Kramer Electronics VS-66FW

Overview

3.3 Your VS-66FW 6 Port FireWire Switcher

The Kramer VS-66FW is a high quality 6-port matrix switcher for routing

1394/FireWire interface signals. In particular, the VS-66FW:

 Offers simple-to-connect automatic branch/leaf configuration that

operates bi-directionally

 Can be operated with FireWire™/i.Link™ implementation of the IEEE

1394-1995 and the IEEE 1394A standards at data rates of up to 400Mbits/sec

 Supports isochronous

and asynchronous transfers, as well as all the

features of the 1394/FireWire interface, including hot insertion and removal

 Can source the power to all ports

 Stores and retrieves 15 setups in the built-in non-volatile memory

 Includes a large, bright LED display on the front panel that shows the

current status of the matrix, as well as PORT STATUS LEDs that indicate the

status of each port

 Includes a “Take” button for precise switch control, and a “Lock” button

to prevent tampering with the front panel

 Is housed in a 19" 1U rack-mountable enclosure

You can control the VS-66FW via the:

 Front panel buttons

 Infra-red remote control transmitter

 Remote contact-closure switches

 Remotely by RS-485 or RS-232 serial commands transmitted by a touch

screen system, PC, or other serial controller

3.3.1 Achieving the Best Performance

To achieve the best performance:

 Connect only good quality connection cables, thus avoiding interference,

deterioration in signal quality due to poor matching, and elevated noise levels

(often associated with low quality cables)

 Avoid interference from neighboring electrical appliances that may

adversely influence signal quality and position your Kramer VS-66FW away

from moisture, excessive sunlight and dust

3.3.2 Signal Terminology

With regard to the signal technology used in the VS-66FW, note that:

 Connections are between Branch and Leaf FireWire devices, rather than

the regular In and Out, or Source and Destination devices. The difference is

1 Video / audio applications require constant transfer rates, which the serial bus provides by supporting isochronous transfers