Control Center Control for CobraNet Devices User Manual Date 07/15/2013 Revision 07 Attero Tech, LLC 1315 Directors Row, Suite 107, Ft Wayne, IN 46808 Phone 260-496-9668 • Fax 260-496-9879 614-00002-07
Control Center User Manual Contents 1 – Overview ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 – How to Use Attero Tech’s Control Center ....................................................................................................................... 1 2 – Installing the Software............................................
Control Center User Manual 1 – Overview Attero Tech Control Center is an easy to use configuration and monitoring application for CobraNet devices. As well as being usable for configuring the generic parameters of any CobraNet device, such as the bundle setup for audio routing or serial bridge functionality, it also includes device specific setup for Attero Tech products such as the VoiceBox 4 I/O and the InBox and OutBox products.
Control Center User Manual 2 – Installing the Software *Note: It is recommended that the installation instructions be read prior to attempting installation of the software. 2.1 – PC Requirements o o o Windows 2000, XP, Vista (32- or 64-bit) or Windows 7 (32- or 64-bit) SNMP services installed and enabled (some versions of Windows 2000 may have SNMP disabled) 10/100 Mbit/s wired Ethernet Network Interface Card 2.
Control Center User Manual At this point, Windows may pop up a User Access Account window. If it does, click the “Yes” button to allow the installation to continue. The installer will then begin copying files and display the progress of the installation. After this process is successfully completed, click “Close”. The installation will create a program group and various shortcuts including one to run the program.
Control Center User Manual 3 – Running the Application Control Center runs in one of two modes. There is an online mode (called normal mode) and an offline mode (called demo mode). For configuring devices on a live CobraNet network, normal mode must be used.
Control Center User Manual 3.2 – The Main Form The installation adds a program folder to the programs menu. To start the application, locate the Control Center icon under Start->All Programs->Attero Tech and click on the Control Center icon. When the application starts, a brief splash screen is shown before the main window appearsError! Reference source not found..
Control Center User Manual Demo Mode Normal Mode MatchBox Configuration No Yes MatchBox Monitor setup No Yes Device Configuration Yes (*) Yes Save device Settings Yes Yes Load device settings Yes (**) Yes (*) Device Configuration – In normal mode, changes to controls are sent to the device. In demo mode, controls can be changed but they have no affect on anything other than to set a level which can then be saved.
Control Center User Manual 3.3.2.1 – IP Auto Assignment *Note: The CobraNet protocol does not require each device is allocated an IP address. Once configured, audio will pass between devices whether the devices have been allocated an IP address. This is because CobraNet audio transfers are done just using device MAC addresses. However, in order to configure a CobraNet device, it must be assigned an IP address. In order to be configured, each CobraNet device must have an IP address.
Control Center User Manual 3.4 – Main Form Functions Figure 3 - Main Window with Devices The upper part of the window is the device list. In online mode, this list will be populated as devices are detected on the active network connection. In demo mode, this list is artificially generated with one of each of the different products Attero makes. Each device in the device list has an icon next to it.
Control Center User Manual parameters to be reset back to the settings the selected device has stored. Any on-screen changes can thus be undone by clicking the Reset button as long as the changes have not been already applied to the device. *Note: Any changes not applied will be overwritten if the Reset button is clicked. Changes to parameters will also be lost if a different device is selected before any changes are applied. 3.4.
Control Center User Manual 3.4.4 – Configuring System Parameters *Note: Not available in demo mode, The System tab allows modification of various CobraNet system parameters on the selected device. Figure 5 - Main Form System Tab The Persistence check box shows if the device has persistence enabled or not. With this setting checked, the device will remember any changes to the settings that are applied.
Control Center User Manual 3.4.6 – Device Firmware Update *Note: Not available in demo mode, The firmware update option allows Control Center to apply new CobraNet firmware to an Attero Tech device. The firmware update feature is accessed by right clicking on a device and selecting the Firmware Update option. The feature is limited to Attero Tech products only. New firmware files for Attero Tech devices are only available from Attero Tech.
Control Center User Manual 4 – Bundles Bundles are the method by which audio is routed around a CobraNet network. Some notes on bundles are included in the relevant sections but for further information on audio routing and bundles in CobraNet, see the Introduction to CobraNet in Error! Reference source not found. and the reference documents listed in APPENDIX B. The Control Center main form shows an overview of the bundle setup by displaying the bundle numbers a device is transmitting and receiving.
Control Center User Manual 4.2 – Transmit Bundles The bundle transmitter setup tab (see Figure 10) contains all the parameters to set up a devices bundle transmitters. Edit boxes containing the bundle number used for each bundle transmitter are shown at the top. Below these, the submap grid shows which audio channels are allocated to a bundle. The number in the top right hand corner of each cell is the sample bit depth.
Control Center User Manual 4.2.1 – Notes on Transmit Bundles Setting the correct bundle number for the mode is vitally important. The bundle number should be set based on the transmission type. If the bundle is going to be unicast or multi-unicast, the bundle number should be between 256 and 65279. For multicast bundles, the bundle number should be between 1 and 255.
Control Center User Manual 4.3 – Receiver Setup Figure 12 -Bundle receiver setup The Receiver Setup tab is show in (Figure 13). Like the transmitter tab, bundle edit boxes for each bundle receiver are given above the submap grid. The values in the receiver submap grid represent which of the incoming audio streams from a bundle are assigned to the devices CobraNet inputs. Clicking on a bundle edit box or on a cell in the submap grid will select the item so it can be edited.
Control Center User Manual 4.3.1 – Notes on Receive Bundles The submaps in the receiver submap grid work a little differently to those in the transmit submap grid. Each CobraNet input is assigned a number. The value 33 represents input 1, 34 represents input 2 and so on. However, unlike the transmit grid, each CobraNet input can only receive a single stream.
Control Center User Manual 5 – MatchBox Controls MatchBox control is also part of Control Center. Two MatchBox features are available. They are the MatchBox Device Configuration tool and the MatchBox Monitor tool. Both tools are accessed through the MatchBox Menu and are only useful if a MatchBox is plugged into a USB port on the machine running Control Center. Detailed instructions on their use are available in the MatchBox User Manual but notes are included here for completeness. 5.
Control Center User Manual 6 – Device Setup for Attero Tech Devices Certain CobraNet devices from Attero Tech, such as the VoiceBox 4 I/OP, DialogBox, and the InBox and OutBox products, utilize on-board DSP processing capabilities and contain additional configurable parameters not covered so far in this manual. Other devices such as the BoomBox NA4 and NA8 and the SquawkBox, don’t have any DSP but have specific controls unique to them.
Control Center User Manual 7 – Troubleshooting Ensure your software is the latest version. The latest released version can be obtained from the Control Center Download section of the Attero Tech website (www.atterotech.com). 7.1 – Network Setup Before beginning troubleshooting devices and software, it is worth first checking that the CobraNet Network is correctly constructed and connected.
Control Center User Manual “SNMP update Failed” message appears in the status bar o Check the device is still connected to the network.
Control Center User Manual APPENDIX A – Introduction to CobraNet CobraNet is an audio networking technology for delivery and distribution of real-time, high quality, uncompressed digital audio using a standard Ethernet network. It is implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and the CobraNet protocol. Unlike other audio networking or distribution technologies, CobraNet is a true network and exists on standard Ethernet networks using standard Ethernet hardware.
Control Center User Manual The modes are as follows: o Unicast – Used for one-to-one connections. In this mode, only one receiver at a time can receive this bundle. Once a link is established from this transmitted bundle to a receiver, any future requests for that bundle from other potential receivers will fail. o Multicast – Used for one-to-many connections. This mode broadcasts its contents over the entire network. There is no restriction on the number of receivers.
Control Center User Manual APPENDIX B – Reference Documents The following table lists the relevant reference documents. Document Title CobraNet Programmer’s Reference (Cirrus Logic) http://www.cobranet.info/en/support/cobranet/design/bundle_assignments.
