OPERATORS MANUAL RPE 228d
PROGRAMMABLE EQUALIZER
QUICK START
Read this section if you want to install and operate the RPE 228d without wading through the detailed descriptions in
this manual. If the control software has not yet been installed on your computer, refer to SOFTWARE OPERATION on
page Manual-5 first.
Turn the amplifier(s) down or off until all connections are complete. Connect balanced audio INPUTS and OUTPUTS
to the handy Euroblock connectors on the rear. Connect the RW 232 INPUT jack on the rear to a serial (COM) port on a
PC-compatible computer using a standard 9-pin RS-232 cable (a short one is supplied with the unit, which is intended to
connect between units in a rack). The cable or adaptor must not be a null-modem type.
Locate the RW 232 DEVICE ADDRESS switch on the rear panel. If this unit is to be tested by itself, set it to ‘1’ by
setting all switches off (down), except switch one (labeled ‘1’ on the chassis, the right-most switch). If there is more than
one unit, refer to SETTING THE DEVICE ADDRESS to set a unique number (see page Manual-4).
Apply power by connecting the RS 1 remote power supply to the red telephone-style jack on the rear of the unit.
CAUTION: don’t connect anything but an approved RANE power supply to this jack. If the RS 1 and the RPE 228d are
getting power, the front panel yellow POWER light will be on.
Start your computer, run Windows®, and launch our software by double-clicking on the RaneWare® icon. The System
Setup window may appear. If it doesn’t, select System Setup from the Setup menu. Be careful to select the COM port
which is physically connected to the RPE 228d. Click OK. Now, the Device Selection window may appear. If it doesn’t,
choose Select from the Device menu. Click on Poll, … and the Devices Found will display the number of units found.
Click the Stop button. Select the unit listed in the Device Selection window and click OK. If no unit was found, please
refer to the TROUBLESHOOTING section.
Several clues indicate communication between the computer and the RPE 228d. The yellow COM (communications)
light on the unit should flash periodically. The Memory numbers (1-16) near the top of the computer screen should be
black rather than grey. Clicking the BYPASS button on the screen causes one Channel of the unit to enter Bypass mode.
WEAR PARTS: This product contains no wear parts.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
RaneWare is a registered trademark of Rane Corporation
Manual-1
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION
햲 BYPASS (red) lights whenever the audio relay Bypass for the Channel is active. This occurs for a few seconds after power-
up, or when BYPASS is selected in RaneWare.
햳 SIGNAL (green) indicates the presence of a significant analog audio signal on the Input to the Channel (typically -27 dBu).
햴 CLIP (red) flashes when an audio level for the Channel in the unit approaches digital clipping level (typically 3 dB below
clipping).
햵 COM (yellow, communications) flashes when a message for the unit is received from a PC compatible computer. There is a
brief flash when using the Memory Recall Port.
햶 POWER indicates that the unit is happily connected to a powered remote supply.
RPE 228d CONNECTION
When first connecting the RPE 228d to other components
in your system, leave the power supply for last. This will give
you a chance to correct any mistakes before any damage is
done to your speakers, ears, etc.
The RPE 228d requires a Rane RS 1 (provided with each
unit) or compatible power supply. There are #6-32 screws
provided for chassis ground. Connect a wire from this point to
a known earth ground, such as an amplifier chassis. This may
not be necessary when installed in a rack with other grounded
units.
The RPE 228d will operate at moderately high ambient
temperatures. Large racks of equipment may generate excess
heat, requiring extra space beween units, and/or forced air
ventilation to reduce the ambient temperature in the rack.
The RPE 228d has balanced Inputs and Outputs, with
chassis-grounded shields. This chassis ground is not signal
ground, although the two grounds are connected internally.
The chassis ground is intended to be connected to an earth
ground. The RPE 228d is intended to be connected to other
Manual-2
balanced equipment with chassis-grounded shields. Connect
the non-inverting audio lines to the ‘+’ terminals, and the
inverting lines to the ‘–’ terminals. Connect the cable shields
to the ground terminal on the Euroblock or screws. Connect
shields at both ends of the cables.
To control the units from a computer, use nine-pin RS-232
cables which are 50 feet or shorter. The cable must not be a
null-modem type. A short cable is supplied for connecting
adjacent units. Daisy-chain up to 16 units at a time by
connecting the COM port on the computer to the INPUT
connector on the first unit, and the OUTPUT connector of
each unit to the next unit’s INPUT.
The DEVICE ADDRESS switch identifies each unit with
an ‘address’, and must be set uniquely for each unit. The
switches form a binary code from 0 through 255. Only the
numbers 1-250 may be used. The place values of each switch
are marked on the rear panel. To set a specific address, refer
to the “Setting the Device Address” section.
REAR PANEL DESCRIPTION
햲 Remote POWER jack is for connection to a Rane RS 1 or compatible power supply. Units with outboard power supplies do
not ground the chassis through the line cord. Make sure that these units are grounded either to another chassis which is earth
grounded, or directly to the grounding screw on an AC outlet cover by means of a wire connected to a screw on the chassis
with a star washer to guarantee proper contact.
햳 DEFAULT switch recalls Memory 1 for both audio Channels. This may be useful in case of computer failure and dupli-
cates the function of the number ‘1’ Memory Recall Port switch—without the need for an external switch.
햴 MEMORY RECALL PORT (MRP) provides the ability to recall Memories using contact closures. See below.
햵 RW 232 INPUT connects to the computer, or to the RW 232 OUTPUT of other RW 232 units.
햶 RW 232 OUTPUT connects to the RW 232 INPUT on other units.
햷 RW 232 DEVICE ADDRESS identifies each unit uniquely by assigning it
a number from 1 to 250. Refer to the Device Address Table on the following page.
햸 Channels 1 & 2 Audio INPUT & OUTPUT are balanced with chassis
ground. See RPE 228d CONNECTION, previous page.
MEMORY RECALL PORT
The MEMORY RECALL PORT (MRP) provides contact
closure control to recall any of the 16 system Memories for
both audio channels. Eight of the Memories are recalled with
simple switch closure to a single terminal (see the Normal
section of Table 1). There are nine screw terminals: one is
chassis ground, and the other eight are inputs which are
grounded to recall a preset Memory. Multiple units may be
controlled by connecting these terminals in parallel. Either
momentary or latching switches may be used. If a latching
switch is used, the selected Memory is recalled upon powerup. If more than one terminal is grounded at a time, the
lower-numbered contacts will normally be ignored. A
“Binary” mode allows access to all Memories. No computer is
required after the initial setup.
The MRP may be completely reconfigured in RaneWare.
See Device > Edit MRP Configuration on page Manual-6.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mode Result
10000000
1000000 2
0
00
000
0000
00000
000000
0000000
0
100 0 1 1 0 1 2
0
1 10 0 1 1 0 1 4
0
10 1 0 1 1 0 1 6
0
1 1 10 1 1 0 1 8
0
100 1 1 1 0 1 10
0
1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 12
00
10 1 1 1 1 0 1 14
0
1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 16
100000 3
10000 4
Normal
1000 5
10 0 6
10 7
18
0 0 0 1 1 0 1
1 0 0 1 1 0 1 3
0 1 0 1 1 0 1 5
1 1 0 1 1 0 1 7
Binary
0 0 1 1 1 0 1 9
1 0 1 1 1 0 1 11
1 1 1 1 0 1 13
1 1 1 1 1 0 1 15
1
1
Table 1. MRP Switch Closure Logic
Manual-3