INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS MX88 EIGHT ZONE – EIGHT SOURCE AUDIO & AUDIO/VIDEO CONTROLLER/AMPLIFIER
Page: 2 Model MX88 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS - READ BEFORE OPERATING EQUIPMENT CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK) NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the product‟s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to pe
Model MX88 Page: 3 13. Cleaning – Clean only with dry cloth. 14. Power Lines – An outdoor antenna should be located away from the power lines. 15. Nonuse Periods – The power cord of the appliance should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time. 16. Accessories: Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. 17. Object and Liquid Entry – Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings. 18.
Page: 4 Model MX88 Section 1: General Information & Features GENERAL INFORMATION The Xantech MX88 System sets a new standard in whole-house audio/video distribution, audio amplification, and control/automation. The MX88 System consists of the MX88 controller/amplifier, keypads (such as MRKP1/1E or MRKP2/2E) or touch-panels (such as the Xantech SmartPanel™) to control each zone, and wireless or wired web-enabled devices such as the Apple® iPad® for controlling all zones and the entire system.
Model MX88 Page: 5 IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. The MX88 System can be a single controller with keypads for up to Eight zones or two connected controllers and keypads for up to Sixteen zones. All the set up details for a MX88 are stored in a file called “Project”. The MX88 can be set up without a PC, using the QuickConfig protocol, via the keypad or touchpanel connected to the Zone 1 keypad port of the MX88.
Page: 6 Model MX88 SYSTEM OVERVIEW In a MX88-based whole house audio/video/control system, the MX88 controller/amplifier acts as the server and the keypads, touch-panels, and compatible web-enabled devices (such as the Apple® iPad®) act as the clients. The end users interact with these clients in order to control all aspects of audio/video distribution and control.
Model MX88 Page: 7 Via IP (MX88vi amd MX88ai only), using almost any web-enabled device with a browser, such as an Apple® iPad®, a Windows® or Android™ tablet, or a PC. There are three types of commands that can be associated with the MX88 Keypad buttons: Source component commands such as BluRay Player Power, Play, Track Skip, etc. MX88 Controller/Amplifier “INTERNAL AMPLIFIER COMMANDS” such as Zone Source Select, Zone Power, VOL+, VOL- etc.
Page: 8 Model MX88 CONTROLLER/AMPLIFIER FEATURES • Zones: Eight, expandable to sixteen-zones with the addition of a second MX88 and additional keypads • Sources: Eight audio (MX88a or MX88ai) or eight audio/video (MX88vi). Any zone can select any source. Any source can be selected in multiple zones. Several modes of control: - Whole-house mode – selection and control of any source from any zone.
Model MX88 Page: 9 Eight in-the-zone IR emitter outputs via a MX88-compatible keypad rear panel emitter output - permitting IR commands originating in the zone to be looped back to the zone allowing the MX88 to control components physically located in the zone. • Status Outputs: • RS232/USB programming ports (Front Panel): Communications port used to program the system using Universal Dragon software.
Page: 10 Model MX88 MX88 CONTROLLER/AMPLIFIER PANEL AND FEATURE DESCRIPTIONS Figure 2 – The Model MX88 Controller/Amplifier – Front Panel Features and Functions MX88 FRONT PANEL FEATURES AND CONNECTIONS: 1. Front Panel. 2. Chassis Feet. Set high enough to provide through-chassis cooling by natural convection. 3. Master AC Line On/Off Switch. Turns AC power On/Off to the entire unit. 4. Power and Status LED Indicators.
Model MX88 Page: 11 Zone Status (Active-Operational Mode) a) Steady White – indicates that the Zone is Active (Keypad ON), is not muted and is not within 5 dB of MAX-V (Maximum Volume). b) Steady Red – indicates that the Zone is Active, is not muted and is within 5 dB of MAX-V. c) Slow White Blink – indicates that the Zone is in the Active, is muted and is not within 5 dB of MAX-V. d) Slow Red Blink – indicates that the Zone is Active, is muted and is within 5 dB of MAX-V.
Page: 12 Model MX88 Figure 3 – The Model MX88 Controller/Amplifier – Rear Panel Connections and Functions MX88 REAR PANEL FEATURES AND CONNECTIONS: 16. Keypad Terminals (8). Each Zone has one RJ-45 jack for Keypad Interface. Each connector interfaces the following: Power (Enough for 1 Primary & up to 4 Secondary Keypads per Zone), RS-485 Data I/O, and IR Input. 17. Speaker Terminals (8). Plug-in 4-terminal screw type connectors for zones 1 thru 6, permit speaker wire sizes up to 12AWG. 18.
Model MX88 Page: 13 23. Source Loop-Thru Connections (8). a) Audio Loop-Thru. Parallel Connection to Audio Inputs for connecting Audio Source to another MRC88 in Expanded Mode or to other local devices. This is not an active output. b) Video Loop-Thru (MX88vi only). Buffered Video Connection for connecting Input Video Source to another MX88vi in Expanded Mode or to other local devices. NOTE: Since this is a Buffered video connection, this loop-thru is not active when POWER is removed from the MX88vi. 24.
Page: 14 Model MX88 Section 2: Installation & Connections INSTALLATION Installing an MX88 system involves completely planning the system from hardware, installation, and programming standpoint, before the actual installation begins. We strongly recommend, before physical installation begins, that all the actual components to be used as part of the MX88 system are physically connected and tested individually first, and then tested again as a system with a fully programmed and configured MX88.
Model MX88 Page: 15 2. Press “Power On” button on the front of the MX88 Controller/Amplifier (wait for front panel power LED to turn on, and the 8 zone LED‟s to stop flashing – usually less than 2 minutes). 3. Power ON the Zone 1 TV/monitor and select the appropriate input (on the TV or monitor). 4. Power ON the Source Component and press play. 5. Place the emitter from IR Emitter Port 1 near the front of the Source Components IR Sensor window. 6. Press “POWER” on the Zone 1 Keypad. 7.
Page: 16 Model MX88 CONNECTING THE MX88 CONTROLLER/AMPLIFIER IMPORTANT! a. The MX88 comes with detachable IEC-type AC cords. The mains plug end of the AC cord or its MX88 back-panel attached AC inlet are the disconnect device from mains, and shall remain readily accessible by the end-user. b. When making connections to the MX88 Controller be sure the power cord is unplugged. Proceed as follows, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 6 or 7 for a typical MX88 system layout and interconnections.
Model MX88 Page: 17 IR CONTROL CONNECTIONS 8-zone system: Plug the supplied 283D IR emitters into the appropriate IR Emitter jacks - Figure 3-(26). Take care to match the source audio and video connection number on the MX88 to the IR Emitter jack number. This will ensure that the IR control signal will be routed to the correct source component.
Page: 18 Model MX88 2. The MX88 Speaker Terminals (amplifier outputs) are 4-Ohm compatible. Make sure the combined impedance presented to the speaker terminals by the speakers (or any combination of speakers) is 4Ohms minimum. 3. Be sure to observe correct polarity by connecting the "+" and "–" terminal from each channel on the MX88 to the corresponding "+" and "–" terminals on each speaker. This will ensure proper speaker polarity and have the left and right speakers operate “in phase”.
Model MX88 Page: 19 Figure 4 - CAT5 Pin Assignments (per EIA/TIA 568B) Pinned 1:1 VIDEO CONNECTIONS (MX88VI ONLY) 1. When running composite video to a TV or monitor, use RG6 coaxial or RG59 quad-shield cable with RCA-type phono plugs on each end. This connection can be run up to 150 feet, as this is a buffered video output from the MX88 Controller/Amplifier. 2. Connect the zone video cable to the appropriate zone video jack on the rear of the MX88vi Controller/ Amplifier – Figure 3 item 18.
Page: 20 Model MX88 PREAMP OUT Each zone has a Preamp Out to send „zone selected‟ audio to an outboard power amplifier such as the Xantech PA4100x. This may be needed for powering a sub-zone, or for use in zones that require more than 50W a channel, or for sending audio to another amplifier with Dolby™ surround decoding for „theater quality‟ audio in that zone.
Model MX88 Page: 21 “CONTROLLER” jack on the Secondary Keypad. Repeat for all keypads in zone (up to a total of 4 Keypads). Each of the 4 keypads or touch-panels within a zone must have a unique address that is not shared by the other three keypads. Zone Termination The LAST keypad connected in the zone (Keypad with no other keypad plugged into its EXPANSION port) must have the Zone Termination Jumper installed. Please see the keypad or touch-panel‟s manual for specifics.
Page: 22 Model MX88 CONNECTING KEYPADS OR TOUCH-PANELS: - While we use the term CAT5 throughout this manual, CAT5/5e/6/7 may be used to connect the MX88 to Xantech keypads and touch-panels. Bear in mind that cable quality may reduce maximum lengths quoted throughout this manual or in the keypad or touch-panel manuals. - The maximum cable length for CAT5 connections to a single keypad and/or multiple keypads varies depending on the keypad being used.
Model MX88 Page: 23 1. If the "+" (positive) and "–" (negative) terminals on your speakers are correctly marked, and visible, and you have wired the system with the positive speaker connector on the rear of the MX88 Controller/Amplifier connected to the positive connector on the speaker and the negative speaker connector on the rear of the MX88 Controller/Amplifier connected to the negative connector on the speaker, then the system will be "in phase". No further action is required.
Page: 24 Model MX88 SETTING-UP THE MX88 SYSTEM 8-zone system: To better demonstrate the ease and versatility of programming the MX88, Figure 6 will be used to illustrate setup for a typical application. Expanded, 16-zone system: For setup of an expanded system, see Figure 7.
Model MX88 Page: 25 Figure 7 –Typical 16-Zone “Expanded” MX88 System © 2010 Xantech LLC
Page: 26 Model MX88 Section 3: Firmware and Programming Always install the latest and most current available firmware for your MX88 and its web-server (MX88vi or MX88ai only). Firmware version for the MX88 and its web-server (called MRIP) – if so-equipped, can be accessed by tapping your finger or clicking your mouse on the top banner of the web-interface page, or by using the Xantech Universal Dragon programming software. The latest MX88 firmware can be downloaded from http://www.xantech.
Model MX88 Page: 27 7. 8. 9. 10. IR Routing Enable/Disable Use of Zone Audio Inputs RC68+ IR Macro Generator Configurable LCD backlight time-out settings (for MRC88KP and MRC88DJKP only). All of the IR Codes (Palettes or IR Command Groups) and RS232 commands should be confirmed and tested before completing programming.
Page: 28 Model MX88 PLANNING THE SYSTEM Before attempting any programming, plan the system configuration first. This should include the following: 1. Determine the brand and type of all source components to be used.
Model MX88 Page: 29 Appendix RS232 CONTROL This document describes the bi-directional RS232 interface of the MX88 using the two COM PORTs on the rear of the system (Fig. 3 item 29). This interface allows an external RS232 device to control the MX88 via a set of ASCII text commands. It is also possible to control any IR device connected to the MX88 system as well by triggering individual IR Commands and/or IR Macros via ASCII strings.
Page: 30 Model MX88 Example #2: (Query Request) To see what Source is currently selected in Zone 5: Send ASCII string: ?5SS+ MX88 Controller Reply: ?5SS3+ indicating Source #3 is currently selected in Zone 5 © 2011 Xantech Corporation
Model MX88 Page: 31 COMMANDS Note: An explanation of items in parenthesis ( {} ) can be found below.
Page: 32 Model MX88 QUERIES Note: An explanation of items in parenthesis ( { } ) can be found below. EXAMPLE RESPONSE QUERY RESPONSE Zone Power ?{z#}PR+ ?{z#}PR{0/1}+ ?7PR0+ Power in zone 7 is OFF. Input Select ?{z#}SS+ ?{z#}SS{s#}+ ?5SS3+ Zone 5 currently has source 3 selected.
Model MX88 Page: 33 VOLUME LEVEL (39 Steps) MX88 SETTING ATTENUATION LEVEL (in dB) 38 0 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 -1.25 -2.50 -3.75 -5.00 -6.25 -7.50 -8.75 -10.00 -11.25 -12.50 -13.75 -15.00 -16.25 -17.50 -18.75 -20.00 -21.25 -22.50 -23.75 -25.00 -27.50 -30.00 -32.50 -35.00 -37.50 -40.00 -42.50 -45.00 -47.50 -50.00 -52.50 -56.25 -60.00 -63.75 -67.50 -71.25 -75.00 0 -78.
Page: 34 Model MX88 KEYPAD BUTTON ID MX88 SETTING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Keypad Button Label NOT AVAILABLE NOT AVAILABLE Source Select 1 Source Select 2 Source Select 3 Source Select 4 Source Select 5 Source Select 6 Source Select 7 Source Select 8 CH + CH POWER NOT AVAILABLE MUTE PAUSE STOP FF REW SELECT/PLAY NOT AVAILABLE NOT AVAILABLE Tier 2 Source Select 1 Tier 2 Source Select 2 Tier 2 Source Select 3 Tier 2 Sourc
Model MX88 Page: 35 BASS/TREBLE LEVEL MX88 SETTING LEVEL (in dB) 14 +14 13 +12 12 +10 11 +8 10 +6 9 +4 8 +2 7 0 6 -2 5 -4 4 -6 3 -8 2 -10 1 -12 0 -14 © 2010 Xantech LLC
Page: 36 Model MX88 BALANCE LEVEL (63 steps) MX88 Setting 0 1 2 … 29 30 31 32 33 34 … 62 63 Left Speaker Attenuation (in dB) 0 0 0 … 0 0 0 0 -1.25 -2.5 … -37.5 Mute © 2011 Xantech Corporation Right Speaker Attenuation (in dB) Mute -37.5 -36.25 … -2.5 -1.
Model MX88 Page: 37 TROUBLESHOOTING If you encounter problems, review each of the following items and take corrective action as described. If problems persist, contact Xantech Technical Support. PROBLEM PROBABLE CAUSE AND SOLUTION The MX88, after a successful Transfer from Universal Dragon, will not send out any IR commands. a) Open all palettes that you used for the project. Click Edit Palette, on the first palette.
Page: 38 Model MX88 PROBLEM PROBABLE CAUSE AND SOLUTION Unit will not learn IR commands from certain brands and models of remotes. a) Because of the wide variety of IR coding and timing relationships (there are no industry standards), there are some IR commands that are not learnable by the Dragon Drop-IR™. Be sure to test all components first to see that their IR command codes are learnable by Dragon Drop-IR and are executable by the MX88 before selecting final components for the system.
Model MX88 Page: 39 PROBLEM PROBABLE CAUSE AND SOLUTION When Transferring the project to a MX88, the transfer stops with a "Transfer aborted-Receiver Stopped Responding" or a "Communications Error---" message. The following items may have interfered with the transfer of data. Check each one in the order listed, then redo the transfer.
Page: 40 Model MX88 PROBLEM PROBABLE CAUSE AND SOLUTION Problems Controlling the MX88 via the RS232 port on the rear of the system. 1. Check the cabling between the controlling unit and the MX88. 2. Verify proper command is being sent to the MX88. Refer to Appendix A and section on RS232 Translator for recognized ASCII commands. 3. Verify RS232 Port settings are set properly for both devices (i.e. Baud Rate, Data Bits, Stop Bit etc..) 4.
Model MX88 Page: 41 RS232 AND EXPANSION PIN OUT INFORMATION MX88 RS232 COM PORT* PIN # 1 2 3 EXPANSION PORT FUNCTION NC Tx Rx PIN # 1 2 3 FUNCTION IR Source 1 IR Source 2 IR Source 3 4 DSR 4 IR Source 4 5 GND 5 IR Source 5 6 DTR 6 IR Source 6 7 NC 7 IR Source 7 8 NC 8 IR Source 8 9 NC 9 NC 10 IR Common 11 Tx Out 12 Common 13 Rx In 14 Sig Out 15 Sig In * With DB9-DB16 adaptor attached © 2010 Xantech LLC
Page: 42 Model MX88 SPECIFICATIONS Audio (each channel) Min Input: .......................................................................................................... 250mV for full rated Output Input Overload: ................................................................................................... >2.2 V RMS (@ max VC) Input Impedance: ..................................................................................................................... > 20 k ohms Power Output: .........
Model MX88 Page: 43 © 2010 Xantech LLC
Page: 44 Model MX88 Xantech® and Xantech SmartPanel® are registered trademarks of Xantech LLC Apple® and iPad® are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Windows® and Microsoft® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Android™ is a trademark of Google, Inc. IBM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks are the properties of their registered owners. Xantech LLC 1969 Kellogg Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008 USA | Xantech.