Extron Electronics MLC 104 SIS User Manual

MLC 104 MediaLink™ Controllers

Chapter Five

5

SIS™ Programming and Control

Host-to-MLC Communications

Command Tables

PRELIMINARY

SIS™ Programming and Control

The MLC 104 Series controller can be remotely set up and controlled via a host
computer or other device (such as a control system) attached to the rear panel
Config/RS-232 port or LAN port, or the front panel Config port.

The MLC 104 or MLC 104 IP must be configured before use. As shipped the
controller can trigger basic input switching but cannot control any other devices
before being configured.

The MLC can be set up and controlled by using Extron’s Simple Instruction Set
(SIS) commands or the Extron Global Configurator software (version 2.0 or higher),
and both of those methods can be accessed via RS-232 or Ethernet LAN connection.
See chapter 2 for pin assignments and other details on the configuration and
control ports. For information on the software and the MLC’s embedded Web
pages, see chapter four.

MLC’s RS-232 protocol:

• 38400 baud

• 8 data bits

• 1 stop bit

• no parity

• no flow control

Both configuration ports require 38400 baud communication. This is a higher
speed than many other Extron products use. The Global Configurator (version

2.0 or higher) software or MLC 226/104 control software automatically sets
the connection for the appropriate speed. If using HyperTerminal or a similar
application, make sure the PC or control system connected to these ports is set
for 38400 baud.

LAN port defaults:

• MLC’s IP address: 192.168.254.254

• gateway’s IP address: 0.0.0.0

• subnet mask: 255.255.0.0

• DHCP: off

Host-to-MLC Communications

SIS commands consist of one or more characters per field. No special characters
are required to begin or end a command sequence. When the MLC determines that
a command is valid, it executes the command and sends a response to the host
device. All responses from the MLC to the host end with a carriage return and a
line feed (CR/LF = ), which signals the end of the response character string.
A string is one or more characters.

MLC-initiated messages

If you are communicating with the MLC via RS-232 or via a verbose Telnet
connection, when a local event such as a front panel selection or adjustment takes
place, the MLC responds by sending a message to the host. No response is
required from the host. The MLC-initiated messages are listed here (underlined).

(c)Copyright 2004, Extron Electronics, MLC 104 IP, Vx.xx
Day, DD Mon YYYY HH:MM:SS
Vx.xx is the firmware version number.
The MLC sends the boot and copyright messages under the following
circumstances:

• If the MLC is off and an RS-232 connection is already set up (the PC is cabled to
the MLC and a serial communication program such as HyperTerminal is open),
the connected MLC sends these messages via RS-232 when it is first powered on.

MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control5-2

• If the MLC is on, it sends the boot and copyright messages when you first open a
Telnet connection to the MLC. You can see the day of the week, date, and time if
the MLC is connected via Telnet, but not via RS-232. If you are using a Telnet
connection, the copyright message, date, and time are followed by a password
prompt.

X1

Chn
The MLC sends this response when an input is switched.

(where X1 is the input number)

Password information

The “ Password:” prompt requires a password (administrator level or user level)
followed by a carriage return. The prompt is repeated if the correct password is not
entered.

If the correct password is entered, the unit responds with “
Administrator
If passwords are the same for both administrator and user, the unit will default to
administrator privileges.

” or “ Login User ”, depending on password entered.

Error responses

When the MLC receives a valid SIS command, it executes the command and sends
a response to the host device. If the MLC is unable to execute the command
because the command is invalid or it contains invalid parameters, it returns an
error response to the host.

The error response codes and their descriptions are as follows:
E01 – Invalid input channel number (the number is too large)

E12 – Invalid port number
E13 – Invalid value (the number is out of range/too large)
E14 – Not valid for this configuration
E17 – System timed out
E22 – Busy
E24 – Privilege violation
E25 – Device is not present
E26 – Maximum number of connections has been exceeded
E27 – Invalid event number
E28 – Bad filename or file not found

Login

PRELIMINARY

Error response references

The following superscripted numbers are used within the command descriptions
on the following pages to identify commands that may respond as shown:

14

= Commands that give an E14 (not valid for this configuration) response if the

MLC’s current configuration doesn’t support that command

22

= Commands that yield an E22 (busy) response.

24

= Commands that give an E24 (privilege violation) response if you are not logged

in at the administrator level.

27

= Commands that may yield an E27 (invalid event number) response.

28

= Commands that may give an E28 (file not found) response.

Command Tables

Using the command/response tables

The MLC 104 IP can be controlled via either a Telnet (port 23) connection or a Web
browser (port 80) connection. All MLC 104 Series models can be controlled via

5-3MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control

SIS™ Programming and Control, cont’d

RS-232. The ASCII and URL commands listed in the tables starting on page 5-8
perform the same functions, but they are encoded differently to accommodate the
requirements of each port (Telnet or browser).

The following ASCII to hexadecimal (HEX) conversion table is for use with the
command/response tables.

ASCII to HEX Conversion Table

•

ASCII to Hex conversion table

The command/response tables list valid ASCII (for Telnet or RS-232) command
codes, the corresponding URL (uniform resource locator) encoded (for Web
browsers) command codes, the MLC’s responses to the host, and a description of
the command’s function or the results of executing the command.

PRELIMINARY

• Upper and lower case characters may be used interchangeably in the command
field unless otherwise specified.

• Commands may be sent back-to-back without spaces (for example, 2!65V1Z).

• Numbers can be entered as 1, 2, or 3 digits, e.g., 8V = 08V = 008V.

• There are a few differences in how to enter the commands depending on whether
you are using Telnet or a Web browser.

• When using these commands through a Web browser, the URL reference
is used to shorten the examples. “URL” refers to the full URL of the
control interface and Web page reference including all path information
(e.g., http://192.168.100.10/myform.htm).

• To send any of the commands using a Web browser you must prefix them
with the full URL followed by ?cmd=.

• For control via a Web browser, all non-alphanumeric characters must be
represented as the hexadecimal equivalent, %xx, where xx represents the
two-character hex byte. For example, a comma (,) would be represented
as %2C. Characters such as %, +, and the space character ( ) must be
encoded as hex bytes, or they will be misinterpreted by the MLC.

• Some characters differ depending on the method you use to send the
commands:

Telnet Web browser

Escape (hex 1B) W [must not be hex encoded]
Carriage return (hex 0D) Pipe character ( | ) [must not be hex encoded]

With Telnet you can use either an “Escape” command or a “W” command, and
the carriage return or the pipe character. With the Web browser, you are
required to use a “W” command and the pipe character.

In either method, {Data} = Data that will be directed to a specified port
and must be hex encoded if non-alphanumeric.

If you make adjustments (changes to volume, etc.), whether via the front panel
or via RS-232 or IP communication, it will take 1 minute 40 seconds (100
seconds) for the data in the MLC’s RAM to be saved to flash memory.

MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control5-4

X17

Symbol definitions

= CR/LF (carriage return/line feed) (hex 0D 0A)
= Carriage return (no line feed, hex 0D)

(use the pipe character, | , instead for Web
browser commands)

• = Space character
= Pipe (vertical bar) character

|

= Escape key (hex 1B)

Esc

X1

X2

X3

X5

X8

X11

X12

X13

X14

X15

(use W instead of Esc for Web browsers)

= Specific port number or relay number (01 – 99)

represented as two ASCII characters (two bytes)

Ports:

01 = rear host (Config/RS-232 port)
02 = front panel Config port
03 = slaved switcher (MLS port)
04 = projector port (Proj RS-232/IR)

= Command data section.

For Web encoding only: data will be directed to the
specified port and must be encoded (URL encoding)
if it is non-alphanumeric. Change any non-
alphanumeric character (%, +, |, , etc.) within
the data section into the corresponding hexadecimal
equivalent, %xx, where xx represents the two­character hex byte. For example, a space (hex: 20)
would be encoded as %20 (hex: 25 32 30) and a plus
sign (hex: 2B) would be encoded as %2B or hex 25
32 42.

= Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) offset value

(-12.00 to +14.00) represents the time difference
in hours and minutes (+/-hh:mm) relative to
Greenwich, England. The leading zero is
optional. For example, 5:30 = 05:30. Do not use
a plus (+) sign if the GMT offset is positive.

= On/off status

0 = off/disable
1 = on/enable

= Volume level (0 – 100 steps). When no MLS is

detected at the MLS port, the range is limited by
the max. volume command (X*47#).
Default volume = 40 when no MLS switcher is
detected at the MLS port.
Default volume = 100 when slave mode (X*41*)
is active and an MLS switcher is detected at the
MLS port.

= Version (typically listed to two decimal places,

e.g., x.xx)

= MLC’s name. The name is a text string of up to 24

characters drawn from the alphabet (A-Z),
digits (0-9), and minus sign/hyphen (-). No
blank or space characters are permitted as part
of a name. No distinction is made between
upper and lower case. The first character must
be a letter. The last character must not be a
minus sign/hyphen.

= Local date and time format

Set format (MM/DD/YY-HH:MM:SS).

Example: 01/18/05-10:54:00.

Read format (day of week, date month year

HH:MM:SS). Example: Tue, 18 Jan 2005
18:19:33.

= IP address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). Leading zeros in each

of four fields are optional in setting values, and
they are suppressed in returned values.
MLC’s default: 192.168.254.254

= E-mail domain name; for example, extron.com

= Time in tens of milliseconds to wait until the first

response character is received via a serial port
before terminating the current receive
operation (Default = 10 = 100 ms, max. =

32767.) The response includes leading zeros.

For commands that use both
variables must be zero

or both must be non-zero.

In the RS (send data) command,

= Hardware (MAC) address (xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx)

X18

X17

and

is optional.

X20

X20

(00-05-A6-xx-xx-xx)

= Subnet mask (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). Leading zeros are

X19

optional in setting values in each of four fields,
and they are suppressed in returned values.
Default = 255.255.0.0.

= Time in tens of milliseconds to wait between

X20

characters being received via a serial port
before terminating the current command or
receive operation. The response includes
leading zeros.
(Default = 2 = 20 ms, max. = 32767)

For commands that use both

X17

and

X20

variables must be zero or both must be non-zero.
In the RS (send data) command,

= Parameter (#L or #D) to set either the Length of

X21

is optional.

X20

message to receive or the Delimiter value.
# = byte count (for L) or
# = a single ASCII character expressed in
decimal form (for D).
The parameter is case sensitive; you must use
capital D or capital L.
Byte count # can be from 0 to 32767,
default = 0.
The ASCII decimal # can be from 0 to 00255,
default = 00000L.

Examples:

A 3-byte length = 3L.
A delimiter of ASCII 0A = 10D.
The response from the MLC will include
leading zeros.

= Verbose/response mode status:

X22

0 = clear/none, default for Telnet connections;
responses are not echoed to the host
1 = verbose mode is on, default for RS-232
host control; responses are echoed to the host
and displayed to the user
2 = send tagged responses for queries
3 = verbose mode is on and tagged responses
are sent for queries

If tagged responses are enabled, all read commands
return the constant string + data, the same as for

setting a value. For example, for
the response is Ipn•

X12

CN ,

Esc

rather than just the

data.

= Priority status for receiving timeouts:

X23

0 = use send data string command parameters
(0 = default)
1 = use configure receive timeout command
parameters

= IP address converted from four octets to a single

X24

to a decimal number; e.g.:

10.13.0.254 = [(10*256*256*256) + (13*256*256)
+ (0*256) + (254)] =
[(10*2563) + (13*2562) + (0*2561) + (254*2560)] =
168,624,362 (decimal)

, both

, both

PRELIMINARY

5-5MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control

SIS™ Programming and Control, cont’d

X70

PRELIMINARY

= Baud rate: 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 3600, 4800,

X25

7200, 9600, 14400, 19200, 28800, 38400, 57600, or
115200

= Parity (only the first letter is needed):

X26

Odd
Even
None (default)
Mark
Space

= Data bits: 7, 8 (default = 8)

X27

= Stop bits: 1, 2 (default = 1)

X28

= Password (minimum length = 4 characters,

X33

maximum length = 12 characters,
no special characters are allowed)

A user password cannot be assigned if no
administrator password exists; the E14 error code
will be returned. If the administrator password is
cleared, then the user password and all extended
security level passwords are also removed.

= Daylight saving time (DST) is a region-specific 1-

X34

hour offset that begins in spring and ends in
fall. DST should be turned off in Hawaii,
American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, the eastern time zone portion of the
state of Indiana, and the state of Arizona
(excluding the Navajo Nation).

0 = off/ignore
1 = USA on – starts on the first Sunday of April

at 2 am and ends at 2 am on the last Sunday of
October. For example, time in California is
GMT -8:00 from April to October and GMT -7:00
from November to March.
2 = Europe on – begins on the last Sunday in
March, ends on the last Sunday in October.
3 = Brazil on – beginning and ending dates vary
from year to year (October through March or
September through February). DST is not used
in equatorial areas.

= Event number, range = 0 - 99

X35

(valid only while events are running)

= I/O mode

X40

0 = input
8 = power sensor (triggered when an input
pulse starts/stops)

= Password to display on screen (response to

X41

password query). When the MLC connects to a
host device via RS-232, the password (
itself, is the response. When the connection is
via IP,

is 4 asterisks (****) if a password has

X41

been assigned, or it is an empty field ( ) if a
password hasn’t been assigned.

= E-mail event number or mailbox (1 - 64). The

X45

response will be two digits with a leading zero.

= E-mail recipient’s address (e.g., [e-mail])

X46

for the person to whom messages will be sent.

= Name (numeral) of e-mail file to be sent

X47

For CR (e-mail configuration) commands:

1.eml, 2.eml, ... 64.eml; and within the file the first
line contains the subject, the rest is the body of
the e-mail.
For SM (e-mail sending) commands: xxx,
where xxx = a number 1 to 999 corresponding to
the e-mail’s filename (xxx.eml). If xxx = 0 or no
parameter is given, the MLC sends the file that
was set via the CR command.

If file

.eml is not found when the SM command

X47

is executed, the MLC will send a default e-mail
message.

X33

= Default name: a combination of the modelname

X49

and the last 3 pairs of the MLC’s MAC address
(e.g., MLC-104-IP-00-02-3D)

= Extended-security (password) levels (1 to 10).

X51

The response will be two digits with a leading
zero.

= Connection’s security level

X52

0 = anonymous
1 – 10 = extended security levels 1 through 10
11 = user
12 = administrator
The response is two digits with a leading zero.

= IR playback file number (0 to 99) (no extension)

X57

The response includes leading zeros.

= IR playback function number (1 to 137). The

X58

response includes leading zeros. IR function
numbers 0 and 127 or higher can return
information only.
0 = return all data
129 = manufacturer
130 = model
131 = class
132 = remote
133 = creation date
134 = comments
137 = user file name (a descriptive name the
user/installer gave the file)

= IR playback mode

X59

0 = play once
1 = play continuously (send IR command
again with mode = 0 to stop mode 1 playback)

= IP connection timeout period in seconds. Each

X69

step is specified in 10-second intervals (1 ­65000, default = 30 = 300 seconds). If no data
is received during the specified period, the
Ethernet connection will be closed. Responses
are returned with leading zeros.
This variable is applicable only when the MLC
is connected via Ethernet. If the MLC is
connected via RS-232 protocol, only the global
timeout commands apply, and any commands
involving

= The number to insert into an email message if a

X70

return the E13 error response.

X69

____.eml file has an embedded server-side
include “<!--#echo var = “WCR|” -->” (the

command with no parameters.) The

Esc

),

numeral is a 16-bit number to be employed as
the user defines.
This is an optional parameter. Use 0 as a
placeholder if the optional
used but

= Specific input number (1 – 4)

X200

is not needed.

variable is

X47

1 = input 1
2 = input 2
3 = input 3
4 = input 4

= Lamp hours elapsed (as a five-digit number, max.

X205

= 99999 hours) The response includes leading
zeros. The default (99999 hours) is the
response to SIS commands (via Telnet or RS-

232) if elapsed lamp hours have not been set.
In the MLC’s internal Web pages, “N/A” is
displayed if lamp hours have not been set.

= Voltage

X206

= Temperature in degrees Celsius (the response is

X207

3 digits including leading zeros)

MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control5-6

= Display (projector on/off) status as tracked by the

X208

X209

X210

X211

X212

X213

X214

X215

X216

display driver
0 = display power is off
1 = display power is on
2 = display is powering down/off (cooling
down)
3 = display is powering up/on (warming up)

= Front panel lockout (executive mode ) status

0 = off/unlocked (default)
3 = on, disable/lock entire front panel (buttons,
volume control) and optional connected SCP

= IR/serial port configuration

0 = IR ports (0 V – 5 V) (default)
1 = RS-232 ports (±5 V)

= Status (in hexadecimal characters) of script or

firmware button control. This variable is an 8-
digit hexadecimal character calculated from a
binary bit map. See page 5-27 for details.

= Status (in hexadecimal characters) of control of

lamp enabling (control of all button lights).
This variable is an 8-digit hexadecimal character
calculated from a binary bit map. See page 5-29
for details.

= Power sensor status:

00 = power sensor is connected and is not
sensing projector power (detector voltage is low,
signal pin voltage is high)
01 = power sensor is connected and is sensing
projector power (detector voltage is high)
02 = power sensor is disconnected or sensor is
connected but the sensitivity is set too high
(voltage is low at both the detector and signal
pin)

= Power sensor signal pin status

00 = voltage is low
01 = voltage is high
Leading zeros will be used in responses to
commands that use this variable.

= IR/Serial Output port number

1 = projector port

= Display mute or connection status

0 = off/disconnected
1 = on/connected
2 = unknown/unavailable

PRELIMINARY

5-7MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control

SIS™ Programming and Control, cont’d

X200

X200

X208

X208

X208

= 1, 2, 3, 4)

X200

(

, 0 = display power is off

X208

= The MLC responds with an E14 error

code (invalid for this configuration) if the

desired input isn’t part of the switching

14

(audio and video).

= The MLC sends a “busy” response (E22)

rotation (is not set up to switch inputs).

Events are still triggered, though.

if switching functions are locked.

22

The display is powering off.

provides a way to set the power status to

match the actual state of the projector.

For

1 = display power is on

2 = display is powering down/off

= 0 (off), 1 (on), or 2 (unknown)

X216

provides a way to set the status to match the

3 = display is powering on (warming up).

actual state of the projector.

PRELIMINARY

Select input

%21 Chn

X200

!

X200

(host to switcher) (host to switcher) (switcher to host)

On (discrete).

Off (discrete).

This command is used only by scripts. It

Show the display power status.

X208

%2A0P Pwr

X208

*0P

X208

Mute.

Unmute.

This command is used only by scripts. It

X216

X216

X216

Show display mute status.

X216

%2A0M Mut

X216

*0M

X216

14, 22

Command/response table for SIS commands

Command ASCII (Telnet) URL Encoded (Web) Response Additional description

Select an input

Input selection

Turn display power on 1P 1P Pwr

Turn display power off 0P 0P Pwr

Display (projector) power

MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control5-8

Example:PP 2

View display power status P P

Set power status

Turn display mute on 1M 1M Mut

View display mute status M M

Set mute status

Turn display mute off 0M 0M Mut

Display mute

X8

= The MLC responds with an E14 error

X8

X8

14

= volume level (0 to 100). Default = 40 if

X8

code (invalid) if the MLC is in volume

increment/decrement mode (vol. mode 1).

no switcher is connected, 100 if an MLS

switcher is connected. The maximum level

is limited by the X*47# command.

Example: set volume to 27.

Increase audio output.

Show the output volume.

Decrease audio output.

Show the output volume.

as selecting input 0.

Unmute all audio outputs.

= 0 (off) or 1 (on).

X5

can be made from the front panel in

addition to via RS-232, Telnet, or Web

= The MLC responds with an E24 error

(privilege violation) if the connected user is

not logged in at administrator security level.

browser.

24

Specify the volume for audio output.

V Vol

X8

V

X8

(host to switcher) (host to switcher) (switcher to host)

14

Decrease audio output.

X8

Show the status of audio mute.

X5

PRELIMINARY

0X 0X Exe 0 Default setting. Adjustments & selections

24

Command/response table for SIS commands (continued)

Command ASCII (Telnet) URL Encoded (Web) Response Additional description

Set the overall output volume

Volume adjustment (discrete, for volume mode = 0)

Example: 27V 27V Vol027

Increment the volume +V %2BV Vol

Decrement the volume -V %2DV Vol

View the volume level V V

Increment the volume +V %2BV Vol+ Increase audio output.

Decrement the volume -V %2DV Vol-

Volume adjustment (increment/decrement, for volume mode = 1)

View the volume level V V ---

Mute on 1Z 1Z Amt1 Mute all audio outputs. This is not the same

Mute off 0Z 0Z Amt0

Audio mute

View the audio mute status Z Z

Disable lockout modes

Front panel security lockout modes (executive modes)

5-9MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control

SIS™ Programming and Control, cont’d

X205

X205

X205

) used by scripts.

X216

PRELIMINARY

adjustments via MLC and SCP. Make

selections, changes, and configure features

via RS-232 or Ethernet only. All front panels

in the control system are locked.

= 0 (off, unlocked) or 3 (front panels

X209

locked/disabled)

Executive mode is off.

represents the number of elapsed hours

X205

of projector lamp use. The MLC responds

with 2 sets of lamp hours. The number of

Show lockout (executive mode) status.

X209

*

X205

represents the five-digit numeric value

elapsed hours are shown if a lamp’s status is

X205

set. If a lamp’s status has not been set, it is

shown as the default (99999 hours).

for elapsed lamp use hours, and it is used by

script to determine the number sent in

X205

*

= The MLC responds with an E24 error

(privilege violation) if the connected user is

response to the “view lamp hours”

command (6S).

not logged in at administrator security level.

24

X205

*

This command lets you know whether the

X216

%2A 6S Lhr *

X205

%2A 6S Lhr *

X205

%2A

X205

= 0 (disconnected), 1 (connected), or

X216

MLC’s scripts have determined if the

display is still connected to the MLC.

connection status flag (

2 (unknown)

0 = projector not connected.

1 = projector is connected.

2 = undetermined status.

This command is used to reset the projector

X216

%2A 7S Pcs

X216

*6S

3X 3X Exe 3 Lock all front panel selections and

(host to switcher) (host to switcher) (switcher to host)

24

X205

24

Example:X 0

Command/response table for SIS commands (continued)

Enable lockout mode 3

Command ASCII (Telnet) URL Encoded (Web) Response Additional description

View the lockout mode status X X

View lamp hours status 6S 6S

Status commands

Set lamp hours status for 1 lamp

MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control5-10

*6S

X205

*

X205

24

View connection status 7S 7S

Set lamp hours status for 2 lamps

*7S

X216

24

Set projector connection status

is as follows:

X207

X213

= voltage.

X206

= temperature in degrees Celsius (the

Power Sensor that monitors the projector/

display, this tells you whether the display is

still powered on.

00 = power sensor is connected and is not

sensing projector power (detector voltage is

low, signal pin voltage is high).

01 = power sensor is connected and sensing

projector power (detector voltage is high).

02 = sensor is disconnected or sensor is

connected but sensitivity is too high (voltage

is low at both the detector and signal pin).

If the switcher is connected to an Extron

X213

Power sensor signal pin status:

X214

00 = voltage is low.

01 = voltage is high.

View all voltages and the MLC’s internal

temperature at once.

X206

power input.

Display the operating voltage of the MLC’s

Serial and projector ports.

Display the operating voltage for the IR/

X206

X206

response is 3 digits including leading zeros).

Display the internal operating temperature.

X207

PRELIMINARY

(host to switcher) (host to switcher) (switcher to host)

Command/response table for SIS commands (continued)

View power sensor status 8S 8S

Command ASCII (Telnet) URL Encoded (Web) Response Additional description

View power sensor signal pin status 9S 9S

View all voltage & temp. status 11S 11S responses from commands 12S•14S•16S•20S

View +12 V power supply voltage 12S 12S +

View -10 V IR/Serial bus voltage 16S 16S -

View +3.3 V IP Link/FPGA voltage 14S 14S +

View internal temperature status 20S 20S

5-11MLC 104 Series • SIS™ Programming and Control