Good morning. I recently purchased a Tripp Lite B126-4x4 matrix switcher for a client looking for an inexpensive solution to watch different sources in different rooms. The switcher is operational and working quite well, but I'm having a difficult time with controlling the device via RS232 and OnControls/iRule.

The switcher is connected via 3.5mm-to-serial adapter cable (this shipped with the switcher) to a Global Cache IP2SL. Using the iTest application from Global Cache, I can connect to the IP2SL gateway, issue an ASCII command from the Tripp Lite manual and have that command execute properly (ie, switch from input 1A to 1B, etc). And iTest displays the HEX output as well. So, I copy that HEX output and paste it into the OnControls/iRule builder interface (with the appropriate delimiters, carriage returns, line feeds, etc), and save/sync but I still cannot get the commands to work.

Here are some examples I have tried to switch the device to Input 1, Source A:

The ASCII command from the manual is: sw1 A
The ASCII command that is echoed in iTest is: CMD: sw1 A

The full HEX output echoed in iTest is: \x0D\x0A\x43\x4D\x44\x3A\x20\x73\x77\x31\x20\x41\x0D\x0A
That output did not produce any results when entered into the OnControls/iRule builder.

The other modified HEX output that I have tried entering into the OnControls/iRule builder is as follows:
\x43\x4D\x44\x3A\x20\x73\x77\x31\x20\x41\x0D\x0A
\x43\x4D\x44\x3A\x20\x73\x77\x31\x20\x41
\x73\x77\x31\x20\x41\x0D\x0A
\x73\x77\x31\x20\x41

As I am using OnControls on the mobile device, I am standing at the IP2SL device, and can see that it is powered on, connected to the network, and receiving the commands (LED indicator flashes when button is pressed on mobile device), but I cannot get the commands to work.

I don't have a lot of experience with RS232 control, so if I'm missing something, I would appreciate some guidance in the right direction. Thank you all in advance for any help, and if you need more details about the setup, please let me know.

Gr8rTEK

I figured it out after downloading a set of RS232 codes off this site. What I needed to do was to send the command in ASCII format, followed by a carriage return. The command ended up being: sw1 A\x0D

I hope that helps someone in the future. It also helps me to recommend the Tripp Lite B126-4x4 as an excellent value for HDMI switching and extending over a single CAT5e/CAT6 cable.