MNC-0500-026
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Revision G
Amplifier Communication and Protocol, Rabbit CPU
Ethernet
Amplifiers equipped with an Ethernet interface use the TCP/IP
protocol at Ethernet port 2000 for communication. Message
formats are the same, as defined in Table 1. The Ethernet IP
address can be obtained automatically from a network server by
setting the Ethernet mode to DHCP (default). Otherwise, a static
IP address can be set.
When communicating via the Ethernet interface, the Address
Byte of the message packet is ignore. Devices are addressed by
their IP Address only.
Optionally, some amplifiers equipped with an Ethernet interface
can also support a UDP protocol. Refer to manual
Protocol
Addendum, Intersystem Communication via UDP,
MNC-0801-
001, for details on this protocol.
RS-485
Using RS-485, a master device can maintain status and control
of multiple devices, which share send/receive lines. Slaves may
transmit only in response to a command or query from the
master. Each device is assigned a unique address between ‘A’
and ‘Z’ to differentiate it from other devices.
RS-485 device addresses are selected on rack HPAs using the
front panel interface. They are selected on digital outdoor HPAs
using Xicom’s “HPA Control” utility.
Note
If a device is not responding to your messages, check the RS-485
device address.
Printable vs. Non-Printable Protocols
Printable protocol facilitates teletype-style operations where
users type in:
1. Several responses contain bit flags (example: HPA Summary
Status Query). To force the resulting byte to be printable, bit 6 is
conditionally set. However, there is no guarantee that the resulting
byte will not be a start or stop character.
2. There is no provision for Xicom responses to directly indicate the
success or failure of a given message. Rather, the lenth of the
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