8 TraXX/E Eight Independent Stereo MP3 Players User’s Guide
Page ii January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this manual, and the reliability of the Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E 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 2 January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Table of Contents Welcome! ________________________________________________________________________ 6 Features _________________________________________________________________________ 6 Technical Support _________________________________________________________________ 8 Getting Started ____________________________________________________________________ 9 In the Box ______________________________________________________________________ 9 Playing a Test Sound _______________________________________________
Playlist Control ________________________________________________________________ 28 Overview ____________________________________________________________________ 28 Special Playlist Commands ______________________________________________________ 29 Example Playlist ______________________________________________________________ 30 Playlist Builder _______________________________________________________________ 31 Scheduler Control ______________________________________________________________ 32 Schedule Fi
Welcome! Thank you for purchasing The Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E™. The 8TraXX/E replaces CD and solid state audio players in permanent audio playback installations, providing hours of high-quality, maintenance-free digital audio. The 8TraXX/E lets you play eight independent stereo tracks from a single, economical rack-mount unit. It’s perfect for museums, interactive displays, and background music or effects. Each track can be individually triggered by a number of methods.
January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Technical Support You can obtain technical support or other information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming your Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E from several sources: Page 8 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) January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
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 8TraXX/E play some audio right away. We’ll start with a few easy steps to show you how to play audio from the 8TraXX/E straight out of the box! ** IMPORTANT NOTE: THE 8TRAXX/E IS NOT DESIGNED FOR AND SHOULD NEVER BE USED TO PLAY SAFETY-RELATED ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Playing a Test Sound Every 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E to a set of powered speakers or to the input to an amplifier. Connect to amplifier or powered speakers Page 10 • Power the 8TraXX/E using the included power supply.
Replacing an Older 8TraXX Model Control By default, the 8TraXX/E uses an advanced command set to take advantage of its new features and flexibility. If you are replacing an older 8TraXX model and wish to continue using the older command set, use the LCD menu of the 8TraXX/E to turn on “Legacy Mode”. Your 8TraXX/E will now function like an older model 8TraXX. Compact Flash The 8TraXX/E uses a FAT32 formatted compact flash card.
Channel Status LEDs Front Panel Channel Status LEDs activate whenever a channel is playing (Green) or muted (Red) or paused (Orange). Input LEDs Input LEDs will illuminate Green whenever the corresponding rear panel input is activated. Mute All Button A pushbutton on the far right of the front panel causes all channels to mute. Pressing the button once causes all channels to mute. Pressing it again causes all channels to unmute.
LCD and Menu Knob The Menu Knob is used to navigate through an LCD menu in which you can configure your 8TraXX/E. 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 RCA jacks for 8 stereo channels of unbalanced audio, parallel control inputs, configuration DIP switches, serial and MIDI control connectors, an RJ45 network jack and the power input jack: Audio Outputs Eight sets of RCA jacks supply analog line-level stereo signals suitable for connection to a multi-channel amplifier or powered loudspeakers. Discrete Control Inputs Eight discrete inputs can be programmed in a variety of ways to operate the unit.
MIDI In The 5-pin DIN connector is used for MIDI control. The 8TraXX/E uses standard control change MIDI command protocol. Please refer to the Serial Protocol section of the manual for a list of commands. Ethernet RJ-45 UDP control uses port 2638. FTP uses TCP ports 20, 21. This is a standard RJ-45 jack used to connect the 8TraXX/E to a network. Control (UDP), file transfer (FTP), and time (NTP) protocols are supported. Network settings can be configured using the front panel menu. NTP uses UDP port 123.
Firmware Recovery Mode (DIP 3, Unlabeled) This switch boots the 8TraXX/E in a recovery mode in which you can update the firmware. Use this mode to update to a working firmware version if a regular firmware update fails (due to power failure during update, corrupt firmware file, etc.) Factory Defaults (DIP 4) Activating this switch while the unit is booted returns the unit to its default (factory) state. These defaults are listed below. Factory Defaults Parameter Default Value IP Address 192.168.0.
The Compact Flash Card Recommended Compact Flash Cards Included with your 8TraXX/E 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.
Details about Playlists and Schedules are contained in separate chapters of this manual. File Type File Naming Style MP3 Audio File (numbered) SNDnnnnn.MP3 MP3 Audio File (named) any-filename.MP3 Playlist PLYnnnnn.LST Schedule SCHEDULE.SCL Files can be referenced in commands by their full filename or their file number. The file number is determined by the 5-digit ‘nnnnn’ portion of the file name.
Transferring Files via FTP In addition to transferring the files to the 8TraXX/E’s compact flash card directly with your PC, 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E are configured correctly.
Additional Features LCD Status Display You can choose from three different home screen status displays via the LCD menu on your 8TraXX/E. Entering the main menu and choosing System->Panel->Home Screen, you can choose from Clock, Ch. Status, and All Ch. Status. 8TraXX/E defaults to the Ch. Status home screen. Clock: Displays the current system time. Ch. Status: Cycles through the channel pairs, showing the current status as one of the following: (Playing, Stopped, Paused).
Control Methods For your convenience, Alcorn McBride distributes an application called AMI Terminal, which allows you to control the 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E can be controlled using the male DB-9 RS-232 connector on the rear panel.
Discrete Input Control The 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E 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 www.alcorn.com. 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. Groups are arranged into two different types: Input Groups and Channel Groups. Manage Input Groups By default, the 8 discrete inputs on the 8TraXX/E act individually and are constrained to a total of 8 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 1-4 to Group #1. Click Save to save the assignments. Page 24 January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Manage Channel Groups You can have a total of 8 Channel Groups in the 8TraXX/E. 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 channel pairs 6-8 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 8 Front Panel Buttons OR Select One of the 8 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” make to make event happen on bootup.
In the Event field you specify exactly what action you want the Event to perform. You can have it play a file or you can specify a Custom Command, where you can use any command out of the Command Reference in this manual. The Configuration File is named “CONFIG.LST” which the 8TraXX/E always loads on startup. January 8, 2014 Click Add once you’ve finished making your choices and the trigger will be added to the 8TraXX/E configuration file. Now you need to save your file.
Playlist Control You can have a total of 9 simultaneouslyrunning playlists in the 8TraXX/E. One system playlist plus one per channel pair. Playlists provide a mechanism for the 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E. 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 8TraXX/E. 1P1PL ;You can comment your Playlist file by using 6P2LP ;semicolons. All text after a semicolon is 3G1PL ;ignored until the end of the line where a ;carriage return is encountered. 5P1PL < The first command, which is “1P1PL”, causes the 8TraXX/E to play file #1 to channel pair #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. 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. Select “8-TraxxE” in the list of supported devices and click OK. 3.
Scheduler Control For an easy way to make a schedule, use Schedule Builder described on Page 38 available at http://www.alcorn.com If you plan on using the Scheduler, you should verify that the 8TraXX/E’s time, date, timezone, and daylight savings mode are set correctly. The 8TraXX/E has a built-in real-time clock, which can be used to trigger events based on time and/or date.
P: Repeat Period: Time to wait between executions, used with Repeat Number and Set when necessary S: Repeat Set: special case usage described below ; Although not a field, this marks a comment Example 1 T:13:46 D:01/1/2015 E:COMMAND 1:"1P2PL" 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.
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.
sunrise or sunset. In order to take advantage of sunrise/sunset calculations in the 8TraXX/E, 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 8TraXX/E. 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 simply means gets executed. You specify it in a variety of ways.
this: “Repeat this event every ”. Ex.“Repeat this event every 30 minutes”. 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.
in the 8TraXX/E, 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 8TraXX/E. 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.
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 38 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 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
7. Click OK and the event will be added to the schedule. Page 40 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 8TraXX/E’s Compact Flash card. January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
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. Certain commands were added in later firmware releases.
Play - PL Description: This command causes the 8TraXX/E to play a sound file to the specified channel pair or channel group. Command Bytes: PL or “”PL Parameters: is the ASCII file number between 0-99999 is the ASCII file name is either 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.
Play Toggle - PT Description: This command causes the 8TraXX/E to toggle playback of a file on the specified channel. If currently stopped, the file will play. If currently playing, the file will stop.
Examples: Search file 21 to Channel Pair 4. Search file 1 to Channel Group 12. Search file “music.mp3” to all channels 21P4SE 1G12SE "music.mp3"*SE Play Directory - PD Description: This command causes the 8TraXX/E 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.Comments: Channel Pair numbers range from 1 through 8, Channel Groups from 1 through 13, or use “*” for All Channels. Message Response: R Examples: Pause Channel Pair 2. Pause Channel Group 1. January 8, 2014 P2PA G1PA • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Stop - RJ Description: This command causes the 8TraXX/E to stop playback of the specified Channel Pair or Channel Group. Command Bytes: RJ Parameters: is either P followed by a channel pair number in ASCII or G followed by a channel group number in ASCII Comments: Channel Pair numbers range from 1 through 8, Channel Groups from 1 through 13, or use “*” for All Channels. Message Response: R Examples: Stop Channel Pair 2. Stop Channel Group 1.
Playlists Play System Playlist Description: This command causes the 8TraXX/E 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: Page 48 Stop the channel pair 2 playlist January 8, 2014 P2RJ • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Control Commands These commands control some of the operational modes of the 8TraXX/E. 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 8TraXX/E. 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 to request the operating system version. Command Bytes: ?V Message Response: 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E to mute, unmute, or set the volume level of the specified Channel Pair or Channel Group.
Send ‘State="Playing"\r’ to 192.168.0.254 port 2639 from port 2640: "State=\"Playing\"\r"U192.168.0.254:2639:2640SS Playing Status Request Description: This command requests the playing status of the specified channel, channel pair, or channel group.
Get Channel Group 2 Status G2?C Example Response: 2|yell.mp33|sing.mp34|hi.mp3 Get Channel 12 Status C12?C Example Response: 12|soundfx.mp3 January 8, 2014 • Alcorn McBride 8TraXX/E User’s Manual • Rev 2.
Completion Acknowledge Mode Description: This command is used to select the Completion Acknowledge mode. When the 8TraXX/E 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 8TraXX/E is powered. Note: The unit defaults to no completion acknowledge whenever the unit first powers up.
MIDI Control Protocol The 8TraXX/E may also be controlled using MIDI control change messages via the 5-pin DIN Connector. The data format is: 31250 Baud, No Parity, 8 bits, 1 Stop bit Unlike with parallel control, MIDI and RS232 control allow you to play any sound to any channel. The protocol is in accordance with MIDI Control Change protocol.
Error codes Error Code E00 E01 Description What to Do: Check your serial connections, baud rate, etc. Contact Factory. E11 Communication Error Hardware Error Invalid Command or Command Format Invalid Command Argument Media Not Present E12 Search Error E22 E99 System Busy Unspecified Error E04 E06 Page 56 Verify your command with the Command Protocol section. Verify your command with the Command Protocol section.
How To Update Firmware Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to update the 8TraXX/E’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 8TraXX/E 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 front panel LEDs do not turn on and 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 8TraXX/E operating system. Be sure you have saved your files, then format the card as Microsoft FAT32.
Specifications Audio Playback Time: Controls: Connectors: Front Panel: Power: Physical: Compliance: January 8, 2014 Tracks: 8 Stereo unbalanced Format: MPEG-1 Part 3 (or simply, MP3) defined in ISO/IEC-11172-3 Maximum Bitrate: 192kbps 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, 15 Channel Encoding, 15 Channel Status LEDs, 10 Command Protocol, 38 Communication LED, 10 Compact Flash, 9, 15 Completion Acknowledge Mode, 48 Configuration DIP Switches, 13 Control Commands, 44 Control Methods, 19 Defaults, 14 DIP Switch Ground Lift, 13 Discrete Input Control, 20 discrete inputs, 12 Error codes, 50 Ethernet Control, 19 File Access LED, 10 file naming, 15 Firmware, 51 front panel, 9 FTP, 14, 17 Gateway, 13, 14, 17 Ground Lift, 13 Input LEDs, 10 interruptibl
