background image

5. Operation and performance 

26    

PLM+ SERIES Operation Manual  rev 

3.0.1

•  If there are one or two “spurs” with 70V loudspeakers connected; if two in parallel is default, it will warn if one 
  is missing.
•  If there is a short circuit in the load.
•  If there is an open circuit (all loudspeakers missing).
•  For passive 2– and 3–way loudspeakers, if one or two LF drivers are connected and working; if two in parallel 
  is default, it will warn if one is missing.
•  For some passive 2–way designs, if one HF driver is disconnected. (However, with some loudspeakers the 
  HF impedance is dominated by a passive component i.e. crossover filter and the anomaly will not be detected.)

NOTE: LoadPilot is enabled only when the amplifier is On. It does not function while the amplifier is in 
Standby.

5.5.3. Manual configuration 

5.5.3.1. Functional description 

Manual configuration can be used in special cases where proper functioning requires setting of custom 
measurement frequencies, custom measurement levels, custom warning thresholds, or combinations of the three. 
Manual configuration addresses the following issues:

High noise levels

 – To obtain accurate impedance measurements, it is necessary to drive a current sufficiently 

above the noise floor. However, it is important to keep the level low in order to prevent audible artifacts from cone 
travel. At very high impedances, the drive current may be insufficient. In the automatic mode, level is set around 60 
mV which produces usable results for impedance up to 660 ohms.

Inductance in loudspeaker cables

 – Loudspeaker cable inductance at higher frequencies is very high relative to 

passive resistance, and the inductance increases linearly with length. Consequently, monitoring at the 24 kHz pilot 
tone frequency can be problematic with very long cables. The automatic mode will estimate cable impedance for 
24 kHz and allow it to be used as long as it is less than 33% of total impedance presented by the load and as long 
as the total impedance is below about 440 ohms.

DC blocking capacitors in loudspeakers 

– Some loudspeakers incorporate a capacitor designed to block 

damaging voltages at very low frequencies. This may inhibit accurate measurements when using the 10 Hz pilot 
tone. In automatic mode, LoadPilot will disable the 10 Hz tone if total impedance is above about 440 ohms.

Constant voltage loudspeakers

 – Loudspeakers driven via transformers in 70V/100V solutions are more likely 

to exhibit wide variations in measured impedance as music and/or pilot tones are reproduced by the system. Also, 
most constant voltage systems operate more than two loudspeakers in parallel. Therefore, in addition to manual 
configuration of LoadPilot, additional step may be required. These include:

•  Insertion of a series capacitor in each loudspeaker to block the 10 Hz LF tone – This will defeat measuring the  
  loudspeakers with the LF tone, but will allow the LF tone to propagate through the entire cable run.
•  Insertion of EOL (end–of–line) resistors – This enables LoadPilot to detect cable faults in a spur of the system.
•  Insertion of EOL (end–of–line) inductor – This is not mandatory, but it will avoid the loss of level at mid and high  
  frequencies due to the EOL resistor.

Summary of Contents for PLM 20K44

Page 1: ...ion Manual Rev 3 0 1 Item no OM PLM PLM SERIES PoweredLoudspeakerManagement System Rev 3 0 Quick Start Guide PLM 20K44 PLM 12K44 PLM 5K44 Item no QSG PLM SERIES Incorporating technologies from PLM 20K...

Page 2: ...of fire or electric shock do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture 17 Do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liquids such as vases are pl...

Page 3: ...ies with the limits for the European Electro Magnetic Compatibility EMC directive This equipment has also been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part...

Page 4: ...4 1 Front Panel Overview 12 4 2 Rear panel 14 5 Operation and performance 16 5 1 Operation precautions 16 5 2 Power output performance 16 5 3 Amplifier and Load Protection Systems 18 5 4 Power Supply...

Page 5: ...puts 63 8 3 AES3 Digital Inputs 65 8 4 RJ45 etherCON Network Connections 65 8 5 Power Inlet 67 9 Appendix 68 9 1 Faults and Warnings Overview 68 9 2 Maintenance 71 9 3 Factory Default Settings 71 73 9...

Page 6: ...e best possible performance 2 2 1 AmplifierPlatform The PLM Series also incorporates Lab gruppen s exclusive Rational Power Management RPM which allows Any channel in either model is capable of delive...

Page 7: ...ing Lake processing features incorporated in each module include Raised Cosine Equalization linear phase crossovers and LimiterMax loudspeaker protection Please refer to the Lake Controller Operation...

Page 8: ...to the device or the supplied accessories Every Lab gruppen product is tested and inspected before leaving the factory and should arrive in perfect condition If any damage is discovered please notify...

Page 9: ...nd may be fitted to point either to the front or rear of the rack the orientation used depends on the rack depth and position of the rear rack rails Two mounting methods are possible note that the met...

Page 10: ...ment be sure that all the 3 3 2 TemperatureSensingandProtection The PLM is equipped with a sophisticated temperature sensing system which protects it from any overheating which may occur as a result o...

Page 11: ...is enables multiple PLM units on the same AC mains circuit to be turned on simultaneously 3 5 Grounding Analog inputs feature Iso Float ground isolation a technology which combines the benefits of tra...

Page 12: ...for cleaning please refer to section 9 2 for further information NOTE NEVER operate this device without the dust filters in place 3 Display The display illuminates when the device is on except when sc...

Page 13: ...ionality mute indication and faults and warning indications relating eously when indicating frame faults red or warnings yellow Please refer to section 9 for further details 9 Dynamic Function Buttons...

Page 14: ...with one of the two output connector options Both options allow for Bridge Mode operation which is activated in the Lake Controller software Please refer to the Lake Controller Operation Manual for m...

Page 15: ...switch Alternatively this connection can be used to daisy chain directly to another Lake Processor The daisy chain topology should not be used with Dante Note Do not create a closed loop when configur...

Page 16: ...wer of the largest model Hence by using RPM it is possible model LoadImpedance ohms 2ohms perchannel 2 67ohms perchannel 4ohms perchannel 8ohms perchannel 16ohms perchannel PLM 12K44 3000 W 3000 W 300...

Page 17: ...default voltage limitation given in the specification sheet To prevent the risk of over allocating the power supply for varying or incorrect load impedances RPM has a limitation for the smaller model...

Page 18: ...s of the threshold can appear at the output This results in zero voltage overshoot at the output with a rounded limitation up to the threshold The amplitude of the output signal between digital sample...

Page 19: ...he ISVPL threshold may be set at any level between 17 8 V and 600 V in the Lake Controller software For further details please refer to the Lake Controller User Manual 5 3 2 CurrentPeakLimiter CPL The...

Page 20: ...ps below 80 V The amount of reduction applied increases as mains voltage drops towards 65 V at 65 V the power supply is shut down The mains supply is continually monitored and value can be set from 1...

Page 21: ...on and temperature reaches a dangerous level a fault is displayed and audio is muted Each power output channel the power supply and DSP area have separate indications For all temperature faults temper...

Page 22: ...ifier output power is reduced to avoid power supply fault protection muting of all channels Limiting is removed when the temperature falls below the warning threshold The PLM includes protection circu...

Page 23: ...ED that will illuminate yellow and display VHF Warning when the maximum 12 dB gain reduction is applied 20K44 and 12K44 only The Power channel LED will light red for VHF Fault Both of these will be re...

Page 24: ...SMPS Regulated Switch Mode Power Supply is designed to keep supply voltage rails at optimum levels Thus the R SMPS can deliver full rail voltage to the output sta consistent transient response and a c...

Page 25: ...such as EN54 16 and NFPA72 LoadPilot functions by automatically superimposing low level pilot tones on the input signal if any present to the amplifier One tone is below the range of human hearing app...

Page 26: ...uctance in loudspeaker cables Loudspeaker cable inductance at higher frequencies is very high relative to passive resistance and the inductance increases linearly with length Consequently monitoring a...

Page 27: ...arnings can be triggered Speaker shorted warning Both tones below lower threshold Corresponds to a distant short circuit that can either be in the cabling or in the speaker Speaker damaged warning One...

Page 28: ...PM Lake Contour Module B Lake Contour Module C Lake Contour Module D ISVPL Auto RPM Amp Gain LoadSmart LoadPilot AMP Attenuator Mute Phase Rev Custom RPM ISVPL Auto RPM Amp Gain LoadSmart LoadPilot AM...

Page 29: ...L sets the PLM s maximum output voltage and therefore also the maximum output power The ISVPL setting is made via MENU MODULE LIMITERS ISVPL and can also be set from the Lake Controller software The s...

Page 30: ...directly via the front panel 6 4 ModulesandFrames 6 4 1 Overview A Frame represents one physical Lake Processor device e g PLM 12K44 A maximum of four Modules are contained within each Frame these are...

Page 31: ...s are stored on the Lake Controller PC and data is passed across the network when recalling or storing these type of files A Module file is the smallest set of data that can be stored and recalled it...

Page 32: ...w LoadPilot view Temperature Meters view Input Meters view and Module Meters view To navigate through these views press the METER button or turn the rotary encoder button Please refer to section 7 10...

Page 33: ...Lake Controller 7 2 FrontPanelKeyLock It is possible to lock the front panel buttons for security purposes When this function is active all front panel controls except power state are disabled and all...

Page 34: ...minutes MUTE ENABLE mode will automatically be disabled 7 5 MeterButton The front panel display has two main operating modes Meter Mode default and Menu Mode In normal operation the display will be in...

Page 35: ...d via the front panel by selecting Frame menu and then Front Dimming Dimming affects all LEDs as well as the backlight of the display 7 8 2 FrameFaultsandWarningsLED B All four LEDs on the left flash...

Page 36: ...re different on each channel Turning the rotary encoder will adjust each parameter by the same increment When in Meter Mode the rotary encoder allows the user to change between the available meter vie...

Page 37: ...es or outputs that are sourced from the PLM input To mute or unmute the PLM inputs 1 Press METER until the Input Meter View is displayed 2 Press MUTE ENABLE 3 Use the associated dynamic function butto...

Page 38: ...er output mutes are assigned in this mode see section 7 8 4 5 However Module output mute status and control are also available in Menu Mode and may also be viewed and controlled from the Lake Controll...

Page 39: ...ip indication is displayed A warning is displayed at 24 dBu i e 2 dB from Clip Module Input Stage If the signal level at this point exceeds 21 dBu a clip indication is displayed Input clipping is indi...

Page 40: ...Amp Channel BEL ACTIVE Frame 1 BEL Active N A CTRL OFFLINE Frame 1 N A NAME CONFLICT Frame 1 OFFLINE 1 LOAD NOT VER Module Channel 2 3 5 8 UNCERTAIN LOAD Channel 5 8 Load Uncertain Uncertain About Loa...

Page 41: ...nit Needs Service TEMP FLT PSU Frame 1 PSU Area Temp Fault Temp Fault Power Supply Unit MAINS 400 VPK Frame 1 PSU Mains Over Voltage Peak Frame Fault PSU Mains 400 VPK MAINS 270 V Frame 1 PSU Mains Ov...

Page 42: ...MS and ISVPL gain reduction faults warnings clips mutes 6 Module output label for Power channel 2 gain sum of Lake MAX Peak MAX RMS and ISVPL gain reduction faults warnings clips mutes 7 Module output...

Page 43: ...20K44 Bridge Mode is visible via this icon notation on the PLM Front Panel in Home View however the Lake Controller information 7 10 2 AmplifierMetersView shown in Figure 7 9 1 Output 1 V Voltage Met...

Page 44: ...eveloped in the load relative to the PLM s maximum output power capability The Gain Reduction Meter L indicates the degree of limiting being applied by the PLM ISVPL and or the Lake LimiterMax 7 10 3...

Page 45: ...fault warning clip 4 Input Router 4 Selected input type input gain level relative to clip router fault warning clip 5 Module A Input Mixer Module A input level meter Input 1 Connection Status 6 Module...

Page 46: ...pressing the MENU button After pressing the MENU button various submenu options are displayed as shown in the figure below Figure 7 13 Menu Mode Main Menu Press the illuminated button adjacent to the...

Page 47: ...ues for this parameter on all Groups to which the Module is assigned Please refer to the Lake Controller Operation Manual for further information on Groups 7 11 1 2 MenuStructureOverview From the Main...

Page 48: ...e Module Menu the screen shown in Figure 7 14 is displayed Press the illuminated button adjacent to the required option to view or edit the associated parameters Figure 7 14 Module Submenu 7 11 2 1 In...

Page 49: ...l limits The audio signal may be delayed typically for reasons of driver or delay subsystem alignment at either the Module inputs or on individual outputs Delay added at the inputs affects all outputs...

Page 50: ...shold The ISVPL prevents the voltage of the PLM outputs from exceeding a pre determined value The ISVPL Threshold can be adjusted between 17 8 V to 600 V which represents the instantaneous peak voltag...

Page 51: ...of 0 dB implies a hard knee characteristic Note LimiterMax provides peak and RMS limiting features referred to as MaxPeak and MaxRMS respectively Full details regarding LimiterMax can be found in the...

Page 52: ...priority levels allowing any input to be placed in a sequence providing automatic input signal fail over Dante and AES3 inputs have priority over analog inputs Note Only one analog input is allowed in...

Page 53: ...to a higher priority than a digital source Analog Input Sensitivity and Digital Gain Offset Press a dynamic function to the right of the LCD to toggle the selection of input source and input sensitiv...

Page 54: ...nt settings are also displayed on the front panel I O STATUS screen The analog inputs utilize Iso Float transformerless electronic balancing circuitry This provides electrical isolation from an analog...

Page 55: ...fault setting of 0 00 dB i e no attenuation is adjustable in 0 25 dB increments down to 100 dB Adjustment of attenuation at the input to the PLM power stage is available on a per channel basis This ad...

Page 56: ...higher with RPM see the technical data sheet for actual maximum voltage Note When Bridge Mode is activated double the channel output voltage is available Max Output Current MaxOutCurr Displays the ma...

Page 57: ...address subnet mask for the selected unit and can only be changed via the Lake Controller software Please refer to the Lake Controller Operation Manual for further details ro Conf Auto DHCP or Fixed I...

Page 58: ...n existing Frame Preset use the rotary encoder to select the required Preset then press the RECALL button to overwrite the current configuration Note Frame Presets must initially be created in the Lak...

Page 59: ...ct this option to initiate LoadSmart verification then select YES to continue LoadSmart performs a rapid test of all output channels and displays the results on the LCD a few seconds later Figure 7 23...

Page 60: ...Interface 8 1 SpeakerOutputs The PLM is available with either 4 mm binding posts or Neutrik speakON connectors for the outputs The outputs of the PLM can produce a high voltage Do not connect or disco...

Page 61: ...CH 1 2 1 2 BRIDGE CH 3 4 1 2 SPEAKER OUTPUTS Figure 8 2 speakON Connections NL4 PLM Output Channels 1 2 NL4 PLM Output Channels 2 1 BRIDGE MODE NL4 PLM Output Channels 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 Figure 8 3 speakO...

Page 62: ...2 4 2 1 1 4 3 1 2 3 4 NL4 PLM Output Channels 1 2 NL4 PLM Output Channels 3 4 NL8 PLM Output Channels 1 4 8 1 3 BindingPostConnectors CH 2 CH 1 CH 4 CH 3 SPEAKER OUTPUTS CLASS 3WIRING BRIDGE BRIDGE CH...

Page 63: ...rets by finger only being careful not to overtighten 3 Crimp 4 mm insulated spade terminals onto the ends of the wires and push into the binding post assembly from above Ch 1 3 or below Ch 2 4 The hol...

Page 64: ...um rejection than the more common method of joining pins 1 and 3 together in the XLR However if only a single core unbalanced cable is available the method shown in Figure 8 15 may be used 1 2 3 HOT S...

Page 65: ...er to section 7 10 3 1 for further details AES EBU INPUT 1 2 INPUT 3 4 Figure 8 12 AES Inputs 8 4 RJ45etherCONNetworkConnections Two RJ45 etherCON style network connections are provided as shown in Fi...

Page 66: ...is normal for the ACT LED to flicker either sporadically or continuously 8 4 1 PrimaryNetworkConnection The Primary Network connection is used for Lake Controller connectivity and Dante digital audio...

Page 67: ...he PLM for AC mains input The power cable AC cord supplied with the PLM has the mating connector ready fitted but may require a mains AC plug specific to your country to be fitted to the other end The...

Page 68: ...monitoring Restart device if not cleared it needs service Fault A D converter power supply fault A D PSU FAULT Voltage supply to the analog input converters faulty Restart device if not cleared it nee...

Page 69: ...own auto restart attempt Check mains distribution connection Fault Mains voltage above 270 V MAINS 270 V Power supply detects mains voltage above operation voltage Protective shut down auto restart at...

Page 70: ...ault Service channel SERVICE CH Restart device if not cleared it needs service Fault Very high frequency fault VHF FAULT Check input signal or reduce output With a maximum of 12 dB of gain reduction i...

Page 71: ...edure should only be carried device has had prolonged operation in an extreme environment such as one where cracked oil smoke machines are in use If the device is used in extreme conditions it is reco...

Page 72: ...Dante Receiver Ch 6 Priority 3 AES1 Ch 2 Priority 4 Analog 2 Router 3 Priority 1 Dante Receiver Ch 3 Priority 2 Dante Receiver Ch 7 Priority 3 AES1 Ch 3 Priority 4 Analog 3 Router 4 Priority 1 Dante R...

Page 73: ...VAC Standby 0 3 7 0 7 24 6 Power on Idling Green Mode 0 5 59 0 59 200 50 Power on Idling Performance Mode 0 7 77 0 77 263 66 Pink Pseudo Noise 16 Ch 700 x 4 4 2 498 350 148 506 127 8 Ch 1250 x 4 7 3 8...

Page 74: ...817 1502 1315 4487 1131 2 67 Ch 3000 24 5 99 2894 1437 1456 4969 1253 2 Ch 3000 25 1 99 2980 1361 1619 5524 1393 LoadPilot Sine 20 kHz 8 Ch 2 0 97 226 0 226 773 195 Mains Voltage 208 VAC 17 3 A Standb...

Page 75: ...457 1896 1561 5326 1343 2 67 Ch 5000 29 5 99 3439 1752 1687 5756 1451 2 Ch 4400 29 9 99 3495 1665 1830 6245 1575 LoadPilot Sine 20 kHz 8 Ch 2 0 97 232 0 232 790 199 Mains Voltage 208 VAC 17 3 A Standb...

Page 76: ...A Class C network Iso Float Iso Float is Lake s proprietary method of electronic balancing which provides a particularly high level of isolation and immunity from ground loops ISVPL ISVPL is an abbre...

Page 77: ...as voice coil and magnet temperatures providing the operator with real time performance monitoring See LoadLibrary speakON Star Topology A network topology which uses a network switch to connect to i...

Page 78: ...tHeadroom AnalogInputsOnly Input Headroom should be set to 12 dBu if the source can be limited to 12 dBu otherwise it should be set to appropriate headroom at the input stage only To adjust navigate t...

Page 79: ...er adjust via MODULES LEVELS adjusted further 10 2 5 Attenuator An attenuator gain adjustment is provided for each power output channel in the PLM This control replaces the To adjust navigate to I O C...

Page 80: ...ureExamples Input Clip 0 dBFS Amp Gain 35 dB SNR 114 2 dB Absolute Noise Floor 71 3 dBu Table 10 2 Digital Input Low Noise with Good Headroom High Input High SPL Figure 10 3 illustrates how to achieve...

Page 81: ...le 10 4 Analog Low Noise with Limited Output Low Input Low SPL Figure 10 5 illustrates how to minimize absolute noise while achieving full power In this illustration it can be seen that there is no av...

Page 82: ...Moderate Noise with Very High Output Very High SPL 10 4 SpeakerConfigurations impedance of that presented by one speaker Therefore the current that two speakers will attempt to draw from Limiter to b...

Page 83: ...ation it is properly designated the AES3 standard AES3 is a serial transmission format for linearly represented uncompressed digital audio data It describes a method for carrying two channels of perio...

Page 84: ...leTypesandDistanceLimitations All digital connections should be made with 100 ohm balanced cables wired according to the AES3 standard see section 8 2 2 Although standard analog microphone cabling may...

Page 85: ...errors known as jitter small additional amounts of latency so should not be used unless necessary 10 5 4 2 Passivesplitters One single AES3 input may be split into more signals using a simple passive...

Page 86: ...Pwr 1 C Pwr 2 C Pwr 3 C Pwr 4 C Dante C Channel 1 8 48 96 kHz OUTPUTS SAMPLE RATE CONVERTER CLOCK C AUTO MANUAL 48 C AUTO MANUAL 44 Table 10 7 Digital Clocking System In Figure 10 7 each circled C re...

Page 87: ...the Lake Controller Operation Manual for additional information 10 6 3 DanteClockConfiguration Dante uses its own digital clocking technology across the Ethernet network to ensure that all Dante devi...

Page 88: ...kHz for 1 W THD N at 1 kHz and 1 dB below clipping Dynamic range Channel separation Crosstalk at 1 kHz Frequency response 1 W into 8 ohm 20 Hz 20 kHz Internal sample rate Data path Product propagation...

Page 89: ...a M NEMA L5 30 Twist lock 125 V 30 A and CEE 7 7 Schuko 230 V 16 A NEMA L5 30 Twist lock 125 V 30 A and CEE 7 7 Schuko 230 V 16 A Power supply features s e Y r e w o p h s u r n I t r a t s t f o S W...

Page 90: ...ot covered by the warranty Units on which the serial number has been removed or defaced will not be eligible for warranty service Lab gruppen shall not be responsible for any incidental or consequenti...

Page 91: ...n Authorization number Please note for product return 1 Use the original packing 2 Include a copy of the sales receipt your name return address phone and fax number email address and description of th...

Page 92: ...gruppen AB Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Raised Cosine Equalization LimiterMax and Iso Float are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Audinate is a registered trademark of Audinate...

Reviews: