Xantech MRC88, Installation Instructions Manual

Page 1: ...INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS MODEL MRC88 EIGHT ZONE EIGHT SOURCE AUDIO VIDEO CONTROLLER AMPLIFIER SYSTEM...

Page 2: ...e manufacturer 8 Ventilation The appliance should be situated so that its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation For example the appliance should not be situated on a bed...

Page 3: ...ING THE MRC88 CONTROLLER AMPLIFIER 25 SOURCE RELATED CONNECTIONS 25 Source Component Connections 25 Zone Audio Inputs 26 IR Control Connections 26 Sense Input Connections 26 ZONE RELATED WIRING CONNEC...

Page 4: ...44 Remote Central com Importing CCF Files and Discrete IR Commands 44 ENTERING RS232 COMMANDS CREATING RS232 COMMAND PALETTE FILES 46 ENTERING RS232 COMMAND STRINGS 46 Using the RS232 Palette Editor...

Page 5: ...CED EXPANDED PROGRAMMING 63 CONTROLLER OPTIONS PROGRAMMING 63 ZONE AUDIO INPUT 63 IR ROUTING 64 BACK LIGHT CONTROL 64 MODE OF OPERATION 64 Whole House Mode 64 Priority Lockout Mode 64 EXPANDED OPTIONS...

Page 6: ...A HAND HELD REMOTE TO OPERATE THE MRC88 SYSTEM 80 TEACHING A HAND HELD REMOTE USING AN RC68 HAND HELD PROGRAMMER 80 TEACHING A HAND HELD REMOTE DIRECTLY FROM DRAGON DROP IR 80 MAKING FINE ADJUSTMENTS...

Page 7: ...Model MRC88 Page 7 2003 Xantech Corporation...

Page 8: ...One male DB15 to male DB15 cable with null modem for linking two MRC88 Controllers Part No 05913555 CD ROM Disc contains the MRC88 Dragon Drop IR software Part No 03900785 01 MRC88 System Installation...

Page 9: ...tion for functions such as zone link monitor lockout unique IR programming by zone etc The Expanded mode allows programming of systems with more than Eight zones using linked MRC88 Controllers Each se...

Page 10: ...dard source components via IR and or RS232 commands Two Control Amps can be linked to create systems with up to Sixteen zones POWER CH CH STATUS SELECT PLAY STOP PAUSE FF REW VOL VOL MUTE POWER CH CH...

Page 11: ...40 IR commands can be issued in a single Macro Audio Video loop through on all Eight source inputs Power Management Keeps all components Power States in sync with Zone Power Status All Eight video sou...

Page 12: ...able dual functionality tiered push and hold on most buttons Backlit LCD and buttons w rear panel brightness adjustment Variable backlight timeout Bi colored Status LED for power and status Broadband...

Page 13: ...ns AC power On Off to the entire unit 4 Power and Status LED Indicators Eight indicators one for each Zone provide the following status information System Status Power Up Mode a Slow Orange Blink indi...

Page 14: ...any unaltered factory defaults after main power shut down or after any power interruptions 7 IR Learning Eye The IR Eye on the MRC88 Controller front panel allows teaching IR Codes to Dragon Drop IR...

Page 15: ...ides a control output of 12 VDC that turns on and off with the zone to drive voltage sensing relay modules and AC strips 20 Control Out 8 Mono 3 5mm Mini Phone Jack provides a Control Output that goes...

Page 16: ...troller Options Programming 27 IR Emitter Common 3 5mm Mono Mini Phone Jacks Single Common IR Output that can be used to control devices such as Multi Zone Audio Server motorized drapery systems TV li...

Page 17: ...onents and the MRC88 system A Programmable Learning Remote such as the Xantech URC2 is recommended for integrating the IR commands of the MRC88 and source components into a single controller Compatibl...

Page 18: ...d Pressing of the Source Button will reverse the source icon on the LCD Display and sends IR commands programmed to the button if any to the corresponding source and common emitter outputs as well as...

Page 19: ...R Sensitivity Adjustment Carefully adjust for background light level to prevent false triggering of the IR circuits Slowly turn counter clockwise to reduce sensitivity 21 LCD Backlight Adjustment Adju...

Page 20: ...Source Inputs 1 Audio Video RCA Harness Capable of Audio Left Right and Video 1 Pair of speakers with Speaker Cable properly terminated into a 4 conductor WECO Plug Will be used to test Speaker output...

Page 21: ...s transmitted along the CAT5 cable Incorrect wiring on this cable can destroy the MRC Keypad Please test the cable connections using a proper CAT5 cable tester or using a Multimeter to check Pin to Pi...

Page 22: ...is designed for mounting on flat horizontal surfaces When mounting into a 19 rack use a proper rack shelf or drawer i e Middle Atlantic or equivalent 8 Do not remove chassis feet They are necessary to...

Page 23: ...the template being sure that your cut is on the outline Any cut outside of the outline by more than may not be covered by the MRC88 Keypad 1 2 Figure 8 Installing the MRC88 Keypad mounting bracket in...

Page 24: ...ation optional a Position Back Box so inner rectangle is in a horizontal position as shown in Figure 8B b Affix MRCBOX to Wall Stud at desired height with front of box flush with front of stud or set...

Page 25: ...ontroller be sure the power cord is unplugged Proceed as follows referring to Figure 3 and Figure 13 for a typical MRC88 system layout and interconnections SOURCE RELATED CONNECTIONS The following rel...

Page 26: ...ler will also flash regardless of what zones keypad issues the command but it is recommended to use the emitter jacks of the Primary unit SENSE INPUT CONNECTIONS BASIC ADVANCED The sense input connect...

Page 27: ...terminals on each speaker This will ensure proper phasing See Step 6 Since the connectors are removable you may unplug them for ease of lead assembly 4 As a rule of thumb use 18 gauge speaker wire for...

Page 28: ...iring on this cable can destroy the MRC Keypad Be sure to test cable for proper connections before making connections VIDEO CONNECTIONS BASIC ADVANCED EXPANDED Composite Video 1 When running composite...

Page 29: ...L and Right R connectors Figure 3 25 to the desired external amplifiers Audio Left and Right Input connectors CO1 AND CO2 ZONES 7 8 BASIC ADVANCED EXPANDED Zones 7 and 8 have a Remote Mute Standby ou...

Page 30: ...ad is transmitted along this cable Incorrect wiring on this cable can destroy the MRC Keypad Be sure to test cable for proper connections before making connections Multiple Keypad Connections 1 For a...

Page 31: ...l when adding a Plasma Friendly or other IR Receiver 490 90 etc or adding a sub zone keypad either outdoors or in a bathroom WATERPAD Keypad Note The 12VDC output terminal is rated at 100mA and can po...

Page 32: ...e units directly on top of each other This may cause damage to the units due to increased heat dissipation CONNECTING SOURCE COMPONENTS When connecting two units together designate one unit as the PRI...

Page 33: ...PAUSE FF REW VOL VOL MUTE POWER CH CH STATUS SELECT PLAY STOP PAUSE FF REW VOL VOL MUTE D 250 feet max 76 m MRC44 Connecting Block PWR V G S IR RCVR 780 80 CFL DIRECT SUNLIGHT FRIENDLY IR RECEIVER WPK...

Page 34: ...DVANCED EXPANDED SPEAKER PHASING TO OBTAIN STABLE IMAGING AND FULL BASS RESPONSE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT STEREO SPEAKERS BE CONNECTED IN PHASE WITH EACH OTHER YOU CAN VERIFY THIS AS FOLLOWS 1 If the pos...

Page 35: ...ONE 4 AUDIO OUT ZONE 5 AUDIO OUT ZONE 6 A V Source 1 To MRC88 Controller Amplifier IR Out s A V Source 8 To MRC88 Controller Amplifier IR Out s AUDIO OUT ZONE 7 AUDIO OUT ZONE 8 VIDEO OUT ZONE 1 VIDEO...

Page 36: ...s between the keypad and the controller This means the system is programmed as a whole which saves programming time and ease of maintenance Keypads can be interchanged or replaced without any further...

Page 37: ...____ IR File Name _____________ IR Library Palette Zone Audio Source 3 ______________ IR File Name _____________ IR Library Palette Zone Audio Source 7 ______________ IR File Name _____________ IR Lib...

Page 38: ...as follows 1 Insert the disc into your computer s CD ROM drive If your drive has been set for auto run a Xantech Welcome Menu will appear If not access your CD ROM with Windows Explorer and double cli...

Page 39: ...Communication error Not able to establish link with MRC Unit this could be due to the following 1 The Unit is not powered ON Please check the AC Power Cable and power state of the unit 2 There is a c...

Page 40: ...palettes please proceed to the section entitled PUTTING CODES TO WORK BUILT IN IR CODE LIBRARY BASIC ADVANCED EXPANDED The DragMRC software has a built in IR Code Library This is basically a large dat...

Page 41: ...beled IR Library You will need to remember the location of all commands for use in the following section Figure 16 Built In Mfg s IR Command Library LEARNING IR COMMANDS BASIC ADVANCED EXPANDED NOTE W...

Page 42: ...ette Editor Figure 18 Source COMPONENT selection in Palette Editor RECORDING TOGGLE COMMAND FUNCTIONS Some IR command formats e g RC5 and RC6 types include a toggle or key release bit in the code For...

Page 43: ...Only functions with an asterisk will execute 7 If a component does not respond to a command re learn and re test the IR command until the component responds 8 Repeat steps 1 thru 6 for all commands to...

Page 44: ...required for the new component 5 Press ESC on keyboard to save and exit 6 New Brands Components and Functions can now be selected and programmed in Palette Editor GETTING SOURCE COMMANDS FROM THE INT...

Page 45: ...import to the Brand and bci files in DragMRC 17 At this point or at any later date you can choose additional component types from the CCF file e g DVD etc if listed by using the CCF Importer again Si...

Page 46: ...TIONS for that type of component will appear as shown in Figure 21 Review the list of Functions on the left hand side and compare to the source remote If your function is not displayed or not named ap...

Page 47: ...r communication settings 4 Click on the command string to be tested on the left hand side of the RS232 Palette Editor Note Only commands with the icon will be able to be tested 5 The Device or Compone...

Page 48: ...ssuing RS232 commands Therefore the procedure of learning and testing these commands and creating the Palette file for an individual source component only needs to be done once This file can now be ad...

Page 49: ...tions to follow you will be setting up the Keypads for use in controlling the system This will consist of setting up the Source Icons placing IR or RS232 commands onto the Virtual Keypad and setting u...

Page 50: ...ating files with icons 7 Select the ZONES tab in the Project Window 8 Right click on the Source button to be labeled 9 From the pop up menu Select LOAD ICON A list of icon bitmaps will appear includin...

Page 51: ...xes can be moved and sized except the virtual keypads for ease of use If you click on a Palette file in the list and you do not see it on the screen move some of the currently opened windows to see if...

Page 52: ...All programmable buttons on the MRC88 Keypad can be programmed to send IR sequences of up to 40 commands all buttons except for Volume UP DOWN and STATUS 1 Click the button to be programmed 2 Open al...

Page 53: ...pressed and held for longer than 1 second NOTE Tier 2 commands placed under the POWER button will require the button to be held for 3 Seconds before it will execute the Tier 2 command The commands th...

Page 54: ...pening closing shutters in that zone This type of function would need to be accessible regardless of which source is currently selected in that zone PUNCH ALL SYSTEM LEVEL ADVANCED EXPANDED Selecting...

Page 55: ...ort on the rear of the Keypad if enabled regardless of which zones keypad issued the command i e if Zone 2 is selected from the pop up menu pressing the associated button on Zone 1 s keypad will issue...

Page 56: ...g power surges or other miss happenings The MRC88 Controller features two sensing methods One is Video Sensing All eight source video inputs are set to detect a video input signal NTSC and PAL sync Wh...

Page 57: ...SENSE SETUP tab in the MRC88 Systems window 2 Select POWER MANAGEMENT in the selection window See Figure 29 3 Select the SOURCE to program be sure to have the components IR Palette open with the prop...

Page 58: ...r Management NOTE If a Video or Sense Input is being used in Power Management for a particular source it will not be available for Sense Trigger and the corresponding button will be grayed out in the...

Page 59: ...ches and relays need to stabilize The factory default of 2 should be tried first For a faster switch try the 1 setting For slower switches change as needed to allow the controller to sense the switch...

Page 60: ...given a name i e Living Room Bedroom etc to more easily plan and program the keypads and zones in a MRC88 system 1 To change the name of a zone click the OPTIONS button on the bottom of the Virtual Ke...

Page 61: ...e Variable and follow the Volume setting for the entire Zone track 1 1 with default MRC88 Volume controls on Keypad or RC68 commands via remote or to be a Fixed output level to be controlled outside o...

Page 62: ...ransferred to the MRC88 if it is being set up in the Basic mode For Advanced and Expanded systems continue to next section See page 77 Transferring a Project for instructions NOTE For Advanced systems...

Page 63: ...PUT Factory Default DISABLED Select ENABLE to utilize the Zone Audio Inputs on the rear of the MRC88 Controller Amplifier Figure 3 24 Use this feature to interface Zone Specific audio components such...

Page 64: ...never turn on This is useful in rooms that are always brightly lit 3 Click TIMED and use the Timed Back light Control Pulldown Menu to set backlight duration from 1 10 seconds MODE OF OPERATION Factor...

Page 65: ...prevent the MRC88 system from misinterpreting erroneous data NOTE To control the MRC88 System from the RS232 port please see Section 5 RS232 Input Translator and Section 9 Appendix RS232 Control MONIT...

Page 66: ...1 Select PRIORITY LOCKOUT MODE The Monitor Lockout boxes will be activated 2 Click the ADMINISTRATOR box for any zone that is to have Dynamic Monitor Lockout ability 3 After the project has been tran...

Page 67: ...s POWER and SOURCE SLECTION buttons to control the zones from any linked keypad There are two forms of Linking STATIC linking and DYNAMIC linking Figure 36 MRC88 System Window Zone Linking Tab Advance...

Page 68: ...DYNAMIC ZONE LINK MODE Factory default DISABLED This mode allows zone linking on the fly There may be times when it may be desirable to link multiple zones on a temporary basis i e Linking the entire...

Page 69: ...controlled devices This can give the ability for a central PC or other RS232 device to control not only the MRC88 system itself but also any IR controlled device connected to any of the MRC88 emitter...

Page 70: ...the Command List 4 Repeat for all commands to be associated to this Command String A maximum of 40 Commands may be placed under each string 5 Repeat steps 1 thru 4 for all desired ASCII Strings 128 in...

Page 71: ...emitter output AND THE zone Emitter Outputs if desired as well as the common IR output for control of other devices and systems Any Internal Amplifier Commands placed in the Macro will be processed by...

Page 72: ...or Source emitter output port By right clicking on the desired command the command may be directed to a specific emitter output or deleted from the Macro Command window For more information on editin...

Page 73: ...ck on Palette and select MRC Amplifier Command Generator or simply press F6 on your keyboard 2 From the MRC88 System Window select the Zone to be programmed i e Zone 1 3 Click the button to be program...

Page 74: ...e 1 8 9 16 BassLevel 14dB 14dB Zone Bass Step Up Command Increase Bass Setting Zone 1 8 9 16 N A Zone Bass Step Down Command Decrease Bass Setting Zone 1 8 9 16 N A Zone Source Select Command Select S...

Page 75: ...virtual keypad as outlined in Section 4 NOTE If commands have already been placed on any of the Keypads in Zones 1 thru 8 and PUNCHED for all zones system level prior to enabling EXPANDED mode those...

Page 76: ...32 device this device will need to be connected to the PRIMARY Controllers RS232 port Primary MRC88 Controller Amplifier Secondary MRC88 Controller Amplifier Sources 1 through 8 From Source Component...

Page 77: ...et the PROTECT switch to the ON position 8 MRC88 System should now be fully functional EXPANDED 1 Connect PC to the COM port or USB port on the PRIMARY MRC88 Controller 2 Set the PROTECT switch Figure...

Page 78: ...main hard drive and drop them into the Projects folder in the backup directory To COPY the files to a floppy disk right click on the selected files and choose 3 5 Floppy Drive letter under the SEND T...

Page 79: ...ADE WARM firmware upgrades can be conducted without having to re transfer your project to the controller It is a way of keeping your unit up to date to take advantage of new features 1 Start Dragon Dr...

Page 80: ...g Optional Commands can be EQ Treble and Bass commands and Balance adjustment commands TEACHING A HAND HELD REMOTE DIRECTLY FROM DRAGON DROP IR ADVANCED EXPANDED If an RC68 is not easily accessible a...

Page 81: ...IR sensor on the MRC88 Keypad IR sensor enabled and press the TRIM button button F8 This activates the TRIM mode NOTE Trim mode allows 10 seconds after each button press for the next command to be ex...

Page 82: ...wer on NOTE The MRC88 remembers the last volume setting on a power down and returns to that level when the Zone is powered back up The ON VOL feature will ensure that if the volume was turned off at a...

Page 83: ...Power Management is enabled all of the Source Components will also be powered OFF SOURCE SLECTION AND CONTROL To select Sources via the Keypad press the corresponding source button located above or b...

Page 84: ...video output of a source from being viewed in any of the other zones DYNAMIC MONITOR LOCKOUT should be engaged from the Zone that WILL be accessing the source This is ideal to prevent a source compone...

Page 85: ...us LED s will show busy rapid amber flash for 10 seconds after the last button press then time out and return to normal use mode LED green LCD normal display The small L will no longer appear The zone...

Page 86: ...nits RS232 port TYPES OF COMMANDS There are two types of information that can be sent to the MRC88 Controller COMMANDS and QUERIES COMMANDS are ASCII strings used to set a specific parameter in the sy...

Page 87: ...with an and for data queries the string must begin with a All strings must end with a This way it can determine the beginning and end of the string for processing When a proper command is sent an ASCI...

Page 88: ...Zones Off AO Input Source Select z SS s To set Zone 1 to Source Input 5 1SS5 Volume z VO v Volume Increment z VI Volume Decrement z VD Mute z MU 0 1 To mute Zone 3 3MU1 To unmute Zone 4 4MU0 Mute Tog...

Page 89: ...one 1 currently has a treble value of 7 flat Bass z BS z BS bt 1BS7 Zone 1 currently has a bass value of 7 flat Balance z BA z BA t 2BA31 Zone 2 currently has a balance value of 31 even Where z Zone N...

Page 90: ...36 2 50 35 3 75 34 5 00 33 6 25 32 7 50 31 8 75 30 10 00 29 11 25 28 12 50 27 13 75 26 15 00 25 16 25 24 17 50 23 18 75 22 20 00 21 21 25 20 22 50 19 23 75 18 25 00 17 27 50 16 30 00 15 32 50 14 35 0...

Page 91: ...2 CH 13 POWER 14 NOT AVAILABLE 15 MUTE 16 PAUSE 17 STOP 18 FF 19 REW 20 SELECT PLAY 21 NOT AVAILABLE 22 NOT AVAILABLE 23 Tier 2 Source Select 1 24 Tier 2 Source Select 2 25 Tier 2 Source Select 3 26 T...

Page 92: ...Page 92 Model MRC88 2003 Xantech Corporation BASS TREBLE LEVEL MRC88 SETTING LEVEL in dB 14 14 13 12 12 10 11 8 10 6 9 4 8 2 7 0 6 2 5 4 4 6 3 8 2 10 1 12 0 14...

Page 93: ...03 Xantech Corporation BALANCE LEVEL 63 steps MRC88 Setting Left Speaker Attenuation in dB Right Speaker Attenuation in dB 0 0 Mute 1 0 37 5 2 0 36 25 29 0 2 5 30 0 1 25 31 0 0 32 0 0 33 1 25 0 34 2 5...

Page 94: ...om the associated palette f Place the corrected command in the palette using the Add function g Close the Palette Editor and open the palette h Click the button on the virtual keypad that has the bad...

Page 95: ...learnable however when down converted by Xantech products such as the 291P PMS12 291 455 MS455 etc Refer to the Xantech Product Catalog and contact Technical Support for details Be sure you have the...

Page 96: ...ith the MRC88 connect to the PC After transferring commands to the MRC88 it works fine except at certain times the MRC88 refuses to output any commands at all IR noise may be on the IR bus line coming...

Page 97: ...rt 1 Check the cabling between the controlling unit and the MRC88 2 Verify RS232 Port settings are set properly for both devices i e Baud Rate Data Bits Stop Bit etc 3 Verify pin out from controlling...

Page 98: ...R Source 4 5 GND 5 IR Source 5 6 HS In 6 IR Source 6 7 RTS 7 IR Source 7 8 NC 8 IR Source 8 9 NC 9 NC 10 IR Common 11 Tx Out 12 Common 13 Rx In 14 Sig Out 15 Sig In Windows and Microsoft are registere...

Page 99: ...IR Modulation Frequency Bandwidth 30 Hz to 100 kHz Nominal Reception Range 30 feet Nominal Reception Angle 40 degrees off axis General RC68 Code Group Number A8 Control Output 12 V 50 mA Status Output...

Page 100: ...Page 100 Model MRC88 2003 Xantech Corporation...

Page 101: ...Model MRC88 Page 101 2003 Xantech Corporation...

Page 102: ...Page 102 Model MRC88 2003 Xantech Corporation XANTECH CORPORATION 12950 Bradley Avenue Sylmar CA 91342 3829 phone 818 362 0353 fax 818 362 9506 www xantech com Part No 08901180 Rev B 06 02 03...