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I N S T A L L A T I O N G U I D E
H O M E T H E A T E R M A I N S Y S T E M U N I T
HT-MSU
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CONGRATULATIONS! Thank you for purchasing the HT-MSU Home Theater Main System Unit from Niles. With proper installation and operation, you should enjoy years of trouble-free use. Niles manufactures the industry’s most complete line of custom installation components and accessories for audio/video systems. To see the complete Niles product assortment, visit us on the Internet at: www.nilesaudio.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Features and Benefits 2 Contents 3 Parts Guide 4 System Desi
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INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the Niles HT-MSU Home Theater Main System Unit. The HT-MSU addresses an essential need of today’s consumers—the ability to easily control and manage the assortment of entertainment sources found in the home theater environment. Home theater systems are often controlled entirely by the remote. The result is a big, bulky, remote control with small, complicated buttons or screens that only a “mad scientist” could figure out. The Niles Home Theater Main Syste
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FEATURES AND BENEFITS SIMPLE CONTROL OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS The Niles HT-MSU Home Theater Main System Unit simplifies entertainment by allowing one-touch control of home theater components. Ordinary home theater system controllers require users to turn on (and off) multiple components, resulting in a confusing situation of hunting down the fugitive component that is “off,” when it really should be “on.” The HT-MSU eliminates the confusion by shifting control to an interface box. The remote initia
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INTELLIGENT INTEGRATION WITH MULTI-ZONE SYSTEMS The HT-MSU includes control ports that allow it to “share” sources with whole-house distributed audio systems. The power state of these “shared” sources can be completely managed so that sources are always powered-on when they need to be and powered-off when both whole-house and home theater systems are turned off. PROGRAM MEMORY PROTECTION The entire system profile is stored in non-volatile memory within the HT-MSU. This safeguards agai
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PARTS GUIDE THE HOME THEATER MAIN SYSTEM UNIT (HT-MSU) 7 1 8 10 9 2 3 13 4 6 5 11 12 Figure 1. HT-MSU Top View 1) IR Outputs - SRC1 – SRC6, TV/7, RCV/8 are eight dedicated 3.5mm jacks that output IR data specifically for that source 2) RS232 Outputs - SRC1 – SRC6, TV/7 and RCV/8 are eight dedicated 3.5mm jacks that output RS232 data specifically for that source 3) Assignable 12V Outputs - Three 3.5mm jacks, output 12V DC 150mA when activated: a. 12V outputs 1 & 2 are independent of each
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6) Global IR Output - A 3.5mm jack provides all IR codes that the HT-MSU generates and all IR codes that come in through the IR Input connection and can be configured via Niles QuickConfig Software for Normal or High output. Normal output is designed for a Niles MF1 IR ® MicroFlasher ; high output is designed for a Niles IRB1 High-Output IR Flasher 7) RF Antenna Socket - The BNC connector accommodates the supplied antenna. The antenna must be installed perpendicular to the ground for best resu
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IR OUTPUT PORTS IR (Infrared) codes are stored in the HT-MSU during configuration programming. The labels of the IR Outputs identify what source number these ports are designed to operate. SRC1 means source 1. The outputs are labeled SRC1 through SRC6, TV/7 and RCV/8. If the TV is to be controlled via IR codes, then the IR Output TV/7 port should be used. However, if the TV will be controlled via RS232, then the TV/7 IR output can be used to control an alternate IR source. These IR outputs ar
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connection, but you will want to do one of two things: a. Plug it into the switched outlet of the receiver, or b. Use a Niles AC-3 Voltage Triggered Power Strip connected to one of the assignable 12V outputs on the HT-MSU. Use the QuickConfig PC Configuration Software to program the assigned 12V output to turn on when that source is selected. (See QuickConfig manual for more details on programming 12V outputs.) Along the top edge of the HT-MSU are the source-specific status connecti
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SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 1 SINGLE TV WITH A COMBINATION OF IR AND RS232 CONTROLLABLE SOURCES Flat Panel Display HT Receiver Satellite Receiver Media Server CS12V 12 V DC Power Supply DVD Player Portable Docking Station HT-MSU WS110 Motorized Lift CD Disc Changer Flasher 12 Volt RS232 2 Conductor AC-3 Video Synch Remote Figure 2. System Configuration 1 In System Configuration #1 (Figure 2), a Niles IR sensor must be connected to the IR sensor in- put and a learning IR remote (programmed with the
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SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 2 DUAL TV MODE AND INTEGRATION WITH AN IR CONTROLLED MULTIZONE RECEIVER HT Receiver Flat Panel Display Portable Docking Station 12 V DC Power Supply Projector RS232 Controllable Lighting System Motorized Projection Screen WS110 HT-MSU Multizone Receiver with IR Interface CS12V 1 2 3 4 5 6 BAND SE T Z R . 6 M u l t i Z o n e R e c e i v e r See Figure 7 DVD Player Remote CD/DVD 0 1 0 : 0 0 Flasher 12 Volt RS232 ® TiVo Video Synch Figure 3. System
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System Configuration #2 also shows an RS232 controllable lighting system connected to the HT-MSU RS232 SRC6 port. In this configuration, there are 2 sources (a DVD and a DSS satellite receiver) being “shared” with the house-wide multizone distributed audio receiver. The HT-MSU sends IR codes for both of the shared sources out of the Global IR Output port into the multizone’s IR IN port. The HT-MSU’s 12V Output #1 is connected to the multizone’s HT SYNC port, which ensures that the “shared” s
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INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS PLACEMENT OF THE HT-MSU Niles recommends placing the HT-MSU conveniently close to the equipment it is controlling. Generally, the unit should be placed in a concealed location because its indicator and connections are only used during installation. Placement possibilities include: 1) Wall-mount (affixed to the back of the equipment cabinet or a nearby wall) (Figure 5) Figure 5. Wall-mount placement. 2) Rack-mount (attached to the back of a professional U
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4) Status Wiring: The Niles HT-MSU has status (power synchronization) ports for eight home theater sources. The status connections for sources 1 through 6 (labeled SRC1 – SRC6) are RCA jacks that can sense video or a 12V DC voltage signal. The TV/7 and RCV/8 (receiver) status connections are 3.5mm jacks that sense voltage signals. When using video for status, a standard RCA cable can be used from that source. Alternatively, when using 12V for status, a standard 22 gauge, 2-conductor cable (
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Figure 7. PC connection for programming LAPTOP IR-CS HT-MSU USB CABLE CAT-5 CABLE HT-MSU TRIGGERING REMOTE CONTROL CONSIDERATIONS Choosing the right IR remote to trigger the HT-MSU is very important. The HT-MSU is a component in the Niles IC2 Home Theater Automation and Control System. This system consists of the HT-MSU, the IC2 Remote, and a Zigbee RF remote that sends RF commands to the HT-MSU to trigger the activities. When choosing an IR Remote, consider the functions of the IC2 Remote
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INSTALLATION Before you begin, make sure that all of the cables and wires, as well as the power supply cable will reach the proposed location of the HT-MSU. Mark the cables with labels that describe where the cable originates (rather than which terminal on the HT-MSU it connects to). STEPS: 1) CONNECT POWER TO THE HT-MSU. CHECK LED, DISCONNECT POWER Plug the supplied 12V DC power supply into an unswitched AC outlet. Plug the connector into the socket marked “Power” on the HT-MSU. If the Power
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4) CONNECT ALL RS232 The RS232 Output jacks use 3.5mm STEREO plug with standard TRS (Tip, Ring and Sleeve) configuration of Transmit, Receive, and Ground. This may require the installer to custom- make the connection to the corresponding source. Most RS232 controllable sources use one of the following as its RS232 input connector: a) A Male DB9 connector b) A Female DB9 connector c) A 3.5mm stereo input jack Most sources that are RS232 controllable provide a protocol document (usually from
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the TV signal and Status connection to the HT-MSU (Figure 11).If the source to be “synched” doesn’t have a video output, one of the Niles Synching Accessories can be used instead of video. Most Niles Synching Accessories use a 3.5mm jack as the output. This 3.5mm jack must be changed to mate with the RCA connector on the HT-MSU; use a Radio Shack 274-897 OR 274- 330 mini-plug to male RCA adapter. IMPORTANT NOTE: RCA SOURCE STATUS INPUTS ARE DESIGNED WITH HIGH-INPUT IMPEDANCES IN ORDER
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your fingernail to raise the locking tabs, exposing the holes on the removable connector. Insert each wire into the appropriate hole on the removable connector plug (Figure 12) and snap the locking tab down. To help you, the connector plug is keyed. Insert the smooth side of the connector plug into the smooth side of the socket. 8) CONNECT EXPANSION CAT-5 CABLE 1 = GREEN/WHITE 2 = GREEN If connecting the HT-MSU to a Niles 3 = ORANGE/WHITE network controllable multizone receiver 4 = BLUE and
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operate properly. The symptoms could include: Power LED flickers or is off, IR/RF Test LED is continuously flickering or on without any Niles RF remote use, intermittent operation or no operation. SOLUTIONS: • Test your power supply connections • Test your Flasher connections • Test your Sensor connection • Test your cable for shorts and opens 2. Source Powering On or Off Incorrectly To automate sources correctly, the HT-MSU requires Status feedback from sources that have a single-
