Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller productInstallation Guide

: June 5, 2024
: Control4

Table of Contents

Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller product
Introduction
Specifications
Installation instructions
Troubleshooting
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller product

Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller product Installation Guide
Supported model

C4-CORE3
Control4 CORE 3 Hub & Controller

Introduction

Designed for an exceptional multi-room entertainment experience, the Control4® CORE 3 Controller is the perfect fusion of high resolution audio and smart automation for those small to mid-sized projects. The CORE 3 delivers a beautiful, intuitive, and responsive on-screen user interface with the ability to create and enhance the entertainment experience for any TV in the house. The CORE 3 can orchestrate a wide range of entertainment devices including Blu-ray players, satellite or cable boxes, game consoles, TVs, and virtually any product with infrared (IR) or serial (RS-232) control. It also features IP control for Apple TV, Roku, televisions, AVRs, or other network-connected devices, as well as smart automation control utilizing contact, relay, and secure wireless Zigbee and Z-Wave control for lights, thermostats, smart locks, and more For entertainment, the CORE 3 also includes a built-in music server that allows you to listen to your own music library, stream from a variety of leading music services, or from your AirPlay-enabled devices using Control4 ShairBridge technology.
Box contents
The following items are included in the CORE 3 controller box:

CORE 3 controller
AC power cord
IR emitters (3)
Rack ears (2)
Rubber feet (2)
External antennas (2, 1 for Zigbee and 1 for Z-Wave)
Terminal block for contact and relay

Accessories available for purchase

CORE 3 Wall-Mount Bracket (C4-CORE3-WM)
Control4 3-Meter Wireless Antenna Kit (C4-AK-3M
Control4 Dual-Band Wi-Fi USB Adapter (C4-USBWIFI OR C4-USBWIFI-
Control4 3.5 mm to DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)

Requirements and specifications

Note:
We recommend using Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for the best network connectivity.

The Ethernet or Wi-Fi network should be installed before starting the CORE 3 controller installation.
The CORE 3 requires OS 3.3 or newer.
Composer Pro software is required to configure this device. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.

Warnings
Caution!
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

In an over-current condition on USB, the software disables the output. If the attached USB device does not appear to power on, remove the USB device from the controller.

Specifications

Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller 23 Additional resources
The following resources are available for more support.

Control4 CORE series help and information: ctrl4.co/core
Snap One Tech Community and Knowledgebase: tech.control4.com
Control4 Technical Support: ctrl4.co/techsupport
Control4 website: www.control4.com

Front view
Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller 01

A Activity LED—The Activity LED shows when the controller is streaming audio.
B IR window—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 orange 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 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
Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller 02

A Power port—AC power connector for an IEC 60320-C5 power cord.
B Contact and relay— Connect one relay device and one contact sensor device to the terminal block connector. Relay connections are COM, NC (normally closed), and NO (normally open). Contact sensor connections are +12, SIG (signal), and GND (ground).
C IR OUT/SERIAL—3.5 mm jacks for up to six IR emitters or for a combination of IR emitters and serial devices. Ports 1, 2, and 3 can be configured independently for serial control (for controlling receivers or disc changers) or for IR control. See “Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” in this document for more information.
D DIGITAL COAX IN—Allows audio to be shared over the local network to other Control4 devices.
E AUDIO OUT 1/2—Outputs audio shared from other Control4 devices or from digital audio sources (local media or digital streaming services).
F DIGITAL COAX OUT—Outputs audio shared from other Control4 devices or from digital audio sources (local media or digital streaming services such).
G USB—One port for an external USB drive (such as a USB stick formatted FAT32). See “Setting up external storage devices” in this document.
H HDMI OUT—An HDMI port to display navigation menus. Also an audio out over HDMI.
I ID button and RESET—ID button is pressed to identify the device in Composer Pro. The ID button on the CORE 3 is also an LED that displays feedback useful during a factory restore. The RESET pinhole is used to reset or factory restore the controller.
ZWAVE—Antenna connector for the Z-Wave radio.
K ENET OUT—RJ-45 jack for Ethernet out connection. Acts as a 2-port network switch with ENET/POE+ IN jack.
L ENET/POE+ IN—RJ-45 jack for a 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connection. Also can power the controller with PoE+.
M ZIGBEE—Antenna connector for the Zigbee radio.

Installation instructions

To install the controller:

Ensure that the home network is in place before starting system setup. An Ethernet connection to the local network is required for setup. The controller requires a network connection to use all of the features as designed. After initial configuration, Ethernet (recommended) or Wi-Fi can be used to connect the controller to web based media databases, communicate with other IP devices in the home, and
access Control4 system updates.
Mount the controller near the local devices you need to control. The controller can be hidden behind a TV, mounted on a wall, installed in a rack, or placed on a shelf. The CORE 3 Wall-Mount Bracket is sold separately and designed for easy installation of the CORE 3 controller behind a TV or on the wall.
Attach antennas to the ZIGBEE and ZWAVE antenna connectors.
Connect the controller to the network.
- Ethernet—To connect using an Ethernet connection, connect the network cable into the controller’s RJ-45 port (labeled ENET/POE+ IN) and into the network port
  on the wall or at the network switch.
- Wi-Fi—To connect using Wi-Fi, first connect the unit to Ethernet, connect the Wi-Fi adapter to the USB port, and then use Composer Pro System Manager to reconfigure the unit for Wi-Fi.
Connect system devices. Attach IR and serial devices as described in “Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” and “Setting up IR emitters.”
Set up any external storage devices as described in “Setting up external storage devices” in this document.
If using AC power, connect the power cord to the controller’s power port and then into an electrical outlet.

Connecting the IR ports/serial ports (optional)
The controller provides six IR ports, and ports 1, 2, and 3 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).

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.
See Knowledgebase article #268 (ctrl4.co/contr-serial-pinout) for pinout diagrams.
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 Null Modem Enabled (SERIAL 1, 2, or 3).
Setting up IR emitters
Your system may contain third-party products that are controlled through IR commands.

Connect one of the included IR emitters to an IR OUT port on the controller.
Place the stick-on emitter end onto the IR receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV, or other target device to emit IR signals from the controller to the target device.

Setting up external storage devices (optional)
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 CORE 3 controller, you can use only one partition with a 2 TB maximum size. This limitation also applies to the USB storage on other controllers.
Composer Pro driver information
Use Auto Discovery and SDDP to add the driver to the Composer project. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.
OvrC setup and configuration
OvrC gives you remote device management, real-time notifications, and intuitive customer management, right from your computer or mobile device. Setup is plug-and-play, with no port forwarding or DDNS address required.
To add this device to your OvrC account:

Connect CORE 3 controller to the Internet.
Navigate to OvrC (www.ovrc.com) and log in to your account.
Add the device (MAC address and Service Tag numbers needed for authentication).

Pluggable terminal block connectors
For the contact and relay ports, the CORE 3 makes use of pluggable terminal block connectors which are removable plastic parts that locks in individual wires (included).
To connect a device to the pluggable terminal block:

Insert one of the wires required for your device into the appropriate opening in the pluggable terminal block you reserved for that device.
Use a small flat-blade screwdriver to tighten the screw and secure the wire in the terminal block.

Example: To add a motion sensor (see Figure 3), connect its wires to the following contact openings:

Power input to +12V
Output signal to SIG
Ground connector to GND

Note:
To connect dry contact closure devices, such as doorbells, connect the switch between +12 (power) and SIG (signal).
Connecting the contact port
The CORE 3 provides one contact port on the included pluggable terminal block (+12, SIG, GRD). See the examples below to learn how to connect various devices to the contact port.

Wire the contact to a sensor that also needs power (Motion sensor)
Wire the contact to a dry contact sensor (Door contact sensor)
Wire the contact to an externally powered sensor (Driveway sensor)

Connecting the relay port
The CORE 3 provides one relay port on the included pluggable terminal block. See the examples below to learn now to connect various devices to the relay port.
Wire the relay to a single-relay device, normally open (Fireplace)
Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller 06

Wire the relay to a dual-relay device (Blinds)
Wire the relay with power from the contact, normally closed (Amplifier trigger)

Troubleshooting

Reset to factory settings
Caution! The factory restore process will remove the Composer project.
To restore the controller to the factory default image:

Insert one end of a paper clip into the small hole on the back of the controller labeled RESET.
Press and hold the RESET button. The controller resets and the ID button changes to solid red.
Hold the button until the ID flashes double orange. This should take five to seven seconds. The ID button flashes orange while the factory restore is running. When
complete, the ID button turns off and the device power cycles one more time to complete the factory restore process.

Note:
During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.
Power cycle the controller

Press and hold the ID button for five seconds. The controller turns off and back on.

Reset the network settings
To reset the controller network settings to the default:

Disconnect power to the controller.
While pressing and holding the ID button on the back of the controller, power on the controller.
Hold the ID button until ID button turns solid orange and the Link and Power LEDs are solid blue, and then immediately release the button.

Note:
During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.
LED status information
Control4 C4-CORE3 Core 3 Controller 07