://www.
VideoEase VGA Balun Application Guide Conclusion The VGA Balun is ideally suited for many applications. It is important to verify the type of equipment being used, the type of cable, and the distance required and the picture resolution needed before proceeding with an installation. If in doubt, please contact MuxLab Sales or Customer Technical Support for assistance at 877-689-5228 (North America) or e-mail us at videoease@muxlab.com. MuxLab Inc. 8114 Trans Canada Hwy St.
