Control Follow-Me 3D Cameras over Ethernet
Knowledge base article
There are use cases where controlling the Follow-Me 3D camera from a Follow-Me 3D server over a direct XLR5 cable (RS-485 link) is not possible or not desired.
Follow-Me 3D has direct build in support for these third party Ethernet to RS-485 bridges such as the Moxa nPort 5130. This Guide explains how to use and configure these devices and Follow-Me 3D.
Physical configuration
To use RS-485 over Ethernet the third party Ethernet to RS-485 bridge is connected over Ethernet through the network interface of the Follow-Me 3D server. The RS-485 bridge will connect throng an adaptor to the XLR 5 connector of the Follow-Me 3D camera.
The camera control connection on the Follow-Me 3D server is not used in this scenario.
Configuring the Ethernet to RS-485 bridge
Depending on the brand of bridge the amount of properties and settings that can be done varies, a list of common parameters that can be configured and their required values are found in the following table
| Serial settings | Value |
|---|---|
| Baud rate | 9600 |
| Data bits | 8 |
| Stop bits | 0 |
| Parity | None |
| Flow control | None |
| FIFO | Enabled |
| Interface | RS-486 2-wire |
| Connection settings | Value |
| Operational Mode | TCP Server |
| TCP alive check time | 7 minutes |
| Inactivity time | 0 (∞/no timeout) |
| Max connection | 1 (or the amount of servers that are expected to connect) |
| (Local) TCP port (for the serial interface) | e.g. 4001 |
Configuring Follow-Me 3D for a network converter
To configure Follow-Me for an Ethernet to RS485 bridge:
- Navigate to the
Camerastab - Within the Camera tab Navigate tot the
Marshaltab - On the second panel in the first column select the
Networktab - Enter the IP address configured on the converter
- Enter the Port configured on the converter – default 4001
- Press the
Connectbutton
The status message will change to Connecting and then to Connected. If this fails, check the IP configuration of the serial converter as well as the network connectivity.
Network considerations
The Ethernet to RS-485 bridge will need to be reachable by the Follow-Me server on an IP level, taking into account IP addresses, subnets and possible gateways and routing. As the connection is a basic TCP connection, using managed switches with VLAN’s and other configuration is possible
The interface for the camera control is automatically selected based on the destination IP address of the IP-based serial convertor. for the basic example when you have 2 interfaces on the Follow-Me server with the following IP configuration
– EN1 192.168.22.101 subnet 255.255.255.0
– EN2 172.16.32.201 subnet 255.255.0.0
and a Serial convertor with an IP address 192.168.22.151.
As the IP address of the convertor is within the subnet of EN1 the connection will be made over this interface.
Adaptor schematics
Ethernet to RS-485 bridges do not typical have a XLR-5 connector, so a custom adaptor will need to be created to get the RS-485 signal to the Follow-Me 3D camera. It is important to note that most devices will offer the option for 4-wire and 2-wire RS-485. For the camera the connections denoted for 2-wire will need to be used. Typically, these are indicated as D- and D+
A typical connector that is used is a db9 connector. Please check the exact pin-out of the device in use.
For MOXA devices the following pin-out is to be used:
| Signal | Camera XLR5 pin | Moxa db9 Pin |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | 1 | 5 |
| Data – | 2 | 4 |
| Data + | 3 | 3 |