NTI Audio Minirator MR2, Minirator MR-PRO Operating Manual

OPERATING MANUAL

MINIRATOR MR2 / MR-PRO

© All rights reserved.
All information subject to change without notice
Firmware MR2 2.14, MR-PRO 2.14
Version 2.14.01 / Sep 2012

® Ministruments, Minirator and Minilyzer are registered trademarks of NTi Audio.
™ XL2, Exel, M4260, M2210, Acoustilyzer, MiniSPL and MiniLINK are trademarks of NTi Audio.

NTi Audio Contact Details

Head Office

NTi Audio AG
Im alten Riet 102
9494 Schaan
Liechtenstein, Europe

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Web: www.nti-audio.com

Americas

NTI Americas
PO Box 131027
Tigard, Oregon 97281
USA

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

Japan

NTI Japan
Ryogokusakamoto Bld. 1-8-4
Ryogoku, 130-0026 Sumida-Ku
Tokyo, Japan

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

China

NTI China
Room 701, Ganglong Lisheng
Mansion, No 60, Suli Road
215168 Suzhou, China

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

NTi Audio is an ISO 9001:2008
certified company.

Made i n

Switzerland

3

Table of contents

1. Minirator Basics .............................................................4

Introduction ....................................................................4

Scope of delivery ...........................................................4

Notes .............................................................................5

Accessories ...................................................................6

2. Overview of the Instrument ..........................................7

Connections ...................................................................7

Buttons and operating elements ....................................8

The screen display ......................................................... 9

Power supply ............................................................... 11

Characteristics of the outputs ...................................... 12

3. Getting Started ............................................................14

Inserting the batteries .................................................. 14

Fitting the protective shock jacket (MR-PRO only) ....... 15

Attaching the hand strap .............................................. 16

Connecting the Minirator ............................................ 17

4. Operation.......................................................................18

Switching the Minirator on and off ............................... 18

Navigation in the menu bar ..........................................18

Selecting a test signal .................................................. 19

Setting the parameters ................................................ 20

Setting the sensitivity of the rotary wheel ...................21

System settings ...........................................................22

Configurations (MR-PRO only) .....................................24

5. Test Signals .................................................................... 26

Sine ..............................................................................26

Sweep ..........................................................................26

Chirp ............................................................................28

Delay Test ..................................................................... 29

Pink Noise ....................................................................30

White Noise ................................................................. 31

Polarity ......................................................................... 31

Wave File Player (MR-PRO only) ..................................32

6. The Measurement Functions of the MR-PRO ............. 35

Impedance test in generator mode .............................35

Balance display ............................................................36

Measuring phantom power voltages ........................... 37

XLR cable test ..............................................................38

Impedance test ............................................................40

7. Updating the Firmware ................................................. 42

8. Tips and Troubleshooting .............................................43

Resetting to the factory settings..................................43

Reloading wav-files (MR-PRO only) .............................43

Behavior with low-impedance loads ............................43

PC recognizes Minirator as GPS Camera .....................43

Faults and their correction ...........................................44

9. Technical Data ................................................................45

10. Further Information ....................................................47

Registration ..................................................................47

Warranty conditions .....................................................48

Calibration .................................................................... 48

Declaration of conformity ............................................49

Table of contents

4

1. Minirator Basics

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Minirator. The Minirator is a pow­erful audio generator, offering a wide range of analog test sig­nals for the calibration, maintenance and repair of professional
audio systems.

The rotary wheel combined with surrounding fast access func­tion keys enables instant and intuitive operation without com­promising fine adjustment capabilities.

While the MR2 has been optimized for “Value at a most attrac­tive price“, the MR-PRO has been developed with additional in­novative functionality for even more demanding applications.

The MR-PRO is also equipped with the following functions:

Integrated measurement functions for impedance, balance •
and phantom power voltages
Playback of WAV-files•
Cable tester•
Impedance test of distributed 70V/100V speaker systems•

Basics

Scope of delivery

The following items are included with the respective model:

MR2: •MR2

•Operatingmanual

•USBcable

•Handstrap

MR-PRO: •MR-PRO

•Protectiveshockjacket

•Operatingmanual

•USBcable

•Handstrap

5

Notes

Danger of electric shock

Never connect the instrument to a power
output!
Non-compliance could result in damage to
persons or property that is not covered by
the warranty.

Damage through damp

Do not use the instrument in damp environ­ments!
The instrument can be permanently dam­aged by the penetration of water.

Damage caused by opening the instru­ment

Never open the instrument.
The instrument can be damaged if the hous­ing is opened, and your warranty will be in­valid.

Basics

6

Accessories

Accessories available for the MR2 / MR-PRO:

Pouch MR2 / MR-PRO NTi Audio # 600 000 302•

The soft pouch protects the Minirator against shock and
dust and comes with a convenient belt-clip.

Exel System Case NTi Audio # 600 000 334•

This compact system case provides the professional trans­port protection for work in the field. It offers space for the
handheld instruments, cables and connectors.

Mains Power Adapter NTi Audio # 600 000 333•

Mains Power Adapter with removable plug types. The Mains
Power Adapter suits the typical power sockets in Australia,
China, Europe, Japan, US and UK.

Basics

Minirator -40dB Adapter NTi Audio # 600 000 312•

Attenuator for high quality microphone level signals.

Cable Test Adapter NTi Audio # 600 000 311•

The Cable Test Adapter is used for single-ended cable test­ing. By installing the Cable Test Adapter at the far end of the
cable, the MR-PRO will be able to complete its cable test
procedure and display the condition.

MR-PRO 70V/100V Protection NTi Audio # 600 000 313•

Protects Minirator MR-PRO against accidentally applied
70V/100V voltages during impedance or power testing at
distributed speaker systems.

Calibration Certificate NTi Audio # 600 000 018•

Individual calibration certificate with serial number, trace­able according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Calibration
certificates for new products have to be ordered together
with the product. After the purchase we recommend the
annual calibration of the instrument.

7

2. Overview of the Instrument

Connections

The Minirator has the following connections:

1 2 3 4 5

1

RCA output (unbalanced)

2

XLR output (balanced)

3

DC power socket

4

XLR input for the cable test
(MR-PRO only)

5

USB connection (Mini-B, 5 pin)

Overview

8

Buttons and operating elements

wave

sens

mute

freq

esc

level

1 2 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

4

Wave Selection of the test signal.

5

Freq Setting the output frequency. Direct jump to

the “PARAM” menu with the “SWEEP” and

“CHIRP”testsignals.

6

Mute Switches off the output signal.

Mute is indicated at the lower right corner of
the display and a flashing mute button.

The button lights up continually during the
pauses of the “PNoise” and “Chirp” signal
waveforms.

7

On/Off Switches the instrument off if held down for

one second. Switches the back-lighting on
and off.

8

Sens Changes the sensitivity steps of the frequen-

cy and level settings.

9

Level Setting the output level. You can set up the

output signal in the following units:
dBV, dBu,V. With the MR-PRO, dBF (dB re­ferred to Full Scale) and % units are available
when playing back Wave files.

Overview

1

ESC Terminates an entry, jumps to the

top menu level or closes an open window.

2

Rotary

wheel

Slow turning: Precise setting of the value.
Rapid turning: Setting the value in larger
steps.

3

Enter Confirming a selection.

9

The screen display

The main menu

1

Menu bar

2

Battery symbol:
If the battery symbol lights up
the batteries are almost com­pletely discharged and must
be replaced.

3

Display of the readings
(MR-PRO)

4

Settings for signal generation

1 2

3

4

Settings for signal generation

1

Test signal

2

Start / Stop for certain test
signals

3

Setting up the parameters

4

Single / continuous mode
for certain test signals

5

Output frequency

6

Units for the output level

7

Output level

1 2 3

5

6

7

4

Overview

10

Display of the measured values (MR-PRO)

1

Phantom voltage

2

Balance

3

Impedance

Overview

1 2 3

11

Power supply

Battery operation

In order to be always able to use the Minirator flexibly, we rec­ommend the use of batteries.

Only use 3x AA, LR6 batteries.•
The battery consumption increases at •
higher level setting as well is based on
the connected load.
During operation, the battery tempera-•
ture may increase noticeably. This is not
a defect.
The instrument can also be used with re-•
chargeable batteries.

Operation using the mains power supply

You can also connect the Minirator to a mains socket with a
DC power supply unit, which is available for order at NTi Au­dio. We recommend remaining the batteries inside the instru­ment.

Overview

We recommend using the NTi Audio
mains power adapter. This is a switch­ing power supply and leads to increased
noise at the unbalanced output connector.

Alternatively you may utilize a linear power
supply adapter with EU-connector for unbal­anced signal applications.
NTi Audio # 600 000 305.

In case you want to make use of a different
DC power supply unit, you must observe
the following specifications:

electrically-isolated, non-earthed linear •
DC power supply unit

2.1 x 5.5 x 9.5 mm plug•
connection •
Voltage from 5 to 9 volts and a current of •
at least 500 mA.

Damage caused by using an inappropriate
external DC supply is not covered by war­ranty.

12

Do not use both outputs at the same
time.

The simultaneous use of both outputs could
lead to a short-circuit in one of the generator
outputs in the connected instrument.

2

3

1

PIN 1

2

PIN 2

3

PIN 3

2

1

3

XLR

RCA

~

~

100 Ω

MR2

U/2

U/2

U

100 Ω

0.5 Ω

Characteristics of the outputs

The Minirator has two outputs that are wired in parallel:
An unbalanced RCA output and a balanced, non-earthed XLR
output. Both outputs are resistant to externally applied phan­tom power.
Wherever possible, always use balanced (XLR) connections, as
these have much better immunity to interference than unbal­anced connections.

Allocation of the XLR output:

MR2 outputs

Both the RCA and the XLR have a balanced output impedance
of 200 Ohm.

The voltage at the MR2 XLR or RCA output
is less than the set voltage U with low im­pedance loads.
Example:
A balanced 200 Ohm load impedance match­ing the 200 ohm output impedance will re­sult in the expected output drop of 6 dB.

Overview

1

13

MR-PRO outputs

Both the RCA and the XLR have a balanced output impedance
of only 12.5 ohms. The level of the XLR output corresponds
closely to the set output voltage, based upon the low 12.5 ohm
output impedance of the generator.

2

1

3

XLR

RCA

~

~

I<10mA

I<10mA

6.3 Ω

6.3 Ω

MR-PRO

U/2

U/2

U

0.5 Ω

Behavior with low-impedance loads

The maximum output current of the MR-PRO is 10 mA. If the
connected load consumes more current, the internal regulation
of the MR-PRO reduces the output level. This condition will be
indicated on the screen by the flashing output level display:

.

Overview

XLR short-circuit between Pin 1 and 3

Commercially available XLR to RCA adapt­ers short-circuit the XLR Pins 1 and 3. Do
not use such adapters with the Minirator!
They will reduce the signal quality, thus use
the RCA output instead.

The MR-PRO is designed for loads down to
600 Ohm. Depending on the output level
and the output frequency, however, the
level is maintained, even for lower load im­pedances.

Minirator -40dB Adapter

For highest quality microphone level signals
we recommend the “Minirator -40dB Atten­uator” which is available as an accessory.
It improves the signal to noise ratio for low
level signals by 40 dB.
Order information:
Minirator -40dB Adapter
NTi Audio # 600 000 312

14

3. Getting Started

Inserting the batteries

Only use batteries from the same manu-•
facturer.
Replace the discharged batteries by new •
ones.
Do not mix used and new batteries.•

Open the battery cover.•
Insert three AA-LR6 batteries with the same state of charge, •
paying attention to the +/- marking in the battery compart­ment.
Close the battery cover once the batteries have been in-•
serted.

 You have now successfully inserted the batteries.

1.

2.

Getting Started

15

Fitting the protective shock jacket

(MR-PRO only)

With the MR-PRO, you can fit the supplied protective shock
jacket. This will protect the instrument against light impacts
without impairing its easy operation.

Push the lower end of your MR-PRO into the lower end of •
the protective shock jacket.
Push the upper end of the MR-PRO into the protective •
housing.

 You have now fitted the protective shock jacket

Damage through impacts / shocks

The protective shock jacket shields your •
MR-PRO against reasonable impacts that
could occur in normal use.
But do not intentionally subject the in-•
strument to extreme stress!
Please do not drop the instrument!•
Damage caused by dropping or impact is •
not covered by warranty.

1.

2.

Getting Started

16

Attaching the hand strap

To prevent you from accidentally dropping the Minirator, a hand
strap is supplied with the instrument. You can also fit the hand
strap when the protective shock jacket of the MR-PRO has
been fitted.

Pull the hand strap through the opening.•
Pull the rear part of the hand strap through the loop of the •
front part.
Pull the hand strap tight.•

You have now secured the hand strap.

2.

1.

3.

Getting Started