User manual

ChamSys Ltd www.chamsys.co.uk
MagicQ User Manual 111 Version 1.3.0.0
The MagicQ console and MagicQ PC software supports the use of a serial port for controlling external
devices, such as CD or DVD players, video or automation computers.
18 External Interfaces
18.1 Serial port communication
The serial port can also be used to remote control the MagicQ console or MagicQ PC software via a
simple set of text commands.
A standard male 9 pin D type connector is provided on MagicQ consoles. On MagicQ PC the
availability of a serial port will depend on the PC. Many modern laptops do not have a serial port –
however, USB to serial converters are readily available.
MagicQ supports standard baud rates, stop bits and parity options for serial communication.
The pin out is: Pin 2 RX, Pin 3 TX, Pin 5 GND. Note that on MagicQ consoles manufactured before
April 2006, there is a non standard wiring of the RS232 port. An adaptor is required to connect to
standard serial cables. In these consoles the following connections are made on the 9 way D type
connector: Pin 1 GND, Pin 3 TX, PIN 4 RX.
Note that the use of the serial port on MagicQ PC is only enabled when it is connected to a MagicQ PC
Wing.
18.1.1 Writing to the serial port
Commands are transmitted from the serial port by placing the command in the Macro field of the Cue
Stack window.
The format of serial commands is X followed by the data. To send serial data, the X command must be
the only macro command in the macro field. The X command is followed by ASCII data contained
within “ “ or ‘ ‘ or by decimal values separated by commas. For example to send Hello World followed
by a carriage return:
X”Hello World”,10,13
To send the binary data stream 00 01 02 03 04
X0,1,2,3,4
To send text only:
X”abcedf”
To send several lines of text:
X”Hello”,10,13,”World”,10,13