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Manual-1

OPERATORS  MANUAL

NM 48

NETWORK PREAMPLIFIER

WEAR PARTS:

 This product contains no wear parts.

CobraNet is a trademark of Peak Audio, Inc.

Quick Start

Ok, if you’ve read the NM 84 manual you might get a sense of déjà vu when you read this one. Maybe not quite as

strong as if you were watching another Adam Sandler movie, but déjà vu just the same. The reason for the similarity is that
the complicated stuff (network design) is such a large part of the installation. This is basically the same for both units.

First, design the network – a dedicated network for CobraNet audio is recommended, but not required when using

switch-based networks. The NM 48’s CobraNet technology utilizes standard 100Base-T Ethernet hardware. For CobraNet
and network design assistance and a list of other CobraNet licensed and tested devices, visit www.peakaudio.com/cobranet.

Rear Panel. Connect up to 4 line-level, analog audio inputs to the XLR INPUTS. Each of the eight OUTPUTS can

independently receive any of the 4 Local Input audio channels or any single Audio Channel from one of four CobraNet
Bundles from 1 through 999, plus off/none. Connect the network cable to the 100Base-T RJ-45 jack. The RS-232 jack
transports RS-232 data over the network to other NM, RS-232 device ports. The RS-232 port does not provide control of the
NM 48. Connect contact closures to the MEMORY RECALL PORT (MRP) to recall Memories on this device or any
other NM device(s) connected on the same network. Connect the locking 5-pin DIN jack on the enclosed RS 3 power supply
to the NM 48 POWER connector. The RS 3 power supply does indeed connect earth ground – the 3

rd

 pin of the AC line

cord – to the NM 48 chassis metal. Depressing the recessed FP LOCK (Front Panel Lock) button at this point disallows
further front panel setup, so only press this button in once you’re completely done setting up the NM 48.

Front Panel. There are 14 LCD screens allowing access to all NM 48 parameters. The first eight LCD screens set up the

Outputs;

 Output 1

: through 

Output 8:

, respectively. Each of the 8 Outputs can receive any of the local Input channels or

any CobraNet Audio Channel from one of four Bundles. Use the 

Copy

 field to copy and paste between the various screens.

The next screen allows the Inputs; 

Input 1:

 through 

Input 4:

, to be turned On or Muted.

The 

NetRx:

 LCD edit page sets up the four possible CobraNet Bundles (

Bndl

) that the NM 48 can receive from the

network; use 

NetRx

’s 

Bndl A

Bndl B,

 

Bndl C

 and 

Bndl D

 fields to set the received Bundle(s).

The four NM 48 Input audio channels can be transmitted on up to 4 different CobraNet Bundles. Each of the 4 Bundles

contains all four Input audio channels and are transmitted in 24-bit resolution. CobraNet designates each of the four, Audio
Channels (i.e., 

AudCh 1

 through 

AudCh 4

, respectively). The Network Transmit LCD screen (

NetTx

) allows selection of

the four Bundles to transmit, each of which are independently assignable to one of the 999 Bundles using the four 

NetTx

fields; 

Bndl A

Bndl B,

 

Bndl C

 and 

Bndl D

.

The 

Mem

 (Memory) LCD screen allows 16 unique NM 48 setups to be stored and recalled in the 16 memory locations.

Additionally, the NM 48’s MRP status can be transmitted over the network for other NM devices to “listen to.” Set the

MRP Tx

 (MRP Transmit) and 

MRP Rx

 (MRP Receive) fields for any or none of the 16 available MRP channels. The 

Serial:

LCD screen sets the RS-232 serial port’s 

Baud

 rate and the 

232 Tx

 and 

232 Rx

 fields which set the transmit and receive

RS-232 channels. There are 255 serial data channels available for transport over the network.

The final 

Config:

 LCD screen displays the current/editable IP Address and the editable Name of the NM 48 device (8

characters max). Set the IP address to  0.0.0.0 (the default) to enable CobraNet’s Discovery Utility (Disco) to dynamically
assign the IP address. Peak Audio’s Discovery Utility allows you to plug into a CobraNet network with a standard Ethernet
computer card (NIC) and discover all of the CobraNet devices on the network. The Disco software utility has the ability to
dynamically assign IP addresses as well as update CobraNet firmware on the discovered CobraNet devices. Disco is
available from www.peakaudio.com/cobranet as well as many music retailers which carry The Village People, KC & the
Sunshine Band, Wild Cherry and the like.

Do yourself a favor and at least read the Important Big Picture Concepts section found elsewhere in this manual.

Reviewing the Network Examples provides insight into a logical order for design work and would also be a way to avoid
initial confusion.

Summary of Contents for NM 48

Page 1: ... copy and paste between the various screens The next screen allows the Inputs Input 1 through Input 4 to be turned On or Muted The NetRx LCD edit page sets up the four possible CobraNet Bundles Bndl that the NM 48 can receive from the network use NetRx s Bndl A Bndl B Bndl C and Bndl D fields to set the received Bundle s The four NM 48 Input audio channels can be transmitted on up to 4 different C...

Page 2: ...on each page These buttons select each adjustable parameter along the bottom row by moving the underline cursor left or right When any parameter is selected the DATA wheel adjusts that parameter When the EXE button is pressed and held and MIN is pressed the selected parameter jumps to its lowest or to a smaller value see EXE Execute button Several commands are implemented with this button Pressing...

Page 3: ...y one device on the network will have the COND indicator on If the Conductor is unplugged removed from the network fails or goes on a smoking break CobraNet automatically assigns a new Conductor on the network It is rarely important to know which device is the Conductor LINK indicator lights green when any packet is present on the network Yes this means any packet including packets not intended fo...

Page 4: ...X allows the contents stored in Memory X s corresponding Edit page to be pasted into the current Edit Page X can be changed to any of the 16 memories 1 through 16 using the Data Wheel Load 1 Load 2 Load 3 etc This is an easy way to copy a single Edit page s contents from a stored memory into the current page Output Edit Pages Output 1 through Output 8 Each of the eight Output Edit pages sets up on...

Page 5: ...Memory Recall Port for switch closures Off turns off the MRP completely and 1 through 16 sets the desired MRP channel to receive from or listen to Parameter Range Store Integers 1 through 16 Recall Integers 1 through 16 MRP Tx MRP transmit Off integers 1 through 16 MRP Rx MRP Receive Local Off integers 1 through 16 NetRx Bndl A Bndl B Bndl C Bndl D 390 391 5 Off Network Receive Edit Page Mem 1 Sto...

Page 6: ...hrough 255 232 Tx MRP transmit Off integers 1 through 255 Configuration Edit page The Config page sets the NM 48 s IP address and Name Set the IP Address to 0 0 0 0 to enable CobraNet s Discov ery Utility to dynamically assign the IP address Note that the IP address displayed in the NM 48 screen will not be updated to reflect the IP Address assigned by Disco see the Quick Start on page Manual 1 To...

Page 7: ...ne during power up Both the Rane firmware version e g Version 1 01 and the date the Rane firmware was compiled e g Mar 21 2000 is displayed Displaying the additional date is a good way to ensure Y2K compliance To update the Rane firmware you must replace an internal chip The CobraNet firmware version is displayed on the bottom line of the LCD display during power up e g CobraNet rev 2 6 4 Interope...

Page 8: ...00 megahertz data is being transported Plus the connector termination is not intuitively obvious get it wrong and you ll spend hours blaming equipment when it s the cables all along I know this because I ve spent a full day and a half suspecting equipment when the cables were to blame And yes the cables had tested fine with a continuity tester but a continuity tester is nowhere near good enough a ...

Page 9: ...amount of bandwidth throughout the entire network Another thing to be cautious of is that multicast CobraNet data will swamp any 10 megabit 10Base T data ports on the network Modern computers with 100 Mbit PCI Ethernet interfaces 100Base T are quite capable of ignoring this multicast traffic until their network connection becomes saturated However if the computer is connected to the network via 10...

Page 10: ...e sends the audio over Unicast Bundles which forces the use of network switches not repeater hubs which support unicast data Network Hardware Device Advantages Disadvantages Limitations Repeater hubs Operate half duplex i e they cannot transmit receive simultaneously Thus a 100 Mbit network is 100 Mbit network wide Very inexpensive but likely going away Perfect when a dedicated CobraNet network is...

Page 11: ...with creating objects while ActiveX is con cerned with making objects work together Simply stated ActiveX is a technology that lets a program the ActiveX control interact with other programs over a network e g the Internet or Ethernet regardless of the language in which they were written ActiveX controls can do similar things as Java but they are quite different Java is a programming language whil...

Page 12: ... ActiveX controls can be found on the Internet as shareware bought from ActiveX providers often in packages or created from scratch for complete customization Adjust the size orientation and placement of the control for optimum ergonomics being sure to consider the user the application and the requirement for further controls on this same page Keeping the number of total controls on any one page l...

Page 13: ...sses which is 192 168 nnn nnn where nnn represents any number between 0 and 255 A good choice might be 192 168 100 100 just because it s easy to remember if you ever need to know it again Set the Subnet Mask to 255 255 0 0 for most installations These two settings allow a network with addresses in the range of 192 168 0 0 through 192 168 255 255 Click the OK buttons as many times as they appear to...

Page 14: ...dually whether the data is relevant to them A Switched Hub is typically not able to determine appropriate destination port or ports for multicast data and thus must send the data out all ports simultaneously just as a Repeater Hub does Multicast addressing is to be avoided whenever possible since it uses bandwidth network wide and since all devices are burdened with having to decide whether multic...

Page 15: ...tivate Paging or Binary modes see table A Binary mode allows access to all 16 Memories For example connect the four contacts of a binary switch plus the additional Binary mode closures shown in the Table Paging mode provides an easy way to configure a system which uses a single switch such as a mic or key switch to toggle between two sequential Memories See table When wiring contacts only use Norm...

Page 16: ...680 1 2 7 1 1 1 4 4 Ö N A Mic Gain 803003 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 5 4 Ö N A Line Gain 803004 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 6 4 Ö N A Trim 803005 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 7 4 Ö N A Filter 803006 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 8 4 Ö N A Limiter 803007 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 9 4 Ö N A 5 Index N A 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 1 5 Ö Ö Mute 804000 1 3 6 1 4 1 2680 1 2 7 1 1 1 2 5 Ö Ö Phantom...

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