OPERATOR’S MANUAL MODEL VR240 AUDIO LOGGING RECORDER Eventide DVD VR240 R A M Digital Audio Logging Recorder DVD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 * 0 # R A M Channel Status 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Full Rec Play Rew FFwd Stop Eject Almost Full Phones Relay Fault Eventide, Inc. One Alsan Way Little Ferry, NJ 07643 United States of America www.eventide.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN FOR RELIABLE OPERATION OF THE VR240, PLEASE CLOSELY REVIEW THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES AND CHECKS Follow these recommendations in sequence to enhance the performance reliability of the VR240. This will prevent improper operation and malfunctions. • Check input power settings (paragraph 2-7). • Plan ahead for the installation of the VR240 in a convenient environment (paragraph 2-5). • Perform the following in sequence upon powerup: (1) Set the clock (paragraph 2-3.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Page INTRODUCTION 1-1 Section I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1-1 1-2 1-1 INTRODUCTION 1-1 CONFIGURATIONS 1-1 Section II. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION AND DATA 1-3 1-3.1 1-3.2 1-4 1-4.1 1-4.2 1-5 2 PURPOSE AND FEATURES 1-3 Purpose 1-3 Features 1-3 EQUIPMENT DATA 1-3 Weight and Dimensions 1-3 Power Requirement 1-4 ACCESSORIES AND OPTIONS 1-4 PREPARATION FOR USE AND INSTALLATION Section I. FAMILIARIZATION 2-1 2-2 2-2.1 2-2.2 2-2.3 2-3 2-3.1 2-3.2 2-3.3 2-3.4 2-3.5 2-3.6 2-3.7 2-3.8 2-3.
Chapter Page 2-8 2-8.1 2-8.2 2-8.3 2-8.4 2-8.5 INPUT OPTIONS 2-16 Connecting the Telephone Channel Inputs 2-17 Connecting the Audio Channel Inputs 2-17 Squelch Requirements 2-19 Audio Board Front End Options 2-20 Rear Panel Serial Port Connectors 2-20 Section III. FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND INDICATORS 2-9 2-10 2-11 3 VFD DISPLAY 2-21 DRIVES 2-22 SOFT KEYS AND FUNCTION KEYS 2-21 2-25 SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION 3-1 Section I.
Chapter Page Section III. SYSTEM INFORMATION 3-23 3-24 3-25 SYSTEM INFORMATION MEDIA INFORMATION DISK INFORMATION 3-25 3-22 3-22 3-23 Section IV. BOARD/CHANNEL CONFIGURATION 3-26 3-27 3-27.1 3-27.2 3-28 3-28.1 3-28.
Chapter Page 4-15 4-16 5 GENERAL OPERATION CONCLUSION 4-11 4-9 OPERATION 5-1 Section I. PREPARATION FOR OPERATION 5-1 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-3.1 5-3.2 GENERAL 5-1 MEDIA FORMATTING DDS DRIVE CLEANING Clean the DDS Drive 5-4 Reset the Cleaning Timers 5-1 5-3 5-4 Section II. TRANSPORT CONTROLS AND INDICATORS 5-4 5-5 TRANSPORT CONTROLS 5-6 TRANSPORT CONTROLS REACTION TIME 5-6 5-8 Section III.
Chapter Page 5-17.1 Channel Status LED Array During Playback 5-23 5-17.2 Display Status Indicators While Playing From The Internal Hard Disk 5-24 5-18 SEARCH AND PLAY FUNCTIONS 5-24 5-19 SIMULTANEOUS PLAY AND RECORD, AND RESUME 5-19 5-20 IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT WRITE-PROTECTION 5-28 5-21 AUXILIARY OPERATIONS: COPY AND MAKE INDEX 5-28 5-21.1 Copy 5-28 5-21.
Chapter Page APPENDIX E THE OPTIONAL LABEL PRINTER E-1 E-1 E-2 DESCRIPTION E-1 USER-DEFINED TITLE E-2 APPENDIX F THE STATUS PRINTER F-1 F-2 F-2.1 F-2.2 F-2.3 F-2.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Section I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1-1. INTRODUCTION. The Eventide VR240 Audio Logging Recorder is an enormous technological advance over the old-technology reel-to-reel loggers. The VR240 is more efficient and more convenient in almost every way. It uses less media, less electricity, and less space, yet it provides better quality and more features than previously possible.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder MODEL VR240, SERIAL NUMBER _______________________ NUMBER OF DRIVES 1 (Serial number and options information appears on the rear panel data plate.) DRIVE TYPE: ! 4MM DDS ! DVD-RAM ! 8MM EXABYTE 2 ! MAGNETO-OPTICAL FIRMWARE VERSION ______________________________ (On display during turn-on, accessible from the menus.) If your unit is not configured as desired, or if you should need to change the configuration in the future, drives and channels can be added easily.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section II. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION AND DATA 1-3. PURPOSE AND FEATURES. 1-3.1 Purpose. The VR240 Audio Logging Recorder is a multi-channel, full-featured digital logging system. The recorder archives voice files on DDS-2 or DDS-3 cassettes, or Rewriteable DVD-RAM. 1-3.2 Features. The VR240 has several features, capabilities, and options. • Converts all inputs to digital format and records them on DDS-2 or DDS-3 cassettes, or Rewriteable DVD-RAM.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 1-4. EQUIPMENT DATA. 1-4.1 Weight and Dimensions. 33 pounds (14.98 kg) 5 inches (127 mm) 16-7/8 inches (428.6 mm) 17-1/4 inches (438.2 mm) (with 1 inch (25.4 mm) additional extension for each handle) (rack ears for 19-inch rack mount) Depth (main frame) 17 inches (431.8 mm) Weight Height Width (main frame) Width (front panel) 1-4.2 Power Requirement. The VR240 is factory-configured for the line voltage of the country of installation.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHAPTER 2 PREPARATION FOR USE AND INSTALLATION Section I. FAMILIARIZATION 2-1. GENERAL. This section will familiarize you with the VR240. You will learn how to format media, monitor live communications, begin the record process, enable/disable channels for playback, adjust the speaker volume, and scroll between the two archive drives and the internal hard disk.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CH 8 TIP RING CH 7 TIP TIP RING CH 5 TIP RING CH 4 TIP CH 3 RING TIP CH 2 RING TIP CH 1 RING TIP Detail A (16 Pin Phoenix Connector) Pin 1 Detail A CH 6 RING RING Pin 16 SCSI SEE MANUAL FOR CONNECTION INSTRUCTION. ENABLED UPS DISABLED LINE OUT / RELAY EXT. SPEAKER 12 VDC PORT A PORT B PORT C PORT D CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-3 INITIAL TURN-ON. NOTE The VR240 is factory-configured for the line voltage of the country of installation. Fuse size is 2A, 250V. Refer to paragraph 2-7 for ensuring correct power. 2-3.1 Power. The VR240 does not have an ON/OFF switch. To apply power, first plug the power cord into the rear panel power connector. Next, plug the other end of the cord into a power outlet. The logger turns on and operates continuously when plugged in. 2-3.2 Self Test.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-3.4 Setting the System Clock. a. Press the Config soft key Upper: Not Ready Controls SysInfo b. 2-4 System Quit > Press the SetTime soft key CLOCK CONFIGURATION < SetTime TimeInput d. Config Press the Clock soft key. Upper: Not Ready < Clock Descriptors c. Drive TimeZone Quit > Determine what the time and date will be in about a minute. For example, if it were now 3:27 PM on the 29th of February 2000, the number for 3:28 PM would be “15:28:00 29FEB-00”.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder e. Wait for the second hand to come around to the minute and hit the Set soft key. (Or, if you made a mistake, hit Cancel and start over.) The clock is now set. If you are running on Greenwich Mean Time or UTC, you can set the clock to that instead of local time. To exit this menu without re-setting the time, press the Cancel soft key. NEW TIME: 15:28:15 29-Feb-00 Set Cancel NOTE The display will give you the time and date as stored in the VR240.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. Press the Board soft key CONFIGURATION: < AutoRec d. Trigger Board Quit Press the RecEnable soft key and you will see a display for board 1: CH1: followed by a mode description. CONFIGURATION BOARD 1: Chan 1-8 (Telephone) RecEnable < Vox NextBoard Quit e. > > Press Mode soft key and cycle through all the choices.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-3.6 Media Loading and Formatting. Before you can record on a drive, the media must be FORMATTED. This process writes an index and some machine-specific information on the media. The index is used to find specific times when searching, and also serves as a permanent identification if, for some reason, the physical label or box is missing. Recording will continue on the internal hard disk during the format process.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Press the > (next) soft key UPPER: Media unreadable < Controls GoTo c. Drive Config PrepMedia Press the Format soft key. PREPARE UPPER: Copy e. > Press the PrepMedia soft key. UPPER: Media unreadable < SysInfo MediaInfo d. Resume MakeIndex Format Quit The display will read ‘ERASE ALL DATA ON MEDIA – ARE YOU SURE?” Press the Yes softkey.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder To format the media in the other drive, press the Drive soft key until the VFD display reads “LOWER: Not ready,” then repeat the operation. (Both operations can be performed concurrently.) f. Now that the media in the drive is formatted, notice another characteristic of the VR240. The menus are sometimes dependent upon the state of the unit. The loading of media caused new menu choices to become available. 2-3.7 Recording to the Archive Drives. a.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder e. Then press the All soft key. CONTROLS: All f. Thru Enter Press the Enable soft key Monitoring: All channels disabled Enable Disable g. Done Done Press the number “1” on the keypad followed by the Enter soft key. Enter channel #: 1 All Thru Enter Done If your signal source is not on, turn it on now. The top row of LEDs on the Channel Status array serves as a level indicator.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-3.8 Adjust the speaker volume. a. Press the Done soft key. Monitoring: 1 Enable b. Done Press the Volume soft key. CONTROLS: Volume < c. Disable Monitor Lock Quit > Press the Speaker soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder d. Press the Lower or Higher key to decrease or increase the speaker volume. The increments are 0 (no volume) to 40 (maximum volume). To return to the VOLUME: screen, press the Done soft key. SPEAKER VOLUME: 15 Lower e. To quit this menu, press the > (next) soft key VOLUME: < Speaker f. Headphone Line Alarm > Press the Quit soft key twice.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-3.9 To put the VR240 in record. a. When you see UPPER: Ready, it means that the transport controls are active. To begin recording, press the Rec transport key located under the archive drives. UPPER: Ready < Controls b. GoTo Drive Resume > The display will ask you to confirm if you wish to record on the selected drive (look to see that the desired drive is displayed, if not, use the Drive soft key to select the appropriate drive. Then press the Record soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder It is possible to record on both drives simultaneously. You can do this either by selecting the non-recording drive with the Drive soft key and repeating the last three steps. Or, if both drives are loaded and positioned for recording (Ready), press the > (next) function key and then the DualRec soft key. NOTE You have now set up the VR240 so it will be able to do its job. The rest of the operation’s manual will be slightly less detailed.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section II. INSTALLATION 2-4. INTRODUCTION. This section describes the factors that must be considered in setting up the VR240 in your facility. Consideration of the appropriate physical location must be made for available power and audio sources. This includes connecting the unit to power, audio, and ancillary items (i.e., clock, label printer). 2-5. PLANNING. Identify and allocate the inputs to be used as the signal sources for the VR240.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-6. SYSTEM CONNECTION. Figure 2-1 shows the rear panel of the VR240. There can be up to three telephone or audio input connectors, depending upon the number of optional channel boards installed. Your primary job will be to connect the input channels to your signal sources. Additional tasks include providing power, audio output, and, if desired, PC remote control, and printer interface signals and connections. 2-7. POWER CONNECTION.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Figure 2-3. Voltage Selector Switch c. Replace the top cover as follows: (1) Position top cover on the top of the VR240. (2) Plug in speaker connector. (3) Install five #6 screws. (4) Install fifteen #4 screws. NOTE Connect signal sources and mount the VR240 prior to connecting the power source to the unit. Refer to initial turn-on (paragraph 23). 2-8. INPUT OPTIONS. Up to three input boards may be installed in each VR240 mainframe (see Figure 2-2).
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-8.1 Connecting the Telephone Channel Inputs. The connector comes with mating plugs. The mating plugs use crimp type screw terminals to secure the telephone lines (wires). The input impedance is 10kΩ.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Table 2-1.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-8.3 Squelch Requirements. A “high” is either an open circuit, or a voltage level greater than 4 volts. A “low” is either a contact closure to ground or a voltage level lower than 2 volts. 2-8.4 Audio Board Front-End Options.
6 Serial Chan. 2: RS-232 data channel # 2 2 Serial Chan. 1: RS-232 data channel # 1 7 1 Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 9 6 Serial Chan. B: RS-232 Serial Chan. H: RS-232 (reserved) 2 1 5 Serial Chan. F: RS-485 for time code input, remote record control 7 4 8 3 Ground 9 6 Label printer handshake, +12V Serial Chan. B: RS-232 time code input Serial Chan. D: RS-232 label printer 2 1 5 Serial Chan. E: "PC Remote", RS-485 party line 7 4 8 3 Ground 9 6 Serial Chan.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section III. FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND INDICATORS Previously, Figure 2-2 illustrated the three sets of controls on the VR240. describes the front panel controls and indicators in more detail. 2-9. This section VFD DISPLAY UPPER: Recording LOWER: Ready 000019 12:33:01 29-Feb-2000 Menu This is the status or “Home” screen of the VR240.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder ITEM 2 CONTROL OR INDICATOR Soft Keys DESCRIPTION A maximum of four functions is displayed on this line. Each function corresponds to a soft key located directly under the display. From this screen, pressing the soft key labeled “Controls” will give you access to the submenu containing “Monitor,” “Volume,” and “Lock” screens. In some instances, more functions are available than can be shown at one time.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder ITEM 3 CONTROL OR INDICATOR Full DESCRIPTION Indicates that one of the archive drive media has been recorded on to capacity. Almost Full A yellow light indicates that the media in that drive has one half hour or less of record time available. 4 Fault A yellow light indicates that an archive drive or internal hard disk failure may have occurred. It may also indicate that the “cleaning timers” must be reset.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 2-11. KEYPAD AND FRONT PANEL PORTS, Table 2-5 describes the front panel controls and ports. Table 2-5. Front Panel Controls and Ports Description ITEM CONTROL OR INDICATOR DESCRIPTION 1 Numeric Keypad The keypad can be used in place of the soft keys when entering numbers in the VR240. This will prove convenient when entering a time and date for a search or selecting a channel to monitor or play. The keypad is also used to enter a password.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHAPTER 3 SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION Section I. SETUP 3-1. DESCRIPTION. Setup is a configuration procedure performed from the front panel of the VR240. At this point, we assume that the unit is connected to power and audio, and is powered up. If so, you will be looking at a display with a legend indicating either Ready or Not Ready depending upon whether the drive is loaded. A “soft key” is the button immediately below the legend in bold.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder When setting the system clock, the display will give you the time and date as stored in the VR240. This may be very close to accurate, or completely incorrect if never set. The clock is powered by a lithium battery that allows it to keep time even if no power is applied to the VR240. If the battery is discharged, the date and time will be wrong. This will affect the playback functions when time and date is selected.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section II. GLOBAL SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 3-4. SYSTEM. System configuration sets the various options that define recorder operation apart from the clock and the individual channels as described in section 1 and Chapter 2. Pressing the Config soft key accesses the System configuration menu. The top line of the display must read either “UPPER” or “LOWER.” If “DISK” appears on this line, press the Drive soft key to select an archive drive.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and System soft keys, press the Sampling soft key. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION: Sampling < Security b. MediaUsage Quit > Press the Change soft key to cycle through the available sampling rates. TRANSCODING RATE: 32 kbps Change Done 16 KBPS (kilobits/second) is the slowest sampling rate available, and gives the full recording time available from a DDS media or magneto-optical disk.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-6. SECURITY. The VR240 has a security feature that is intended to prevent operation and, if desired, media removal, by unauthorized personnel. In several operational menus, you have the opportunity to Lock the unit by entering an 8-digit password. Once you have done this, the front panel controls will be unresponsive until the password is re-entered. It also is possible to LOCK the unit in various states.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-6.2 Change user password. When the VR240 is shipped, it is initialized with an 8-digit password “00000000” (eight zeros). This will be the password unless you change it from this menu. When you press the the ChangPaswd soft key, the unit requests the original password, which you enter using the keypad. Once you enter the correct password, it will ask you for a new (8-digit) password. You are requested to enter the password twice, to prevent errors.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Use the keypad to enter your eight-digit password. The unit will now automatically lock. A legend indicating that the controls are locked will appear in the top right corner of the display. Enter Password: Cancel 3-6.4 Unlock Use the keypad to enter your 8-digit password. If the correct password is entered, the unit will automatically unlock with the last key press. 3-7. MEDIA USAGE.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. Whatever is showing on the display when you press Done will be the current configuration. MEDIA USAGE: Record over previous media – If you have selected this option under Media Usage, when the media in the second drive is full, the recorder will switch back to recording on the first one, whether or not you have removed the previously recorded media and inserted a fresh one.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-8. a. DISPLAY ASCII CHARACTER ADJUSTMENT. After pressing the Config, System, and > (next) soft keys, press the Display soft key. DISPLAY TYPE: Standard ASCII Change 3-9. Done Change Toggle between the option of standard ASCII characters or ASCII with European characters (useful if you plan to use the VR240 in a language other than English). Done Whatever is showing on the display when you press the Done soft key will be the current configuration.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder The following menus are used to configure the status printer. If you have not connected a status printer, these settings should be left at their default values (Line Length: 78; Detailed Activity Report: CHAN 01: off, Intervals – Summary: None, PRINT: None, NEXT RPT: 00:00). LineLength allows you to limit the length of each printed output line to correspond to the physical characteristics of your printer.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Print shows you how often the summary data is printed. The possible values are the same as those for collection. Note that the VR240 will not allow you to select a print interval that is shorter than the collection interval. Each printout comprises a heading and shows the interval covered by the printout. Depending upon the ratio between the summary interval and the printout interval, from 1 to 288 lines of summary data will appear on each printout.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder To turn on or off the Time Track feature: a. After pressing the Config, System, and > (next) soft keys, press the TimeTrack soft key. RECORD TIME TRACK: Off Change Done Change Cycles the feature from Off to On and back. Done Exits the Time Track menu. Whatever is showing on the display when you press Done will be the current configuration. 3-11. LANGUAGE. As of this printing, the only language available in the VR240 is English.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder NOTE Some parameters will not be copied from the archive media. These are: Unit serial number, PC-Remote ID number, SCSItype and SCSIterm settings. a. After pressing the Config and System soft keys, press the > (next) soft key twice. Then press the CopyConfig soft key. Overwrite UNIT CONFIG with MEDIA CONFIG Continue Cancel Press the Continue soft key and the unit will automatically update its parameters with those on the archive media. 3-13. SERIAL I/O PORT PARAMETERS.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Change Use the the Change soft key to scroll through the parameter options above the cursor. Save Whatever is showing on the display when you press the Save soft key will be the new configuration. Quit Drops back to the Serial I/O Configuration menu without saving your changes. 3-14. C3ECC ERROR CORRECTION (Applies to DDS Tape Drives Only). C3ECC error correction can be enabled or disabled by this configuration option.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and System soft keys, press the > (next) soft key three times. Then press the Relay soft key. RELAY CLOSES ON: None Change b. Save Quit Press the Change soft key to scroll through the conditions for relay closure. They are: • • • • • • • • • NOT Rec, Full, Fault NOT Rec, Media Full NOT Recording, Fault Fault, Media Full NOT Recording Media Full Fault Playing None NOT Recording is a catchall situation.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder By pressing Change, you cycle through the above conditions. Note that Playing and None each appear by themselves on the display. However the other three can be selected in any combination. This allows you to select conditions that need to be called to your attention. For example, if you are in a location where you can hear the beeping alarm, you may wish to have the relay close only on a FAULT condition.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and System soft keys, press the > (next) soft key four times. Then press the C3Ecc soft key. RECORD VERIFICATION: Enabled Change b. Done Select the Record Verify option as follows: Change Done Pressing the Change soft key toggles between “Enabled” and “Disabled.” Pressing the Done soft key will save your change. 3-19. SET ID #. Set ID# (Set identification number) identifies each VR240 to the optional PC Remote control.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-20. DISK CONTROL. This setting has meaning only if your VR240 has two removable archive drives. “DiskContrl” offers you a choice between two modes of operation. The two choices are: • • Separate Hard Disk Control for each Drv (Separate Mode) Automatic Disk Control (Public Safety) (Automatic Mode) To understand the difference between Separate mode and Automatic mode, you need to know something about how the VR240’s internal hard disk is used.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and System soft keys, press the > (next) soft key five times. Then press the DiskContrl soft key. Separate Hard Disk Control for each media Change b.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Select the timers and cycle parameters. SetTimers allows you to set the time and date of three operations: StartRec Sets the time that the recorder begins operation. SwapRec Sets the time at which the drives on a two-drive recorder switch over. (The drives will switch automatically if this timer is not set.) This parameter is not available on single drive recorders. StopRec Sets the time at which the unit will stop recording.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder It is your responsibility to set the timers sensibly and appropriately. For example, you cannot make a two-hour recording “hourly,” and there is no point in stopping a recording before it starts. If you set the timers inappropriately, we try to use sensible defaults as explained below. Since these may not be what you intended, check your settings carefully. The VR240 automatically gives you a 1-minute margin on start and stop.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Stop Timer gives the time and date at which the current (if recording) or the next scheduled (if stopped) recording will stop. Quit located on the keypad, drops back to the previous menu, as does simply waiting for timeout. DispCycle Shows the cycle selection you have made. If Once is displayed, it means that Auto Rec will be canceled as soon as the stop time has been reached. ExitDrops back to the previous menu, as does simply waiting for timeout.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section III. SYSTEM INFORMATION 3-23. SYSTEM INFORMATION. To find out the serial number, software version, history and error logs, and descriptors, you use the SysInfo menu. The SysInfo menu is found in one of three ways: a. If the upper line of the display is showing the status of the internal hard disk or a recording archive drive, press the > (next) soft key. Then press the SysInfo soft key. UPPER: Recording < ChangDr b.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Select the following System Info options as required: Internal Sampling: Reveals the transcoding rate. Descript: (Descriptors) Allows you to cycle through the channel numbers and view the descriptors. Use the Channel # - (minus) and + (plus) soft keys to scroll through the descriptors. Use the < (previous) and > (next) soft keys to view descriptors that are longer than the display line. (Unit Number) displays serial number and software version.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-24. MEDIA INFORMATION. Media information provides information about the media itself, which may have come from another recorder, and therefore may have different descriptors or a different sampling rate. a. b. c. Use the Drive soft key to select the archive drive that contains the required media. Press the > (next) soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-25. DISK INFORMATION. Disk information provides information about the internal hard disk (capacity and recording status). a. b. c. Press the Drive soft key until “Disk: (status)” appears on the top line. Press the SysInfo soft key. Press the DiskInfo soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section IV. BOARD/CHANNEL CONFIGURATION 3-26. BOARD/CHANNEL CONFIGURATION. You must configure each audio input channel to correspond to the type of audio signal expected to be input. As factory default, each channel is set to record automatically when a signal is present, and to stop recording if the signal stops (VOX). This will be unsatisfactory in many applications, and you may want to take advantage of the choices presented.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder NOTE There are two different sets of RecEnable options available with the VR240. One set is used when the unit is equipped with a telephone board. A different set is used with an audio board. The differences are as follows: 3-27.1 Telephone Board - RecEnable Modes. VOX (Voice Activated), the factory default mode, records on a given channel when an audio signal is present on that channel. VOX options are described in detail in paragraph 3-28.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Input: Active Low/Closed: Records on the channel only when a control signal is either brought to a logic low level, or a contact to ground is closed. Audio board input options are described in paragraph 2-8.4. Input: Active High/Open: Records on the channel only when a control signal is either brought to a logic high level, or no signal is connected at all. On Trigger: Records on a channel only when the channel set as a “trigger channel” is recording.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and the > (next) soft key, press the Board soft key. Then press the VOX soft key. VOICE OPERATED SWITCHING: HoldTime Level b. Quit Press the HoldTime soft key. VOICE OPERATED SWITCHING: Level HoldTime Quit Select the channel for which the hold parameter is to be adjusted by pressing the Channel soft key. Its current value is shown on the upper line of the display.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 3-28.2 Setting the VOX Level. a. After pressing the Config and the > (next) soft key, press the Board soft key. Then press the VOX soft key. VOX HOLD: Channel 01 : 01 < Channel Decrease b. Increase Enter > Press the Level soft key. VOX LEVEL: Channel 01 : 320 millivolts Channel Decrease Increase Channel scrolls through the installed channels (1 through 8, 16, 32, or 48) and shows you their current settings. 320 millivolts is the factory default.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. After pressing the Config and the > (next) soft key, press the Board soft key. Then press the > (next) soft key. Then press the AudioGain soft key. CONFIGURE BOARD 1: Chan 1-8 (Telephone) AudioGain < Beep OffHook b. AGC Select channels and select audio gain as follows: AUDIO GAIN: Channel 01 : 0dB Channel Decrease Increase Done To select a channel press the Channel soft key. To set the audio gain use the Decrease and Increase soft keys.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. To set the beep tone: TELEPHONE BEEP: Channel 01 : On Channel Change Done Cancel Channel Press the Channel soft key to scroll through the channels so that you may change each one individually. Change Press the Change soft key to toggle between On and Off. Done saves the setting that appears on the display and exits you from this screen. Cancel exits you from this screen without saving your changes. 3-31. OFF HOOK.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. To set the Off Hook level: OFF HOOK LEVEL: Channel 01 : 32 volts Channel Decrease Increase Channel Done selects the channel for which the off hook voltage is to be adjusted, and shows its current value on the upper line of the display. You may also use the vertical or side-to-side arrow keys located under the keypad to scroll through the channels. Decrease and Increase Adjust the Off Hook voltage using the Decrease and Increase soft keys.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Select channels to be enabled or disabled as follows: AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL: Channel 01 : On Channel Change Done Channel selects the channel for which the AGC is to be turned On or Off and shows its current value on the upper line of the display. Change press this key to toggle between On and Off. Done saves the setting that appears on the display and exits you from this screen. Section V. DESCRIPTORS 3-33. FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Press the Modify soft key. CONFIGURE DESCRIPTORS: Modify CopyFromMedia c. Quit Select a channel to modify using the – (minus) and + (plus) soft keys. Hitting these keys changes the display that shows the channel number and the descriptor currently valid for that channel. (The factory default for each channel is simply the legend “Channel #”, where # is the channel in question.) CH 01: Channel 01 - d.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a character key, the character already present on the line is used as a starting point. Any characters not used are actually space characters, which have an ASCII value of 32, the lowest value available.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder a. Press the Config soft key then press the Descriptors soft key CONFIGURATION: Descriptors < Clock System Quit > b. Press the CopyFromMedia soft key. c. Select from the options shown: The display shows a legend: UNIT DESCRIPTORS WILL BE LOST and two soft keys CONTINUE and CANCEL. To perform the copy operations, press the CONTINUE soft key. (If there is no media in the selected drive, hitting the CONTINUE soft key is the equivalent of hitting the CANCEL soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHAPTER 4 THEORY OF OPERATION Section I. PHILOSOPHY OF OPERATION 4-1. GENERAL. While the VR240 is similar in some ways to ordinary tape recorders, many of its features are unique to logging recorders in general and digital logging recorders in particular. This section explains aspects of the VR240 that may not be obvious, but with which you should be familiar in order to make the best use of the unit’s capabilities.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder audio signal is like using very grainy photographic film: the image (audio) becomes very fuzzy (noisy). In digital recording, as used on the VR240, the audio signal is measured at regular intervals and converted to numbers. Instead of relying on the amount of magnetization on the tape to accurately represent an audio signal, digital recording relies on the magnetization to represent only two values – zero and one – needed to support binary numbers.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder recorder is also directly proportional to tape speed. The Nyquist Sampling Theorem states that the sampling rate must be greater than twice the highest frequency you want to process. 4-6. SAMPLING RATE IN THE VR240. In the VR240, the recording time of a tape depends on the “sampling rate” chosen via the front panel. We chose the term “sampling rate” because it is more obviously related to digital audio than “transcoding rate”, which is a more accurate term.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Harmonic distortion by itself is that part of the output which is harmonically related to the input sine wave with the fundamental subtracted. Distortion is visible on an oscilloscope if the output waveform doesn’t look like a sine wave. A common and severe form of distortion is clipping, which is visible as a flattening of the peaks of an audio waveform. In analog systems, clipping may be rounded and may actually sound pleasant up to a point.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 4-10. DEGRADATION. With continued use, analog recorders degrade in an analog fashion. The frequency response gets poorer, and wow and flutter increase. As the tape head wears, it becomes harder to align the mechanism for proper performance, and audio quality suffers. While digital recorders also physically degrade in an analog fashion, their performance doesn’t suffer in the same way. Rather, the “error rate” increases.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section II. THE VR240 CHANNEL HOUR CAPACITY 4-12. THE “CHANNEL HOUR”. The VR240’s capacity is measured in channel-hours: the number of hours of a single channel that can be recorded on one tape (see Table 4-1). That number, for a 120 meter DDS-2 cassette, is about 520 hours, or some 21 days. Of course, if you record more than one channel at a time, the tape will fill faster. For example: You are recording your broadcast station 24 hours a day.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder *Channel Hour equals one (1) channel recording continuously for one hour 4-13. HARD DISK DRIVE. Each VR240 comes standard with an internal hard disk drive. As of the time of writing (Nov 99), the standard hard disk drive capacity is 4GB. The precise definition of GB (gigabyte) depends on the drive manufacturer. Everyone agrees that a KB (kilobyte) is 1024 bytes, but some say that a MB (megabyte) is 1000KB, some say it is 1024KB, and some might say it is 1,000,000 bytes.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section III. VR240 THEORY OF OPERATION 4-14. MAIN COMPONENTS. The main components of the VR240 are: Input Boards (signal conditioning, A/.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder The VR240 can be controlled from the front panel or it can be operated remotely via RS232/RS-485. Several connectors on the rear panel provide access to various functions including remote control, time code input/output, and outputs to a label printer and status printer.
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Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHAPTER 5 OPERATION Section I. PREPARATION FOR OPERATION 5-1. GENERAL. This chapter covers routine operation of the VR240. Topics covered include: Recording: Normal record operation, and the menu options available while recording. Level setting: Confirming and monitoring input signal presence and level.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder NOTE Media can be formatted on one drive while the other drive is recording. a. Insert new media in the drive slowly until you feel resistance. Gently continue pressing forward. The drive will swallow the tape or disk and try to load it. (The display will show that the drive is loading, and, shortly thereafter, indicate that the media is “unreadable.”) Use the Drive soft key to select this drive. b. Press the > (next) soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder e. Press the Yes soft key. ERASE ALL DATA ON MEDIA – ARE YOU SURE? Yes Cancel (Notice that you were given the opportunity to Cancel this potentially dangerous operation.) To format the media in the other drive, press the Drive soft key until the other drive’s status appears on the screen. (Both operations can be performed concurrently.) The media will now be formatted, a process that requires approximately 4 minutes for a tape, 30 seconds for a rewriteable DVD-RAM disk.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 5-3.1 Clean the DDS drive. Insert a DDS cleaning cartridge, such as the one supplied with the VR240. Wait for it to pop out. Then reset the clean timers. That’s it. (The drive recognizes the cleaning tape and will automatically eject it. Do NOT use an audio grade cleaning tape, which may not be recognized by the drive.) IMPORTANT It is very important to reset the clean timer.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. Press the Cleaned soft key DRIVE INFORMATION: Cleaned ActvHours d. Quit Press the Reset soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section II. TRANSPORT CONTROLS AND INDICATORS The operation of the soft keys and menus used during operation was covered in Chapter 3. For most users, however, the actual transport controls will be more familiar and more frequently used. They are laid out in the familiar fashion immediately under the drive(s), and are screened with international icons. Refer to Chapter 2, paragraph 2-10 for illustrated descriptions.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder current position. (Play is not “memorized.” If you are performing another operation, the VR240 will not automatically start playing when the operation is complete.) While playing, the Rew and FFwd keys are redefined, as explained below. All the transport keys other than Rec and Eject are active during Play. Rewind The Rew key is active both when the media is stopped and when the VR240 is playing.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder While in this special FFwd mode, both the Play and the Stop keys are active, and the FFwd transport key LED is illuminated. If you hit Play, the Play transport key LED starts blinking, and as soon as the media reaches an index boundary, it will begin playing at that point. If you hit Stop, the Stop transport key LED starts blinking, and as soon as the media reaches an index boundary, the VR240 will enter the Pause mode.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 5-5. TRANSPORT CONTROL REACTION TIME. It is important to be patient when operating the transport controls. With analog recorders you can see the spinning tape reels, and you know how long you will have to wait for an operation to complete. In the VR240, equipped with archive drives, you can not see the medium, and the recorder may have a queue of tasks to perform, so it might take longer to complete.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section III. SIGNAL MONITORING, LEVEL INDICATOR, AND CHANNEL STATUS In any recording system, it is important to make sure that the input level is correct. If the level is too high, it can cause distortion and clipping. If it is too low, you lose “dynamic range” and the signal may sound noisier than necessary. As with all logging recorders, the VR240 has a limited dynamic range.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder (your selection will be displayed as 1-3, 5). If you disable one of these channels, the remainder will still be audible. Select the channel(s) you wish to monitor. a. Monitor a single channel as follows: (1) (2) (3) (3) Press the Enable soft key. Use the keypad to enter the channel number desired. Press the Enter soft key. Press the Done soft key. b. Monitor all channels simultaneously as follows: (1) (2) (3) Press the Enable soft key. Press the All soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder NOTE If you entered Monitor while you were recording, we make the assumption that you want to listen continuously to the signals selected, and the audible monitor remains active until you deliberately disable the channels you are monitoring. If you entered Monitor from a Ready indication, the logger assumes that you are only listening to the enabled channels to confirm their presence and level, and that you do not wish to listen to them while recording.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section IV. RECORD OPERATION 5-9. RECORD. Once placed in the record mode, the VR240 logging recorder will record until it is stopped. Data is stored on the internal hard disk for 250, 500, or more channel hours depending on the size of the hard drive. Every three channel hours the internal hard disk automatically transfers data to a ready drive.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. Choose either (or both) ready drive(s). The hard disk will begin to record. NOTE When you put the VR240 in record from the “Disk: Ready” position, the hard disk will not automatically transfer data to the archive drive(s). You must manually set the archive drive(s) to record. 5-9.2 Stop Recording From The “Disk Select” Position. a. Press the > (next) soft key. DISK: Ready < Controls b. Drive SaveMsg > Press the StopRec (stop recording) soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 5-9.3 Begin Recording From The “Drive Select” Position. a. Load formatted media into an available drive. UPPER: Ready < Controls GoTo Drive b. Press the Record transport control key. c. Choose the Record soft key. UPPER: Recording 000001 LOWER: Ready 10:01:08 Resume > 29Feb2000 Menu NOTE When you place the drive in the record mode, recording automatically begins on the hard disk. For information about the “resume” function, please refer to paragraph 5-16.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder When the operator performs the Stop-Stop steps, the VR240 buffer transfers information from the hard disk to the archive drive. If the buffer is in the process of transferring, it will complete the transfer before the VFD screen displays Ready. If you eject the media, it has recorded only up to the second you hit Stop. The VR240 is not recording anywhere. 5-9.4 Begin The Dual Record Operation. With both drives loaded and positioned for recording: a.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF RECORD OPERATION Sections III and IV covered the operations you might want to do either while recording or before actually recording on the drives. When the recording is stopped, all of those operations and many others (including Config) are available. Once you start recording, the selections are limited.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder over the programmed switchover point the counter will be able to go. As you become familiar with the operation of the unit, you will get a good idea of how much the counter advances between convenient manual switchover times. You can then plan the best time to change the media. Note that the unit behaves as described above only when it has been recording and reaches the (Almost) Full point. You cannot start recording manually beyond this point.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 5-13.1 Operations Available During Record With The Recording Drive Selected. Press the Menu soft key for access to these features: Recall pressing the Menu soft key, then the Recall soft key accesses the Instant Recall feature. Recalling during record allows the replaying of a previous passage on any selected channel while the VR240 continues to record. This is particularly useful when the recording is being monitored in real time.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Press the Menu soft key, then the > soft key, for access to these additional features: ActvSumry (Activity summary) Transmits a summary of record channel activity to the optional status printer (if the unit has been configured to use the status printer). Please refer to Appendix F for information on this feature. TimeAdj (Time Adjustment) Use this to “spring ahead” the internal clock at daylight savings time.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder LOCKED if desired. The only time that media will be ejected from a LOCKED unit is when the media is defective and cannot be recorded. To UNLOCK the machine, simply enter the password on the keypad. You must press the correct 8 digits in the correct sequence; all other key-presses are ignored. 5-13.2 Operations Available During Record With The Idle Drive Selected. GoTo You may search and play current or archive media in the Ready drive.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Record Buffer – Selecting the Record Buffer allows you to search and play the last 550 channel hours of recorded data (or more if you have an optional, higher capacity hard disk installed). To begin playing audio from the start time of the record buffer, press the Play transport key. To first select a specific time/date to play, press the GoTo soft key. To end your Playback session, press the Stop transport key twice.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 5-14. ROUTINE RECORD OPERATION. This completes the description of the Record mode. In normal operation, it is likely that almost none of this information will be used with any frequency. Once installed and operational, the VR240 requires essentially no attention. If your mode of operation is typical, you will simply press the Record transport button and periodically remove and replace media, a matter of a few seconds each.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder The VR240 logger allows you to “suspend” recording on the drive so that you may temporarily use it for other purposes. You then “resume” recording when the drive is available. During the normal course of operation, the logger buffers data onto the hard disk before transferring it to the drive. Once the drive is instructed to resume recording, the logger automatically prepares the media for the next data transfer.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Green Indicates that the channel is enabled but there is no activity on it. Red Indicates that the channel is not enabled and there is activity on it. Orange Indicates that the channel is enabled and there is activity on it. Off Indicates that the channel is not enabled and there is no activity on it. The display will indicate: UPPER (or LOWER) Playing identifies the media transport in use, and indicates that the media is, in fact, in motion.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder This gives you the ability to find a location on the media before having to play it. It is likely that you will want to start playing at a certain time/date, and the VR240 makes this easy. Regardless of whether it is activated from Ready or while the media is playing, the GoTo menu operates the same way.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder after the selected time. Finally, searching for a time after the end of the media will result in a NOT Found message, which may occur immediately, or may require an actual search to determine. Pressing Cancel after initiating a search aborts the search as quickly as possible, leaving the media at an undetermined location. Cancel Returns you to the Search menu.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Advance Allows you to listen to the audio as you move forward at (relatively) high speed through the recording, starting at the point at which you hit Advance. The speed depends upon how many channels are recorded. If you have one or only a few channels, the scan will proceed many times faster than it would if you listened to the media. The Advance key starts the media in motion and blanks the remainder of the Scan menu.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder drive is recording, those menu items will be displayed. You can play archive media while you are concurrently recording. By using the Dual Record feature, you can record material on two media simultaneously. Should you need to review something before the media has run out, you can stop/suspend one, search its entire length for the needed material, and then resume recording on it. Meanwhile, the other media has continued recording uninterrupted.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder number, of your archival media. This way you never have to relinquish control of your originals. Either single or dual drive recorders also allow you to recreate a media Index from media whose index is missing or corrupted, should circumstances so require. 5-21.1 Copy. To have access to the Copy menu, one drive must be Ready and loaded with the source media, and the other Ready and loaded with the destination media.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder d. Press the PrepMedia soft key. Upper: Not Ready < DualRec e. MediaInfo Config Format MakeIndex PrepMedia > Press the Copy soft key PREPARE UPPER: Copy Quit f. The screen will now confirm that you have chosen to copy from the “UPPER TO LOWER” or visa-versa. If the screen does not display the copy path that you intended, quit the menu using the Cancel soft key. Use the Drive soft key to select the other drive.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Append In which case the source media is not rewound before the copy operation begins. If you position the source media at the beginning of a desired section, you can save the time and inconvenience of copying unnecessary material. This capability, along with the ability to cancel the copy before it is finished allows you to make digital copies of only a section of your source media. (Note that all recorded channels between the start and stop of the copy are transferred.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CancelCopy Stops the operation at the current point, and rewinds both media. The destination will have a valid index reflecting the beginning and ending times of the material copied, which may differ from those of the source media itself. If you attempt to cancel a copy at the very beginning of the operation, the destination media will not become Ready for several minutes as it is undergoing formatting. 5-21.2 Make Index.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Hitting MakeIndex gives you three choices, Complete, Fast, and Quit. It also displays a message, INDEX UPPER: (LOWER:) and, if the media has a valid index, Already has a valid index. Of course, if you see the valid index message, you should hit Quit. Complete recreates the index just as it would be created if the media were actually being recorded. Nothing is left out.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. If the display does not indicate Record Buffer, press the Previous and Next arrow keys until Record Buffer is displayed. Then press the Select soft key. After a moment, the display will indicate that the disk is ready and you may now search and/or play the hard disk. Record Buffer Previous d. Next Select Cancel To play from the beginning of the record buffer, press the Play transport control key. Then enable a channel or channels as explained in paragraph 5-23.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder c. Use the Cursor and Decrease or Increase soft key to enter the desired search time and date. The keypad may also be used to enter digits. Press the Done soft key. SEARCH TIME: 07:02:40 29Feb2000 Cursor Decrease Increase d. Press the Start soft key. SEARCH 07:02:40 29Feb2000 Start e. NextMessage Scan > Press the PlayChan soft key. Paused Record Buffer PlayChan < Volume 5-36 Quit Once the search time/date has been located, press > (next) soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder g. Press the Enable soft key. Using a combination of the soft keys and the keypad, you may now choose a single or multiple channels for playback. PLAY CHAN: All channels disabled Enable Disable h. Done (1) To play a single channel, select the channel number desired using the the keypad. Then press the Enter soft key. (2) To play back all channels simultaneously, press the All soft key. Then press the Enter soft key.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder (depending on the size of your internal hard disk) to use the drive before the hard disk capacity is exceeded and data is lost. NOTE Be sure to write protect your archive media to protect against accidental erasure. 5-25. TO SEARCH THE ARCHIVE DRIVE BY TIME, DATE, AND CHANNEL: a. Press the Drive soft key until the desired drive appears on the top line of the display. Press the GoTo soft key. Upper: Ready < Controls b.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder d. Press the Start soft key. SEARCH UPPER: For e. 00002 10:00:51 19Nov1999 GoTo NextMessage Scan > Press the PlayChan (play channel) soft key. UPPER: Paused < Volume g. 19Nov1999 Start Quit Once the search time/date has been located, press the > (next) soft key. UPPER: Paused < Play f. 10:00:51 00002 10:00:51 19Nov1999 PlayChan Drive SaveClipBd > Press the Enable soft key). You may now choose a single channel or multiple channels for playback.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder h. (1) To play a single channel, select the channel number desired using the the keypad. Then press the Enter soft key. (2) To play back all channels simultaneously, press the All soft key. Then press (the Enter soft key. (3) To select multiple channels for playback, use the keypad with the Thru soft key to choose a range of channels.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder NOTE The VR240 will now search for 30 seconds back from the command time. Then it will begin playing on the channel selected. You may now use the Pause, Rewind and FastForward soft keys or transport controls to review the selected material. NOTE c. • The rewind and fast forward speeds can be increased up to three increments by pressing the soft key or transport control key. • Pressing the Pause soft key toggles Playing and Paused on the VFD display after Recall.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder b. Press the soft key under the memory location in which you wish to store the mark. You may want to note which location you choose, as you will be asked to select it when it comes time to search the drive. LOWER: Recording 10:03:00 29Feb2000 < Memory1 Memory2 Memory3 Memory4 > A mark is now made for the drive at the time, date and memory location you selected. 5-27.2 To search and play a set memory location. a.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder d. Press the soft key under the memory location desired. SELECT MEMORY TO SEARCH FOR: Memory1 Memory2 Memory3 e. Memory4 Press the Start soft key. The VR240 will search for that location. SEARCH LOWER: M3 15:10:54 29Feb2000 Memory1 Memory2 Memory3 Memory4 f. Once the location is found, the screen will display the channel status along with the media location, time, and date of the memory location.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Section VI. KEY RECORD OPERATION FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTIONS This section summarizes and highlights the differences in key recording operations. RECORD-RECORD Record-Record is used when there is loaded formatted media in the selected drive. You are starting at the beginning of the media.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX A CLOCK ACCURACY, ADJUSTMENT AND TIME CODE INPUT A-1. FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION. Eventide manufactures a standalone, accessory clock/display unit. This clock obtains standard time from the Global Positioning System satellite constellation, and is usable anywhere in the world. It has a large, configurable display that shows a time display as setup by the user.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder CHU Canada 7.335 MHz c. Call your local telephone company’s time number. d. Log on to Internet at www.bldrdoc.gov. Another way is to adjust the internal clock for your location’s temperature. You do not necessarily need an extremely accurate counter, although it should have very good resolution. Observe the clock for several days or weeks and note how much time it gains or loses. Let’s say it is losing one second per day.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder features simultaneously. Time code can also be input using an RS-485 or RS-422 interface. Connections can be made to PORT B or PORT D using serial channel F (see Figure 2-5). Time code can also be input using an RS-485 or RS-422 interface. Connections can be made to PORT B or PORT D using serial channel F (see Figure 2-5). A-5. RS-232 CONFIGURATION AND DATA FORMAT. NOTE Configuration of either channel B (RS232) or channel F (RS485) may be used.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder # Character Comments 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 <:> <:> Colon, decimal 58, hex 3A Minute, 00-59 Colon Second, 00-59 The character string is expected to be generated and received either once per minute or once per second. To prevent transient errors from accidentally setting the time on the VR240, two syntactically valid updates must be received sequentially before the internal clock is adjusted.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder (SP signifies a space character) When the second sequence is received, the VR240 will synchronize with it. This format is generated by Eventide’s accessory clock, described at the beginning of this Appendix, and is also an available output format from the Spectracom NETCLOCK/2. Spectracom can be reached at (716) 381-4827. A-7. STATUS PRINTER INDICATION.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX B 4mm TAPE ISSUES B-1. AVAILABILITY AND SELECTION. VR240s equipped with 4mm tape drives are designed to use “Helical Scan 4mm Data Cartridges” as a recording medium. These cartridges are colloquially and redundantly known as DAT tapes (Digital Audio Tape tapes). It is important to understand the differences among the tapes usable in the VR240. In some applications it may not matter which brand or quality you use; in others it may be critical.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder B-4. THE TAPE COUNTER AND TAPE CAPACITY. The VR240 recognizes and operates with 90, 120, 125 (DDS-3 equipped machines) meter DDS tapes. The tape counter is re-calibrated depending upon the length of the tape. Therefore, “tape full” will occur in the 9900-9999 range regardless of selected length. Tape changeover, in units so equipped and configured, usually occurs in the 9600-9900 range. As discussed earlier, poor quality or overused tapes may have reduced capacity.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder B-8. DELIBERATE ERASURE. There should never be a need to deliberately erase a tape. Our formatting procedure will prevent access to previously recorded data. If you feel you must erase a tape for security reasons, you can use a standard audio DAT recorder to record over it. Alternatively, use the COPY function of a dual-drive VR240 to record non-critical data over the material to be erased.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX C UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS) C-1. FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION. The VR240 employs a UPS to prevent AC power problems from adversely affecting the operation of the recorder. The UPS derives its power from a multicell lead-acid storage battery in the VR240 chassis. The battery is charged whenever the VR240 is operating; the charge rate is normally very low (trickle charge), but increases significantly if the battery has become discharged.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder memory. That way, when power returns, it can resume recording from where it left off without human intervention. The recorder is smart enough to know that if it is not recording or playing, it can shut off after 30 seconds without further action. In that event, reapplying power results in a normal startup. C-2. UPS PRECAUTIONS. It is not impossible to defeat the UPS’ utility.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX D SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE The VR240 is controlled by software contained in a pair of EPROMs on the CPU board. As with all complex software-controlled devices, it is probable that updates will be issued, both to resolve defects (“bugs”) and to enhance the product. If you receive an update from Eventide, the following procedure installs it. a. Stop all recording on both drives and the internal hard disk. b. Remove media from both drives. c.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX E THE OPTIONAL LABEL PRINTER E-1. DESCRIPTION. The label printer provides an extremely convenient method for permanently identifying media recorded by the VR240. Each time media is recorded on and then ejected, the printer will disgorge a label giving information about the media. A label can also be printed on demand. The printer, a Seiko model SLP1000(P), is a compact unit that requires under 10 watts provided by its low voltage adapter*.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder machine, a new serial number will be assigned. The start and end time and date is taken from the index on the media, and is normally the allowable range for SEARCH operations on that media. *The AC adapter we provide is for 115V, 50/60Hz only. If you will be using the printer on 230V and wish to purchase it from us, you will have to acquire an appropriate adapter locally. The adapter is rated 12VAC-1Amp output.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder Decrease: Selects the character at the cursor position, starting downward from ASCII character 127. (A character table appears in the section on channel descriptors.) Increase: Selects the character at the cursor position, starting upward from ASCII character 32. (A character table appears in the section on channel descriptors.) Done: Accepts the title and drops back to the previous menu.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder APPENDIX F THE STATUS PRINTER The VR240 has a provision for creating a printed record of channel activity. In order to take advantage of this, you must provide a “line printer” and an appropriate cable. Because of the vast selection of printers on the market, Eventide does not provide either the printer or cable. F-1. PRINTER REQUIREMENTS.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder VR240 (PORT A on rear panel) PRINTER (DTE) Pin 2 >----------------------------> Pin 2 (Serial data to printer) Pin 7 <----------------------------< Pin 3 (Serial data received from printer) Pin 3 ------------------------------Pins 1, 7 (Ground) ----< Pin 20 | ----> Pins 5,6,8 F-2. CONFIGURING THE VR240 TO OUTPUT DESIRED SYSTEM STATUS REPORTS. F-2.1 Detailed Activity Printouts. The VR240 can report start and stop times for each message.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder 14:25:00 14:30:00 14:35:00 14:40:00 14:45:00 22-Apr-91 22-Apr-91 22-Apr-91 22-Apr-91 22-Apr-91 ---------------*------*------------- -*------*------*------*------*------ -----*------*------*---------------- This format provides a clear picture of activity in your system. In the above example, it is immediately apparent that there is occasional activity on channels 1, 2, and 22, and constant activity on channel 10.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder buffered to be printed is erased after the printout occurs. The time for printing the next summary, however, is not modified. Summary data is only accumulated if the unit is configured to print a summary. (If you have not programmed this feature, hitting the ACTV SUMRY key will not generate a printout.) For example, let’s say you have configured the unit (see below) for a summary every 5 minutes, and a printout every hour.
Model VR240 Audio Logging Recorder LIMITED WARRANTY The Eventide VR240 is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase by the original purchaser from Eventide or an authorized dealer. Within the warranty period, Eventide will replace or repair, at its option, a VR240 or subassembly that becomes defective during ordinary service.
