User's Manual

EA1 Controller
Installation Guide
Supported model
• C4-EA1 Entertainment and Automation Controller, 1 Zone
Introduction
The economical Control4® EA1 Controller in the Entertainment and Automation
line of controllers provides ways to control lights, home theaters, audio and
video, and other devices controlled by infrared (IR), IP, or serial connections. The
controller has a fast processor, improved WiFi, HDMI® for audio and video, ZigBee
radio, and an expansion module. This controller is perfect for apartments, single
rooms, smaller homes, and first-time installations. The EA1 Controller mounts
easily on a wall behind the TV.
The controller also includes extensive media management for audio and video
content: CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, digital media stored on connected devices,
and streaming audio services such as Rhapsody and TuneIn. Use a USB or NAS
(network-attached storage) drive to store music and photos.
After you install and configure the controller with other Control4 devices, your
customers can control their system using the On-Screen Navigator, Control4 apps,
system remote controls, touch screens, or other Control4-supported interface
devices (sold separately).
Box contents
The following items are included in the EA1 Controller box:
• EA1 Controller
• AC power cord
• IR emitters (4)
• Warranty card
Accessories available for purchase
• EA1 Wall-Mount Bracket (C4-XXXX)
• Rack Mount Kit (C4-1URMK1B-B or C4-1URMK2B-B)
• Control4 3.5 mm to DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)
Warnings
Caution! To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this
apparatus to rain or moisture.
AVERTISSEMENT ! Pour réduire le risque de choc électrique, n’exposez
pas cet appareil à la pluie ou à l’humidité.
Caution! In an over-current condition on USB, the software disables
the output and then blinks the power LED for 10 seconds. When a USB
overcurrent fault is detected, you will see the Power LED blink five
times per second. After the 10-second blinking period is over, the over-
current circuit will be re-enabled. If the over-current condition remains,
then the same sequence will repeat itself.
AVERTISSEMENT ! Dans une condition de surintensité sur USB ou
sortie de contact le logiciel désactive sortie, puis le DEL Power clignote
pendant 10 secondes. Quand une erreur de condition de surintensité
sur USB est détectée, vous verrez le DEL Power clignoté le DEL cinq
fois par seconde et puis quand un défaut de condition de surintensité
sur contact est détecté, vous verrez le DEL clignoté 12 fois par seconde.
Après la période de 10 secondes de clignotement, le circuit de sur-
courant sera réactivé. Si la condition de surintensité reste donc la
même, la séquence se répète.
For more information, visit the Products pages at
dealer.control4.com .
Requirements and specifications
Note: We recommend using Ethernet instead of WiFi for the best
network connectivity.
Note: The Ethernet or WiFi network should be installed before starting
the EA1 Controller installation.
The software required to configure this device is Composer Pro. See the Composer
Pro User Guide (
ctrl4.co/cpro-ug ) for details.
Specifications
Model number
C4-EA1
Network
Ethernet—10/100/1000BaseT compatible (required for
controller setup)
WiFi—2.4 Ghz 802.11n with WPA2 encryption (supported
only when the controller is used in a standalone system or as
a secondary controller)
Video
HDMI 1.4 output; HD 720p/1080p, 50-60 Hz
Audio playback formats
MP3: 32 kbps to 320 kbps, iTunes Plus, WMA, WMA lossless,
Apple lossless, CBR, VBR, AAC, FLAC, and uncompressed
WAV and AIFF,
Display
LED indicators
Power requirements
100-240 VAC, 60/50 Hz
Power consumption
Max: 18W, 61 BTUs/hour
Idle: 9W, 30 BTUs/hour
Operating temperature
32˚ - 104˚ F (0˚ - 40˚ C)
Storage temperature
4˚ - 158˚ F (-20˚ - 70˚ C)
Fan dB level
Max: 35 dB
IR out
5V 27mA max output
IR capture
0-60 KHz
USB port
500mA minimum, 600mA maximum
Dimensions (H x W x D)
1.13" (29 mm) x 7.5" (191 mm) x 5.0" (127 mm)
Weight
1.2 lbs (.54 kg)
Shipping weight
2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
Additional resources
The following resources are available for more support.
• Control4 Knowledgebase:
kb.control4.com and Dealer Forums: forums.
control4.com
• Control4 Technical Support
• Control4 website:
www.control4.com
• Composer Pro documentation in online help or PDF format available on the
Dealer Portal under Support: ctrl4.co/docs
6 Connect the power cord to the controller’s power port and then into an
electrical outlet.
Connect the IR ports/serial ports (optional)
The controller provides four IR ports, and ports 1 and 2 can be reconfigured
independently for serial communication. If not used for serial, they can be used
for IR. Connect a serial device to the controller using the Control4 3.5 mm-to-DB9
Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B, sold separately).
1 The serial ports support baud rates between 1200 to 115200 baud for odd
and even parity. The serial ports do not support hardware flow control.
2 See Knowledgebase article #268 (
kb.control4.com/questions/268 ) for
pinout diagrams.
3 To configure a port for serial or IR, make the appropriate connections in your
project using Composer Pro. See the Composer Pro User Guide for details.
Note: The serial ports can be configured as straight-through or null with
Composer Pro. Serial ports by default are configured straight-through
and can be changed in Composer by selecting Enable Null-Modem
Serial Port (1 or 2).
Set up IR emitters
Your system may contain third-party products that are controlled through IR
commands.
1 Connect one of the included IR emitters to an IR OUT port on the controller.
2 Place the stick-on emitter end onto the IR receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV,
or other target device to drive IR signals from the controller to the targets.
Set up external storage devices
You can store and access media from an external storage device, for example, a
network hard drive or USB memory device, by connecting the USB drive to the
USB port and configuring or scanning the media in Composer Pro.
Note: We support only externally-powered USB drives or solid state
USB sticks. Self-powered USB drives are not supported.
Note: When using USB storage devices on an EA1 Controller you can
only use one partition with a 2TB maximum size. This limitation applies
to the USB storage on all other controllers also.
Composer Pro driver information
Use Auto Discovery and SDDP to add the driver to the Composer project. See the
Composer Pro User Guide for details.
Front view
A Data LED—The LED indicates that the controller is streaming audio.
B IR window—IR blaster and IR receiver for learning IR codes.
C Caution LED—This LED shows solid red, then blinks blue during the boot
process.
Note: The Caution LED blinks yellow during the factory restore process.
See “Reset to factory settings” in this document.
D Link LED—The LED indicates that the controller has been identified in a
Control4 Composer project and is communicating with Director.
E Power LED—The blue LED indicates that AC power is present. The controller
turns on immediately after power is applied to it.
Back view
A Power port—AC power connector for an IEC 60320-C5 power cord.
B SERIAL and IR OUT—3.5 mm jacks for up to four IR emitters or for a
combination of IR emitters and serial devices. Ports 1 and 2 can be configured
independently for serial control (for controlling receivers or disc changers)
or for IR control. See “Connect IR/serial ports” in this document for more
information.
C USB—One port for an external USB drive (e.g., FAT32-formatted devices). See
“Set up external storage devices” in this document.
D HDMI OUT—An HDMI port to display navigation menus on a monitor or TV.
Also an Audio Out over HDMI.
E WIFI—The antenna for the WiFi radio.
F ID button—Easily-pressed button to identify the device in Composer Pro.
G FACTORY RESTORE—Restores the controller to its factory defaults. This also
reboots the controller.
H ETHERNET—RJ-45 jack for a 10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet connection.
I ZIGBEE—The antenna for the ZigBee radio.
Installation instructions
To install the controller:
1 Ensure that the home network is in place before starting system setup. The
controller requires a network connection (Ethernet is recommended or WiFi)
to use all of the features as designed. When connected, the controller can
access web-based media databases, communicate with other IP devices in
the home, and access Control4 system updates.
2 Mount options. The controller can be mounted or placed behind a TV,
mounted on a wall, placed in a rack, or stacked on a shelf. The EA1 Wall-
Mount Bracket is sold separately and designed for easy installation of the
EA1 controller behind a TV or on the wall. See the EA1 Wall-Mount Bracket
Installation Guide for more details.
3 Connect the controller to the network.
• Ethernet—To connect using an Ethernet connection, plug the data cable
from the home network connection into the controller’s RJ-45 port
(labeled “Ethernet”) and the network port on the wall or at the network
switch.
• WiFi—To connect using WiFi, first connect the unit to Ethernet, and then
use Composer Pro’s System Manager to reconfigure the unit for WiFi.
4 Connect system devices. Attach IR and serial devices as described in
“Connect the IR ports/Serial ports” and “Set up IR emitters.”
5 Set up any external storage devices as described in “Setting up external
storage devices” in this document.
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