DIGITAL AUDIO HARD DISK RECORDER OWNER’S MANUAL MODEL DR-2750 SOFTWARE VERSION 3.xx FIRST EDITION SEPTEMBER 2000 PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL AUDIO www.360systems.com info@360systems.
Safety Compliance DigiCart/II Plus complies with the following safety standards: • UL 1950, Standard for Safety of Information Technology Equipment, Including Electrical Business Equipment. • EN 60950, Standard for Safety of Information Technology Equipment, Including Electrical Business Equipment. EU Declaration of Conformity Type of Equipment: Professional Use Audio Equipment.
Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One 3 Getting Started 3 Drives .............................................................................................3 Zip Removable Media ............................................................. 3 The Internal Hard Disk ............................................................ 3 Disk Storage Times........................................................................4 The File ID System...................................................................
Find Operations ........................................................................... 12 Chapter Two 13 Controls and I/O 13 Installation.................................................................................... 13 Front Panel Controls.................................................................... 14 The SELECT Knob ............................................................... 14 The POSITION Arrows......................................................... 14 The RECORD Button.....
Looping ........................................................................................27 Turning Loop On ................................................................... 27 Turning Loop Off .................................................................. 27 Cues.............................................................................................28 Secondary Cues...........................................................................28 Creating A Secondary Cue: ....................
Clear Preset ........................................................................... 48 File Transfer .......................................................................... 48 Format Disk........................................................................... 49 Update Directories................................................................. 50 Partition Drive ....................................................................... 50 Edit Menu Operations ......................................
Playing A Rotating Stack ...................................................... 67 Viewing A Stack.................................................................... 67 Viewing A Stack — While It Plays ....................................... 68 Copying A Stack.................................................................... 68 Converting A Linear Stack To A Cut .................................... 68 Stack Edit Mode ...........................................................................
Cleaning....................................................................................... 86 Appendix A 88 Interface Schematics 88 Audio Connector Wiring ....................................................... 88 Keyboard Connector ............................................................. 88 Remote Control And Cue Out Connector.............................. 88 Appendix B 90 Serial Control Protocol 90 Host Device Message Summary............................................
Warranty and Repair Policy DigiCart II Plus is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from date of original purchase. This warranty includes parts and labor. This warranty excludes units that have been modified, repaired by unauthorized personnel, or damaged by rough handling, abuse, improper operation, dirt, or static electricity.
DigiCart II Plus Owner's Manual The information contained in this Owner’s Manual is subject to change without notice or obligation, and is furnished for informational use only. MODEL DR-2750 OWNER’S MANUAL FIRST EDITION, SEPTEMBER 2000. SOFTWARE VERSION 3.xx © 2000, 360 Systems. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of 360 Systems.
Warning Symbols THE FOLLOWING WARNING SYMBOLS ARE USED ON THE PRODUCT IN THIS MANUAL: ENGLISH ATTENTION: REFER TO OWNER’S MANUAL FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION. FRANÇAIS ATTENTION: VEUILLEZ VOUS RÉFÉRER AU MODE D’EMPLOI POUR UNE INFORMATION IMPORTANTE. ITALIANO ATTENZIONE: FATE RIFERIMENTO AL MANUALE PER INFORMAZIONI IMPORTANTI. ESPAÑOL ATENTCION: FAVOR DE REFERIR AL MANUAL DE OPERACION POR INFORMACION IMPORTANTE. ENGLISH WARNING: ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD.
Introduction Congratulations! You have chosen DigiCart/II Plus, the most advanced hard disk/cart system in the broadcast industry. Building on technology proven in the industry standard DigiCart/II, your new DigiCart/II Plus delivers many significant enhancements. A few of these enhancements include the use of low cost removable Iomega Zip™ disks, larger hard disks and the inclusion of the D-Net file transfer network as standard.
Total running time Sampling rate Recording format Editing information for head and tail times, fade in, fade out, gain and secondary cue timing. Much of this information is displayed on the front panel of your DigiCart/II Plus to assist you in managing a large audio library. A significant advantage of DigiCart/II Plus is random access to any cut. Multiple drives, directories and cuts are quickly accessed.
CHAPTER ONE Getting Started Your new DigiCart/II Plus stores digital audio on removable Zip disks and internal or external fixed hard disks. These are collectively referred to as drives. Each individual disk (or partition) contains ten directories numbered 0 to 9. Each of these directories can contain index numbers from 000 to 999 that identify the audio files, called cuts. Cuts can be played individually or they may be assembled into playlists called stacks.
Disk Storage Times Storage time on DigiCart/II Plus drives will vary depending upon the sampling rate and recording format used. The table below shows approximate recording times, based on stereo recording at different sampling rates. Storage capacity will double in monaural for linear recordings. Dolby AC-2 operates only in stereo, however mono material may be stored on either or both tracks. DRIVE STORAGE TIMES (STEREO) 20 kHz/48K DOLBY AC-2 20 kHz/48K LINEAR 20 kHz/44.
Every drive, directory, cut and stack can be given a 15-character name, so you do not have to constantly crosscheck between a printed index and the screen display. DigiCart/II Plus will sort contents numerically by ID, or alphabetically by name. Directories DigiCart/II Plus provides directories to organize and group audio cuts that have something in common; e.g.: spots, jingles, station IDs, production music beds, common types of sound effects, etc.
Navigation The selection of drive, directory or cut is organized into “layers.” Navigation between the drive, directory and cut levels is accomplished by pressing DigiCart/II's Left and Right POSITION buttons. Within any layer, rotating the select knob accesses available drives, directories, cuts or stacks.
Condensed Operating Guide This section presents condensed information on the operation of your DigiCart/II Plus. Fully detailed step-by-step instructions are found in Chapter Three: OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. Navigation Selecting A Drive Press the Left POSITION button twice. Rotate the SELECT control to choose a drive number. Selecting A Directory Press the Right POSITION button from drive level. Press the Left POSITION button from the cut level. Rotate the SELECT control choose a directory ID.
Press and hold the SEC button to insert the Secondary cue. Press the STOP button to end recording. Making A Digital Recording Select the digital input you would like to record. If desired, select Dolby AC-2 data compression for 48K digital inputs. If you do not wish to compress a 48K digital input, select any format other than AC-2. (44.1K and 32K digital input signals are never compressed.) Select a record trigger threshold. Select the appropriate digital audio input type in the set-up menu.
Pause Used to temporarily interrupt recording or playback, or create Playlists. Note that Pause during Record does not work when using digital input. Using PAUSE during Play or Record Press the PAUSE button to interrupt. Press the PAUSE button again to resume. Using PAUSE to create a Playlist — Quickstack, stack Press the PAUSE button. Select a cut. Press the PLAY button to enter in list. Select the next cut and press the PLAY button, repeating for each cut to be entered in the Playlist.
Setup Menu Operations Values for SETUP MENU functions (defaults are BOLD): SAMPLE RATE & FORMAT DOLBY AC-2 48000 (STEREO) 48000 STEREO 48000 MONO 44100 STEREO 44100 MONO 32000 STEREO 32000 MONO INPUT MONITOR OFF, ON THRESHOLD -42 dB, OFF, -6 dB to –60 dB OVERWRITE OFF, ON RECORDING TIME LIMIT RESTART MODE TIME DISPLAY SORT DIRECTORY BY KEYBOARD TYPE REMOTE CONTROL CART SPINDOWN SYNC SOURCE DIGITAL OUTPUT DIGITAL INPUT TYPE AUDIO INPUT TYPE NONE, 30 SEC, 1 MIN, 5 MIN, 30 MIN, 60 MIN ON COMPLETION, IMMEDI
Utility Menu Operations Utility Menu features are: CHANGE NAME ERASE COPY ORIGINAL COPY EDITED RENUMBER DISK ASSIGN PRESET CLEAR PRESET FILE TRANSFER FORMAT DISK UPDATE DIRECTORIES PARTITION DRIVE GENERAL PROCEDURE: 5. Select the drive, directory, cut or stack you wish to work upon. 6. Press the UTILITY MENU button to enter the menu. 7. Use the SELECT control to view menu options. 8. Follow the screen prompt to activate an option. 9. Press the CANCEL, STOP or PLAY button to exit the Utility Menu.
Find Operations There are numerous Find Operations that use the RC-205 alphanumeric keyboard from 360 Systems to instantly find any cut or stack by Name or ID on your DigiCart/II Plus. Please refer to the operations manual for your RC-205 for complete instruction. RC-210 and RC-220 Remote Controls from 360 Systems enable you to find cuts by index number. Please refer to the operations manual for your RC-210 and RC-220 for complete instruction.
CHAPTER TWO Controls and I/O This Chapter contains descriptions of front panel controls and rear panel interfaces. Information regarding the setup and installation of your DigiCart/II Plus is also provided. Schematics with pinout information for wiring to rear panel connectors can be found in Appendix A. Installation A full depth shelf is recommended to provide adequate support when rack-mounting a DigiCart/II Plus.
Disc Eject button H A R D • D I S K D I G I T A L A U D I O R E C O R D E R UTILITY MENU EDIT LIST SAVE LIST SETUP MENU EDIT MENU ENTER YES SEC DNET XFER CANCEL NO VIEW LIST 1.
The RECORD Button (Illuminates when enabled) When you press the RECORD button DigiCart/II Plus will: Allocate blank disk space for recording. Turn on the Input Monitor function and enter the Record Ready mode. Pressing the PLAY button will initiate recording and illuminate the PLAY button, unless a threshold level is set. If a threshold level is set, recording starts when the level of the audio input exceeds the THRESHOLD setting.
The SETUP MENU Button (Illuminates when enabled) Press the SETUP MENU button for: Access to functions related to audio behavior of your DigiCart/II Plus. Rotate the select knob to view your options. (The Setup settings are stored in nonvolatile memory.) The EDIT MENU Button (Illuminates when enabled) Press the EDIT MENU button for: Access to non-destructive editing functions. To edit a playlist. Rotate the select knob to your view options.
The PAUSE Button (Illuminates when enabled) Press the PAUSE button to: Activate or release Pause mode in PLAY or RECORD. Note that Pause during Record does not work when using digital input. In Stop mode to build a playlist or stack. The LOOP Button (Illuminates when enabled) Press the LOOP button to: Activate Looping during PLAY. The current cut will continue to cycle until LOOP is pressed again. The PLAY button will flash until the STOP button is pressed once or LOOP is pressed again.
The Rear Panel Figure 2-2 Table 2-1: Rear Panel Interfaces and Connector Types Ref.
Rear Panel Interfaces Several of the most useful standards have been selected to interface DigiCart/II Plus with professional audio-video equipment and allow functioning with existing automation systems and simplify the development of new and custom applications. Detailed technical information about the interfaces will be found in the Appendices. Serial Control An EIA-485 (RS-485) serial port is included on the rear panel.
may be used to provide flag codes or a status output for interface with show controllers, automation systems, or lighting and special effects devices. The secondary cue output appears on a female 25-pin "D" connector on the rear panel. Both normally open and normally closed contacts are provided. These low voltage relays are designed to switch a maximum of 28V at 500mA. Refer to the schematic of DigiCart/II's interface circuits in Appendix A, Interface Schematics.
CHAPTER THREE Operating Instructions This Chapter contains detailed operating instructions for each function of your DigiCart/II Plus. It presents the steps you should take to set up and become familiar with your new machine.
1. Press the Left POSITION button. The display will indicate: 1.0 0 SELECT DIRECTORY 2. Press the Left POSITION button again. The display will indicate: 1. SELECT DRIVE 3. Rotate the SELECT control to choose the number of the drive you want to use. The Zip disk drive is 0; the internal hard disk is 1. 4. Press the Right POSITION button. The display will again show: 1.0 0 SELECT DRIVE 5.
At this setting the output level matches the input level providing unity gain plus 12 dB headroom. If tone is not available, play some program material and adjust the controls to place peak readings in the red (above -6) on the loudest signals. 4. While recording, always watch the DigiCart/II Plus meter. Any illumination of the red "0" segments indicates probable distortion. Recording 1. The default record format is Dolby AC-2 48K, stereo, but you may reset this to any of the other standards.
The clock will begin counting upward or if you are using THRESHOLD RECORD, the display will show: TRIGGER-XX DB NEW_000 00:00:00 DigiCart/II Plus is now waiting for incoming audio at or above -XX dB. Recording will begin instantly when this level is reached. Depending on the type of material you are using, you may use SETUP MENU commands to adjust the Trigger THRESHOLD level in 6 dB steps from -60 to -6 dB. When switched to OFF, recording will begin when you press PLAY. The display will show “Recording”.
2. Use select until the number of the drive you want to use appears in the upper left corner of the display. If labeled, the name will appear to the upper right. Drives that are neither installed nor formatted can’t be selected. Selecting A Directory Directories are contained in the directory level. The following procedures may be used to select a directory depending upon your current location within the DRIVE – DIRECTORY - CUT level hierarchy.
Playing Multiple Cuts — Follow-On Play In Follow-On Play, a second cut may be selected and queued to play while a cut is currently playing. NOTE: For Follow-On Play, the RESTART MODE selection in the SETUP MENU must be set to “ON COMPLETION”. While a cut is playing, use the navigation controls to select another cut from any drive or directory. Press the PLAY button to set Follow-On play. The PLAY button will blink indicating that another cut has been selected for immediate Follow-On play.
3. To continue Record, press the Pause button again. The button will go dark and recording will resume. NOTE: There’s no limit to the number of times the Pause button can be pressed during playback or recording of a cut. However, pressing PAUSE during fade in will cause the fade in to start over when the PAUSE button is released. Note that Pause during Record does not work when using digital input. Looping Looping causes the currently selected cut to play continuously.
Cues A cue pointer is used to control a relay circuit present on the rear panel CUE OUTPUTS connector on a DigiCart/II Plus. The relay provides "Form C" contacts allowing you to connect or disconnect a circuit. You may also redirect a signal from one destination to another, or select between two available signals when the cue occurs. The Secondary cue output appears on the Remote control connector. Secondary cues are not audio tones and do not require Disk space or an extra track.
Setup Menu Operations The SETUP MENU structures the operational behavior of your DigiCart/II Plus when recording and playing cuts and includes functions relating to general machine usage. SETUP MENU selections are stored in non-volatile memory. The most recently selected values will remain until you decide to change them. General Operations Most SETUP MENU activities use identical steps. The general procedure is: 1. Press the SETUP MENU button. 2.
DigiCart/II Plus stores the sample rate as part of a cut's header and will always read the header to configure itself for correct playback. Digital recordings use the selected format but ignore the selected sample rate because the sample rate is specified by the incoming digital data. Once cuts have been recorded, they cannot be converted from one format to another. DOLBY® AC-2 CODING The default recording format of DigiCart/II Plus is Dolby AC-2 at a sample rate of 48kHz.
SAMPLE RATE & FORMAT 44100 STEREO OR SAMPLE RATE & FORMAT 44100 MONO OR SAMPLE RATE & FORMAT 32000 STEREO OR SAMPLE RATE & FORMAT 32000 MONO 2. Use the Left and Right Position buttons to select the desired Rate. Press the ENTER button to confirm your selection or CANCEL to exit and restore the original value. Input Monitor Allows you to monitor audio that has been processed through the digital audio circuitry. Throughput is always in Stereo regardless of recording format selected.
level values, or OFF. When OFF is selected, recording begins immediately after pressing RECORD and PLAY. The display will appear as follow during recording: TRIGGER –XX DB CUT NAME 00:00:00 When using this mode, if the recorded cut sounds "upcut" or pops and clicks at the beginning, reset the threshold to a lower setting and try again. If recording is starting too soon due to noise in the source being recorded, select a higher threshold value.
Overwrite Permits existing cuts to be directly overwritten in RECORD. 1. Press the SETUP MENU button and use the selection controls to choose and confirm your selection: OVERWRITE OFF OR OVERWRITE ON When OVERWRITE is ON, after pressing REC, the display will show: X.XXXX CUT NAME PUSH PLAY TO REPLACE Press PLAY to record to the ID number on the top line.
1. Press the SETUP MENU button and use the selection controls to choose and confirm your selection: RESTART MODE ON COMPLETION OR RESTART MODE IMMEDIATE Time Display Determines whether the counter will display time as ELAPSED (count-up) or REMAINING (countdown). 1.
Keyboard Type Selects between the convenient DigiCart/II Plus MINI keyboards and conventional PC-AT keyboards. Either type may be attached to the KEYBOARD connector on the back panel. The SETUP MENU provides a choice between the standard 101-key PC-AT style keyboard, a small footprint mini-keyboard (Model RC-205), and an infrared-linked mini-keyboard available from 360 Systems. Contact your 360 Systems Dealer for details on these accessories. To choose between keyboard types: 1.
UP ARROW SELECT KNOB CW SELECT KNOB CW DOWN ARROW SELECT KNOB CCW SELECT KNOB CCW LEFT ARROW LEFT POSITION ARROW LEFT POSITION ARROW RIGHT ARROW RIGHT POSITION ARROW RIGHT POSITION ARROW ENTER / RETURN ENTER ENTER ESCAPE CANCEL CANCEL 0-9 INDEX NUMBER LOCATORS INDEX NUMBER LOCATORS SCROLL LOCK PRESETS PRESETS NOTES: 1. Not all "AT" keyboards will work with DigiCart/II Plus. 2.
1. Press the SETUP MENU button and use the selection controls to choose and confirm your selection: CART SPINDOWN ON OR CART SPINDOWN OFF NOTE: If spun down, remember to allow a few extra seconds for the Cart to spin up the next time you want to use it. You can force the cart to spin up in preparation of playback by selecting a cut or moving to the Directory level and back to the Cut level. Sync Source Used to set the digital reference sync signal input source to either INTERNAL or EXTERNAL.
DIGITAL OUTPUT CONSUMER FORMAT OR DIGITAL OUTPUT COPY PROT.
OR DIGITAL INPUT TYPE IEC-958 TYPE II BNC NOTE: The Display describes the input type and the connector interface. See The Rear Panel, pg. 18. Audio Input Type Selects between analog or digital inputs. The DigiCart/II Plus can output audio on all output connectors simultaneously. Analog output is always available on the analog connectors. 1. Press the SETUP MENU button and use the selection controls to choose either: AUDIO INPUT TYPE DIGITAL OR AUDIO INPUT TYPE ANALOG 2.
Utility Menu Operations The UTILITY MENU contains functions relating to management of drives, directories, cuts, stacks (stored Playlists) and Zip disks. Menu items include: CHANGE NAME ERASE COPY ORIGINAL COPY EDITED RENUMBER DISK ASSIGN PRESET CLEAR PRESET FILE TRANSFER FORMAT DISK UPDATE DIRECTORIES PARTITION DRIVE This section describes how to rename drives, directories, stacks or cuts; and how to erase cuts, directories and stacks or copy them to different directories and drives.
Erase ERASE permanently deletes the currently selected cut, stack, directory or disk. Once something has been erased, you will not be able to "recover" it. You can cancel an erase procedure in progress by pressing the CANCEL button. A copied cut with the same name, located in other drives, directories or stacks will not be affected. A copied directory or stack will have a different ID and will not be erased. 1. Navigate to the cut, directory or drive you want to erase. 2.
CAUTION IF YOU COPY TO AN OCCUPIED DESTINATION, THE CONTENTS AT THAT DESTINATION WILL BE REPLACED. ALWAYS TAKE A MOMENT TO BE SURE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN USING COPY. COPYING A CUT Copies the entire contents of the current cut from its original location to any other location. 1. Navigate to the cut you wish to copy (source cut). 2. Press the UTILITY MENU button and rotate the SELECT control until the display shows: COPY ORIGINAL PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 3. Press the ENTER button. The display will show: X.
REPLACING TARGET ID CUT NAME When the copy procedure is completed, DigiCart/II Plus displays: X.XXXX NEW NAME HH:MM:SS 48K AC-2 8b. To copy to an unused Index number: Rotate the SELECT control to lock out access to existing cuts. The display will Show: X.XXXX SELECT NEW INDEX # Only unoccupied IDs will be shown. 9. Press ENTER to copy. The display will briefly flash: COPYING TARGET ID NEW NAME When the copy procedure is completed, DigiCart/II Plus displays: X.
2. Press the UTILITY button and rotate the SELECT control until the display shows: COPY ORIGINAL PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 3. Press the ENTER button. The display will then prompt with the current directory ID and name the top line: X.X DIRECTORY NAME SELECT DEST. DIR 4. Use the SELECT control and the Left and Right POSITION buttons to select the destination Directory. 5. Press the ENTER button. The display prompts: X.X DESTINATION NAME REPLACE DUPL. INDEX? 6.
If a cut of the same name already exists in the destination Directory, and you have answered Yes to the REPLACE DUPL NAME prompt, DigiCart/II Plus will copy over it. The display will indicate: REPLACING SOURCE ID SOURCE NAME You may elect to copy less than the entire directory. 8. When the name of the last cut you want to copy appears in the bottom line of the display, press CANCEL. DigiCart/II Plus will stop the Copy Directory procedure and return to directory select mode.
Renumber Disk Allows you to number disks for identification purposes. Press and hold the STOP button to view a disk's number and name (if labeled). Once a disk has been assigned a number, it will retain that number until this function is used to change it. 1. Press the ENTER button. The display will prompt: 0000 RENUMBER DISK A cursor will blink on the first number. 2. Use the SELECT control and Left and Right POSITION buttons to choose a new number. 3. Press the ENTER button to confirm your selection.
3. Press (turn ON) the RC-205's Scroll Lock. 4. Use the SELECT control to choose the RC-205 alphabet or compound-alpha key (i.e.: SHIFT+A, CTRL+B, ALT+X etc.) , or RC-220's white Hot Key number for the PRESET. 5. Press the ENTER button. The selected item is now assigned to the key. Press the key to play it. ASSIGNING A SINGLE PRESET USING THE RC-210/RC-220 (METHOD 2): 1. Press ASSIGN PRESET. The display will show: X.XXXX CUT NAME SELECT PRESET 2.
CUT INDEX ALPHA KEY HOT KEY 000 - 015 A-P 1-16 016 - 025 Q–Z 026 - 051 Shift A-Z 052 - 077 Alt A-Z 078 - 103 Ctrl A-Z VIEWING PRESETS USING THE RC-205, OR RC-210/RC-220 1. Press the UTILITY MENU button. 2. Select ASSIGN PRESET or CLEAR PRESET. 3. Press the ENTER button. 4. Use the SELECT control to scan PRESETS. The lower line of the display will show ID and name (if labeled) of assigned items. 5. Press the CANCEL button to exit.
Format Disk Prepares either a removable Zip disk or a fixed hard disk for use as a DigiCart/II Plus drive. It will erase all existing cuts and stacks from a previously formatted disk. If you intend to format a Zip disk, it must be inserted in the Zip Drive before beginning the Format procedure. NOTE: Zip disks purchased from computer stores may also be formatted for use as DigiCart/II Plus Carts. These must be Iomega Zip 100 Cartridges. 1. Press the ENTER button.
Update Directories This feature allows the user to force the creation of or update the summary file for the directory or all directories if performed from the drive level. Originally, this feature was included to facilitate the transfer of material between DigiCart with different versions of software. In some cases it may restore a disk that appears to have lost a cut or exhibits other problems.
Change the setting to the number of drive partitions that are needed and press ENTER. Because this operation will reformat the entire hard disk, you will be ask to confirm your intention several times. The display will show: THIS WILL ERASE YOUR HARD DRIVE-CONTINUE? Enter YES to continue. CANCEL PARTITION? YES/NO Enter NO to continue. The process will begin and the display will show: PARTITIONING DRIVE PLEASE WAIT When the process is complete, the machine will exit the Utility Menus.
In addition to its function as an editing tool, Head Trim allows auditioning of any part of a file by selecting the desired start time. Pressing CANCEL when done restores any programmed Head Trim value or 00:00:00:00. Press the EDIT MENU button and rotate the SELECT control to HEAD. The display will show the current HEAD pointer for the cut: HEAD 00:00:00:00 PRESS PLAY OR STOP NOTE: DigiCart/II Plus has a minimum length of about two seconds for any cut.
6. Press ENTER to save, or CANCEL to exit with no change. NOTE: Because DigiCart/II Plus must pre-load audio for the new HEAD point, there may be a short delay the first time you press PLAY to audition a new HEAD pointer. Pressing PLAY a second time will start the cut immediately from the selected HEAD point. Tail TAIL determines the point in the selected cut where play ends. DigiCart/II Plus limits selection to a minimum length of about two seconds.
TAIL 00:00:30:00 00:00:30:00:00 2. Use POSITION buttons to set the scroll value in brackets as: = Hours, = Minutes, = Seconds, = Frames or = Bits. 3. Use the SELECT control to fine-tune the TAIL point. 4. Press PLAY to audition the new TAIL point. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed. 5. Press ENTER to save, or CANCEL to exit. Pre-Roll Enables you to set the time ahead of the TAIL or FADE OUT pointer for auditioning during editing.
FADE IN 00:00:04:00 00:00:04:00:00 3. Use POSITION arrows to set the scroll value in brackets as = Hours, = Minutes, = Seconds, = Frames or = Bits. 4. Use the SELECT control to fine-tune the FADE IN length. 5. Press PLAY to audition the new FADE IN. DigiCart/II Plus will play the cut from the HEAD point and will continue playback until the cut ends, or you press STOP. Repeat steps 4 and 5, as necessary. 6. Press ENTER to save changes, or CANCEL to exit.
SETTING FADE OUT “ON THE FLY” To set the FADE OUT length while listening to audio: 1. Press PLAY. The cut will play back and the counter will count down. 2. Press STOP to set the beginning point of the FADE OUT. 3. The display will show the previous FADE OUT duration on the top line, and the newly selected FADE OUT length on the bottom line: 4. Use Left and Right POSITION buttons to set the scroll value in brackets as = Hours, = Minutes, = Seconds, = Frames or = Bits. 5.
Find Operations By using the alphanumeric keyboard, you can instantly find any cut by name or ID. RC-210/220 users can find cuts or stacks by ID number. Cuts in the current directory only require entry of their cut number or name. However, a search by name will search all directories. You may also find them by typing only as much of their name as makes them unique. For example: If there is a cut named "BOSTON" and another named "BOND", BOS will find the first and BON will find the other.
1. Press stack DIR. The screen will show: FIND STACK HH:MM:SS S 48K AC-2 Information on the bottom line pertains to the currently selected cut. 2. Press the gray number keys for the desired stack. The screen will show: FIND STACK .S(NUMBERS PRESSED) HH:MM:SS 48K AC-2 3. Press ENTER. The screen will show information about the newly selected stack. 4. Press PLAY to play the stack or enter it into a Compound Stack (See CHAPTER FOUR: Stack Mode). Repeat as necessary for Follow-On Play.
Operation Of The Zip Disk Drive FRONT PANEL The ejector button on the front panel of the ZIP Drive illuminates to indicate Zip Drive activity. The button does not illuminate unless the media is accessed. The following table enumerates the various indications.
Zip Disk Loading Note: The power on your DigiCart/II Plus must be on to enable normal disk loading and unloading. The access door on the Zip Disk Drive opens inward when a disk is inserted. Zip disks are inserted shutter-end first, label side up. During insertion, the shutter slides open to allow the heads access to the two data surfaces. When loaded, the disk is locked in the drive. Note: If the disk is difficult to insert, check its orientation and try again. DO NOT FORCE THE DISK INTO THE DRIVE.
3. Rotate the SELECT control until the display reads: FORMAT DISK PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 4. Press the ENTER button. The display will show: SELECT DRIVE DISK 0 (ZIP DRIVE) 5. Rotate the SELECT control to choose the drive to be formatted. 6. Press the ENTER button. The display prompts: PRESS YES TO ERASE DIGICART DISK 7. Press ENTER. The display shows: CANCEL FORMAT? YES/NO 8. Press CANCEL to continue. The displays shows: FORMATTING DISK PLEASE WAIT 9.
Select An External Drive: 1. Press the Left POSITION button twice to get to the drive level. The display will show: 1.0 SELECT DRIVE 2. Rotate the SELECT control until the display shows: 6.0 SELECT DRIVE 3. Use the Right Position button and the SELECT control to choose the directory and cut.
CHAPTER FOUR Stack Mode A stack is a list of cuts — a "playlist" that can be stored on any of the drives of your DigiCart/II Plus. Some of the most powerful capabilities of DigiCart/II Plus are its stack features. You can create stacks consisting of multiple cuts and other stacks. The difference is transparent, so it is useful to say "Event" to represent entries in a stack. You can edit and update stacks, and select between two types of stacks called "Linear" and "Rotating".
Linear Stack A Linear Stack is a list of items that can be played in sequence from a single start command. When each item in a stack has been properly edited, Linear Stacks provide seamless playback of multiple audio cuts. This feature is particularly useful for editing music files, production beds, news interviews, or creating spot sets. MUSIC AND VOICE EDITING A single piece of music can be edited into different individual pieces (i.e.- intro., verse, chorus, etc.).
SPECIAL EFFECTS Rotating Stacks can be useful for grouping together various effects to be used in production or during an air-shift. By dialing back and forth within the stack in Edit Mode, any item can be accessed and played immediately. Compound Stack A Compound stack is one that contains other stacks. For a Linear Stack containing a Rotating Stack, each time the Linear Stack is played the Rotating element will be different.
5. The PLAY button will begin to blink, indicating that more than one item has been selected for Follow-On Play. The time under the name shows total Quickstack duration. To check the Quickstack's contents: 5a. Press the VIEW LIST button. 5b. Use the SELECT control to scan through the Quickstack. (NOTE: The first cut will not read out as cut #1, only the cuts that follow will read in this step. In fact, the second cut will read as cut #1 in the stack. Once the list has been saved, all will read correctly.
Playing A Stack Playing A Linear Stack Linear Stack IDs are followed by an " L ". All items in a Linear Stack will play in sequence without interruption. 1. Rotate the SELECT control until the name of the Linear Stack you want appears in the display. 1.SXXXL NEWSTK_XXX ITEM NAME HH:MM:SS The bottom line shows total stack items and total stack time. 2. Press PLAY. Once you begin playback of a Linear Stack, the current selection and its playing time will be shown on the bottom line of the display.
1 1.XXXX EVENT NAME HH:MM:SS 48K AC-2 The number at the upper left shows the event’s position in the stack. Viewing A Stack — While It Plays Press VIEW LIST button and rotate select to see stack items remaining to be played. The number at the upper left shows how far away the top line selection is from the item currently playing. (Note: This only works for Linear Stacks. In order to view the next cut in line for a Rotary stack, go into the Edit menu, then play the stack.
6. The display will show: X.XXXX (CUT NAME) REPLACE OR SELECT # 7. Rotate the SELECT control to choose an unused index number. The second line of the display will change to “Select New Index #” 8. Turn the SELECT control to find a destination cut number. 9. Press the ENTER button to copy the stack.
To review the contents of the stack, rotate the SELECT control or press the PLAY button. The stack will play, beginning with the event selected. Linear Stacks will play to the end. Rotating Stacks will play only the selected item. 3. Press ENTER to enter the stack Edit Menu. The display will show: XX.XXXX EVENT NAME INSERT Turn select to the Stack Edit function required. Insert Adds a cut or stack immediately before the current selection in the Scan Mode. 1. Press the ENTER button. 2. Select INSERT. 3.
4. Use SELECT and POSITION Arrows to find the event you wish to APPEND. 5. Press the ENTER button to APPEND. DigiCart/II Plus returns to the Scan Mode. 6. Press the ENTER button to continue editing or press the CANCEL button to exit the stack Edit Menu. The display prompts: X.XXX (NEW NAME) SAVE CHANGES? Y/N The number at the upper left shows the new item's position in the stack. 7. Press ENTER to save or CANCEL to exit. DigiCart/II Plus returns you to the Stack Directory.
Truncate Deletes all items following the current selection. From the Scan Mode: 1. Press the ENTER button. 2. Select TRUNCATE. 3. Press the ENTER button again. The display reads: X.XXXX (NAME) TRUNCATE 4. Press ENTER to activate. DigiCart/II Plus returns to the Scan Mode. 5. Press ENTER to continue editing or press the CANCEL button to exit the stack Edit Menu. The display prompts: X.XXXX (NAME) SAVE CHANGES? Y/N 6. Press the ENTER button to save or the CANCEL button to exit.
CHAPTER FIVE File Transfer Network The D-NET capabilities of your DigiCart/II Plus allow you to use its digital audio interfaces for making high-speed audio transfers between machines. With D-NET, you’ll move audio around your facility with speed, ease, and security. Features You can transfer individual audio cuts, directories, or entire drives and their associated file information from one DigiCart/II Plus to one or more DigiCart/II Pluses. Transfer rates are faster than playback rates.
Transfer Rates SAMPLE RATE FORMAT D-NET TRANSFER RATE vs. REAL TIME TRANSFER 48K AC-2 8:1 STEREO 1.5:1 MONO 3:1 STEREO 1.6:1 MONO 3.2:1 STEREO 2.25:1 MONO 4.5:1 44.
The recommended cable for use with AES-3 is balanced and shielded with a nominal impedance of 110Ω at frequencies from 0.1 to 6.0 MHz. The maximum recommended cable run for file transfer using AES-3 is 100 meters. D-NET Setup A D-NET transfer is always initiated at the Source DigiCart/II Plus. However, both the Source and Destination DigiCart/II Plus require setup. It will be clearly stated in this Chapter whether a Setup Menu procedure refers to the source or destination DigiCart/II Plus.
Assigning A Receiver Name To assign a receiver name: 1. Press the D-NET XFER button. (It will illuminate when pressed) Rotate the SELECT control counter-clockwise until the display shows: RECEIVER NAME (NONE – RECEIVE ALL) 2. Press the ENTER button. The display will show: ▒ NEW RECEIVER NAME 3. Using the SELECT control and the Left and Right POSITION buttons, enter the new Receiver name. The name can have from 1 to 15 characters consisting of any combination of letters, digits, dashes and spaces.
A Receiver can be set up to accept ONLY those transfers addressed to its Mail Box, thus enabling it to accept non-destructive transfers only. You may also enter a specific destination location when making a D-NET transfer. This method enables you to transfer files to the location that is most useful.
OR RECEIVER INPUT OFF 2. If desired, use the Left and Right POSITION buttons to select the alternate menu item. Confirm your choice by pressing the ENTER button. Echo Function If your D-NET network is configured in a “Daisy Chain” and the Echo Function is ON, you will be able to relay the incoming transfer to the digital input of a DigiCart/II Plus to the digital output on that machine and on to the next DigiCart/II Plus in the network.
implement a “Star” D-NET network to avoid the use of the Echo function. This is made easier by the fact that the audio output through the BNC connectors on a DigiCart/II Plus is compatible with standard 75Ω video routers and distribution amplifiers. Alternately, use the following procedure for recording the digital output of a DigiCart/II Plus that has both file receiver and receiver echo enabled: 1. Press pause on the source DigiCart/II Plus. 2. Press play on the source DigiCart/II Plus. 3.
1. On the source machine, select the cut to be transferred. 2. Press the D-NET XFER button and the display will show: TRANSFER CUT PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 3. If you choose to transfer the directory in which the cut resides, rotate the SELECT control clockwise and the display will show: TRANSFER DIRECTORY PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 4. If you choose to transfer the drive in which the directory resides, rotate the SELECT control clockwise and the display will show: TRANSFER DRIVE PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 5.
DESTINATION LOCATION MAIL BOX 9. If desired, using the SELECT control and the Left and Right POSITION buttons, enter a new location name or choose the Mail Box. (See “MAIL BOX AND DESTINATION LOCATION TRANSFERS” earlier in this Chapter). Confirm your choice by pressing the ENTER button. The display will show: DESTINATION NAME (YOUR NEW DESTINATION LOCATION) 10. Rotate the SELECT control clockwise until the display shows: BEGIN CUT XFER PRESS ENTER/CANCEL 11. When ready, press the ENTER button.
Transfer Messages Source Display During Incomplete Transfer After a brief error message the display changes to: TRANSFER INCOMPLETE PRESS ENTER/CANCEL After you press ENTER or CANCEL, the display shows briefly: FILES SENT: XXX PLEASE WAIT This signifies the number of files transferred without errors. If any files could not be sent, the display will show: FILES SENT: XXX FILES NOT SENT: XXX This signifies the number of files transferred without errors and the number of files not sent due to errors.
Receiver Display During Transfer If the Receiver DigiCart/II Plus is idle and the receiver name matches the destination name on the source DigiCart/II Plus, when a file transfer begins, the display shows: FILE 1 OF 1 00% COMPLETED This indicates the file number and total number of files and the percent of the transfer completed for that file.
GOOD FILES: XX BAD FILES: XX This indicates the number of files received without errors and the number of files discarded due to errors. Errors in the receiver can be due to: A faulty D-NET connection. Excessive disk fragmentation causing space allocation time to exceed the time allowed. Hardware failure in the receiving unit. Errors caused by the transmitting unit will usually be shown on the display of the transmitting unit.
CHAPTER SIX Maintenance Guide This Chapter describes the subassemblies of your DigiCart/II Plus and provides information relating to their use, specifications, and maintenance. Interface schematics are included in Appendix A. Because hazardous voltages may be present inside this product, refer service to qualified electronics service technicians. Qualified technicians may obtain a factory service manual from 360 Systems Technical Support Department.
System Reliability Long term reliability of DigiCart/II Plus can be understood in terms of similar systems found in computers. Three primary factors are prominent in failure analysis of such equipment: internal operating temperature, power level of component assemblies and dirt. The lifetime of electronic equipment increases dramatically if it is operated at lower temperatures. DigiCart/II Plus contains a small cooling fan. It is extremely important that this fan be allowed to do its job.
DigiCart/II Plus Owner's Manual Maintenance Guide • 87
APPENDIX A Interface Schematics This section contains schematics, wiring diagrams and pinouts for audio, data and remote control connections. Audio Connector Wiring INPUT: OUTPUT: CONNECTOR: XLR-3 TYPE FEMALE XLR-3 TYPE MALE XLR PIN–1 PIN–2 PIN–3 BALANCED GROUND (SHIELD) AUDIO " + " AUDIO " – " SHELL GROUND (NORMALLY NOT CONNECTED) UNBALANCED GROUND.
DigiCart/II Plus Owner's Manual Appendix A - Interface Schematics • 89 EXAMPLE OF NON-ISOLATED INPUTS LAMP LAMP LAMP LAMP LAMP LAMP EXT. SOURCE RTN CHOOSE ONE SOURCE VOLTAGE EXAMPLE OF ISOLATED INPUTS EXTERNAL SOURCE +5 VDC TO +12 VDC STOP PLAY LAMP LAMP INPUT COMMON SYSTEM GND 12 13 14 15 16 17 +12 VDC, 900mA MAX. 4 7 6 2 3 1 8 STOP PLAY PAUSE LOOP REC STOP PLAY PAUSE LOOP 12 13 14 15 16 7 6 2 3 1 5 8 4 +5 VDC, 400mA MAX.
APPENDIX B Serial Control Protocol A general description of DigiCart/II Plus Serial Control Interface Protocol is included in this section. The following Message Summary provides an outline of commands and responses that can be executed via the Serial Port.
Data Format The data format follows the ES-Bus specification in that the data transfer is asynchronous, 8 bits per byte, even parity, 1 start and 1 stop bit, for a total of 11 bits. In all cases, the message structure is fully compatible with ES-Bus. In general, all messages will be acknowledged by an ACK if successful or NAK if an error occurred.
APPENDIX C Technical Specifications General Specifications Removable Cartridge Zip™ magnetic disk Insertion/ Removal Cycles 2,000 minimum Estimated Shelf Life 10 Years Cartridge Drive Reliability MTBF: >100,000 hours Internal Hard Disk 1000 MB standard; larger sizes available Hard Disk Reliability MTBF: >250,000 hours Start/Restart Time Instantaneous from any location Cue to Next cut Instantaneous Display 2-line x 20 character vacuum-fluorescent Level Metering Quasi-peak responding LED d
Physical Dimensions Height 5.19" (130mm) (Standard EIA 1/2-Rack, 3U High) Width 8.50" (213mm) Depth 17.13" (428mm) Net Weight 18.25 Lbs (8.3 Kg) Shipping Weight 25 Lbs Audio Specifications Bandwidth 10Hz - 20kHz ±0.5 dB; optionally 15kHz @ Fs = 32,000 Quantization 16 bit linear Sampling Frequencies 48K; 44.1K; 32K; Stereo or Mono Dynamic Range >92 dB Signal-to-Noise >90 dB Distortion (THD+N) <0.005% ref. to full scale Interchannel Phase Deviation <0.
Zip Drive & Cartridge Reliability Non-Recoverable Errors <10 errors in 1013 bits Recoverable Errors <10 errors in 109 bits Seek Errors <1 error in 106 seeks MTBF 100,000 hours Drive Insertion/Removal Cycles 10,000 minimum Disk Insertion/Removal Cycles 2,000 minimum Environmental Limits (Operational) Drive Temperature: 10° to 32°C (50° to 89.6°F) Disk Temperature 10° to 32°C (50° to 89.6°F) Relative humidity, Non Condensing 10 to 80% Maximum Wet Bulb 26.
Index A AC-2 sample rate and format ..........30 Adjust record levels ..........................22 AES-3 BNC ......................................74 XLR ......................................74 Assign preset ...........................46 multiple .................................47 Audio input monitoring ............................31 selecting ................................39 wiring ....................................88 Audio output wiring ....................................88 B Button arrows ......
disk ........................................49 Function keys keyboard ...............................35 H Output gain setting ....................................56 Overview ...................................1 Overwrite mode setting ....................................33 Head .........................................51 P I Pause ........................................26 button ....................................17 Play button ....................................15 follow-on .......................
compound stack ....................65 convert stack to cut ...............68 copying .................................68 creating a stack .....................65 edit ........................................69 linear stack ............................64 playing ..................................67 quickstack .............................65 rotating stack .........................64 saving ....................................66 SCAN ....................................69 stopping play .......................