Crestron CCS-UC-CODEC-200

[fohdeesha]

I am guessing...something like a Nexcom NDIS B532 with a MiniPCIe capture card...like an Avermedia DarkCrystal?

 

[WANg]

Oooooh, I recognize this one...might have one somewhere in my office storage closet.
Crestron CCS UC200....interesting and definitely a source for profitable tomfoolery.
Once they are EOLed their value plummets, but they definitely have their hardware prowess that you can mess with.

I wonder if there's similar projects involved with something like the Poly VisualPro or the HP Elite Slice G2...

 

[yogi_en]

Can I use this device ( Crestron CCS UC200 ) for running pfsense/OpnSense?. Can I add quad port NIC into this?

 

[WANg]

Can I use this device ( Crestron CCS UC200 ) for running pfsense/OpnSense?. Can I add quad port NIC into this?

I have no idea. It's probably a bit of a hack to make it happen, and we'll need to hear how @fohdeesha work his magic. But in theory? yes. I am not sure about the Quadport NIC though, I don't see any PCIe expansion slot on it so mostly likely no.

 

[yogi_en]

. Waiting for @fohdeesha's magic!

 

[Zombielinux]

I see an MSATA drive in there. Any easy way of running baremetal linux? Any idea as to what the HDMI capture stuff is?

 

[fohdeesha]

I see an MSATA drive in there. Any easy way of running baremetal linux? Any idea as to what the HDMI capture stuff is?

its running baremetal nix in the picture, hdmi capture stuff is all custom and prolly only going to work in windows if that

 

[WANg]

its running baremetal nix in the picture, hdmi capture stuff is all custom and prolly only going to work in windows if that

Any crazy "special sauce" required to get the Creston to run? Unlocking the disk image, custom boot loader or EEPROM whitelisting on the firmware?

 

[Markess]

its running baremetal nix in the picture, hdmi capture stuff is all custom and prolly only going to work in windows if that

Hard to keep track of which device people are posting about here .

@fohdeesha, since you have one of these Crestron units in hand: any idea if the slot that the capture stuff is plugged into is PCIe (and wired like its PCIe)? From the picture, it looks the right shape, just backards and on its side. If so, that would be helpful for the tinkerers. Backwards would put a card's components facing upward.

An old HBA, a little laser cutting, a little crimping, an armload of old lapptop drives, and presto... a...um...something...with a lot of small drives mounted internally where you couldn't get at them? Then again, maybe not.

 

[WANg]

Hard to keep track of which device people are posting about here .

@fohdeesha, since you have one of these Crestron units in hand: any idea if the slot that the capture stuff is plugged into is PCIe (and wired like its PCIe)? From the picture, it looks the right shape, just backards and on its side. If so, that would be helpful for the tinkerers. Backwards would put a card's components facing upward.

An old HBA, a little laser cutting, a little crimping, an armload of old lapptop drives, and presto... a...um...something...with a lot of small drives mounted internally where you couldn't get at them? Then again, maybe not.

Okay, seriously. That Crestron thing needs its own thread. @Patrick any chance you can split it to its own topic?

 

[fohdeesha]

That seems to be it, however power bricks seem impossible to find.

any 12v supply with this pinout:

Original FSP Power Supply AC/DC Adapter FSP150-AHAN1 12V 12.5A V+ to GND 4-PIN | eBay

Present normal use wear and scratches. Power Cord is included. We stand behind our products.

www.ebay.com

Genuine FSP FSP150-AHAN2 AC/DC Switching Power Adapter 150W 12V 12.5A OEM n/PC | eBay

Output: 12V 12.5A. So, Why Buy from TeKswamp?. No Power Cord is Included. We thoroughly test our adapters for broken or twisted wires and properly working power jacks.

www.ebay.com

Amazon.com: UpBright New 4-Pin DIN 12V 7A AC/DC Adapter Compatible with Posiflex POS JIVA EA10953A EA10953 A EA 10953A 12VDC 6.67A - 7A 12.0V 7.0V 80W 84W 4-Prong Connector Power Supply Cord Battery Charger PSU : Electronics

Buy UpBright New 4-Pin DIN 12V 7A AC/DC Adapter Compatible with Posiflex POS JIVA EA10953A EA10953 A EA 10953A 12VDC 6.67A - 7A 12.0V 7.0V 80W 84W 4-Prong Connector Power Supply Cord Battery Charger PSU: AC Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[fohdeesha]

Hard to keep track of which device people are posting about here .

@fohdeesha, since you have one of these Crestron units in hand: any idea if the slot that the capture stuff is plugged into is PCIe (and wired like its PCIe)? From the picture, it looks the right shape, just backards and on its side. If so, that would be helpful for the tinkerers. Backwards would put a card's components facing upward.

An old HBA, a little laser cutting, a little crimping, an armload of old lapptop drives, and presto... a...um...something...with a lot of small drives mounted internally where you couldn't get at them? Then again, maybe not.

not pcie pinout
heads up there's a reason I haven't posted a crestron thread or the ebay link yet, it has some oddities that need working around (which aren't difficult) but out of the box you're going to be confused when there's no video output over the hdmi ports by default for starters. worth it though for the $20 the seller is letting them go for

 

[WANg]

I think Fohdeesh can just create a new thread when he's finished with the Creston stuff. I agree though, super interesting to see what comes of it. If it has 3rd gen Ivy bridge power, it might be perfect as an all-in-one, low power utility box for me

it’s not going to be a low power utility box (like a Cisco Moderro IEC4650) if it has a 65w TDP Ivy - if it's similar to the CCS 100 Codec it'll be something like an i7-3610QE - about 4700 passmarks, but it's a bit of an older tech. It's similar to the Xeon E3-1265SLv2 found on a customized HP Microserver Gen 8.

any 12v supply with this pinout
View attachment 21188

Original FSP Power Supply AC/DC Adapter FSP150-AHAN1 12V 12.5A V+ to GND 4-PIN | eBay

Present normal use wear and scratches. Power Cord is included. We stand behind our products.

www.ebay.com

Genuine FSP FSP150-AHAN2 AC/DC Switching Power Adapter 150W 12V 12.5A OEM n/PC | eBay

Output: 12V 12.5A. So, Why Buy from TeKswamp?. No Power Cord is Included. We thoroughly test our adapters for broken or twisted wires and properly working power jacks.

www.ebay.com

Amazon.com: UpBright New 4-Pin DIN 12V 7A AC/DC Adapter Compatible with Posiflex POS JIVA EA10953A EA10953 A EA 10953A 12VDC 6.67A - 7A 12.0V 7.0V 80W 84W 4-Prong Connector Power Supply Cord Battery Charger PSU : Electronics

Buy UpBright New 4-Pin DIN 12V 7A AC/DC Adapter Compatible with Posiflex POS JIVA EA10953A EA10953 A EA 10953A 12VDC 6.67A - 7A 12.0V 7.0V 80W 84W 4-Prong Connector Power Supply Cord Battery Charger PSU: AC Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Yeah, the plug is Kycon KPPX-4P, and it’s not that hard to get parts on Mouser and frankenstein yourself a PSU if you have the tools to do it - it’s 12v, 6 amps, so there are power bricks out there that fit the bill. The isuse is that most of the commonly available power bricks out there with the Kycon connector pre-terminated are from Meanwell, and their schematics are…non-existent, so it’s not like you can just buy one based on an eBay listing since you have no idea what the pinouts will look like beforehand.

If you can source the Crestron power brick for 20 and you got a 40-50 dollar machine, it’s “okay”, but yeah, as @fohdeesha says, you still need to figure out a way to get into it (that’s why you see the TS-1501 touch panel connected to it) and it doesn’t have native VGA/HDMI output…the big daughterboard it is connected to is probably (semi) custom ASIC. My guess…some kinda serial console (if it exists) or maybe some Crestron API tool? Crestron is kinda weird in that their meeting room codec (for that generation) is based off x86…most of their competitors (Polycom/Cisco) are ARM+custom ASIC.

Personally, I already have way too many hardware in my house - but if I really want to mess with a junkpile Crestron and turn it into a server I would gun for a similar model in that lineup (CCS 100 codec) since it looks like a standard board internally, and you won’t need the specialized power adapter. I just wouldn’t buy one at the moment since the listings are expensive without a good reason.

 

[fohdeesha]

it’s not going to be a low power utility box if


Yeah, the plug is Kycon KPPX-4P, and it’s not that hard to get parts on Mouser and frankenstein yourself a PSU if you have the tools to do it - it’s 12v, 6 amps, so there are power bricks out there that fit the bill. The isuse is that most of the commonly available power bricks out there with the Kycon connector pre-terminated are from Meanwell, and their schematics are…non-existent, so it’s not like you can just buy one based on an eBay listing since you have no isea what the pinouts will look like.
If you can source the Crestron power brick for 20 and you got a 40-50 dollar machine, it’s “okay”, but yeah, as @fohdeesha says, you still need to figure out a way to get into it (that’s why you see the TS-1501 touch panel connected to it) and it doesn’t have native VGA/HDMI output…the big daughterboard it is connected to is probably (semi) custom ASIC. My guess…some kinda serial console (if it exists) or maybe some Crestron API tool?

Crestron is kinda weird in that their meeting room codec (for that generation) is based off x86…most of their competitors (Polycom/Cisco) are ARM+custom ASIC.

Personally, I already have way too many hardware in my house - but if I really want to mess with a Crestron and turn it into a server…I would gun for a similar model in that lineup, but I just wouldn’t buy one at the moment since the listings are kinda expensive.

View attachment 21190

it does have native hdmi output, two of them, power is around ~23 watts draw. the machine is listed for $23 but the seller took offers for $19. no asic, just an altera fpga

Don't need schematics for the meanwells, they have the pinout printed on the info label like most 4 pin psus:



that said they're more expensive than the ones I listed

 

[WANg]

it does have native hdmi output, two of them, power is around ~23 watts draw. the machine is listed for $23 but the seller took offers for $19. no asic, just an altera fpga

Don't need schematics for the meanwells, they have the pinout printed on the info label like most 4 pin psus:

View attachment 21193

that said they're more expensive than the ones I listed

-V? Eh, I think the Crestron power bricks are pins 2/3 with +12v and 1/4 are ground?

 

[Bbolt]

Not sure of the pin numbers, but this works for me (V+ = 12v) Note the top 2 pins are slightly farther apart than the bottom 2.

 

[Bbolt]

The motherboard in the crestron box is a dfi cr101 , supporting up to 16GB ram, with an onboard core i7, 8 core cpu. We bought some to play around with at work. It comes running windows 7 embedded, but crestron released an update pack which upgrades it to windows 10 non embedded, but disables analog audio out in LYNC, unless you use the USB adapter. One of our engineers upgraded it to windows 10, and again to windows 11, and it still runs pretty quick. Drive wise , we took it all the way to 512GB mSATA without issue, but there is 2 additional SATA ports on the motherboard with a 4 pin molex for power. We now have the latest firmware pack for the unit as well, which includes bios, the av codec board, the touchscreen module as well. Not trying to steal anyone's thunder, just wanted to help out.

Thanks for this, valuable info. Can you provide access to the firmware?
The Crestron must be a customized version of the CR101, some jumpers match, some are missing and the PCIE connector is reversed (slot on the wrong end) if it is PCIE as labeled. Not sure it is usable. I have managed to operate the CPU motherboard without the Crestron peripheral card-idle power running Windows is only 14 watts, max about 60.

 

[Zombielinux]

Ya we will provide you the firmware update later this week. Our engineer is looking for the crestron usb driver so we can utilize the hdmi in .But hdmi out works just fine.

HDMI in would be absolutely killer.

 

[zer0sum]

Hey @Patrick - Can we please get the Crestron posts moved out of this thread. I love the new content but this topic is getting a bit derailed

 

[Bbolt]

Hey @Patrick - Can we please get the Crestron posts moved out of this thread. It's getting a bit derailed

Yes, I agree. Perhaps a new thread "Crestron CCS-UC-CODEC-200"?