Gilderfluke&Co Analog Output Smart Brick User Manual

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Analog Output Smart Brick

Printed July 19, 1999

RS-422 Serial Port

F

C-F

8-B

4-7

0-3

Z-Bricks

Board Error

DMX-512

Brick Heart

Heartbeat

E0

0080

2060

Address

0E

0008

0206

E

D

C

B

A

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

DMX-512

Output Fuses

C0

A0

40

0C

0A

04

Smart

Analog

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Overview .............................................................................................. 1

BS-ANA as a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) ........................................................................... 1

BS-ANA as a Smart Brick ................................................................................................... 1

Front of the Analog Smart Brick ................................................................ 3

RS-422 Serial Port ............................................................................................................ 3

PC and Compatible Connections ................................................................................ 3

Apple Macintosh Connections ..................................................................................... 3

DMX-512 Data In/Out ....................................................................................................... 3

Output Fuse Indicators ..................................................................................................... 4

Output Level Indicators .................................................................................................... 4

Z-Brick .............................................................................................................................. 4

Board Error LED ................................................................................................................5

DMX-512 LED ....................................................................................................................5

Brick Heart ....................................................................................................................... 5

Heartbeat ......................................................................................................................... 5

Address ............................................................................................................................ 5

BackPlane Connections ........................................................................ 5

Animation Data Eproms ......................................................................... 9

Serial Port Commands ......................................................................... 11

To enter the configuration mode .................................................................................... 11

To display the status of this card .................................................................................... 11

To download the configuration of this card ................................................................... 11

To reload saved configuration ....................................................................................... 11

Analog Smart Brick Configuration .......................................................... 12

Use Front Panel Address ................................................................................................ 14

First Output Addressed At ............................................................................................... 14

DMX Rx Checksum ......................................................................................................... 14

Over Sampling enabled ................................................................................................. 14

Sequencer Enabled ........................................................................................................ 14

sequencer frame rate /2 ................................................................................................ 14

Numbering System ......................................................................................................... 14

VT-52 Compatible Display .............................................................................................. 15

twelve bit resolution ...................................................................................................... 15

Output to Test & Adjust ................................................................................................... 15

Test Output ..................................................................................................................... 15

Test One Output ........................................................................................................ 15

Test All Outputs .......................................................................................................... 15

auto Ease-In ...................................................................................................................15

Set Analog Endpoints ...................................................................................................... 16

Force Output to a Value ................................................................................................. 16

set Min/Max/forced using keypad .................................................................................. 16

PowerOn Defaults .......................................................................................................... 18

Download configuration ................................................................................................ 18

Reload Default Configuration ........................................................................................ 18

eXit ................................................................................................................................. 18

Upload configuration ..................................................................................................... 19

+ .................................................................................................................................... 19

Data Dump ..................................................................................................................... 19

Using Z-Bricks with a BS-ANA .................................................................. 20

Output Capacity ....................................................................................................... 22

Decimal to HEXadecimal to ASCII to Percentage ...................................... 24

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Overview:

This is an output card which has sixteen 0-10 volt analog outputs, a single DMX-512 out­put and a port for attaching Z-Bricks. The analog outputs can be set to use either eight or
twelve bits of resolution. It is designed to be used as an output card for use in a PC¥MACs
system, or as a playback only Smart Brick in a Smart Brick installation. It can be used in two
different ways:

1) BS-ANA as a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU): In this mode the card receives up to
256 channels of DMX-512 data transmitted by a PC¥MACs Animation Control
System, or any other source of DMX-512 data, and uses this to update its out­puts. The BS-ANA can be addressed to use any DMX-512 address from 0 to 255.
The DMX-512 input allows the BS-ANA to be used as a permanent output device
for a PC¥MACs or other Animation or Lighting Control System, or the DMX-512
input can be used temporarily until an Eprom is programmed so the card can
be used as a Smart Brick.

2) BS-ANA as a Smart Brick: This card acts just like any other Playback-Only Smart
Brick, playing animation data from an on-board Eprom. As a Smart Brick, it re­quires a Smart Brick Brain to run. The Smart Brick Brain tells all of the Smart bricks
attached to it (including the BS-ANA) where in the show it is. The BS-ANA then uses
this information to access the appropriate data in the Eprom and update its out­puts. The animation sequence which is to be is used on the Analog Output Smart
Brick is usually generated on a PC¥MACs Animation Control System. While it is
being generated, the DMX-512 input mode is used so that you can see the ani­mation data.

In either of the above modes, the first sixteen channels of data addressed are convert­ed to individual 0-10 volt analog outputs. If twelve bit resolution has been selected for the
outputs, then the first 24 channels of data are converted to individual 0-10 volt analog val­ues. If the Z-Brick and/or DMX-512 outputs are enabled, all 256 channels of DMX-512 or
Eprom data are also retransmitted through the Z-Brick and/or DMX-512 data outputs. The Z­Brick output can be used for additional digital outputs through one or more Z-Bricks. The
DMX-512 output can be used to control light dimmers, automated spotlights, color chang­ers, fog and wind machines, or any other pieces of equipment which will accept standard
DMX-512 inputs.

The BS-ANA can be mounted in one 1Ó wide slot in any of our Brick Card cages. The BS­ANA can be used in conjunction with any selection of Smart Bricks, Smart Brick Brains,
Electronic FeedBack (EFB) Smart Bricks and Z-Bricks in the same card cage. Card cages
with one, two or sixteen slots are available. The card cages provide all of the connections
for power supply, control signals and outputs that any Brick card will need. Several different
styles of output connectors are available on the one and two slot card cages. The sixteen
slot card cage mounts in seven inches of standard 19Ó rack space (4-1/2 Ò of space be­hind the panel). In some applications you may need to mount a single Smart Brick. This
can be done by mounting the Brick on standoffs, and connecting to the card's edge con­nector with a mating connector. We usually recommend a sixty position insulation dis­placement connector for this type of installation.

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Power requirements for each BS-ANA are 18 to 24 VDC. The actual current requirements
are determined by the loads attached to the unit (up to 20 ma. per output). The Smart
Analog Brick itself draws approximately 200 ma..

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On the Front of the Analog Smart Brick:

A) RS-422 Serial Port: This is used to configure the BS-ANA. It is compatible with all of the RS-422

Serial Ports used on Gilderfluke & Company products.

As a convenience, the four active lines on this connector are bussed to the backplane of
the card cage. This allows you to communicate to a whole card cage full of BS-ANAs, Smart
Brick Brains, Electronic FeedBack (EFB) Smart Bricks and other cards through the connector on
any single card. They just need to be set to different addresses. If desired, permanent connec­tions can be made on the back of a card cage.

The serial data signals from the BS-ANA are brought out on a six position RJ-11 (modular
telephone style connector). Facing the end of the cable with the release latch upwards, its
pin out is as follows:

COLOR SIGNAL NAME:

LEFT #1 white Signal Ground

#2 black - Serial data out from card

#3 red + Serial data out from card
#4 green - Serial data in to card
#5 yellow + Serial data in to card

RIGHT #6 blue Signal Ground

PC and Compatible Connections: If you are only talking to a single BS-ANA and your wire
length is short, you may be able to simply cross wire the RS-232 serial port on your PC to talk
to the BS-ANA. This does not work on all PCs, as some donÕt swing their RS-232 outputs as far as
they should. If it does not work with your PC, you may need to get a RS-232 to RS-422 con­verter to talk to the BS-ANA. To cross wire the RS-422 / RS-485 signals from the BS-ANA to the
RS-232 serial port of an IBM compatible, cross connect the signals as follows:

DB-25 DE-9 Signal Signal from/to BS-ANA

2 3 DATA OUT - Serial data into card (#4 green)
3 2 DATA IN - Serial data out from card (#2 black)
7 5 GROUND Signal Ground (#1 white or #6 blue)

Apple Macintosh Connections: Apple Macintosh computers have true RS-422 serial ports
built in. To connect to the BS-ANA, the pin out is as follows (view is of male connector facing
the end of the cable):

to + serial data in to card (#5 yellow)

to - serial data in to card (#4 green)

signal ground (#1 blue or #6 white)

The BS-ANA expects to see the serial data in the following format:

678

345

12

from + serial data out from card (#3 red)

from - serial data out from card (#2 black)

ONE START BIT

EIGHT DATA BITS

ONE STOP BIT

Unlike many of the products manufactured by Gilderfluke & Company, the BS-ANA re­sponds only to the command to enter the configuration mode, download/upload configura­tion and status enquiries. It will ignore all other commands, which allows it to share the same
RS-422 serial line with additional BS-ANAs, Digital Audio Repeaters, Smart Brick Brains and other
serially controlled devices. The only requirement is that each unit be addressed to a different
location.

B) DMX-512 Data In/Out: Five pin MiniDIN connector. The BS-ANA will stop listening to the Smart

Brick network whenever there is a DMX-512 signal present on this input. If JP-1 is in the 'DMX'
position, then the two received data lines on this connector will be attached to pins 11 and

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12 on the backplane. This allows the DMX-512 signals to be bussed between cards within a
card cage. The default position for JP-1 is ÔneitherÕ.

The DMX-512 standard was developed by the United States Institute for Theatrical
Technology (USITT) for a high speed (250 KBaud) asynchronous serial data link. Although it was
originally designed for controlling light dimmers, it is now supported by hundreds of suppliers
throughout the world for controlling all kinds of theatrical equipment.

Even though the DMX-512 standard calls for 512 channels of data, the DMX transmission
from PC¥MACs is limited to 256 eight bit wide channels. You can address your DMX-512 com­patible output devices to respond to any address between 00 and 255. Addresses above the
256th are used in PC¥MACs for transmitting a checksum. The BS-ANA can use this to verify that
the data received from PC¥MACs has no transmission errors in it. If you address a light dimmer
or other DMX-512 device to addresses 256 or 257, you will see this verification data displayed
as a flickering pattern. Note that at frame rates higher than forty FPS, not all 256 channels can
be transmitted through the DMX-512 output.

The DMX-512 standard calls out a 5 pin XLR connector for all cabling. Unfortunately these
connectors won't fit on a 1Ó wide card. For this reason we chose a 5 pin MiniDIN connector for
this signal. the pinout is as follows:

MiniDIN pin # SIGNAL

1

1 Signal Common (shield)
2 Dimmer Drive compliment (Rx Data -)
3 Dimmer Drive True (Rx Data +)
4 Data In True (Tx Data +)
5 Data In compliment (Tx Data -)

Facing the end of the male end of a cable, the pins are located as shown:

Data In True (Tx Data +)

Dimmer Drive Compliment (Rx Data -)

signal ground

4

23

5

1

Data In Compliment (Tx Data -)

Dimmer Drive True (Rx Data +)

Data from a PC¥MACs should be fed into pins #2 (-RxD) and #3 (+RxD). The shield should
be connected to pin #1.

Only 256 channels of data are transmitted from the BS-ANA. Since the 256th and 257th
bytes are not transmitted, the checksum is not sent. The transmitted data will also pause when
the BS-ANA is busy as it redraws the screen in configuration mode. For this reason it should
only be used to control lighting and other equipment that doesn't mind an occasional pause
or data error.

C) Output Fuse Indicators: These four LEDs are lit unless one of the four PTC fuses has been

tripped by an overload on the J6/A output cable.

D) Output Level Indicators: These sixteen red LEDs show the current output level on all of the 0-

10 volt outputs. You will see these LEDs fade in and out as the signals on the outputs change.

E) Z-Brick: This twenty pin IDS connector is used to connect to one or more Z-Bricks. When en-

abled, the BS-ANA puts out data from the DMX-512 input or onboard Eprom to this connector.
The format of the data is as follows:

1

Don't blame us for these names. These are directly from the USITT.

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IDS pin # SIGNAL

1 Data bit 0
2 Data bit 1
3 Data bit 2
4 Data bit 3
5 Data bit 4
6 Data bit 5
7 Data bit 6
8 Data bit 7

9 Address bit 0
10 Address bit 1
11 Address bit 2
12 Address bit 3
13 Address bit 4
14 Address bit 5
15 Address bit 6
16 Address bit 7
17 ground
18 ground
19 Strobe/
20 Reset/

When the address and data lines are valid, the rising edge of the Strobe line will latch the

data into the addressed outputs.

F) Board Error LED: This LED will flash when:

1) Smart Analog Card just booted

2) An error is found in the DMX-512 data checksum

3) An error is found in the Smart Brick Network checksum

G) DMX-512 LED: This LED will be lit when the BS-ANA is receiving DMX-512 data.

H) Brick Heart: The heartbeat from the Smart Brick Brain is transmitted throughout the system

over the Smart Brick Network. The presence of a healthy heartbeat means that the data on
the Smart Brick Network is getting through cleanly. If it ever stutters or flashes erratically (or not
at all), then there is a problem with the Smart Brick Brain, the Smart Brick Network, or the BS­ANA. As the DMX-512 takes precedence over the Smart Brick Network, this LED will go dark
whenever a DMX-512 signal is present.

I) Heartbeat: This LED Flashes continuously while the CPU is running. If it ever stops for more than

a fraction of a second, the 'Deadman' circuit in the BS-ANA will automatically reset the CPU.
While performing an Ease-In, the heart rate will double.

J) Address: Two HEXadecimal switches that are used to set the base address for the card. This

address is always used to access the BS-ANA through the serial port. It is also normally the first
DMX-512 address used (data at this DMX-512 address will be output through output #0). The
DMX-512 address can also be set through the configuration screen. This will override the DMX­512 address set by these switches.

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