Crestron Tutorial: Getting Started

Like any good design, the process of designing a Crestron control system program starts with a pencil or pen and a sheet of paper. You should draw a logical diagram that lists every piece of equipment, complete with model number, that is to be used in the system - both the equipment that will do the controlling and the equipment that is to be controlled. This diagram should indicate what items are to be controlled and how (Crestnet, RS-232, IR, Contact closure, IP etc.) This diagram should also list the various types of signals that are to be handled by the equipment (Audio, Y/C video, component video etc.). A carefully prepared diagram like this will quickly reveal any flaws or mistakes in your design. Ultimately, this step in the design process can end up saving you thousands of dollars in upgrades, missing or wrong eqiupment and especially lost time.

This is an example of how I would go about making a simple logical diagram. In fact, this is a diagram that represents what we will be doing in the turtorial. Of course, your diagrams do not have to be created using a computer. Any simple hand drawn image is fine. The point is to get all of your requirements thought-out and onto paper. Okay, to be honest with you, I would not make a drawing for this small of a project but as you add equipment into a project, its' complexity can rapidly spiral out of control.