RideTraXX 16 Channel Synchronous MP3 Playback User’s Guide
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this manual, and the reliability of the Alcorn McBride RideTraXX hardware and software. Errors can sometimes go undetected, however. If you find one, please bring it to our attention so that we can correct it for others. Alcorn McBride welcomes comments and suggestions on the content and layout of its documentation. Applications described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Alcorn McBride Inc.
Page ii March 20, 2013 • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Table of Contents Welcome! _______________________________________________________________________________ 1 Features ________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Technical Support ________________________________________________________________________ 2 Getting Started ___________________________________________________________________________ 3 In the Box ____________________________________________________________________________ 3 Playing a Test Sound _____________
Sync Loop - SL _____________________________________________________________________ Background Search - BS ______________________________________________________________ Play Toggle - PT ____________________________________________________________________ Search - SE ________________________________________________________________________ Start Crossfade - XF__________________________________________________________________ Play Directory - PD________________________________________________________________
Welcome! Thank you for purchasing The Alcorn McBride RideTraXX™. The RideTraXX replaces CD and solid state audio players in permanent or mobile audio playback installations, providing hours of high-quality and maintenance-free digital audio. The RideTraXX lets you synchronously play sixteen independent mono tracks from a single, economical unit. It‟s perfect for ride vehicles, tour vehicles, trams, and background music or effects. Each track can be individually triggered by a number of methods.
Technical Support You can obtain technical support or other information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming your Alcorn McBride RideTraXX from several sources: Page 2 For… Contact… When?… Firmware Updates http://www.alcorn.com/support Any Time Knowledge Base http://www.alcorn.com/kb Any Time E-mail Support support@alcorn.com Any Time Telephone Support (407) 296-5800 M-F 9am-5pm (EST) March 20, 2013 • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Getting Started Throughout this manual you will find detailed discussions on all the features of this product. However, you‟re probably anxious to see your RideTraXX play some audio right away.
Playing a Test Sound Every RideTraXX comes with a Compact Flash card preloaded with test sounds already installed in the unit‟s compact flash slot. To play test sounds, follow these step-by-step directions. Using the included Audio Output Cable Harness, connect channel 1 of the RideTraXX to a set of powered speakers or to the input of an amplifier.
Front Panel Controls and Indicators The RideTraXX includes controls to accommodate a wide variety of installations. The front panel incorporates a blue power indicator, media status/error indicator, an Ethernet status indicator, and a Compact Flash slot covered by a security panel. Compact Flash Socket Status LEDs USB Power LED File Access LED This LED is primarily used to indicate Compact Flash media activity. It illuminates green whenever the Compact Flash media is being accessed.
USB RideTraXX includes a female type-B USB connector on its front panel. This port can be used to control RideTraXX, using its standard command set, as a USB serial device. While many operating systems will detect and install the driver automatically, some operating systems such as Windows 7 64-bit will need the user to supply the appropriate driver. This driver is available from our website, at http://www.alcorn.com. Page 6 March 20, 2013 • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Rear Panel Controls and Connectors The rear panel includes Molex type connectors for 16 mono channels of unbalanced audio outputs, Molex control inputs, DB-9 serial RS-232 control connector, and locking RJ45 network jack. RS232 Connector Power / Discrete Inputs March 20, 2013 Ethernet Jack Audio Output • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Audio Output Connector A 24 pin Molex type connector supplies analog line-level unbalanced audio suitable for connection to a multi-channel amplifier or powered loudspeakers. Audio Output Pinout Page 8 Pin Function Pin Function 1 Ch. 16 13 Ch. 15 2 Ground 14 Ground 3 Ch. 14 15 Ch. 13 4 Ch. 12 16 Ch. 11 5 Ground 17 Ground 6 Ch. 10 18 Ch. 9 7 Ch. 8 19 Ch. 7 8 Ground 20 Ground 9 Ch. 6 21 Ch. 5 10 Ch. 4 22 Ch. 3 11 Ground 23 Ground 12 Ch. 2 24 Ch.
Power and Discrete Control Input Connector Configure the inputs as Voltage Input when triggering over long distances (greater than 10-20 feet). Inputs configured as Voltage Input trigger on 12-24vdc. A 20-pin Molex type connector provides eight discrete control inputs and the power input for the unit. The control inputs can be configured for either voltage input or contact closure using dipswitch #2 on the side of the chassis. See Configuration Dipswitches section of this manual for details.
RS-232C Serial Connector A serial cable is provided with each RideTraXX. This input is a standard DB-9 male RS-232C connector, intended to be connected to a PC or control system using a straight-through (not nullmodem) 9-pin cable. The pinout appears below. Please refer to the Serial Protocol section for a list of control commands. Serial Connector Pinout Pin Function 2 TXD (data from RideTraXX) 3 RXD (data to RideTraXX) 5 Ground Ethernet RJ-45 UDP control uses port 2638.
Configuration DIP Switches Four small DIP switches on the side of the unit are used to configure various hardware related settings. NOTE: For units that are being installed in equipment racks, it’s a good idea to configure the DIP switches before installing the rack mount kit.
Factory Defaults (DIP 4) Activating this switch while the RideTraXX is booted will return the unit to its default (factory) state. These defaults are listed below. Factory Defaults Parameter Page 12 Default Value IP Address 192.168.0.254 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 Gateway 192.168.0.1 Nameserver (DNS) 127.0.0.1 NTP Server pool.ntp.
The Compact Flash Card Recommended Compact Flash Cards Included with your RideTraXX is a pre-formatted Compact Flash card. The formatting is a standard Microsoft FAT32 format, and any other card you use should be formatted as FAT32 using a PC. Alcorn McBride recommends SanDisk® brand of Compact Flash. For the latest list of compatible and recommended Compact Flash please visit: http://www.alcorn.com/library/appnotes/HowMuchFlash/index.
File Naming It is sometimes easiest to use the “numbered” style of file naming for MP3 files if you want to use the discrete inputs. Details about Playlists and Schedules are contained in separate chapters of this manual. A specific file naming convention is used so that the RideTraXX can identify the file type, as well as associate the supported file types with a number.
Playback Synchronous Playback RideTraXX is capable of sample synced audio playback on all 16 channels. To start synchronous playback, you first send search commands to queue each file on its desired output channel. Once all of your desired channels are searched(queued), sending an SP(Sync Play) or SL(Sync Loop) command will start playback of all searched files.
Stereo vs. Mono MP3 Playback RideTraXX is capable of up to 16 independent mono channels, but can also be used to play stereo MP3 files. When specifying playback of a stereo MP3 in a command, play the file to a channel pair (P1-P8) rather than an individual channel (C1-C16). RideTraXX will automatically send the left channel of the MP3 to the odd channel in the pair, and the right channel to the even channel in the pair. For example, sending command “myMonoFile.
Using the Crossfade Command There are two main steps to initiating a crossfade one a channel or set of channels: 1) Once the initial file(s) is playing, queue up the next file(s) using the “Background Search” command. 2) Initiate the crossfade using the Crossfade Command. The Crossfade command allows you to specify the length of the crossfade. A Crossfade Example Let‟s look at a scenario where you have two channels of synchronous audio playing on channel pairs 1 and 2.
Transferring Files via FTP In addition to transferring the files to the RideTraXX‟s compact flash card directly with your PC, RideTraXX has a built-in FTP server allowing for quick file transfers over Ethernet. The nameserver setting is used to resolve hostnames into IP addresses. If you will not be using domain names (for NTP server addresses, etc.) you need not change this value from the default. Page 18 Before using FTP, be sure that the network settings on your RideTraXX are configured correctly.
Control Methods For your convenience, Alcorn McBride distributes an application called AMI Terminal, which allows you to control the RideTraXX via RS-232 or Ethernet with the click of a button. This free application can be obtained at http://www.alcorn.com/support/software.html. Serial Control The RideTraXX can be controlled using the male DB-9 RS-232 connector on the rear panel.
Discrete Input Control The RideTraXX has a total of 8 discrete inputs on the rear of the unit which can be set to accept Voltage Input (12-24VDC) or Contact Closure. Voltage Input or Contact Closure is selected by configuration dipswitch #2 on the side of the RideTraXX chassis. See the Configuration Dipswitch section of this manual for configuration details. When configured for contact closure, an input is triggered when a connection is made between the positive and negative terminals of that input.
TraXX Configuration Software TraXX Config can be downloaded from http://www.alcorn.com/s upport/software.html TraXX Config allows you to easily group inputs together, assign them to specific playback or operational commands, and configure them for active-on or active-off operation. Manage Input Groups By default, the 8 discrete inputs on the RideTraXX act individually and are constrained to a total of 8 separate operations – one for each input.
In the TraXX Config program select Input Groups to open this window: Select one of the Groups and click Edit Selected Group to assign inputs to that group. For this example we have assigned Inputs 1-4 to Group #1. Click OK to save the assignments. Page 22 March 20, 2013 • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Manage Channel Groups You can have a total of 13 Channel Groups in the RideTraXX. Channel Groups allow you to control multiple audio channels using a single input or Serial/Ethernet command. In the TraXX Config program select Channel Groups to open this window: Select a Group and click Edit Selected Group to assign channels to that group. For this example we have assigned channels 9-16 to Group #1. Click OK to save the assignments. March 20, 2013 • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Add/Edit Event Now for the fun part! Click on Add to add a trigger event to one of the inputs, buttons, or input groups. The Add/Edit Event window will appear. Select One of the 8 Rear Inputs (note: any inputs previously assigned to Input Groups will not appear in the list) OR Select One of the Input Groups (if any are assigned) OR Select “Device Powered On” to make event happen on bootup. The best way to make the RideTraXX to play a file on startup is to select the Device Powered On Trigger Type.
Playlist Control You can have a total of 17 simultaneouslyrunning playlists in the RideTraXX. One system playlist plus one per channel. Playlists provide a mechanism for the RideTraXX to automatically execute commands in a predefined sequence. Since Playlists can execute any of the commands listed in the Command Protocol section, they can perform a variety of functions.
Special Playlist Commands In addition to regular RideTraXX commands listed in the Command Protocol section, there are a few additional commands for the Playlist Control interface. These single-character commands further modify the behavior of the playlists to provide additional features that only apply to the Playlist Control interface of the RideTraXX. These characters and their functions are listed in the following table: Command Description W Wait.
Example Playlist Here‟s an example playlist that will be discussed in detail below to explain the concept of how playlists work in the RideTraXX. 1C1PL ;You can comment your Playlist file using 6P2LP ;semicolons. All text after a semicolon is 3G2PL ;ignored until the end of the line where a ;carriage return is encountered. 5P1PL < The first command, which is “1C1PL”, causes the RideTraXX to play file #1 to channel #1.
Playlist Builder For convenience, Alcorn McBride provides a free Windows application for making playlists using a graphical interface. This program is called Playlist Builder, and it can be downloaded from the software section the Alcorn McBride website at http://www.alcorn.com/support/software.html Here is a step-by-step guide to get started making playlists with Playlist Builder. Page 28 1. Open the Playlist Builder application 2. Select “RideTraXX” in the list of supported devices and click OK. 3.
Scheduler Control For an easy way to make a schedule, use Schedule Builder available at http://www.alcorn.com/s upport/software.html If you plan on using the Scheduler, you should verify that the RideTraXX’s time, date, timezone, and daylight savings mode are set correctly. The RideTraXX has a built-in real-time clock, which can be used to trigger events based on time and/or date.
actual file name. If you are using the compact flash card that shipped inside your RideTraXX, select „By Number‟ and enter the number „1‟ in the field. Page 30 5. Select the time and date you wish to execute the command in the Start Date/Time section on the right side of this screen. 6. If you only want the command to be executed once, just click OK. However, if you want the command to be repeated (say every hour or every day) you can specify that in the repeat box on the right side of the screen.
7. Click OK and the event will be added to the schedule. March 20, 2013 8. In this screen, you are free to Add/Edit/Delete Scheduled events as needed. 9. Once you are finished creating the schedule, all you need to do is save the schedule file as schedule.scl and copy it to the RideTraXX‟s Compact Flash card. • Alcorn McBride RideTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Command Protocol The Serial, Ethernet, Playlist, and Scheduler control interfaces use the Pioneer Alcorn McBride Enhanced protocol. This section discusses the most commonly used commands in detail. The protocol is ASCII-based. Upper or lower case characters can be used interchangeably. All commands and responses are terminated with the Carriage Return character. This character is represented by the hexadecimal value of 0x0D. Playback Commands These commands control the playback operation of the RideTraXX.
Play - PL Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to play a sound file. Command Bytes: PL or ""PL Parameters: is the ASCII file number between 0-99999 is the ASCII file name is either C followed by a channel number in ASCII, P followed by a channel pair number in ASCII, or G followed by a channel group number in ASCII is either U for uninterruptible playback or I for interruptible playback. This parameter is optional.
Sync Play - SP Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to start synchronous playback of searched files on the specified channel pair or channel group. If no channel pair or channel group is specified, it will start synchronous playback of all searched channels. Synchronous playback will begin 3 seconds after the SP command is received (+/- 10ms). During the 3 seconds between receipt of command and start of playback, all audio outputs will be silent.
Background Search - BS Description: This command is used to queue a file on a channel pair in preparation for a crossfade. Upon issuing a crossfade command, the file specified by this command will be crossfaded to. This command can only be issue while RideTraXX is in Crossfade Mode.
Search - SE Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to preload a file to a specific Channel, Channel Pair, or Channel Group. If the next Play or Loop command is sent without a sound number or file specified, the preloaded sound number specified by this command is used. This is especially useful for All Channel play commands, where you can leave the sound number unspecified, and the channel number is specified as „*‟.
Play Directory - PD Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to play the files located in a specified directory by automatically generating a playlist with the contents of the directory and starting the playlist on the specified channel, channel pair, or channel group. Command Bytes: "
"PD Parameters: is the directory path. Leave blank with no quotes for root directory.Pause - PA Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to pause playback of the specified Channel, Channel Pair or Channel Group.
Add Channels to Channel Group Description: This command will create a group from the specified channels. This allows you to control the grouped channels as one. Command Bytes: AC<#,#,#>GR Parameters: is the channel group number(1-16) <#,#,#> are the channels to be added to the group, separated by commas. (up to 16) Comments: To clear the group, issue the command with no channels listed after C Message Response: R Examples: Add channels 2,3,6 to Group 3. Clear group 6.
Playlists Play System Playlist Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to start a playlist as the system playlist (not tied to any particular channel). Command Bytes: PL or “”PL Parameters: is the ASCII playlist number between 0-99999 is the ASCII playlist file name Message Response: R Comments: Playlists named ply00000.lst will automatically be started as the system playlist on startup. Examples: Start playlist 3 as the system playlist Start playlist “cmds.
Control Commands These commands control some of the operational modes of the RideTraXX. Version Request Description: This command is used to request the operating system version. Command Bytes: ?V Message Response: RideTraXX x.x.x Where x.x.x is the current version of the installed firmware. Example: Get current version. ?V Soft Reset Description: This command issues a software reset to the unit. Command Bytes: XX Message Response: R Example: Reset Unit.
Mute/UnMute/Volume Control Description: This command causes the RideTraXX to mute, unmute, or set the volume level of the specified Channel, Channel Pair, or Channel Group.
Send String Description: This command sends an ASCII string from RideTraXX to the specified destination. Command Bytes: ""SS Parameters: is the string to be sent is the destination, one of: S – Serial U – UDP(over Ethernet) B – USB Serial is only required for UDP, and is the destination info in the form of: :: where,
Status Request Description: This command requests the status of the specified channel, channel pair, or channel group. Command Bytes: ?P Parameters: is either C followed by a channel number in ASCII, P followed by a channel pair number in ASCII, or G followed by a channel group number in ASCII Comments: If a channel group or channel pair status is requested, a status for each individual channel will be returned, separated by line breaks.
Completion Acknowledge Mode Description: This command is used to select the Completion Acknowledge mode. When the RideTraXX finishes playing a file, it can send a Completion Acknowledge response or trigger a command. There are 2 different completion acknowledge modes possible. This Completion Acknowledge Mode remains as long as the RideTraXX is powered. Note: The unit defaults to no completion acknowledge whenever the unit first powers up.
How To Update Firmware Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to update the RideTraXX‟s firmware. Do not update the firmware unless there is a specific need to do so. Standard Firmware Update 1. Download the latest firmware for the RideTraXX product from http://www.alcorn.com/support/firmware.html 2. Copy the new firmware file to your Compact Flash card. The file must be named “OS.NEW” if updating only one unit or “FACTORY.NEW” if updating multiple units using the same CF card.
Troubleshooting Guide Q: Triggering using the discrete inputs, the unit does not execute the assigned command. A: Verify that the Voltage/Contact Closure DIP switch is properly configured. Q: I‟ve copied several files from my PC onto a Compact Flash, but they do not play. A: The Compact Flash may have been pre-formatted in a way that is incompatible with the RideTraXX operating system. Be sure you have saved your files, then format the card as Microsoft FAT32. Q: Audio playback is too fast or too slow.
Specifications Audio Playback Time: Controls: Connectors: Front Panel: Power: Physical: Compliance: Page 48 Tracks: 16 Mono or 8 Stereo, Synchronous Format: MPEG-1 Part 3 (or simply, MP3) defined in ISO/IEC-11172-3 Maximum Bitrate: 192kbps for 8 simultaneous stereo, 128kbps for 16 simultaneous mono Sample Rate: 44.1Khz or 48Khz DAC Resolution: 16 Bits Frequency Response: 10 to 20 Khz +/-0.1 dB (dependent on MP3 encoding) Line Output Level: Unbalanced, 1.
Index AMI Terminal, 19 Bitrates, 13 Channel Encoding, 13 Command Protocol, 32 Communication LED, 5 Compact Flash, 5, 13 Completion Acknowledge Mode, 45 Configuration DIP Switches, 11 Control Commands, 41 Control Methods, 19 Defaults, 12 DIP Switch Ground Lift, 11 Discrete Input Control, 20 Ethernet Control, 19 File Access LED, 5 file naming, 14 Firmware, 46 front panel, 5 FTP, 12, 18 Gateway, 11, 12, 18 Ground Lift, 11 interruptible, 15 IP Address, 12, 18 ISO/IEC-11172-3, 13 Loop Play, 33 Manage Channel Gro
