Mark Levinson 512 User Manual

Serial Protocol

No512

CD/SACD Player

FCC Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Caution!

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Canada
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la Classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

Mark Levinson and the Mark Levinson logo are trademarks of Harman
International Industries, Incorporated, in the United States and/or other
countries.

Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in
the United States and/or other countries.

Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective

TM

companies with which they are associated.

For customer service and product
shipment information, refer to the
www.marklevinson.com Web site.

©2008 Harman International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

This document should not be construed as a commitment on the part of
Harman International Industries, Incorporated. The information it contains is
subject to change without notice. Harman International Industries,
Incorporated assumes no responsibility for errors that may appear within this
document.

Part No. 070-19047| Rev 0 |10/08

Mark Levinson No512 CD/SACD Player Serial Communications Protocol

1 Documents 4

1.1 Change List 4

2 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations 4
3 General Description 5

3.1 Serial Port and Cable Configuration 5

3.2 Physical Connection Using a RJ-11 Cable 5

4 Ethernet Port & Cable Configuration 6

4.1 Physical Connection using Ethernet Cables 6

5 Message Formats and Examples 7

5.1 Format of the Message Fields 7

5.2 Incoming Messages 8

5.3 Outgoing Messages 8

5.3.1 RSP – Response to Command Request 8

5.3.2 NTF – Notification of System Action 8

5.4 Example Request - RQST 8

5.5 Example Response - RSP 9

5.6 Example Notification - NTF 9

6 RQST Error Responses and Examples 9
7 External Protocol Commands 10

7.1 AREA 10

7.2 CONTROL 10

7.3 DRAWER 11

7.4 DSPLY 11

7.5 FPDWNUP 12

7.6 HWSTATUS 12

7.7 IRDWNUP 13

7.8 MSG 14

7.9 MUTE 14

7.10 NOP 14

7.11 PWR 15

7.12 REPEAT 15

7.13 SHUFFLE 16

7.14 TIME 16

7.15 TRACK 17

7.16 VOL 17

7.17 VOLCTL 18

8 Notification Factory Defaults 18

3

No512 CD/SACD Player Serial Communications Protocol Mark Levinson

1 Documents

The following documents should also be used with this document to understa nd how this protocol can be
used with the N

070-19027 No512 CD/SACD Player Owner’s Manual

1.1 Change List

No changes have been made.

o

512 CD/SACD Player.

2 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

\r represents the ASCII new line control character (0x0D)
: External Protocol String Field Separator
, External Protocol String Field Parameter Separator for multiple parameters
ACK Acknowledge
AV Audio Video System generated response
CMD Command
CS Control Source
EOP End of Packet
HOST The device initiating or receiving the serial communication packets to/from the

player.

ML Mark Levinson

o

N

512 The Mark Levinson product receiving or transmitting the serial communication

packets to/from the HOST.
NAK/NACK No Acknowledge
NTF Notification
PARAM Parameter
RQST Request
RSP Response
SOP Start of Packet
SPG Serial Protocol Guidelines
UI User Interaction
User Parameter A user changeable variable that stores a specific value that describes an

operating condition for the amplifier.

4

Mark Levinson No512 CD/SACD Player Serial Communications Protocol

3 General Description

An external host controller can use the external protocol to control the No512 CD/SACD player. The
protocol consists of simple ASCII character set based commands, which are passed to the N
command packets via either RS-232 port or the Ethernet port. The N
with an acknowledgement to signify that the command has been recognized and acted upon.

EXTERNAL

HOST

(Controller)

RS232C cable

or Ethernet cable

o

512 will reply to command packets

CD/SACD player

3.1 Serial Port and Cable Configuration

The RS-232 control is through an RJ-11 connector located on the rear panel of the No512 player. The
pin-out of the RJ-11 connector is:

Pin 2 - Rx from the control device Data Receive
Pin 3 - Tx to the control device Data Transmit
Pin 5 - system ground

o

The N
notifications, and query data on pin 3 Data Transmit. The connection cable between the N
the control device must be configured so that the receive signal on the N
transmit signal of the control device.

512 player receives control messages on pin 2 Data Receive and transmi t status responses,

o

512 is connected to the

No512

o

512 as

o

512 and

3.2 Physical Connection Using a RJ-11 Cable

Host Controller No512 CD/SACD Player

Receive Data
Transmit Data

Ground

2

RJ-11 Cable

3
5

Bit Rate: 57600bps
Data Bits: 8bit
Parity: None
Stop bit: 1bit
Flow Control: None

Transmit Data

3

Receive Data

2

Ground

5

3.3 Physical Connection cable using RJ-11 to DSUB-9

Generally, if connecting the No512 player directly to a computer, a RJ-11 to DSUB-9 cable is
required. This is a standard cable that can be found in your local electronics or computer store. The
diagram on the next page provides general information for this type of cable. If you have difficulty
finding this cable type, contact your authorized Mark Levinson dealer for assistance.

5

No512 CD/SACD Player Serial Communications Protocol Mark Levinson

RS-232 Cable Using RJ-11 to DSUB-9 Connectors:

4 Ethernet Port & Cable Configuration

The No512 is capable of obtaining a dynamically allocated IP address when connected to a DHCP server.
The DHCP setting can be modified via the internal Web page of the N
manual for further instructions.

o

The N
also be configured for Auto-Negotiation. However, the N

• 10/100 BaseT

• Half/Full-duplex

• flow control

• Pause control

NOTE: the above parameters are NOT user adjustable.

512 setup for Ethernet Control is defaulted to Auto-Negotiate and recommends the end point to

o

512 is capable of:

4.1 Physical Connection using Ethernet Cables

If using a Direct-to-Ethernet capable Component, use a Crossover Ethernet Cable.

If using a router or switch, use a straight through Ethernet Cable.

Controller

(TCP Client)

PC/Controller

(TCP Client)

Straight

Cable

Crossover

Cable

Router

Straight

Cable

o

512. Refer to the player’s user

Mark Levinson

No512 player

Mark Levinson

o

512 player

N

6