ProTraXX Sixteen Independent Mono MP3 Players 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 ProTraXX 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.
January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Table of Contents Welcome! ________________________________________________________________________ 6 Features _________________________________________________________________________ 6 Technical Support _________________________________________________________________ 7 Getting Started ____________________________________________________________________ 8 In the Box ______________________________________________________________________ 8 Playing a Test Sound _______________________________________________
Discrete Input Control __________________________________________________________ 25 Input Groups _________________________________________________________________ 25 TraXX Configuration Software ___________________________________________________ 26 Playlist Control ________________________________________________________________ 30 Overview ____________________________________________________________________ 30 Special Playlist Commands ______________________________________________________ 31 Example Pla
Index ___________________________________________________________________________ 62 Welcome! Thank you for purchasing The Alcorn McBride ProTraXX™. The ProTraXX replaces CD and solid state audio players in permanent audio playback installations, providing hours of high-quality, maintenance-free digital audio. The ProTraXX lets you play sixteen independent mono tracks from a single, economical rack-mount unit. It’s perfect for museums, interactive displays, and background music or effects.
Technical Support You can obtain technical support or other information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming your Alcorn McBride ProTraXX from several sources: January 8, 2014 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) • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX play some audio before you dive in to all of that. Below are a few easy steps to show you how to play audio from the ProTraXX right out of the box! ** IMPORTANT NOTE: THE PROTRAXX IS NOT DESIGNED FOR AND SHOULD NEVER BE USED TO PLAY SAFETY-RELATED ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Playing a Test Sound Every ProTraXX 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. • Connect a channel of the ProTraXX to a set of powered speakers or to the input to an amplifier. Connect to amplifier or powered speakers January 8, 2014 • Power the ProTraXX using the included power supply.
Front Panel Controls and Indicators The ProTraXX includes controls to accommodate a wide variety of installations. The front panel incorporates a 2x16 LCD display and Menu Knob, a blue power indicator, sixteen channel control pushbuttons, a Mute pushbutton, media status/error indicator, a GPS status indicator, channel status and rear input indicators, and a Compact Flash slot. All front panel controls can be locked using a PIN number for systems requiring tamper-free operation.
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. The LED will turn Red if an error condition exists. File Access LED Behavior File Access LED Color LED Meaning Off Off Idle On Green Media activity (Playing, file transfer, etc.
LCD and Menu Knob The Menu Knob is used to navigate through an LCD menu used to configure the operational parameters of the ProTraXX. Details of each of these parameters are explained in the sections that follow. Main Menu Audio Master Volume (0-100) Sample Rate (Auto, First Det, 44.
Rear Panel Controls and Connectors The rear panel includes Phoenix type connectors for 16 mono channels of balanced audio outputs, parallel control inputs, configuration DIP switches, microphone phantom power dipswitch, serial control connector, 6-pin miniDIN GPS connector, RJ45 network jack, stereo line inputs, 5-pin XLR microphone connector, and the power input jack: Audio Outputs Phoenix type screw terminals supply analog line-level balanced audio suitable for connection to a multi-channel amplifier or
GPS In The 6-pin mini-DIN connector is used for GPS connection. When a valid GPS source is connected and satellite lock is achieved, ProTraXX will use the GPS time to set the system clock once an hour. While using GPS to sync the system clock, make sure the time zone and daylight savings time mode is properly set on the unit. The ProTraXX accepts a standard NMEA0183 data stream at 4800 baud. Note: NTP time update must be disabled for GPS time updates to occur.
Ethernet RJ-45 UDP control uses port 2638. This is a standard RJ-45 jack used to connect the ProTraXX to a network. Control (UDP), file transfer (FTP), and time (NTP) protocols are supported. Network settings can be configured using the front panel menu. FTP uses TCP ports 20, 21. NTP uses UDP port 123. Configuration DIP Switches Four small DIP switches near the power connector are used to configure the unit.
Factory Defaults (DIP 4) Activating this switch returns the unit to its default (factory) state. These defaults are listed below. Factory Defaults Parameter 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.
Power The power input is a 2.5x5.5x10mm threaded barrel connector with center pin (+) and the outer rim (-). The ProTraXX requires 9-36VDC at approximately 2 Amps. An external 115 or 230 VAC power supply is provided with the unit. January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
The Compact Flash Card Recommended Compact Flash Cards Included with your ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX can identify the file type, as well as associate the supported file types with a number.
Playback Interruptible versus Uninterruptible Operation In a play command, you can specify uninterruptible playback, meaning that repeated play requests will not cause the sound to start over from the beginning while playing. An example of where this might be used is in a museum kiosk, where a guest trips a break-beam sensor to start an audio presentation. The audio will continue playing through, even though the guest might continually trip the sensor while listening to the presentation.
Transferring Files via FTP In addition to transferring the files to the ProTraXX’s compact flash card directly with your PC, ProTraXX 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. January 8, 2014 Before using FTP, be sure that the network settings on your ProTraXX are configured correctly.
Additional Features Microphone Paging Using the rear microphone input of ProTraXX, you can page to any channel, channel pair, or channel group. The channel/group of channels that ProTraXX will route the microphone to is called the paging zone. The paging zone can be changed with an Ethernet or serial control command, or a command triggered by a rear input. Paging can be triggered by any input, including the push-to-talk input on the ProTraXX’s 5-pin XLR mic input.
Spot Logging ProTraXX includes spot logging capability which records the time and date when a file is played. This log data is saved to the Compact Flash as a comma-separated values file, viewable in any spreadsheet program or text editor. The file will be named “log.csv”. The maximum file size of the log file is 2Mb. Once your log file reaches this size limit, it will be renamed “log_old.csv” and a new “log.csv” file will be started. Once the new “log.
Control Methods For your convenience, Alcorn McBride distributes an application called AMI Terminal, which allows you to control the ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX can be controlled using the male DB-9 RS-232 connector on the rear panel.
Discrete Input Control The ProTraXX has a total of 16 discrete inputs on the rear of the unit each of which individually configured to accept Voltage Input (12-24VDC) or Contact Closure. Voltage Input or Contact Closure for each input can be configured using TraXX Config, the TraXX configuration software. 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/ support/software.html TraXX Config allows you to easily group inputs together, assign them to specific playback or operational commands, and configure them for activeon or active-off operation. Manage Input Groups By default, the 16 discrete inputs on the ProTraXX act individually and are constrained to a total of 16 separate operations – one for each input.
In the TraXX Config program select Manage 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 1-12 to Group #1. Click Save to save the assignments. January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Manage Channel Groups You can have a total of 13 Channel Groups in the ProTraXX. Channel Groups allow you to control multiple audio channels using a single input or Serial/Ethernet command. In the TraXX Config program select Manage 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 Save to save the assignments.
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 16 Front Panel Buttons OR Select One of the 16 Rear Panel Buttons (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 the event happen on bootup.
Playlist Control You can have a total of 17 simultaneouslyrunning playlists in the ProTraXX. One system playlist plus one per channel.. Playlists provide a mechanism for the ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX. 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 ProTraXX. 1C1PL ;You can comment your Playlist file by 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 ProTraXX 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. January 8, 2014 1. Open the Playlist Builder application 2.
Scheduler Control For an easy way to make a schedule, use Schedule Builder available at http://www.alcorn.com If you plan on using the Scheduler, you should verify that the ProTraXX’s time, date, timezone, and daylight savings mode are set correctly. The ProTraXX has a built-in real-time clock, which can be used to trigger events based on time and/or date.
; Although not a field, this marks a comment Example 1 T:13:46 D:01/1/2015 E:COMMAND 1:"1C12PL" This is the simplest possible example because it contains the minimum number of fields needed to execute a scheduled event. Notice that the example occupies only one line of text, and that each field is separated by a space. In order, this is exactly what each field means.
Example 3 T:14:46 D:01/1/2015 R:30 P:minute A:1/3/2010 I:3:00 E:COMMAND 1:"1P2PL” We’ve now added: Repeat Number(R): 30 Repeat Period(P): minute Ending Time(I): 3am in the morning (3:00 military) Ending Date(A): January 3rd 2015 The Repeat Number acts as a multiplier of the Repeat Period. They should be read in conjunction like this: “Repeat this event every 30 minutes”. The Ending Time and Ending Date fields specify the time and date that the repeating will stop.
in the ProTraXX, you need to determine you longitude, latitude, and time zone. All three of these settings can be configured remotely using the Command Protocol of the ProTraXX. Example: T:13:30 T:Sunrise T:Sunset D: Start Date The Start Date is the month, day, and year your event becomes active. For most cases being active simple means gets executed. You specify it in a variety of ways. You can use periods, slashes, or dashes to separate the fields of the dates.
The repeat number can be anywhere from 1 to over 4 billion. You can specify repeating a number of minutes, which is why this is so huge. Realistically though, you would specify repeating in years, if it got that large. Whatever combination you choose between Repeat Number and Repeat Period should not multiply out to be greater than a century. Example: R:1 ;do it every period R:117 ;do it every 117 periods 2. With a Repeat Set field present: The Repeat Number and the Repeat Period become an index of the set.
Examples: R:Sunday R:year R:sunset I: Repeat Set Using the Repeat Set field changes the way Repeat Number and Repeat Period operate. Together they act as an index into the Repeat Set. Please read the Repeat Number section above, for a detailed explanation of the different behaviors they take on when the Repeat Set field is present. For example, in order to create a monthly schedule, you can specify the Repeat Set as month.
Schedule Builder To make creating schedules more convenient, Alcorn McBride provides a free Windows application for making schedules using a graphical interface. This program is called Schedule 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 schedules with Schedule Builder. Page 40 1. Open the Schedule Builder application 2.
January 8, 2014 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. For the sake of this example, we are going to repeat this command every hour. • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
7. Click OK and the event will be added to the schedule. Page 42 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 ProTraXX’s Compact Flash card. January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride ProTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.
Command Protocol The Serial, Ethernet, Playlist, and Scheduler control interfaces use the Pioneer Alcorn McBride Enhanced protocol. This protocol implements nearly all of the Pioneer Laser Disc player command set, but adds commands to access advanced features of the ProTraXX as well. This section discusses the most commonly used commands in detail. The protocol is ASCII-based. Upper or lower case characters can be used interchangeably.
Play - PL Description: This command causes the ProTraXX 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.
1G12LP "music.mp3"*LP Play and loop file 1 to Channel Group 12. Play and loop file “music.mp3” to all channels Play Toggle - PT Description: This command causes the ProTraXX to toggle playback of a file on the specified channel. If currently stopped, the file will play. If currently playing, the file will stop.
Play Directory - PD Description: This command causes the TourTraXX 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.Search - SE Description: This command causes the ProTraXX to preload a file to a specific 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 ‘*’.
Stop - RJ Description: This command causes the ProTraXX to stop playback of the specified Channel Pair or Channel Group. Command Bytes: RJ 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: Channel numbers range from 1 through 16, Channel Pairs from 1 through 8, and Channel Groups from 1 through 13. Use “*” for All Channels.
Aux Input to Channels Description: This command will route the audio being received on the ProTraxx’s auxiliary inputs to the specified channel, channel pair, or channel group. Command Bytes: CLPL 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: Channel numbers range from 1 through 16, Channel Pairs from 1 through 8, and Channel Groups from 1 through 13.
Playlists Play System Playlist Description: This command causes the ProTraXX 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.
Examples: P2RJ Stop the channel pair 2 playlist Paging Commands Set Paging Zone Description: This command sets the channel, channel pair, or channel group that the microphone is routed to when the paging trigger is activated or a start paging command is received.
Examples: Set the microphone PTT button to be the paging trigger. Set rear input #3 to be the paging trigger. Set front panel button #12 to be the paging trigger. TKZN TI3ZN TB12ZN Start Paging Description: This command routes the microphone input to the specified paging zone. Paging will continue until a “Stop Paging” command is received. If using the paging trigger to initiate microphone paging, this command is not required. Command Bytes: BZN Minimum OS Version: TraXXOS 1.2.
Control Commands These commands control some of the operational modes of the ProTraXX. Other operational modes and unit configuration can be accomplished by using the LCD menu system on the front panel. Keylock Enable Description: This command is used to disable the front panel buttons of the ProTraXX. Command Bytes: BKL Parameters: is 0 to disable buttons, 1 to enable buttons. Message Response: R Examples: Lock front panel buttons.
Version Request Description: This command is used request the operating system version. Command Bytes: ?V Message Response: ProTraXX x.x.x Where x.x.x is the current version of the installed firmware. Example: Get current version. ?V Note: The firmware version can also be obtained from the LCD menu. 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 ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX 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.
Get Channel 12 Status Example Response: 12|soundfx.mp3 C12?C Completion Acknowledge Mode Description: This command is used to select the Completion Acknowledge mode. When the ProTraXX 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 ProTraXX 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 operational 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 ProTraXX 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: Using the discrete inputs, the front panel LEDs do not turn on and the unit does not play. A: Verify that the Voltage/Contact Closure setting 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 ProTraXX 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: January 8, 2014 Tracks: 16 Mono or 8 Stereo 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.
Index AMI Terminal, 24 Bitrates, 18 Channel Encoding, 18 Channel Status LEDs, 10 Command Protocol, 43 Communication LED, 11 Compact Flash, 10, 18 Completion Acknowledge Mode, 58 Configuration DIP Switches, 15 Control Commands, 53 Control Methods, 24 Defaults, 16 DIP Switch Ground Lift, 15 Discrete Input Control, 25 discrete inputs, 13 Ethernet Control, 24 File Access LED, 11 file naming, 19 Firmware, 59 front panel, 10 FTP, 16, 21 Gateway, 15, 16, 21 Ground Lift, 15 Input LEDs, 10 interruptible, 20 IP Addre
