Asl intercom PS 279 User Manual

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PRO SERIES

USER MANUAL

FOR THE

PS 279

DUAL CHANNEL MASTER STATION

CONTENTS

1.0 SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS……………………………….3

2.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION ......................................... 4

3.0 UNPACKING .............................................................. 4

4.0 MECHANICAL INSTALLATION .................................. 4

5.0 MAINS POWER .......................................................... 5

6.0 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS ...................................... 6

7.0 REAR PANEL CONTROLS ........................................ 8

8.0 INTERNAL CONTROLS ............................................. 9

9.0 CABLING .................................................................. 10

10.0 PARTY LINE, TECHNICAL CONCEP T .................... 11

11.0 WARRANTY ............................................................. 11

12.0 DESIGN CRITERIA .................................................. 11

13.0 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ............................... 12

1.0 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS !

Please always follow these instructions t o he lp ensure

against injury to yourself and da m age t o t he system.

Read all safety and operating instructions

1) before you operate the apparatus.

Retain all safety and operating instructions for

2) future reference.

Heed all warnings on the apparatus and in the

3) safety and operating instructions.

Follow all installation, operating and use

4) instructions.

Unplug the apparatus from the AC power

5) outlet before cleaning. Use only a damp cloth for cleaning the exterior of the apparatus.

Do not use accessories or attachments not

6) recommended by the manufacturer, as they may cause hazards an d vo id the warr anty.

Do not operate this apparatus in high

7) humidity areas or expose it to water or moisture.

Do not place the apparatus on an unstable

8) cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table. The apparatus may fall, causing serious personal injury and damage to the apparatus.

Do not block or cover any openings in the

9) apparatus. These are provided for ventilation and protection from overheating. Never place the apparatus near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not place the apparatus in an enclosure such as a cabinet without proper ventilation.

Operate the apparatus using only the type of

10) power source indicated on the marking label. Unplug the apparatus’ power cord by gripping the power plug, not the cord.

Insert the plug properly. Do not defeat the

11) safety purpose of the polarized or groundingtype plug. A polarized AC line plug has two blades with one wider than the other. This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing the plug. If the plug still fails to fit, contact an electrician to replace the obsolete outlet. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician to replace the obsolete outlet.

Route power supply cords so that they are not

12) likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Pay particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

Do not overload wall outlets or extension

13) cords, as this can result in a risk of fire or electrical shock.

Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms

14) or when unused for long periods of time.

Never insert objects of any kind into the

15) apparatus through openings, as the objects may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts. This could cause fire or electrical shock.

Refer all servicing to qualified service

16) personnel. Servicing is required w he n the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

2.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The PS 279 is designed to be a master unit in an ASL intercom system and can be used in portable as well as fixed applications. It incorporates a dual channel intercom line power supply with auxiliary input, a dual channel headset station and uses only 1U of 19” rack space.

This makes the PS 279 very versatile and ideal for use in applications where standard microphone cable is available and ease of setup is of paramount importance.

Each channel has a Volume (listen level) control, a Talk and a Call button with LED indicators and a side tone trimmer.

The intercom line power supply is fully protected and can drive at least 20 beltpacks operating at full power. The power supply is completely separated from all other functions and in case of power failure, the unit will accept line power from an external ASL power supply.

Since the power supply provides the line impedance, one would generally only use one PS 279 on a 2-channel Intercom system. Should you want to connect a PS 279 to another Intercom system, the ‘System link’ connector at the back of the unit has to be used to avoid impedance problems. If the number of beltpacks/speaker stations exceed the capacity of the PS 279 power supply, a booster power supply (PS 285) can be used.

3.0 UNPACKING

The shipping carton contains the parts listed below * The PS 279 * Mains power cable * Spare fuses * User manual

If any are missing, contact your dealer. With the PS 279 will be a small packet of spare fuses.

Please keep them in a safe place. There is also one spare fuse included in the mains inlet.

4.0 MECHANICAL INST ALLATION

A vertical rack space of 1U (1.75”, 44mm) is required for the PS 279. It is not necessary to provide rear support by extra bracing or shelving.

Adequate ventilation must be provided by allow ing sufficient space around the sides and rear of the unit to ensure free circulation of air. Forced cooling is not required.

Special attention has been paid to the intelligibility of speech. By applying low noise/high speed circuitry, a speech presence filter and a specially designed high power headphone amplifier, communication is very comfortable even in environments with a high background noise level.

The unique CALL system provides both a flashing red LED and a very distinctive and characteristic sound signal. Only a short push of the CALL button will make the LED flash. The Call sound signal (buzzer) will be activated when holding the button for two seconds. In case the sound signal is undesirable, all buzzers can be muted with the “All buzzers on/off” button.

Fully electronic switching increases reliability and allows for:

- “soft” microphone ON switching, latched or momentary

- remote Mic Mute facility. All microphones of stations connected to the PS 279 can be muted by pushing a single front button.

An Aux input at the rear panel allows injecting external audio signals at line level. An Aux signal can be routed to intercom line A and/or B, or directly to the local headset.

As an option, an XLR-6 headset connector can be fitted, allowing the user to hear channel A + AUX program signal on the left headset can and channel B + AUX program signal on the right headset can. By changing the position of internally mounted jumpers, it’s also possible to hear channel A + B on the left can and the AUX program signal on the right can .

ASL has taken great care to ensure that this product reaches you in flawless condition. After unpacking the unit, please inspect for any physical damage to the unit, and retain the shipping carton and relevant packing materials for use should the unit nee d returning.

If any damage has occurred, please notify your dealer immediately so that a written claim can be initiated. Please also refer to the guarantee section of this manual.

The power unit is mounted on the bottom of the unit, and after a period of time it will feel hot to the touch on top and bottom. This is normal, and should be no cause for alarm

5.0 MAINS POWER

The PS 279 may be connected to the mains power outlet to which other audio equipment is connected. The outlet should have a clean earth. Avoid using mains power outlets, which also power dimmer controlled lighting equipment.

Before connecting the unit to its AC power source, check if the mains voltage of the unit (100 V – 240 V) is in accordance with your local mains voltage.

IMPORTANT

The wires in this mains lead are colour coded in accordance with the following code:

green and yellow / safety ground blue / neutral brown / live

5.1 SAFETY EARTHING

The green-and-yellow wire of the mains cord must always be connected to the electrical installat ion saf ety earth or ground. It is essential for personal safety as well as for proper operation of the PS 279 and the other connected stations. This wire is internally connected to all exposed metal surfaces. Any rack framework into which this unit

This appliance must be earthed

WARNING

5.2 POWERING UP

Powering up procedure:

- Make sure that the red power switch on the left side of the front panel is OFF.

- Connect the power cord to the rear of the station.

- Plug the other end of the power cord into a PROPERLY GROUNDED outlet.

5.3 MAINS POWER SETTING

The unit has a switch mode power supply and accepts mains voltages from 100 – 240 VAC (50 / 60 Hz).

Mains Fuse

For all voltages : T 1250.

As the colours of the wires in the mains lead may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:

- The wire that is coloured green-and-yellow must be connected to the terminal in the plug, which is marked with the letter “E”, or by the ground symbol, or is coloured green.

- The wire that is coloured blue must be connected to the terminal that is marked with the letter “N” or coloured black.

- The wire that is coloured brown must be connected to the terminal that is marked with the letter “L” or coloured red.

Those units that are supplied to the North American market will have an integral moulded 3-pin connector , which is provided to satisfy required local sta ndard s.

might be mounted shall be connected to the same grounding circuit.

The PS 279 employs professionally designed audio input and output circuits which do not require the disconnection of any safety earth for the avoidance of hum loops.

- Turn on the power with the red button. The red overload LED will light up for about 3 seconds, then extinguishes and the green power LED will switch on, indicating the station is active.

See for further installation and operation the con cern ing sections.

6.0 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTOR

1 P OWER ON/OFF switch

Mains power push button for switching the internal power supply ON and OFF.

2 OVERLO AD LED This LED illuminates, when the internal circuit-breaker

shuts off line power due to overload. A cause for overload can be a connection of too many user stations, a short-circuit in the interconnecting cables, or a thermal overload. The circuit-breaker resets automatically 3 seconds after the cause of the overload has been removed, and restores line power automatically.

During short-circuit, the LED will flash every 3

seconds. During thermal overload it will be lit continuously.

The LED will also come on for a few seconds every

time you switch on mains power.

3 POWER LED This LED illuminates if line power is supplied by the

internal power supply.

4 SYSTEM LINK IN A This LED illuminates if another ASL Intercom System

has been connected to the PS 279 through the “System Link” connector of Channel A. The Line Impedance is now provided by the other Intercom system and the internal line impedance for Channel A is switched off. The Buzzer mute function on Channel A can now only be controlled by the connected system, while the Buzzer Mute on Channel B will still be controlled by the PS 279. The Mic Mute signals given by the other Intercom system are also sent to the user stations connected to Channel A of the PS

279. If a Mic Mute is given by the PS 279, it is only send to its own channels and does not mute the microphones of the other Intercom System.

5 SYSTEM LINK IN B This LED illuminates if another ASL Intercom System

has been connected to the PS 279 through the “System Link” connector of Channel B. The Line Impedance is now provided by the other Intercom system and the internal line impedance for Channel B is switched off. The Buzzer mute function on Channel B can now only be controlled by the connected system, while the Buzzer Mute on Channel A will still be controlled by the PS 279. The Mic Mute signals given by the other Intercom system are also sent to the user stations connected to Channel B of the PS

279. If a Mic Mute is given by the PS 279, it is only send to its own channels and does not mute the microphones of the other Intercom System.

6 BUZZER This buzzer indicates an incoming or outgoing call. It is

activated by pressing a CALL button of the PS 279 or a CALL button on any other station on channel A or B for longer than two seconds, if the buzzers are not muted (see 5.7). You can adjust its volume with the buzzer volume control.

7 BUZ ZER VOLUME trimmer This trimmer adjusts the volume of the buzzer.

8 ALL MIC’S ON/OFF button With this pushbutton all microphones of the connec ted

stations can be switched off. Each user station can activate its microphone again by pushing its TALK button.

9 ALL BUZZERS ON/OFF button With this button all buzzers of the connected stations

can be muted. The buzzers stay muted until the Mute button is switched off again.

10 AUX VOLUME controls These knobs adjust the level of the Aux input signal to

each of the two intercom lines.

11 A/B/HEADSET routing switches These three switches route the aux input signal to

either:

1) Intercom channel A and/or Intercom channel B

2) Directly to the headset

If the aux is routed to the headset it is for local monitoring only, and cannot be routed to the intercom channels.

6.0 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTOR

12 VOLUME control knobs

These knobs adjust the listen level of the headset. Each channel can be adjusted separately.

13 SIDETONE trimmers

These trimmers adjust the level of your own voice as

you hear it in your headset. Adjustment procedure:

- set the trimmer in start position: fully clockwise.

- switch off the microphone of all connected

(speaker!) stations.

- switch on the microphone of the required channel.

- turn up the volume of the required channel.

- speak into the headset microphone.

- adjust the listen level by turning the sidetone

trimmer. The operating area is between fully clockwise and minimum level. Adjusting the sidetone does not affect the level of your voice as it is heard by other stations.

14 TALK buttons

These buttons allow you to talk to each channel

separately or simultaneously.

The large green LED is lit when the talk function is

activated.

Latched switching: When a TALK button is pressed shortly, the

microphone of the chosen channel will be switched on and latches electronically. When pressed again, the microphone will switch off.

Momentary switching: When holding a TALK button pressed while talking,

the microphone will remain switched on until the button is released. Then the microphone will switch off automatically.

15 CALL A & B buttons These push buttons activate the CALL system. A

momentary push will send a visual CALL signal to all stations connected to that intercom channel and the CALL LEDS will start flashing. When holding the buttons pressed for 2 seconds, the buzzer will be activated. After the CALL button is released the LEDS will continue to flash for further 2 seconds.

16 HEADSET connector A XLR-4 type connector to connect the local headset.

The headset-can must have an impedanc e of 200 ohms or greater, or each 400 ohms minimum when in parallel. The mic may be of the dynamic or electret type.

Pin assignments:

1. shield mic. (GND)

2. mic. +

3. phones +

4. phones –

The wiring is such that both headset cans are connected in parallel and receive the same signal. The two headphone amplifiers run in a bridged mode.

As an option, an XLR-6 type connector can be fitted to allow a binaural headset configuration where a different signal will appear on each can. In this mode the internal headphone amplifiers are not bridged. See section 7.1 Internal Jumpers and Controls.

7.0 REAR PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTOR

17 A & B LINE connectors

These XLR-3 type connectors are for connecting the remote-stations, via standard microphone cable. There are two connectors for channel A and two connectors for channel B.

Pin assignments:

1. 0V / ground shield

2. +30V power wire

3. audio wire

18 SYSTEM LINK IN connector Input for the cable of an external party-line Intercom

system. If one or both channels of the PS 279 are to be connected to another intercom system then these connectors will accept the communicat ion si gnal s from the other system.

19 AUX INPUT connector This XLR-3 type aux input connector is electronically

balanced and accepts audio levels between –20dBu to +21dBu on line level.

Pin assignments:

1. 0V / ground

2. signal +

3. signal -

20 GROUND LIFT switch

With this switch the pin 1 of the AUX input XLR is lifted

from ground when in “Lift” position.

21 MAINS INLET / DISCONNECT DEVICE IEC Mains connector. For correct wiring and operation

refer to section 4.0.

Before you plug in the mains voltage, check if: * The fuse is correct * The voltage is correct

WARNING

22 FUSE This fuse protects the PS 279 against severe internal

damage, in case of malfunction in the power section. To remove the fuse the mains cord must be removed.

It is most important to place the correct fuse in the holder:

Mains voltage fuse 100 – 240 VAC T 1250 mA

Spare fuses are supplied with the unit.

23 DC INPUT connectors

These connectors can be used as a backup power

supply or when no 100/240 VAC voltage supply is available. They accept 12 – 28 VDC.

8.0 INTERNAL CONTROLS

MIC GAIN The setting of the mic gain must be done by qualified service personnel only ! The mic gain is adjus ted

internally.

- To reach the mic gain, undo the two screws at

the front panel of the PS 279 and the two screws on the top side.

- The trimmer is located at the right front of the

unit.

- To increase mic gain turn counter clockwise.

- To decrease mic gain turn clockwise.

See section 7.1 for the location of the mic gain trimmer.

8.1 INTERNAL JUMPER SETTINGS AND CONTROLS

BINAURAL JUMPER SETTINGS The setting of the binaural jumpers must be done by qualified service personnel only !

See also section 5.16 HEADSET connector, an XLR-6 is a must for binaural operation.

The binaural configuration is set by internal jumpers J3, as follows:

Jumpers in position A: Left can Channel A and B. Right can AUX signal.

Jumpers in position B: Left can Channel A and AUX signal Right can Channel B and AUX signal

Internal mic gain

See also section 7.0 Internal controls. The mic gain trimmer is labeled:

P2 for the mic gain setting.

9.0 CABLING

For the PRO Series Intercom system the interconnecting cables are of the shielded two-conductor microphone cable type and the intercom line connectors are of the XLR-3 type. Audio and Call signals are on XLR pin 3, DC power is on XLR pin 2. XLR pin 1 is connected to the shield of the cable, which functions as the common return for audio and power.

Since the audio signal is transferred in an unbalanced  way, certain rules have to be obeyed when installing the cables of an intercom network. This is to avoid earth loops and to minimize power loss and the possible effect of electromagnetic fields.

These rules are:

• Use high quality (multipair) cable. For interconnecting user stations, power supplies

and accessories in an ASL Intercom network, use high quality shielded two-conductor (minimum

size 2 x 0.226 mm² (#24AWG)). microphone cable only.

In case of a multi channel intercom networ k, use

high quality microphone 'multipair' cable only, each pair consisting of two conduc tors (mi nim um 2x 0.15 mm2) with separate shield. Multipair cable should also have an overall shield.

• Use flexible cables. Use flexible single and multipair microphone

cable instead of cable with solid cores, especially when the cable is subjected to bending during operation or installation.

• Separate cable screen to XLR pin 1. The screen of each separate microphone cable

and/or the screen of each single pair in a multipair cable should be connected to pin 1 of each XLR-3 connector. Do not connect this cabl e screen to the metal housing of the connector or to metal wall boxes (outlets).

See page 12 for Earthing Concept.

• Cable trunks, connection boxes and overall multipair cable screen to clean earth.

Metal cable trunks, metal connection boxes and

overall multipair cable screen should be interconnected and, at one point (the 'central earthing point') in the intercom network only, be connected to a clean safety earth.

See page 12 for Earthing Concept.

• Keep metal connection boxes and cable trunks

isolated from other metal parts.

Metal housings for intercom cables and connectors should be mounted in such a way that they are isolated from other metal cable and connector housings and from any other metal construction parts.

 See Party Line, Technical Concept

• Keep cables parallel as much as possible

When two (multi channel) units in a network are

connected by more than one cable, make sure that these cables are parallel to each other over the whole distance between those units. When using multi pair cable, parallelism is ensured in the best possible way.

• Avoid closed loops. Always avoid that cables are making a loop. So-

called 'ring intercom' should not physically be cabled as a ring. All cable routes should have a 'star' configuration, with the central earthing point (usually close to the power supply position) as the centre of the star.

• Keep cables away from electromagnetic sources. Keep intercom cables away from high-energy cables,

e.g. 110/220/380V mains power or dimmer controlled feeds for spotlights.

Intercom cables should cross high-energy cables at

an angle of 90° only.

Intercom cables should never be in the same

trunking as energy cables.

• Place power supplies in a central position. In order to avoid unacceptable power losses, place

the power supplies as close as possible to where most power consumption occurs or, in other words, most user stations are placed.

• Connect ASL power supply to a 'clean' mains outlet.

The ASL power supply may be connected to the

mains power outlet to which other audio equipment is connected. Avoid using mains outlets which also power dimmer controlled lighting systems.

In case of more complex installations, don't hesitate to

contact us. Please send us a block diagram of the planned network with a list of all user stations and their positions, and we are happy to advise you on cabling layout.

10.0 PARTY LINE, TECHNICAL CONCEPT 12.0 DESIGN CRITERIA

ASL's PRO Series offers a complete, two way ('full duplex') communication system. Users of the system are connected via a 'party line'. Master stations (with built-in power supply), beltpacks, speaker stations and power supplies are interconnected via standard microphone cable (minimum cable size of 2

x 0.226 mm² (#24AWG)). One wire is used as an audio line, one as a power line and the screen of the cable

functions as earth/return. Current drive is used for signal transfer. Each station

utilises a current amplifier to amplify the microphone signal and place it on the common audio line wher e, due to the constant line impedance (situated in the power supply between XLR pin 3 and 1), a signal voltage is developed which can be further amplified and sent to headphones or loudspeakers.

This principle has three advantages:

- the use of a single audio line allows several stations to talk and listen simultaneously.

- due to the high bridging impedance offered by each station, the number of stations 'on line' has no influence on the level of the communications signal.

- power and audio to the intercom stations use the same cable.

The Call signal is also sent as a current on the audio line. It develops a DC potential over the line impedance that will be sensed by each station and interpreted as a Call signal.

11.0 GUARANTEE

ASL Intercom warrants this unit to the original end-user purchaser against defects in workmanship and materia ls in its manufacture for a period of one year from the date of shipment to the end-user.

Faults arising from misuse, unauthorised modifications or accidents are not covered by this warranty. If the unit is faulty, it should be sent in its original packing to the supplier or your local ASL dealer, with shipping prepaid. A note must be included stating the faults found and a copy of the original suppliers invoice.

THIS PRODUCT WAS DESIGNED, DEVELOPED AND MANUFACTURED BY:

ASL INTERCOM BV UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS

Website: www.asl-inter.com

info@asl-inter.com

Email:

Applications / Environment of use

ASL Pro Series equipment is designed for use as a wired communications system in theatres, in Radio/TV production facilities, in factories, and in utilities complexes such as airports, railway stations and coach terminals.

ASL equipment can be used outdoors in normal weather conditions. In conditions with excessive cold (<-10° C), heat (>50° C) or humidity (>85%), ASL equipment might not perform properly.

ASL equipment is not designed to be used under water, or in situations where explosion safe equipment is specified by authorities.

Emission ASL Pro Series equipment does not generate high frequency (HF) signals. An ASL power supply can generate a weak magnetic field caused by the power transformer. To avoid possible negative affects, keep ASL power supplies at a safe distance from equipment which is very sensitive to magnetic fields.

Immunity ASL Pro Series is designed on the base of low impedance signal transport. User stations and power supplies are to be connected via low capacity cabling with an overall screen (also see Cabling section). Therefore, HF signals are adequately rejected to maintain an intelligible communication, unless strong electro-magnetic fields (exceeding 3 V/m) are in the direct vicinity of the interconnecting cables.

ASL 19” rack mount units are housed in a 1 mm steel enclosure (closed construction), which offers, by nature, the highest possible rejection of electromagnetic fields

ASL speaker stations (PS 130/230/430) are housed in an enclosure made of 1 mm steel with ABS side panels, which offers adequate rejec tion of electromagnetic fields.

ASL beltpacks are housed in an ABS enclosure and are slightly more sensitive to electro-magnetic fie lds. Negative effects in the performance of beltpacks can be avoided when keeping them at a safe distance from equipment which might radiate strong electro-magnetic fields, such as transmitters antennas and dimmers.

Asl intercom PS 279 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

1.0 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS !

20 GROUND LIFT switch

WARNING

23 DC INPUT connectors

Internal mic gain

Applications / Environment of use