Vi6 CobraNet® card Setup Guide
This guide describes how to use a laptop PC running the CobraNet Discovery® utility, to
configure the settings of the Vi6 CobraNet® card (applies to both Local Rack and Stagebox
versions of the card)
The configuration of the Vi6 card will be dictated by the network or other devices that are
being connected to the card, so it is not possible to give exact details for individual
parameters.
It is recommended that setting up a CobraNet® network is carried out by an experienced
person, but if more information is required, useful documents can be downloaded from the
CobraNet.info website, on http://cobranet.info/en/products/pro/detail/P1107.html
1. Configuring CobraNet Discovery software to allow configuration of Vi6
CobraNet® card.
CobraNet Discovery is a free utility provided by the manufacturers of CobraNet® hardware,
Cirrus Logic.
The latest version of the program (3.4.2 or above) allows not only the monitoring of CobraNet
device parameters, but also the configuration of settings such as bundle numbers, latency
and bit depth.
The program can be downloaded from the website www.cobranet.info/support – follow the
CobraNet software link on left hand side.
In order to enable the configuration functionality in the software, an edit has to be made to the
program’s initialisation file. Carry out the following instructions:
1. Download and install the V3.4.2 software.
2. Start and then close Cobranet Discovery.
3. In windows explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Cirrus Logic\CobraNet Discovery.
4. Open the file cndisco.ini using the ‘Open with…’ command and use Notepad to open.
5. Add the exact text shown highlighted in the screenshot below.
The new text has to be in the section [Configuration] – the exact position of it within the
section in relation to other lines of text is unimportant. (The other text in this file may differ
from what is shown in the screenshot – this is not a problem).
6. Save the file and exit Notepad
7. Restart Cobranet Discovery.
2. Setting up the Ethernet port on the Laptop PC.
First the laptop PC needs to have its network port configured to have a fixed IP address in
order to communicate with the CobraNet® card:
1. On the laptop:
Start\Connect to\Show all connections\Local Area connection
Right-click the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties:
2. Select Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) and click on Properties
3. Select ‘Use the following IP address’ and type in the IP address and subnet mask as
shown.
If you are only connecting to the Vi6 CobraNet card it does not really matter what the actual
IP address is, but it is recommended to set it as above.
Click OK to close the TCP/IP dialogue box.
4. In the Local Area Connection box, select the ‘Advanced’ tab at the top, and then click the
Windows Firewall ‘Settings’ button:
Make sure the firewall is set to OFF.
Click OK on all dialogues to exit the Local Area Connection properties.
Note you will have to reverse the above settings 1-4 if you subsequently need to connect the
laptop to a business LAN, so it is best to use a separate network port if available.
3. Setting up CobraNet Discovery to configure the Vi6 CobraNet® card
1. Power up the Vi6 and connect the laptop’s Ethernet port to the Primary port on the
CobraNet® card. This should be done with a crossover Ethernet cable, but depending on the
laptop, a ‘straight’ cable can be used, if the laptop supports both cable types.
Alternatively, a network switch can be connected between the Laptop and the CobraNet®
card, in this case ‘straight’ cables would be used.
Using a switch also enables several other CobraNet® devices to be connected to the laptop at
the same time as the Vi6, and their configuration inspected and changed if necessary to
match the Vi6.
Both LEDs on the Cobranet should start flashing when connected to the laptop.
2. Start the CobraNet Discovery program and go to Tools/Options.
In the top section of the dialogue, select the network controller that your laptop is using for the
Ethernet port you have connected the module to.
In the IP Address range enter values as above, and then check the ‘Enable Auto Assignment
box’.
Click OK and return to the main Discovery window.
Note – you only have to carry out this step the first time you connect to the Vi6 card.
3. You should now see the Vi6 CobraNet® module in the Discovery window, with an IP
address similar to that shown:
The IP address is only used for the purposes of connecting to the configuration computer, so
what the actual address is does not matter, as long as it is in the same subnet as the laptop’s
Ethernet port – if you’ve followed the previous instructions, it will be!
4. To configure the CobraNet card, click on the Vi6 device to select it, then choose
Tools/Configure – or just double-click the device.
The Configuration box appears, and the Advanced
Configuration box can be opened by clicking ‘Advanced’.
5. The bundle numbers can now be changed as required by selecting one of the four transmit
IMPORTANT!
SubFormat
Advanced Configuration
or receive bundles and either clicking the ‘Configure’ button, or just double-clicking the
bundle:
The Vi6 CobraNet® card is set from the
factory to have 4 transmit bundles (32
channels) and no receive bundles
active.
The number of transmit and receive
channels is also set on the CobraNet
card PCB on DIP switches. These
switches determine how many
channels are available in the Vi6 Input
and Output patching touchscreens,
Therefore if the number of transmit
and/or receive channels is changed
from the default, the DIP switches
should also be changed to match.
The
bit depth to be changed to match the
network – but note that if this is
changed to 24 bits, it is not possible to
6. Changing the Latency, sample rate and card name
use all 8 channels in the bundle.
The
dialogue box is used to set the Latency
and Sample rate of the Vi6 CobraNet
card (this is the parameter called
‘modeRate Control’)
These MUST match the other devices
in the network, otherwise the system
will not work. Note that with latency
setting of 1.33ms, only 7 channels per
bundle are allowed.
IMPORTANT!
The Vi6 currently runs at 48kHz only.
The Conductor Priority parameter must
be left at a value of 255. This is the
highest priority and indicates that the
Vi6 will always be the clock master for
the entire network.
If necessary, the Name, Location and
Contact fields can be changed to
identify the console in more detail.
Do not change any other fields!
For more information on CobraNet
parameters, see the website
www.cobranet.info
parameter allows the
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