EM38A / EM38A-R / EM38A-X User’s Manual
Page 4 of 8
System Configuration File
By default, the system works in the following mode without a configu
ration file:
Trigger Input: Parallel
Trigger Mode: Direct
Playback Mode: Non-Interruptible
Trigger Polarity: Close Contact
To operate the system in any other modes, you need to create a
plain text file called “MODE.TXT” with a line of three letters:
First Letter: Trigger Mode
D = Direct
B = Binary
S = Sequential
R = Round Robin
Second Letter: Playback Mode
N = Non-interruptible
I = Interruptible
H = Holdable
S = Script
Third Letter: Trigger Polarity
C (or no letter) = Close Contact
O = Open Contact
M = Make Contact
B = Break Contact
To enable the serial port (RS-232/RS-485), instead of the three
letters described above, put a two-digit number ranging from 01 to
99. This number becomes the address of this unit on the serial bus
and therefore should be unique.
For Script modes, enter the script starting from the second line. Be
sure to add the word END at the end of the Script.
After editing the configuration file, be sure to save it as a “plain text
file”, “ASCII text file”, or simply “text file”. The system may not work
if the configuration file is not created properly.
File Number Assignment
Sound files on the flash card must be assigned a unique file num-
ber for identification purpose. The file number must be a three digit
number within the following range:
For Direct Trigger: 001 ~ 008
For Binary Trigger: 001 ~ 128
For Sequential Trigger and Serial Control: 001 ~ 999
Simply add the file number to the beginning of the original filename,
e.g. “001 tiger.mp3”. Note that if you want to store the maximum
number of files on the flash card, you should keep the filenames
(including the file number) within 8 characters and use numbers
and capital letters only.
Relay Control (EM38A-R / EM38A-X only)
The relays are controlled differently in different modes:
QSA mode (EM38A-X only)
Relays are pre-programmed for synchronized activations during
audio playback by using the Windows based, user friendly QSAplay
program. A PC is needed for programming only, but not for the
actual operation.
Serial port mode
Relays are controlled by commands received via the serial port.
Please see the Serial Commands section for details.
Script mode
Relays are controlled by script commands. Please see the Script
Mode section for details.
All other modes
A relay will turn on when the corresponding file is being played.
Relay #1 corresponds to file #001, relay #2 corresponds to file
#002, and so on. For example, relay #8 will be turned on when file
#008 is being played.
Trouble Shooting Guide
1. No sound.
a. File numbers are not assigned properly.
b. The system is in the wrong mode due to missing or incorrect
configuration file.
c. If the flash card is inserted when the power is on, the system
may not work. To fix this problem, recycle the power or use the
RS input to reset the system.
d. The output volume may have been set too low. Try turning it up.
2. Plays the wrong file.
a. File numbers are not assigned properly.
b. The system is in the wrong mode due to missing or incorrect
configuration file.
3. Noisy playback.
The speed of the flash card is too slow. Use a faster flash card or
convert the file to a lower bit rate.
