# Front and back view

*Applies to: Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus*

**Back panel descriptions**

| **Label** | **Name** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  | Lock | Allows the device to be locked to a desk or surface using a laptop lock cable. |
|  | Power button | Press to toggle the device on and off. If a software shutdown is performed when the toggle switch is in the on position, double press the power button to turn the device back on. |
|  | Power jack | Plug the power supply in here. The port requires a 12 V DC power source (center-positive). Always use the provided power supply. |
|  | USB 3.0 ports | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB web cameras, USB microphones, keyboards, or supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. |
|  | RJ-45 Ethernet | Auto-sensing gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T network port with support for RTSP, SRT, and NDI|HX networked video inputs. |
|  | SDI in | Connect up to 3G SDI signals to the device. |
|  | HDMI in | Connects HDMI and DVI signals (using an adapter) to the device. |
|  | RCA audio in | RCA consumer line-level stereo pair (left/right) audio inputs. |
|  | 3.5 mm audio in | Stereo mic-level input to connect a passive or active stereo electret microphone. |
|  | XLR/TRS combo jacks | Two XLR/TRS combo jacks that can function as a stereo pair (left/right) or as two mono inputs. Two XLR mic-level (balanced). Two TRS ¼" professional line-level, +4 dBu (balanced/unbalanced). |
|  | Phantom power light | Glows when 48 V phantom power is enabled. Phantom power is applied to both XLR audio input ports when enabled. **WARNING**: Connecting devices that are not designed for phantom power when phantom power is enabled for the two XLR ports can seriously damage those devices. Always check the phantom power LED before connecting devices to the XLR ports. |

**Front panel descriptions (common rows)**

| **Label** | **Name** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  | Power light | Glows when the system is powered on. |
|  | Streaming light | Glows when the system is streaming. Flashing means that user action is required and streaming has either stopped or won't start. |
|  | Recording light | Glows when the system is recording. Flashing means that user action is required and recording has either stopped or won't start. |
|  | USB 3.0 port | For connection of external hard drives, flash drives, USB keyboards, and supported USB status light indicators. Can be used to connect a USB mouse or keyboard when the local console feature is enabled. A web camera or USB microphone cannot be connected to this port, only to the ports on the rear panel. |
|  | 3.5 mm audio output jack | For audio confidence monitoring. Plays the audio for the currently visible channel. |

**Device differences**
- **Pearl Mini:** Has a **Touch screen front panel display** (used for confidence monitoring, simple configuration, system information, starting/stopping recordings and streams, and CMS ad hoc event authentication). Has an **SD card slot** (stores up to 512 GB of recordings/media). Front panel warning: "Do not insert objects in to the two, pin-sized holes that are located beside the LEDs."
- **Pearl Nexus:** Has no touch screen (headless). Has a **Factory Reset button** instead ("Used to factory reset or apply the Default Configuration preset"). Its SD card slot description references the specific model: "the current Pearl Nexus model (ESP1948) ships with a 256 GB SD card preinstalled." The SD card port is disabled when a SATA M.2 SSD is installed. Indicates boot-up status by flashing the recording and streaming lights alternately until the device is fully operational.

> product: pearl-family · topic: other · source: pearl-family-common.md · updated: Oct 13, 2026