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Alcorn Mcbride AmpTraXX, User Manual

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Alcorn Mcbride AmpTraXX User Manual Download Page 6

 

 

September 12, 2005  •   Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX  User’s Manual    •    Rev 1.2 

Page 2 

 

Features 

The AmpTraXX offers a wide range of features including: 

• 

16 channels x 20W each (into 8 ohms). 

• 

Independent frequency response configuration and control for each channel. 

• 

Independent volume control for each channel. 

• 

Serial RS-232 Control. 

• 

Lockable front-panel volume controls. 

• 

Front Panel Signal and ‘Clip’ LED indicators. 

• 

Built-in test tone generator for channel identification and output testing. 

• 

Built-in overload protection for each channel 

• 

70/100 volt output option available. 

• 

Balanced Input option available 

 

 

 

Technical Support 

You can obtain information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming your Alcorn 
McBride AmpTraXX from several sources: 

 

For… 

Contact… 

When?… 

Telephone Support 

(407) 296-5800 

M-F 9am–6pm (EST) 

Fax Support 

(407) 296-5801 

M-F 9am-6pm (EST) 

Knowledge Base (FAQ) 

http://www.alcorn.com/kb 

Any Time 

E-mail Support 

[email protected] 

Any Time 

Firmware Updates 

http://www.alcorn.com/support 

Any Time 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Contents for AmpTraXX

Page 1: ...AmpTraXXTM 16 Channel Intelligent Amplifier with EQ User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...thers Alcorn McBride welcomes comments and suggestions on the content and layout of its documentation Applications described herein are for illustrative purposes only Alcorn McBride Inc assumes no responsibility or liability for the use of these products and makes no representation or warranty that the use of these products for specific applications will be suitable without further testing or modi...

Page 3: ...s 8 Balanced Inputs Optional 9 Speaker Terminals 10 Serial Port RS 232C Control Connector 10 Power Input and Switch 10 AmpTraXX Configuration Software 11 Introduction to AmpTraXX Software 11 Installing the AmpTraXX Configuration Software 12 AmpTraXX Application Modes 13 Offline Mode 13 Live Mode 13 Firmware Update Mode 13 AmpTraXX Application Controls 14 Help 14 Load Configuration File 14 Save Con...

Page 4: ...17 Master Control Panel 17 Simple Serial Control 18 Select Filter 18 Set Gain 18 Set Filter Quality 19 Set Frequency 19 Store Settings 19 Reset Amplifier 20 Version Request 20 Advanced Serial Control 21 Error Codes 22 70V 100V Output Option 23 Updating Your Firmware 24 Troubleshooting Guide FAQ 25 Specifications 27 ...

Page 5: ...o use the AmpTraXX Windows software to set up your system A serial protocol section is also included to allow you to program RS 232 control systems for dynamic configuration of the AmpTraXX Protocol files for Alcorn McBride Show Controllers are available for AmpTraXX Please browse the table of contents and install the AmpTraXX programming software on your PC Once you re connected you ll likely fin...

Page 6: ... in test tone generator for channel identification and output testing Built in overload protection for each channel 70 100 volt output option available Balanced Input option available Technical Support You can obtain information about specifying installing configuring updating and programming your Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX from several sources For Contact When Telephone Support 407 296 5800 M F 9am ...

Page 7: ...nnel 1 is turned down all the way counter clockwise 6 Okay now it s time to plug it in Once you have securely connected the AC line cord to AmpTraXX and an electrical outlet don t forget this part it s important flip the nearby power switch to the ON position 7 As your AmpTraXX whirs to life you should see a blinding blue LED indicating power 8 Once your audio source starts playing you will also s...

Page 8: ...s is because the AmpTraXX front panel is Active and has control of all gain values To change this behavior simply flip DIP switch 1 to the OFF Up position to disable the front panel controls You will see the Front Panel Active indicator turn off and the Gain sliders will become available to mouse control 8 Click and slowly drag the gain slider for channel 1 up and down and listen to the volume cha...

Page 9: ... to the next step 13 Now that you like what you have done with AmpTraXX let s make it remember these settings permanently By clicking the button AmpTraXX will store it s current settings into non volatile memory This means that AmpTraXX will load these settings the next time it powers up Remember if you do not click this button all of your settings will be lost the next time AmpTraXX is power cycl...

Page 10: ...Mode AmpTraXX is waiting for a firmware upgrade If you do not wish to update the firmware then return DIP switch 3 to the ON down position On Normal Operation Amplifiers and Filters are active and everything is normal 3 blinks pause Error AmpTraXX has experienced a serious error If this continues you should contact Technical Support for assistance Signal Present and Clip Indicators A row of 16 Gre...

Page 11: ...AmpTraXX With this switch in the OFF position the unit will ignore the front panel volume controls Only RS 232 commands have the power to adjust volume in this situation However if the DIP switch is in the ON position this behavior is opposite In this mode RS 232 volume commands will have no effect and only the front panel controls have the ability to adjust volume Reset Factory Defaults It may ta...

Page 12: ...s mode of operation AmpTraXX will sit in an idle state and wait for a firmware update via RS 232 For a detailed explanation on Updating AmpTraXX firmware see the Updating Your Firmware section Ground Lift In the event of AC hum or noise the fourth key on the 4 key DIP switch may be opened to isolate the unit s ground from its chassis For ground lifting push the DIP switch 4 to the OFF Up position ...

Page 13: ...nnectors Two DB 25 connectors provide balanced audio inputs for all 16 channels See the tables below for the pinout of these connectors Connector pinout for channels 1 8 Channel Ground 1 1 2 3 2 14 15 16 3 4 5 6 4 17 18 19 5 7 8 9 6 20 21 22 7 10 11 12 8 23 24 25 Connector pinout for channels 9 16 Channel Ground 9 1 2 3 10 14 15 16 11 4 5 6 12 17 18 19 13 7 8 9 14 20 21 22 15 10 11 12 16 23 24 25 ...

Page 14: ...modules XD4 or XD1 Serial Port RS 232C Control Connector A 9 pin serial cable is provided with each AmpTraXX This input is a standard DB 9 male RS 232C connector This connector allows for external control using a PC running the AmpTraXX configuration software or an external control system The pinout appears below Pin Function 2 TXD data from AmpTraXX 3 RXD data to AmpTraXX 5 GND Power Input and Sw...

Page 15: ...ram is provided which enables you to customize AmpTraXX for your needs In this application you can set each channel s filter type filter quality frequency response and gain This application also gives you the flexibility to adjust these values in real time as well as Save and Load your configurations to your computer This section describes this software in detail ...

Page 16: ...software 1 Insert the AmpTraXX Configuration Software CD into your PC s CD drive 2 If the program does not start automatically use Explorer and browse to the CD Double click Setup exe to begin installation 3 When the program asks choose a suitable directory for installing the software Although you may choose whatever location you like the default directory is C Program Files Alcorn McBride Inc Amp...

Page 17: ... in real time as well Other than this real time behavior there are some other differences between Live Mode and Offline Mode For example when a configuration is loaded from a file these settings are applied to AmpTraXX immediately Also since the settings of AmpTraXX and the application are always synchronized there is no need to have a Retrieve function One important fact about Live Mode is that a...

Page 18: ...ML help Load Configuration File This button is used to load a previously saved AmpTraXX configuration If you are currently connected to AmpTraXX in Live Mode these settings will be sent to the machine upon opening the file Otherwise the loaded settings will only reflect the on screen controls Save Configuration File This button is used to save the current on screen configuration into a file This i...

Page 19: ... This button will open a connection with AmpTraXX download the on screen settings and store them in AmpTraXX s non volatile memory This means that AmpTraXX will remember these settings if it is every power cycled Once this transfer is complete the connection with AmpTraXX will be terminated Live Mode The only functional difference between clicking this button in Live Mode instead of Offline Mode i...

Page 20: ...abled When they are enabled the AmpTraXX application will lock out the on screen gain controls Instead these controls will reflect the current gain value based on the front panel values Gain Control You can adjust the gain of each channel by using the Gain Control slider Gain is adjustable from a value of 0 muted to 10 The readout below indicates the actual value of the gain setting Filter Type Ea...

Page 21: ...Flat or 1Khz filters Frequency The Frequency adjustment section allows you to select the cutoff frequency in the case of a High pass or Low pass filter or the center frequency in the case of a Band pass or Notch filter A digital readout is provided which shows the exact frequency selected Just like the Filter Quality setting the Frequency setting has no effect on the Flat or 1Khz filters Master Co...

Page 22: ...ct Filter Description This command causes AmpTraXX to change the audio filter of a specified channel Each channel can individually use 1of 6 available filters These filters are Flat FL Band pass BP Notch NO High pass HP Low pass LP and 1KHz Test Tone TO Command Bytes ffccFI CR where ff is the 2 letter representation of the filter type FL BP NO HP LP NO where cc represents the 2 digit channel numbe...

Page 23: ... Tone filter Set Frequency Description This command causes AmpTraXX to change the Frequency response of a specified channel For the Band pass and Notch filters this is used as the center frequency If the channel is using a Low pass or High pass filter this represents the cutoff frequency Command bytes nnnnccFR CR where nnnn is a frequency value in Hz from 40Æ8000 where cc represents the 2 digit ch...

Page 24: ...om overdrive protection mode This protection mode occurs when an AmpTraXX channel is pushed beyond its safe operating range Command bytes ccRA CR where cc represents the 2 digit channel number between 01Æ16 Message Response R CR Version Request Description This command instructs AmpTraXX to return its current firmware version Command bytes V CR Message Response AmpTraXX Vn nn CR where n nn is the ...

Page 25: ...Bytes Response Comments Get Version V CR AmpTraXX Vx xx CR x xx current version Get Mode M CR Mxx CR M00 Firmware Update M01 Normal Mode Get Front Panel Status FP CR Fxx CR F00 Front Panel Disabled F01 Front Panel Enabled Store Settings ST CR R CR Channel Commands Description Command Bytes Response Comments Set Filter Type ffccFI CR R CR Flat FL Band BP Notch NO Low LP High HP Test Tone TO Get Fil...

Page 26: ...respond with one the following error codes Error Code Description What to Do E00 Invalid Channel Number Check the syntax of the channel number 01 02 03 04 etc E01 Hardware Error AmpTraXX has experienced an internal hardware problem E04 Invalid Command Have you entered the correct command Are you using a command that is not supported by the current firmware ...

Page 27: ...corn McBride AmpTraXX User s Manual Rev 1 2 Page 23 70V 100V Output Option If your application requires 70 100 volt operation we offer several transformer accessories to assist you Contact sales alcorn com for availability ...

Page 28: ...o the OFF Up position When this is done you will notice that the AmpTraXX audio outputs will shutdown This means that AmpTraXX is patiently awaiting new firmware If necessary re click the Connect To AmpTraXX button When connected the status bar should indicate that AmpTraXX is in Firmware Update Mode If this is the case you should now see the Update Firmware button next to the Disconnect button Cl...

Page 29: ...If you still cannot connect contact Technical Support Q I cranked up the volume and then the channel stopped working What is going on A Congratulations You have just discovered AmpTraXX s built in overdrive protection It has just prevented AmpTraXX s amplifier circuit from melting into a small pile of molten goo There are several ways to bring the Amplifier back out of protection mode 1 Power cycl...

Page 30: ... To control volume remotely you must disable the front panel controls by flipping DIP switch 1 to the OFF Up position Q The Blue LED is blinking and AmpTraXX doesn t seem to be working Why A AmpTraXX is either not configured for normal operation or it may have experienced a serious error Compare the LED s behavior to the table in the Front Panel section of this manual to determine the exact cause ...

Page 31: ...nsient Muting Yes active depop circuitry built in Short Circuit Protection Output to Output Output to Ground Shutdown no damage Thermal Characteristics Automatic over temperature shutdown Clip Indicators 90 SOA Red LEDs 20W 8ohm load each channel level control full Signal Present Indicators 0 003 volts p p Green LEDs Power Status Indicator Blue LED Serial Connector DB9 Male Serial Protocol EIA232 ...

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