Protocol

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Table Of Contents

Rotel C8/C8+

RS232 ASCII Controller Command List

The C8/C8+ support an ASCII based RS232 protocol. The RS232 hardware does

not support flow control so care needs to be taken when sending and receiving data to

avoid packet loss.

All commands sent to the attached Rotel device must have a terminating “!” character.

Example Command: power_on!

Note: Do not include any spaces in the command, and do not include a carriage return

or line feed after the command, only the “!” terminating character.

Status information from the attached Rotel product will have a terminating “$” character.

It is up to the sending/receiving control application to properly parse and process the

packets.

Connection Settings

Baud Rate

Parity

Valid Data Bits

Stop Bit Value

Handshaking

Data Type

115200

None

String

IP Control Settings

The C8/C8+ will only accept and respond to IP control commands if the product is

connected to a local network and has a valid IP address.

Commands will be accepted via TCP port 9596, and the unit will send responses back via

the same port. The command and response format is identical to the serial commands.

Communication Protocol

Command and response messages are included on the following pages.

Automatic status update information can be enabled/disabled using the

“rs232_update_on” and “rs232_update_off” commands.

With RS232 update set to ON, any status changes to the unit will be transmitted via

RS232. With RS232 update set to OFF, the unit will not send any feedback unless polled

by the controller.

Date

Version

Update Description

May 3, 2022

1.00

Original Specification

Summary of content (6 pages)

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Rotel C8/C8+ RS232 ASCII Controller Command List Date May 3, 2022 Version 1.00 Update Description Original Specification The C8/C8+ support an ASCII based RS232 protocol. The RS232 hardware does not support flow control so care needs to be taken when sending and receiving data to avoid packet loss. All commands sent to the attached Rotel device must have a terminating “!” character.
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Zone Specific Commands Many commands can include an optional prefix (z1:, z2:, z3:, z4:) to issue a command or request status for a specific zone. If no prefix is included the command or status will apply to all zones. Commands that support zone-specific functions will be prefixed with z#: in the list. Response Format Many commands such as volume, mute or tone controls will return a response containing the status for all 4 zones, in comma-separated format.
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C8 ASCII Command Description TONE CONTROL COMMANDS Possible values for each zone can be +## / -## / 000 (flat) z#:bass_up! Bass Up z#:bass_down! Bass Down z#:bass_-nn! Set Bass to -n (n = 01-10) z#:bass_000! Set Bass to 0 z#:bass_+nn! Set Bass to +n (n = 01-10) z#:treble_up! Treble Up z#:treble_down! Treble Down z#:treble_-nn! Set Treble to -n (n = 01-10) z#:treble_000! Set Treble to 0 z#:treble_+nn! Set Treble to +n (n = 01-10) BALANCE CONTROL COMMANDS Possible values for each zone can be r## / l## / 000 (
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Section 2: Feedback Request Command List When returning status, the unit will return status for all 4 zones in a comma-separated format.
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Return Description: Example: Command: Description: Return String(s): Return Description: Example: Command: Description: Return String(s): Current balance setting for each zone (z1,z2,z3,z4) balance=r03,000,l02,r01$ freq? Request current frequency for digital source input freq=none,none,none,none$ Possible values for freq: none, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 Current frequency for digital source input for each zone (z1,z2,z3,z4) freq=48,none,none,44.
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Return Description: Example: Device’s IP address, port number and MAC address discover=ip=192.168.100.