Serial Control
of the
Advantage VRAM
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Biamp Systems, 10074 S.W. Arctic Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97005 U.S.A. (503) 641-7287
an affiliate of Rauland-Borg Corp.
Introduction
This document contains information for the serial control of the Advantage VRAM
(Variable Resource Auto Mixer) and the Advantage VRAMeq, (Variable Resource Auto
Mixer with equalizer). Specifically, this document tries to inform those looking to write
their own software controls for the Advantage VRAM. It is assumed that the reader has
some familiarity with standard programming practices, binary and hexadecimal numbers,
the ASCII character set, asynchronous serial data connections, and RS-232 interfaces.
Decimal, Binary, and "Pseudo-hex" Numbers
This document uses three different numerical notations. The first, the most common, is
the decimal notation. Whenever it is used, a “d” will appear after the number..
8 Bit binary numbers are the second format used in this paper. These numbers will be
followed by “b” after their usage. If a specific bit is being referred to, the numbers will
be preceded by the word “bit.”
To transmit an 8 bit binary number to the Advantage VRAM, hexadecimal notation is
used. Hexadecimal numbers are arrived at by splitting the number into two halves. One
half consists of the first four binary digits (most significant nibble) while the other
consists of the last four binary digits (least significant nibble). 2 nibbles form a byte,
which takes on a decimal value of 0 to 255. Each half is then assigned a hexadecimal
value. Since the binary values range from 0 to 15, usually values from 10 to 15 are given
the alphabetic letters from A to F.
However, the Advantage VRAM does not utilize standard hex format. Instead, the
Advantage VRAM uses what is known as "pseudo-hex." Simply put, instead of using the
letters A, B, C, D, E and F the Advantage VRAM uses : ; < = > and ?, respectively. All it
takes to arrive at the new notation for hex values 10 to 15d is to add 30 to the old ASCII
values. In this paper, [pseudo-hex] will appear after the use of a pseudo-hex character.
The changes are traditional hex are summed up below:
Nibble Conversion
Decima
l
0 0 0 0000
1 1 1 0001
2 2 2 0010
3 3 3 0011
4 4 4 0100
5 5 5 0101
6 6 6 0110
7 7 7 0111
8 8 8 1000
9 9 9 1001
10 A : 1010
11 B ; 1011
12 C < 1100
13 D = 1101
14 E > 1110
15 F ? 1111
Hex Pseudo-hex Binary
Serial Interface - Data Communications Parameters
The Advantage VRAM communicates through its serial port at four different baud rates:
2400, 9600, 19200, and 38400. The factory default setting is 9600 baud. Changing this
rate is accomplished in the advanced mode (see page 18, not a recommended procedure)
or through BiampWin. The Advantage VRAM communicates with 8 data bits, no parity,
and 1 stop bit. The Advantage VRAM utilizes a subset of the standard 7-bit ASCII
character set.
Control
The Advantage VRAM has an RS-232-compatible serial port which allows it to be
controlled by a computer or by a third party system controller (such as those provided by
AMX or Crestron). The Advantage VRAM offers the following two methods of serial
control:
• Control Button Emulation. This method of control emulates Biamp's standard infrared
remote control transmitter or wall-mount remote control panel. Using this method, single
ASCII characters sent to the device’s serial port cause the device to behave as if a biamp
remote controller were attached. While Control Button Emulation is simple to perform, it
only provides basic and "one-way" control of the Advantage VRAM - it allows the user
to send simple commands to the Advantage VRAM, but it does not provide any
mechanism for requesting status information from the Advantage VRAM.
• Advanced Control. Advanced control provides a command set which allow "two-way"
control of the Advantage VRAM. Using Advanced Control commands, a system may
request status information from the device as well as send commands to the device.
Communication occurs with the Advantage VRAM using the Advantage VRAM’s serial
port.
Control Button Emulation
Control Button Emulation is the simplest form of serial control of the Advantage VRAM.
This method of operation allows the user to emulate the operation of a standard Biamp
remote control transmitter.
For each button on a standard Biamp remote control, there is a corresponding ASCII
character. In order to emulate a remote control button, the transmitting system simply
transmits the corresponding ASCII character to the Advantage VRAM’s serial port.
Each character received by the Advantage VRAM will be echoed back out the serial port.
The standard Biamp remote control devices never exceed a transmission rate of 9
characters per second. If the controlling system wishes to perform Control Button
Emulation at a rate of greater than 20 characters per second (50 msec per character), flow
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
2
control should be implemented by waiting for the echo of each character before
transmitting the next character. At slower speeds, flow control should not be necessary.
The following table summarizes the ASCII character codes for Control Button Emulation
corresponding to each of the 40 remote control buttons supported by the Advantage
VRAM. These button codes are also summarized on the ASCII code chart provided at
the end of this manual. The remote control buttons on the standard Biamp transmitter are
numbered from left to right going from bottom to top with the lower left-hand button
being button number 1.
Using BiampWin, it is possible to program the VRAM to respond to these commands.
button 1 'B' (0x42) button 21 'V' (0x56)
button 2 'C' (0x43) button 22 'W' (0x57)
button 3 'D' (0x44) button 23 'X' (0x58)
button 4 'E' (0x45) button 24 'Y' (0x59)
button 5 'F' (0x46) button 25 'Z' (0x5A)
button 6 'G' (0x47) button 26 '[' (0x5B)
button 7 'H' (0x48) button 27 '\' (0x5C)
button 8 'I' (0x49) button 28 ']' (0x5D)
button 9 'J' (0x4A) button 29 '^' (0x5E)
button 10 'K' (0x4B) button 30 '_' (0x5F)
button 11 'L' (0x4C) button 31 '`' (0x60)
button 12 'M' (0x4D) button 32 'b' (0x62)
button 13 'N' (0x4E) button 33 'c' (0x63)
button 14 'O' (0x4F) button 34 'd' (0x64)
button 15 'P' (0x50) button 35 'e' (0x65)
button 16 'Q' (0x51) button 36 'f' (0x66)
button 17 'R' (0x52) button 37 'g' (0x67)
button 18 'S' (0x53) button 38 'h' (0x68)
button 19 'T' (0x54) button 39 'i' (0x69)
button 20 'U' (0x55) button 40 'j' (0x6A)
Simple vs Addressable
The simple method of control button emulation is to send any one of the control button
characters through the serial port to the VRAM. The disadvantage to this method is that
every device hooked into the VRAM will also hear the command. If any of the other
devices have been programmed with this particular character, they will also respond.
To avoid this problem, the VRAM allows addressable control button emulation. By
using the control-button-emulation command, on page 12, control button commands are
sent directly to a specific device.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
3
Advanced Control
The Advanced Control command set includes more powerful commands to allow more
flexible control of the Advantage VRAM. Unlike Control Button Emulation (which is
basically a one-way control mechanism) advanced control commands allow the VRAM
to return information through the serial port,. The following list summarizes the
commands available using Advanced Control, including the ASCII command character
associated with each command:
! store-as-preset
(save settings as preset)
" retrieve-preset
(put Advantage VRAM into preset mode)
# read-device-settings
(read current settings from device memory)
$ write-settings
(write to device memory)
& addressable-control-button-emulation
(execute control buttons)
( bitwise-operator
(perform bitwise operations on memory locations)
) increment-decrement-memory
(change memory location value by plus or minus one)
* polling-status
(request status update of various functions)
+ sleep-for-10-seconds
(sleep for 10 seconds, ignoring all communication)
, read-eeprom-locations
(read from non-volatile memory)
- write-eeprom-locations1
(write to non-volatile memory)
. set-baud1
(set communications speed)
/ get-version
(retrieve the model information and firmware version date)
Each Advanced Control command requires at least two parameter bytes (four pseudo-hex
characters) to be sent prior to the command character. Each command will be explained
in detail on the following pages.
Some of the commands cause the Advantage VRAM to return information through the
serial port. For each string of information returned to the serial port, the Advantage
VRAM terminates the string by transmitting the ASCII carriage return character (0x0D represented in this document as ↵ ).
1
Not recommended, but available for use
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
4
As mentioned earlier, the Advantage VRAM will echo all characters it receives,
regardless of whether or not the characters are valid commands or parameters.
Characters greater than 0x7F are reserved and should not be transmitted to the serial port.
The Advantage VRAM utilizes a subset of the standard ASCII character set. The
following characters have meaning to the Advantage VRAM:
character hexadecimal operation
ASCII control characters (0x00 - 0x1F) no operation
ASCII SPACE character
! thru /
0 thru ?
@
A
B thru `
a
b thru j
k thru z
{ thru DEL
0x80 thru 0xFF (0x80 - 0xFF) RESERVED
(0x20) no operation
(0x21 - 0x2F) Advanced Control commands
(0x30 - 0x3F) pseudo-hex parameters for Advanced
Control commands
(0x40) Control Button Emulation Repeat Code
(0x41) no operation
(0x42 - 0x60) Control Button Emulation commands
(buttons 01 - 31)
(0x61) no operation
(0x62 - 0x6A) Control Button Emulation commands
(buttons 32 - 40)
(0x6B - 0x7A) Control Button Emulation Device Select
Prefix commands
(0x7B - 0x7F) no operation
Device Type Bitmask, Device Number Bitmask, and Device Model Bitmask
In a system which has more than one Advantage product connected together, the Device
Type Bitmask and Device Number Bitmask command parameters provide a mechanism
to individually address a particular device (or a combination of devices). Every
command in the Advanced Control command set requires that a Device Type Bitmask
and a Device Number Bitmask be transmitted as the last two parameter bytes before
transmitting the command character itself. These two bitmask parameters bytes provide a
device addressing capability to specify which of the devices in the system should execute
the command. All devices which are not specifically addressed by these two bitmask
values will ignore the command.
The Device Type Bitmask parameter byte supports up to eight distinct device types - one
bit per device type. The eight device types are:
0x01 [hex] (bit 0) Biamp Advantage DRC 4+4 digital remote control
0x02 [hex] (bit 1) Biamp Advantage EQ28X digitally-controlled graphicEQ
0x04 [hex] (bit 2) Biamp Advantage SPM522D stereo preamp/mixer
0x08 [hex] (bit 3) Biamp Advantage PMX84 programmable matrix switch
0x10 [hex] (bit 4) (reserved for future product)
0x20 [hex] (bit 5) (reserved for future product)
0x40 [hex] (bit 6) (reserved for future product)
0x80 [hex] (bit 7) Advanced Products, such as the Biamp Advantage VRAM
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
5
The Advantage VRAM will only respond to Advanced Control commands if bit 7 of the
Device Type Bitmask parameter byte is a '1'. A command may be directed to more than
one device type in the system by setting all of the corresponding bits in the Device Type
Bitmask to '1's. If only advanced equipment is being addressed (EQ2828/8 DRI, MSP,
and DDL12) 80 is the only bitmask required to use.
The Device Number Bitmask parameter byte supports up to sixty-four distinct device
numbers:
0x00 [hex] Select Device Number 0
0x01 [hex] Select Device Number 1
0x02 [hex] Select Device Number 2
0xFF [hex] Select Device Number 63
A particular Advantage VRAM will only respond to Advanced Control commands if the
Device Number Bitmask parameter byte corresponds to its own device number.
For instance, the bitmask 8007 serves to talk only to advanced product (80) number 7 (07).
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
6
! store-as-preset
Description:
The Advantage VRAM and Advantage VRAMeq each allow up to 17 different presets.
Using the store-as-preset command, the user is allowed to store the current settings
(device configurations) under a specified preset.
Syntax of Command:
pp80dd!
where
pp = Preset number
(0 to 16d; 00 to 10 [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
! = store-as-preset command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
0?8002! (none)
This example causes the Advantage VRAM , device number 2, to store the current
settings under preset number 15d (0? [pseudo-hex]).
Comments:
While there are 16 designated presets on the main control screen in BiampWin, it is also
possible to access and write to the power-up preset, 00. This preset is used by the
VRAM at power-up to load its startup configuration.
However, the current settings at power-down are normally saved to this preset. Consult
the user’s manual (regarding BiampWin) if you wish to disable saving of current settings
at power-down.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
7
" retrieve-preset
Description:
The retrieve-preset command configures the Advantage VRAM and Advantage
VRAMeq according to a preset definition in non-volatile memory. The user can retrieve
any of the 17 available presets.
Syntax of Command:
pp80dd"
where
pp = Preset number
(1 to 16d; 00 to 10 [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; to 3? [pseudo-hex])
" = retrieve-preset command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
108003! (none)
This example configures the Advantage VRAM , device number 3, according to the
settings stored in preset number 16d (10 [psuedo-hex].
Comments:
Depending on how the VRAM is configured from BiampWin, recalling preset 0 will
either recall the default power-up configuration or recall the state of the VRAM at the
last power-down. Please consult the BiampWin user’s manual for more information
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
8
# read-current-device-settings
Description:
The Advantage VRAM stores the settings of its pre-amp, volume, logic outputs and other
miscellaneous configuration data in 96 bytes of data. The Advantage VRAMeq also
stores equalizer data in this area of memory. The read-device-settings command can be
used to retrieve the contents of these memory locations.
Syntax of Command:
nnaa80dd#
nn = Number of bytes to read
(limited by starting address; 1 to 96d; 01 to 60 [pseudo-hex])
aa = Starting memory address
(0 to 95d; 00 to 5? [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
# = read-device-setting command character
Syntax of response:
xx…(up to 96 data values)…↵
where
xx = Data value
Example:
command: response:
10008002# 642800001000001000??00??03?<03?<
In this example, a Advantage VRAM (device number 2) is queried for the contents of the
first 16d (10 [pseudo-hex]) memory locations.
Comments:
From the beginning of the data structure (byte 00), bytes 0-15d are miscellaneous
settings. Bytes 16-31d are logic output settings, and bytes 32-95d are pre-amp settings,
volume, and equalizer settings. See the memory map for exact details of memory
mapping of device functions.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
9
$ write-current-device-settings
Description:
When used in conjunction with the read-device-settings command, the write-devicesettings command allows the user to manually adjust any aspect of the Advantage VRAM
or Advantage VRAMeq settings.
Syntax of Command:
xx…(up to 16 data values)…nnaa80dd$
where
xx = Up to 16 data values, sent in reverse order, highest memory
address first
nn = Number of bytes to write
(limited by starting address; 1 to 96d; 01 to 60 [pseudo-hex])
aa = Starting memory address
(0 to 95d; 00 to 5? [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
$ = write-device-setting command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
91919103288002$ (none)
This command causes a Advantage VRAM (device number 2) to write 03 bytes, 919191
[pseudo-hex], to setting location 40d (28 [pseudo-hex]).
Comments:
The increment-decrement-memory command “)” can provide a simpler way of modifying
a device setting by a single step, especially for settings that require the increasing or
decreasing of a value
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
10
& addressable-control-button-emulation
Description:
The Advantage VRAM and Advantage VRAMeq can be controlled by a 40 button
standard IR remote control that sends single ASCII characters. These characters are then
echoed to all linked devices with control ports. Using addressable-control-button
emulation allows the user to send control button emulation commands to a specific
device.
Sending buttons 41- 48 and 49-56 simulates a logic input instead of a control button.
Note that these buttons are not available on the remote control.
Syntax of Command:
ee80dd&
where
ee = Button to emulate
(1 to 40d; 01 to 28 [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
& = control-button-emulation command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
018001& (none)
This command tells the Advantage VRAM (device number 1) to emulate remote control
button number 1.
Comments:
BiampWin provides the easiest method of entering button and logic input definitions.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
11
( bitwise-operator (firmware dates 7/23/98 and later)
Description:
Many of the settings available on the Advantage VRAM are controlled by the status of
individual bits in the device settings. To adjust one of these bits (for instance to mute or
un-mute a channel) , use the bitwise-operator command.
Syntax of Command:
vvssttaa80dd)
where
vv = Bits to clear
(00 to ?? [pseudo-hex]; 00 indicates nothing to clear)
ss = Bits to set
(00 to ?? [pseudo-hex]; 00 indicates nothing to set)
tt = Bits to toggle
(00 to ?? [pseudo-hex]; 00 indicates nothing to toggle)
aa = Memory address
(0 to 95d; 00 to 5? [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
( = bitwise-operator command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
0000803<8007( (none)
Here the mute bit of the main volume control (memory location 3< [pseudo-hex]) is
toggled.
command response
0040003<8007( (none)
This example sets the phantom power on for channel 1.
Comments:
It is easiest to think of the settings in binary, using the data from the memory map notes,
and then convert the setting to pseudo-hex.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
12
) increment-decrement-memory (firmware dates 7/23/98 and later)
Description:
Sometimes it is desired to adjust a value in device memory by increasing or decreasing it
one step. A common application of this would be to adjust the main or auxiliary volume.
Syntax of Command:
ooffaa80dd)
where
oo = Upper or lower limit, depending on direction of change
(limited by setting to be incremented,
0 to 23d for preamp
0 to 31d for fader
0 to 30d for eq tone
0 to 15d for eq frequency)
ff = Increment or decrement
(00 or 01; 00 is decrement, 01 increment)
aa = Memory address
(32 to 96d; 20 to 60 [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
) = increment-decrement-memory command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
02003<8007) (none)
This example sets the lower bound as 02, and then decreases memory location 3<
[pseudo-hex] by one. This location happens to be the main volume level. Repeated use
of this command will force the fader to its lower limit of 2d steps from the bottom.
Comments:
The increment / decrement command is limited to preamp gains, volume, and equalizer
faders only.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
13
* polling-status
Description:
In order to give the user a glimpse into the current status of the Advantage VRAM and
Advantage VRAMeq, the polling-status command can be used. When directed, this
command will return information regarding the mix status of the device, it's auxiliary and
main analog to digital levels, as well as the presence of clipping, activity of the logic
output, auxiliary and main outputs.
Syntax of Command:
80dd*
where
80 = Device type bitmask
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
* = polling-status command character
Syntax of response:
ppyyzzcclluumm↵
where
pp = Last preset and communication bit used with BiampWin
(first nibble is for Biamp use only,
second nibble indicates current preset, 0 to ? [pseudo-hex])
yy = Auxiliary analog to digital converter level
(level ranges from 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex])
zz = Main analog to digital converter level
(level ranges from 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex])
cc = Clipping presence
(high bit indicates presence, 00 or 01)
ll = Logic output status
(binary high bit indicates active, 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex])
uu = Auxiliary output status
(binary high output indicates channel active, 00 to ?? [pseudo-
hex])
mm = Main output status
(binary high output indicates channel active, 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex]
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
14
Example:
command: response:
8002* 292:2;00000303
In this example, a Advantage VRAM (device number 2) reports that it's last preset was 9.
The 2 appearing before the 9 is used by BiampWin for communication purposes. The
auxiliary and main a/d converter levels are 42 and 43d, or about 16% of max. There is no
clipping, nor any output to the logic out. Finally, both the auxiliary and main outputs are
being fed by channels 1 and 2 (03 translates to 00000011b, indicating that the first two
channels are on).
Comments:
Preset:
If the last preset selected was 16d, (the startup preset) and a communication bit is set,
there can be some confusion. Preset 16d, without a communication bit has a pseudo-hex
value of 10, or 00010000b. However, when a communication bit is set, say, bit 8, the
resultant binary is 10010000, or 90 [pseudo-hex]. In all cases other than preset 16d the
communication bits always remain in the most significant nibble and the preset remains
in the least significant nibble.
Logic outputs:
As there are 8 logic outputs, each bit in the pseudo-hex value represents a specific output.
The outputs are ordered from most significant bit to least significant bit. For instance, an
output of ?; [pseudo-hex] would coincide with an binary value of 11111011b. Going
from msb to lsb, this indicates that pins 8, 7, 6, 4, 2, and 1 are active.
Main and auxiliary outputs:
These work in a similar manner to the logic outputs. Each of the 8 outputs are
represented by a bit in the pseudo-hex value. Each channel is ordered from lowest to
highest, lsb to msb.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
15
+ sleep-for-10-seconds
Description:
The sleep-for-10-seconds command allows the Advantage VRAM and Advantage
VRAMeq to fall "asleep" for 10 seconds, ignoring all communication. During this 10
seconds of sleep, the Advantage VRAM will not respond to nor echo any commands that
it receives.
Syntax of Command:
80dd+
where
80 = Device type bitmask for the Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
+ = sleep-for-10-seconds command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
800;+ (none)
This example causes the Advantage VRAM (device number 11d) to sleep for 10 seconds.
Comments:
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
16
, read-eeprom-locations
Description:
Specifying the read-eeprom-locations command causes the Advantage VRAM and
Advantage VRAMeq models to read a specified number of bytes starting at any valid
memory location in any memory bank. This information is then passed to the serial port,
from the last byte of sequence to the first byte specified. The Advantage VRAM has 16
banks with 256 bytes each
Syntax of Command:
bbaann80dd,
where
bb = Bank select
(0 to 15d; 00 to 0? [pseudo-hex])
aa = Starting memory address
(0 to 255d; 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex])
nn = Number of bytes to read minus one
(limited by starting address)
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
, = read-eeprom-locations command character
Syntax of response:
xx…(up to 256 data values)…↵
where
xx = Data value
Example:
command: response:
0>74068001, 010?0?0?0?0?0?
This command causes the Advantage VRAM (device number 1) to go to bank 14d (0>
[pseudo-hex]) and dump to the user the 7 bytes (since 7 - 1 is 06) from byte 116d (74
[pseudo-hex]) on. The output indicates that byte 122d contains 01, while bytes 116 to
121d all contain 0? [pseudo-hex].
Comments:
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
17
- write-eeprom-locations
Description:
The write-eeprom-locations command allows the user to write directly to the eeprom,
placing specific characters in designated memory locations. The Advantage VRAM and
Advantage VRAMeq each allow the user to program all of the eeprom's 16 banks of 256
bytes. While this provides a powerful method of setting or changing configuration
parameter, it also provides an easy way to screw things up.
Syntax of Command:
xx…(up to 16 data values)…bbaanncc80dd-
where
xx = Up to 16 data values, sent in reverse order, highest memory
address first.
bb = Bank select
(0 to 15d; 00 to 0? [pseudo-hex];)
aa = Starting memory address
(0 to 255d; 00 to ?? [pseudo-hex];)
nn = Number of bytes to write minus one
(limited by starting address)
cc = Checksum which consists of the 1's compliment of the eight
bit sum of nn + aa + bb + xx + …
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
- = write-eeprom-locations command character
Syntax of response:
Example:
no response
command: response:
0=07=>000>8006- (none)
This example commands an Advantage VRAM (device number 6) to access bank 7d of
the non-volatile memory. In this bank, it writes 1 byte (recall that 1 - 1 is 00), 0=, to
memory location 222d (=> pseudo-hex). Finally, as a checksum, the command provides
0> (00001110b), the one's compliment of the sum of 0=, 07, =>, and 00 [pseudo-hex]. If
the command had specified more than one byte, then the Advantage VRAM would have
entered the data from the highest memory location to the lowest.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
18
. set-baud
Description:
The set-baud rate command allows the user to specify the baud rate at which the
Advantage VRAM and Advantage VRAMeq operate. The units operate at 2400, 9600,
19200, and 38400 baud. In order to specify which of these baud rates to use, the
Advantage VRAM refers tothem by the numbers 0,1,2 and 3; respectively.
Syntax of Command:
rrii80dd.
where
rr = Baud rate
(00 to 03)
ii = Compliment of selected baud rate
(0< to 0? [pseudo-hex])
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
. = set-baud command character
Syntax of response:
no response
Example:
command: response:
00??8002. (none)
This command changes the baud of the Advantage VRAM (device number 2) to 2400
(mode 00 [pseudo-hex]).
Comments:
Changing the baud value will immediately disconnect the user from the Advantage
VRAM until the user has changed the baud of the device connected to serial port also.
Therefore, this command can be dangerous and is not recommended.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
19
/ get-version
Description:
The get-version command causes the Advantage VRAM and Advantage VRAMeq to
return the model identification code and firmware version to the user. The firmware
version is the release date, in the American format mmddyy. It is important to note that
the Advantage VRAM will return this date in decimal format, not pseudo-hex.
Syntax of Command:
80dd/
where
80 = Device type bitmask for Advantage VRAM
dd = Device number bitmask
(1 to 63d; 00 to 3? [pseudo-hex])
/ = get-version command character
Syntax of response:
12mmddyy↵
where
12 = Model i.d. for Advantage VRAM
mm = 2 digit decimal month character
dd = 2 digit decimal day character
yy = 2 digit decimal year character
Example:
command: response:
800=/ 12060598
This command asks a Advantage VRAM, number 13d, (0= [pseudo-hex]) to return its
model i.d. and firmware date. In this case, the model i.d. is 12 [pseudo-hex] and
firmware date is 6/5/98.
Comments:
Using the ? character will act as a wild card for any of the parameters.
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
20
ASCII Code Chart
with Decimal & Hexadecimal Equivalents and Advantage DRI Commands
000.
001.
002.
003.
004.
005.
006.
007.
008.
009.
010.
011.
012.
013.
014.
015.
NUL
SOH
STX
ETX
EOT
ENQ
ACK
BEL
BS
HT
LF
VT
FF
CR
SO
SI
0x00
0x01
0x02
0x03
0x04
0x05
0x06
0x07
0x08
0x09
0x0A
0x0B
0x0C
0x0D
0x0E
0x0F
016.
017.
018.
019.
020.
021.
022.
023.
024.
025.
026.
027.
028.
029.
030.
031.
DLE
DC1
DC2
DC3
DC4
NAK
SYN
ETB
CAN
EM
SUB
ESC
FS
GS
RS
US
0x10
032.
(space)
033.
0x11
vol limits
034.
0x12
do-button
035.
0x13
do-volume
036.
0x14
define-preset
037.
0x15
get-preset
038.
0x16
get/set-volume
039.
0x17
040.
0x18
do-logic
041.
0x19
do-preset
042.
0x1A
get-status
043.
0x1B
sleep 10 sec.
044.
0x1C
read memory
045.
0x1D
write memory
046.
0x1E
set defaults
047.
0x1F
get version
!
"
#
$
%
&
'
(
)
*
+
,
-
.
/
0x20
0x21
0x22
0x23
0x24
0x25
0x26
0x27
0x28
0x29
0x2A
0x2B
0x2C
0x2D
0x2E
0x2F
048.
0
nibble 0x0
049.
1
nibble 0x1
050.
2
nibble 0x2
051.
3
nibble 0x3
052.
4
nibble 0x4
053.
5
nibble 0x5
054.
6
nibble 0x6
055.
7
nibble 0x7
056.
8
nibble 0x8
057.
9
nibble 0x9
058.
:
nibble 0xA
059.
;
nibble 0xB
060.
<
nibble 0xC
061.
=
nibble 0xD
062.
>
nibble 0xE
063.
?
nibble 0xF
0x30
0x31
0x32
0x33
0x34
0x35
0x36
0x37
0x38
0x39
0x3A
0x3B
0x3C
0x3D
0x3E
0x3F
064.
@
repeat code
065.
A
066.
B
button 01
067.
C
button 02
068.
D
button 03
069.
E
button 04
070.
F
button 05
071.
G
button 06
072.
H
button 07
073.
I
button 08
074.
J
button 09
075.
K
button 10
076.
L
button 11
077.
M
button 12
078.
N
button 13
079.
O
button 14
0x40
0x41
0x42
0x43
0x44
0x45
0x46
0x47
0x48
0x49
0x4A
0x4B
0x4C
0x4D
0x4E
0x4F
080.
P
button 15
081.
Q
button 16
082.
R
button 17
083.
S
button 18
084.
T
button 19
085.
U
button 20
086.
V
button 21
087.
W
button 22
088.
X
button 23
089.
Y
button 24
090.
Z
button 25
091.
[
button 26
092.
\
button 27
093.
]
button 28
094.
^
button 29
095.
_
button 30
0x50
0x51
0x52
0x53
0x54
0x55
0x56
0x57
0x58
0x59
0x5A
0x5B
0x5C
0x5D
0x5E
0x5F
096.
`
button 31
097.
a
098.
b
button 32
099.
c
button 33
100.
d
button 34
101.
e
button 35
102.
f
button 36
103.
g
button 37
104.
h
button 38
105.
i
button 39
106.
j
button 40
107.
k
select none
108.
l
select 1
109.
m
select 2
110.
n
select 1,2
111.
o
select 3
0x60
0x61
0x62
0x63
0x64
0x65
0x66
0x67
0x68
0x69
0x6A
0x6B
0x6C
0x6D
0x6E
0x6F
112.
0x70
p
select 1,3
113.
q
select 2,3
114.
0x72
r
select 1,2,3
115.
0x73
s
select 4
116.
0x74
t
select 1,4
117.
0x75
u
select 2,4
118.
0x76
v
select 1,2,4
119.
0x77
w
select 3,4
120.
0x78
x
select 1,3,4
121.
0x79
y
select 2,3,4
122.
0x7A
z
select 1,2,3,4
123.
0x7B
{
124.
125.
0x7C
0x7D
}
126.
0x7E
~
127.
0x7F
DEL
0x71
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
21
Address Used for storage of Byte Controls Value Ranges Corresponds to
0 0 0 Auto (gated) to main status Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
controls one channel
0 or 1 0 not auto (gated), 1 auto
(gated)
0 1 1 Main out channel on or off Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 2 2 Auto (gated) to aux status Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 3 3 Aux out channel on or off Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 4 4 Direct out follow gate status Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 5 5 Direct out on or off Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 6 6 Logic output follow gate status Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 7 7 Logic output on or off Ch.1 to 8, from lsb to msb. Each bit
0 8 8 Config bits See note 1 See note 1 See note 1
0 9 9 MaxNOM presence Maximum number of open mic 0 to 7 number of open mics
0 : 10 Main and aux attenuation attenuation 0 to 15 see table
0 ; 11 Channel on time reload the channel on 0 to 255 value*.025 seconds
0 < 12 Designated mic designated mic See note 2 See note 2
0 = 13 reserved
0 > 14 reserved
0 ? 15 reserved
1 0 16 Turn on delay Ch.1 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 1 17 Turn on delay Ch.2 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 2 18 Turn on delay Ch.3 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 3 19 Turn on delay Ch.4 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 4 20 Turn on delay Ch.5 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 5 21 Turn on delay Ch.6 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 6 22 Turn on delay Ch.7 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 7 23 Turn on delay Ch.8 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 8 24 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.1 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 9 25 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.2 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 : 26 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.3 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 ; 27 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.4 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 < 28 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.5 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 = 29 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.6 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 > 30 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.7 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
1 ? 31 Logic output turnoff delay Ch.8 delay 0 to 255 .025*value seconds
2 0 32 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.1 See note 3 See note 3
2 1 33 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.2 See note 3 See note 3
controls one channel
controls one channel
controls one channel
controls one channel
controls one channel
controls one channel
controls one channel
0 or 1, bit only active when coinciding
bit in byte 2 is value 0
0 or 1 0 not auto (gated), 1 auto
0 or 1, bit only active when coinciding
bit in byte 2 is value 0
0 or 1 0 not follow gated, 1 follow
0 or 1, bit only active when coinciding
bit in byte 4 is value 0
0 or 1 0 not follow gated, 1 follow
0 or 1, bit only active when coinciding
bit in byte 6 is value 0
0 off, 1 on
(gated)
0 off, 1 on
gated
0 off, 1 on
gated
0 off, 1 on
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
22
2 2 34 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.3 See note 3 See note 3
2 3 35 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.4 See note 3 See note 3
2 4 36 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.5 See note 3 See note 3
2 5 37 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.6 See note 3 See note 3
2 6 38 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.7 See note 3 See note 3
2 7 39 gain, phantom, hpf Ch.8 See note 3 See note 3
2 8 40 Main Feed Ch. 1 level See note 4 See note 4
2 9 41 Aux Feed Ch. 1 level See note 4 See note 4
2 : 42 Main Feed Ch. 2 level See note 4 See note 4
2 ; 43 Aux Feed Ch. 2 level See note 4 See note 4
2 < 44 Main Feed Ch. 3 level See note 4 See note 4
2 = 45 Aux Feed Ch. 3 level See note 4 See note 4
2 > 46 Main Feed Ch. 4 level See note 4 See note 4
2 ? 47 Aux Feed Ch. 4 level See note 4 See note 4
3 0 48 Main Feed Ch. 5 level See note 4 See note 4
3 1 49 Aux Feed Ch. 5 level See note 4 See note 4
3 2 50 Main Feed Ch. 6 level See note 4 See note 4
3 3 51 Aux Feed Ch. 6 level See note 4 See note 4
3 4 52 Main Feed Ch. 7 level See note 4 See note 4
3 5 53 Aux Feed Ch. 7 level See note 4 See note 4
3 6 54 Main Feed Ch. 8 level See note 4 See note 4
3 7 55 Aux Feed Ch. 8 level See note 4 See note 4
3 8 56 Main Feed Aux 1 level See note 4 See note 4
3 9 57 Aux Feed Aux 1 level See note 4 See note 4
3 : 58 Main Feed Aux 2 level See note 4 See note 4
3 ; 59 Aux Feed Aux 2 level See note 4 See note 4
3 < 60 Main Output Main out level See note 4 See note 4
3 = 61 Aux Output Aux out level See note 4 See note 4
3 > 62 Last recalled preset Preset number 0 to 16 Preset number
3 ? 63 reserved
4 0 64 Bass Ch. 1 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 1 65 Mid Ch. 1 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 2 66 Mid Freq Ch. 1 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
4 3 67 High Ch. 1 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 4 68 Bass Ch. 2 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 5 69 Mid Ch. 2 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 6 70 Mid Freq Ch. 2 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
4 7 71 High Ch. 2 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 8 72 Bass Ch. 3 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 9 73 Mid Ch. 3 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 : 74 Mid Freq Ch. 3 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
23
4 ; 75
4 < 76 Bass Ch. 4 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 = 77 Mid Ch. 4 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
4 > 78 Mid Freq Ch. 4 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
4 ? 79 High Ch. 4 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 0 80 Bass Ch. 5 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 1 81 Mid Ch. 5 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 2 82 Mid Freq Ch. 5 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
5 3 83 High Ch. 5 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 4 84 Bass Ch. 6 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 5 85 Mid Ch. 6 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 6 86 Mid Freq Ch. 6 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
5 7 87 High Ch. 6 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 8 88 Bass Ch. 7 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 9 89 Mid Ch. 7 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 : 90 Mid Freq Ch. 7 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
5 ; 91 High Ch. 7 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 < 92 Bass Ch. 8 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 = 93 Mid Ch. 8 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
5 > 94 Mid Freq Ch. 8 0 to 15 (value+1)*220 Hz
5 ? 95 High Ch. 8 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
High Ch. 3 0 to 30 -9 dB to 9dB with 0 dB at
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
24
Attenuation Table
value dB
0 -80
1 -40
2 -35
3 -30
4 -25
5 -20
6 -19
7 -18
8 -17
9 -16
10 -15
11 -14
12 -13
13 -12
14 -11
15 -10
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
25
Note 1 [Config bits])
High bit indicates the presence of the following (from lsb to msb)
bit 1- last mic hold
bit 2- force into manual
bit 3- teleconference mode
bit 4- aux 1 +/-6dB gain
bit 5- aux 2 +/-6 dB gain
bit 6- disable NOM attenuation
bit 7- logic out don't track last mic channel
bit 8- direct out don't track last mic channel.
Example: 01101010 has
bit 2- manual mode engaged
bit 4- aux 1 at +6dB gain
bit 6- NOM attenuation disabled
bit 7- the logic out is not tracking the last mic channel
Note 2 [Mic]: The bit that is high represents the designated mic on. If no
bit is high, the system is either on last mic hold or has no designated mic.
Example: 01000000 has
7- mic 7 as designated mic
Note 3 [Gain]: Multi-purpose byte. 5 least significant bits represent gain and range
in value from 0 to 23.
Gain = (value-2)*3dB.
Add binary 100000 for phantom power, binary 1000000 for high
pass filter
Example: 01100111 has
bits (1, 2, 3)- a gain of (7-2)*3=15dB
bit 6- phantom power on
bit 7- high pass filter on
Note 4 [Feeds]: Multi-purpose byte. 5 least significant bits represent feed levels and
values range from 0 to 31. 0 dB occurs at 25 value. Setting the msb, 128,
(adding 10000000 binary) to high indicates muting. Another way of
thinking of this is that the un-muted levels range from 0 to 31, while the
muted levels range from 128 to 159.
Example: 10000011 has
bits (1, 2)- volume level of 3 ( out of 31)
bit 8- muting on
Serial Control of the Advantage VRAM
26
Loading...