Alcorn Mcbride AmpTraXX User’s Manual

AmpTraXXTM

16 Channel Intelligent Amplifier with EQ

User’s Manual

Alcorn McBride Inc.
3300 S. Hiawassee Rd.
Building 105
Orlando, Florida 32835
tel: [phone]
fax: [phone]
http://www.alcorn.com
[e-mail]

Document Number 110-100748

Copyright  2004 Alcorn McBride, Inc. All rights reserved.

AmpTraXX™ is a trademark of Alcorn McBride Inc., all rights
reserved.

Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the
information contained in this manual, and the reliability of the Alcorn
McBride AmpTraXX hardware and software. Errors can sometimes
go undetected, however. If you find one, please bring it to our
attention so that we can correct it for others. Alcorn McBride
welcomes comments and suggestions on the content and layout of
its documentation.

Applications described herein are for illustrative purposes only.
Alcorn McBride Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for the use
of these products, and makes no representation or warranty that the
use of these products for specific applications will be suitable
without further testing or modification. Alcorn McBride products are
not intended for use in applications where a malfunction can
reasonably be expected to result in personal injury. Customers using
or selling Alcorn McBride products for use in such applications do so
at their own risk, and agree to fully indemnify Alcorn McBride for any
damages resulting from such improper use or sale.

Product Design: Jim Carstensen, Jeremy Scheinberg, Scott

Harkless, Chris Harden, Martin Chaney, Steve
Alcorn

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page ii

Table of Contents

Welcome! ................................................................................. 1

Features ................................................................................... 2

Technical Support................................................................... 2

Getting Started ........................................................................ 3

Let’s make some noise! ............................................................................................... 3

AmpTraXX Software Tutorial ....................................................................................... 3

Front Panel .............................................................................. 6

Power LED ................................................................................................................... 6

Signal Present and Clip Indicators............................................................................... 6

Volume Controls........................................................................................................... 6

Rear Panel ............................................................................... 7

Configuration DIP Switches ......................................................................................... 7

Disable Front Panel ........................................................................................ 7

Reset Factory Defaults ................................................................................... 7

Firmware Update Mode .................................................................................. 8

Ground Lift ...................................................................................................... 8

Unbalanced Inputs ....................................................................................................... 8

Balanced Inputs (Optional) .......................................................................................... 9

Speaker Terminals..................................................................................................... 10

Serial Port: RS-232C Control Connector ................................................................... 10

Power Input and Switch ............................................................................................. 10

AmpTraXX Configuration Software ..................................... 11

Introduction to AmpTraXX Software .......................................................................... 11

Installing the AmpTraXX Configuration Software ...................................................... 12

AmpTraXX Application Modes................................................................................... 13

Offline Mode.................................................................................................. 13

Live Mode...................................................................................................... 13

Firmware Update Mode ................................................................................ 13

AmpTraXX Application Controls ................................................................................ 14

Help............................................................................................................... 14

Load Configuration File................................................................................. 14

Save Configuration File................................................................................. 14

Configuration................................................................................................. 14

Connect to AmpTraXX .................................................................................. 15

Disconnect from AmpTraXX ......................................................................... 15

Store Settings to AmpTraXX......................................................................... 15

Retrieve Settings from AmpTraXX................................................................ 15

Update AmpTraXX Firmware........................................................................ 16

Front Panel Status Indicator ......................................................................... 16

Gain Control.................................................................................................. 16

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page iii

Filter Type ..................................................................................................... 16

Filter Quality.................................................................................................. 17

Frequency ..................................................................................................... 17

Master Control Panel .................................................................................... 17

Simple Serial Control............................................................ 18

Select Filter ................................................................................................................ 18

Set Gain ..................................................................................................................... 18

Set Filter Quality......................................................................................................... 19

Set Frequency............................................................................................................ 19

Store Settings............................................................................................................. 19

Reset Amplifier........................................................................................................... 20

Version Request......................................................................................................... 20

Advanced Serial Control ...................................................... 21

Error Codes................................................................................................................ 22

70V/100V Output Option....................................................... 23

Updating Your Firmware ...................................................... 24

Troubleshooting Guide / FAQ .............................................. 25

Specifications........................................................................ 27

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page iv

Welcome!

Protocol files for Alcorn
McBride Show Controllers
are available for
AmpTraXX.

Thank you for purchasing The Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX™ sixteen channel

amplifier and EQ system. Whether you’re planning on a multi-room speaker

installation, or multiple point-source audio tracks in a single room, with AmpTraXX

it’s easy to tailor the frequency response and gain of each 20 Watt output to achieve

the exact results you need.

This manual describes the various connectors and controls on the AmpTraXX unit,

and describes the best way to use the AmpTraXX Windows software to set up your

system. A serial protocol section is also included to allow you to program RS-232

control systems for dynamic configuration of the AmpTraXX.

Please browse the table of contents and install the AmpTraXX programming

software on your PC. Once you’re connected, you’ll likely find that your

AmpTraXX is one of the most versatile pieces of audio gear you’ve ever used!

We would like to provide you with Firmware and Software updates and notify you

when additional features become available. If you are interested, please subscribe to

our AmpTraXX mailing list at http://alcorn.com/library/lists/subscribe.html

.

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page 1

Features

The AmpTraXX offers a wide range of features including:

• 16 channels x 20W each (into 8 ohms).

• Independent frequency response configuration and control for each channel.

• Independent volume control for each channel.

• Serial RS-232 Control.

• Lockable front-panel volume controls.

• Front Panel Signal and ‘Clip’ LED indicators.

• Built-in test tone generator for channel identification and output testing.

• Built-in overload protection for each channel

• 70/100 volt output option available.

• Balanced Input option available

Technical Support

You can obtain information about specifying, installing, configuring, updating and programming your Alcorn
McBride AmpTraXX from several sources:

For… Contact… When?…

Telephone Support
Fax Support

Knowledge Base (FAQ)
E-mail Support
Firmware Updates

[phone] M-F 9am–6pm (EST)

[phone] M-F 9am-6pm (EST)

http://www.alcorn.com/kb

[e-mail]

http://www.alcorn.com/support

Any Time

Any Time

Any Time

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page 2

Getting Started

So you don’t have the time or patience to read the stupid manual. You just want to know how to make your
AmpTraXX do something useful. We understand your situation perfectly, and we have written this section
especially for you.

Let’s make some noise!

Follow these simple steps to have your AmpTraXX working right out of the box.

1. Remove your AmpTraXX from its cushiony bed of packing material, and make sure that the parcel
service did not use it as a basketball during shipment.

2. Verify that all DIP switches are in the ON (Down) position.

3. Connect a standard 8-ohm or 4-ohm speaker to the gold screw terminals conveniently labeled “1”.

4. Connect your audio gear (CD Player, MP3 Machine, etc.) to the unbalanced RCA input labeled “1”.

5. To avoid the possibility of severe hearing damage, make sure that the front-panel volume knob for
Channel #1 is turned down all the way (counter-clockwise).

6. Okay, now it’s time to plug it in! Once you have securely connected the AC line cord to AmpTraXX
and an electrical outlet (don’t forget this part, it’s important), flip the nearby power switch to the ON
position.

7. As your AmpTraXX whirs to life, you should see a blinding blue LED indicating power.

8. Once your audio source starts playing, you will also see the green signal LED for channel #1 begin to
flicker.

9. Slowly turn the volume control for channel #1 clockwise until you hear sound.

10. You’re Jammin’.

AmpTraXX Software Tutorial

Now that your AmpTraXX is up and running, you may be interested in using some of its more advanced
features, such as filters. To access these advanced features, we suggest you use the AmpTraXX Windows
application. The directions below will provide a step-by-step example of using this application to configure
AmpTraXX.

1. If you have not done so already, install the AmpTraXX application on your Windows-based PC. If
you need help doing this, follow the procedure in the Installing the AmpTraXX Configuration
Software section of this manual.

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page 3

2. Connect the 9-pin RS-232 cable to both AmpTraXX and your PC. If your dog has eaten this cable, use
a 9-pin female-to-female straight-through (not NULL) RS-232 serial cable.

3. Run the AmpTraXX application.

4. Click on the

button to configure your PC’s serial port. Make sure you select the COM port that

corresponds to the PC port AmpTraXX is connected to. Click OK when you have done so.

5. Now, we are going to establish a live connection with AmpTraXX. Click on the

button to do
this. Once a connection has been established, the application will retrieve the current settings from
AmpTraXX and you will have the ability to adjust its settings in real-time.

6. Assuming that you have not touched anything from the Let’s make some noise! section, you should
be able to see the gain sliders and indicators move as you turn the front-panel volume controls. Do this
now.

7. By now, you may have noticed that you cannot manipulate the gain controls with the mouse. This is
because the AmpTraXX front panel is Active and has control of all gain values. To change this
behavior, simply flip DIP switch #1 to the OFF (Up) position to disable the front panel controls. You
will see the Front Panel Active indicator turn off, and the Gain sliders will become available to mouse
control.

8. Click and slowly drag the gain slider for channel #1 up and down and listen to the volume change in
real-time.

9. Now, to demonstrate how to set and adjust filters, let’s configure a Low-pass filter. In the channel #1
division of the Filter Type section, click on the

button to select Low-pass filter. The output for
channel #1 will momentarily go silent as the filter is changed. Already, you should notice a difference
in the way the output sounds.

10. To make this Low-pass filter really effective, let’s adjust the cutoff frequency so that only very low
frequency audio is allowed to pass. Click and hold the mouse button on the Frequency knob for
channel #1. When you have the mouse button down, the knob can be adjusted by moving the mouse in
an up or down direction. Adjust the frequency value as close to 100 as possible and then release the
mouse button. You have now selected a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz.

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11. Let’s tweak the behavior of this filter even more by adjusting the Filter Quality setting. As you
increase the Filter Quality setting, the Low-pass filter will more effectively amplify the lower
frequencies, while blocking more of the higher frequencies. The opposite applies when lowering the Q
setting.

12. Take a moment to play around with this filter (or other AmpTraXX filters) to find a sound that you
like. When you are ready, move on to the next step.

13. Now that you like what you have done with AmpTraXX, let’s make it remember these settings

permanently. By clicking the

button, AmpTraXX will store it’s current settings into non-volatile
memory. This means that AmpTraXX will load these settings the next time it powers up. Remember,
if you do not click this button, all of your settings will be lost the next time AmpTraXX is power
cycled.

14. Now, let’s make a backup of your configuration before you spill coffee in your AmpTraXX, it gets
struck by lightning, or one of your co-workers tinkers with your ‘finely tuned’ settings. Click on the

button to save your configuration to a file. This configuration can be recalled at any time using the

button.

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page 5

n

Front Panel

The front panel of the AmpTraXX contains the manual volume controls, signal LED indicators, clip LED
indicators, and the blue power led. Read the descriptions below for more detailed information.

Power/Status LED

A blue LED indicates the current status of AmpTraXX. Here is a table explaining the different states of this
LED:

LED State Status Description

Off No Power This one is pretty obvious.

Blinking Quickly Power-up Initialization AmpTraXX is initializing its internal hardware

AmpTraXX is waiting for a firmware upgrade – If

Blinking Slowly (1 sec.) Firmware Update Mode

On Normal Operation

3 blinks – pause Error

you do not wish to update the firmware, then retur
DIP switch #3 to the ON (down) position.

Amplifiers and Filters are active, and everything is
normal.

AmpTraXX has experienced a serious error. If this
continues, you should contact Technical Support
for assistance.

Signal Present and Clip Indicators

A row of 16 Green LEDs illuminate whenever an active signal is detected on the corresponding input of the
AmpTraXX. The red Clipping LEDs will blink whenever the pre-amp output signal nears the clipping level.

Volume Controls

There are 16 volume controls on the front of the AmpTraXX for quick manual control of each channel’s
volume. If you wish, these controls can be disabled using one of the Rear Panel DIP switches.

September 12, 2005 • Alcorn McBride AmpTraXX User’s Manual • Rev 1.2 Page 6