A quick guide to the various interfaces available for remote control of our products.

This page is also available in the form of the Remote Interface Guide, downloadable pdf, from the TechSupport Section


 
INT-232 - 9-Pin Serial Lead
What is it?
It is a lead to connect directly from the “External” port on the back of a unit to a 9-pin (Serial) port on a PC or laptop.

What is included?
One 9-pin male to female serial lead, approximately 2 metres long.

When should I use this?
If your first unit is no more than 25 feet (approx 7.5m) from the computer, and you have a spare 9-pin COM port available, this is the simplest and cheapest way to get connected.
What else should I know?
* The maximum cable length we recommend for RS232 is 25 feet (7.5 metres) running at 38400 bauud.

* This cable MUST be a 1-1 serial connection – i.e. pin 1 to pin 1, 2 to 2 etc. A null modem cable will NOT work, as the “transmit” and “receive” connections are swapped.

* Units may be cascaded from this first one, using the RS485 ports on the rear of the unit and standard XLR mic leads.
INT-485 - RS232 to RS485 Conversion Kit
What is it?
A kit to convert the standard 9-pin RS232 serial connection from a COM port on a PC into a balanced 2-wire + shield connection on male XLR.

What is included?
1 x KK Systems “K2” RS232-RS485 converter;
1 x 9 pin D-type male to 3 pin XLR male adapter;
1 x 3 pin female XLR to RJ45 adapter cable.

When should I use this?
If the first unit in the system cannot be placed closer than 25 feet from the PC/Laptop, it becomes necessary to use an RS485 serial connection. As this is a balanced system and uses higher voltages for signalling, it is more robust and can travel distances up to 1000 metres down simple balanced mic cables , or a multicore channel.
What else should I know?
* The standard “K2” converter has a set of DIP switches to adapt the system for various uses. These are set correctly by XTA when leaving the factory and should not be adjusted. If for any reason they are different, the correct settings are SW1 ON, all others OFF.

* The wiring for the 9 pin D-type to 3 pin XLR is as follows:
D-type XLR
1--------1
3--------2
8--------3

* The wiring for the 3 pin XLR to RJ45 is as follows:
RJ45 XLR
1-------1
2-------2
3-------3

* The converter requires no external power and no drivers need to be installed.
 
USB-232 - USB to Serial Converter
What is it?
An electronic adapter that intelligently converts a USB interface into a standard 9-pin serial COM port.

What is included?
1 x Aten “UC232a” USB to Serial adapter;
1 x INT-232 Serial Cable;
1 x Driver disk;
1 x Manual.

When should I use this?
Newer PCs and laptops tend to not include traditional 9 pin serial connections any longer, and AudioCore works through a serial port. Therefore one of these converters may be plugged in to provide a “virtual COM port” and RS232 serial output.
What else should I know?
* The converter requires no external power, but does require a driver to be installed from the disk supplied. It is compatible with Windows 98 onwards.

* The XTA Interface system has been optimised for use with this converter. It generally installs itself as a virtual COM port on the next available port number on your system. The easy way to check which COM port it is on is through Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> Ports.

* As this is a USB device designed for “hot swapping”, remember that if the device is unplugged the virtual COM port will disappear, and depends on which USB port the device is plugged into. A different USB port may well install it on a different COM port.

* The maximum cable length from the output of the converter is 25 feet or approximately 7.5 metres.
   
USB-485 - USB to RS485 Conversion Kit
What is it?
A combination of a USB to serial interface and RS232 to RS485 converter to provide direct balanced 2 wire + shield connection.

What is included?
1 x Aten “UC232a” USB- Serial adapter with driver disk & manual;
1 x KK Systems “K2-ADE” RS232-RS485 converter;
1 x 9 pin D-type male to 3 pin XLR male adapter cable.

When should I use this?
When the (first) unit to be controlled is more than 25 feet from the PC/laptop AND the computer doesn’t have a standard 9-pin COM port (but does have a spare USB port!).
What else should I know?
* The KK systems “K2-ADE” RS232-RS485 interface supplied in this kit is NOT the same as the one in the standard 232-485 kit – note the “ADE” suffix which stands for Automatic Device Enable. The non-ADE version will not work reliably!

* The “K2-ADE” converter has a set of DIP switches to adapt the system for various uses. These are set correctly by XTA when leaving the factory and should not be adjusted. If for any reason they are different, the correct settings are SW1 ON; SW2/3 OFF; SW4/5/6 ON.

* If you wish to run the system at 115k, your K2-ADE will need an internal modification - please click here to download the TechNote on how to do this.
OPT-GPI - General Purpose Interface Kit
What is it?
An interface card that replaces the standard RS232 card for the DP224/6/6i to add closed contact memory recall facilities.

What is included?
1 x RS232/GPI interface card;
1 x 15 way D-type to 9 way D-type adapter;
1 x 15 way D-type plug & shell;
Manual and fitting instructions.

When should I use this?
If remote change of memories is required, without involving a PC or other electronic device. This interface allows memories to be recalled (input, crossover or both) via simple switch closure.
What else should I know?
* The kit does not contain any external hardware for actually selecting and recalling memories – the switch arrangement has to be built by the user. Full instructions are supplied giving examples and details of how to connect a suitable device.

* An RS232 interface is included on the GPI interface, so remote PC access and software updates are still possible via the supplied adapter cable.
Any connected slave units (on the RS485 bus) will also recall memories when the master unit is triggered, so only one GPI kit has to be fitted to the master unit.

* This interface is currently unavailable for the DP324 they can be incorporated into a system with the interface fitted to a compatible unit.

Please note that the kits are different for DP224/6/6i and 4 Series (i.e. one kit for 4 Series and one kit for 2 Series)
     
 


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